Photo Credit: Astell&Kern
Was the iPod killed too soon? The allure of a music player without the phone attached remains a compelling mirage even in 2024 for many people. Astell&Kern is building an oasis with its P1 Digital Audio Player.
The South Korean audio brand is launching a new sub-brand called ACTIVO, which is focused on promoting an active lifestyle with music as a companion. At the core of that marketing is the P1 Digital Audio Player, so people can take their music with them and leave their phone behind.
The tiny music player boasts a custom-built interface for navigating music and offers up to 20 hours of continuous, seamless entertainment. The device is pre-loaded with Google Play Store, so any music streaming apps can be loaded onto the device.
That’s handy, considering other hardware devices like the Mighty player (which shamelessly borrows the iPod Shuffle design) only supports Spotify and Amazon Music offline playback. The P1 features 64 GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot for an additional 1.5TB of space if that’s not enough for your personal library.
The ACTIVO P1 features two ESS ES9219Q SABRE DACs in a dual-mono configuration, providing a dedicated DAC chip to right and left outout channels. The dual-DAC structure creates a perfectly balanced circuit to deliver vivid sounds truer to the original source than ever. The device also features a dedicated AMP circuit based on Astell&Kern’s TERATON ALPHA sound solution—allowing the device to deliver sound clarity and broad spatial resonance.
It also features an advanced EQ and seven DAC filter options, with a wide range of personalization and sound profile options for audiophiles. The parametric equalizer options separate frequency ranges into 20 bands, and Gain is adjustable by 0.01dB increments for precise and accurate control. Other features include a 4.1” HD touch screen, Bluetooth 5.3 support for 24-bit wireless playback using LDAC or aptX HD, PD 3.0 fast charging, full MQA decoding and Crossfeed, with Roon Ready support coming soon.
The device itself has been designed with sightless operation in mind despite the touchscreen. The buttons on either side of the player are shaped so that users can tell the difference by touch alone, allowing easy control in a pocket or bag—or while running. Three keys (play/pause, next, and previous) are combined to allow users to control the device while focusing on the display. The dedicated music hardware launched today at a price point of £399 ($514).
