Activo Q1 hybrid IEM headphones review: impressive and affordable audiophile IEMs
Activo Q1: Two-minute review
Activo is the lifestyle sub-brand of audiophile digital audio player specialists Astell & Kern, delivering high-quality hardware for far less cash than its parent company. These earbuds are a collaboration with Singaporean IEM company DITA Audio, which, like Astell & Kern, generally focuses on more affluent audiophiles. Will Q1 appear in our The best wired earbuds Buying guide? The odds are high.
I tested out the Activo debut Active P1 High-Resolution Audio Player I found it quite enjoyable last year, and as you can see from the color-matched design, the new Q1 hybrid IEMs are clearly meant to be paired with it – although both 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm standard connectors are included in the package They are compatible with a wide range of The best MP3 player and other music service sources.
The Q1 are hybrid in-ear headphones featuring Knowles balanced armatures and a version of DITA Audio’s PM1+ 9.8mm dynamic drivers, which are revered for their neutral, transparent sound. The PM1+ driver used in the Q1 has extra windings on the voice coil and also uses brass rather than the usual stainless steel casing. This sounds good on paper—and in listening, too.
The sales pitch here is that these in-ear headphones are affordable for audiophiles on the go, and they’re a fraction of the price of Astell & Kern brand headphones. They offer a very clear and interesting sound, but if you like heavy bass, you may want to adjust your device’s equalizer to crank it up a bit.
Activo Q1 review: Price and release date
- US$349/£299/approximately AU$600
- Launching December 2024
The Activo Q1 hybrid IEM headphones launch in December 2024 with a suggested retail price of $349 / £299 / approximately AU$600.
While that makes them cheaper than Astell & Kern’s typical in-ears, when you consider our current top picks for wired earbuds (i.e. 1 more triple drive The in-ears cost $100 / £70 / AU$150, and are now available for slightly less. Even our “Best Upgrade” option, Sennheiser IE200will only cost you around $149.95 / £129.99 / AU$239.95.
Then again, higher-end options like fantastic FiiO FH19 Priced at $599 / £549 / AU$999, as any audiophile knows, these types of headphones can cost thousands of dollars. It’s all about the value per pound of sound, isn’t it? Here, I think Q1 has a lot of advantages.
Activo Q1 review: Design and features
- DITA PM1+ 9.8mm dynamic driver and Knowles balanced armature
- Cardas’ 32-strand MOCCA 2 cable
- 3.5mm standard and 4.4mm balanced connectors
The Activo Q1 resembles a professional musician’s IEM, mixing a white powder-coated center with a clear resin shell in a color scheme that matches the Activo P1 digital music player. They come with an Activo + DITA branded mini Tanos Systainer case and five sizes of Type-E earbuds in a Final Audio case.
The Q1 is built around a modified version of the DITA PM1+ 9.8mm dynamic driver. Here it’s housed in a brass housing and used with a Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver. This dynamic driver first appeared in DITA’s Project M IEMs, and according to Activo, the modified version here “adds a touch of romance and sweetness to the Project M sound,” in other words, a slightly warmer, louder timbre.
The nozzle is made of PVD stainless steel, and the included ear tips should fit most ear sizes. The tip fits very snugly; it’s fiddly to put on, but once installed it stays securely in place. I lucked out with the first size and it was easy to get a good seal without any adjustments. The Q1 also fits very well and is well balanced. You won’t feel a big lump in your ear even after long listening sessions.
The cable is a 32-strand MOCCA2 ultra-pure copper cable from Cardas, and its connectors are easy to install and feel securely attached to the earbuds. On the other end, you have a choice of 4.4mm balanced connectors and 3.5mm connectors for your audio sources, which is a great addition.
The impedance is 31 ohms and the frequency response is 20Hz to 20kHz. Sensitivity is 109 dB/mW @ 1kHz.
- Design and functionality score: 5/5
Activo Q1 review: Sound quality
- Excellent instrument resolution
- Excellent clarity
- A little bass for our taste
These are very responsive, transparent headphones that offer a well-separated soundstage and spacious high frequencies, which are particularly interesting for expensive and/or simply recorded close-miked acoustic music. They specialize in layered sounds; Taylor Swift teams up with HAIM No body, no crime Especially luminous. Their live recordings are also very interesting.
Like many high-quality headphones, the Q1 isn’t designed to cater to poorly recorded music. But give them some sparkle and turn them up a notch and they’re really good. Dynamic Drivers and Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers are fast, precise and fun: the Q1 can produce classic tracks such as Orange Juice’s tear it up Glittery guitars and suppressed synths that sound like factory freshness in more modern pop music like Charli XCX’s boy Vocals are crisp and clear without clashing with the beat or bass.
The Q1’s frequency response drops down to 20Hz, which is lower than a standard bass guitar, but lower frequencies generally require more energy to render properly, and I found that some music, especially heavier rock, sounded a little too much for my tastes. Too polite. It’s not that Q1 can’t handle the troughs; it’s that Q1 can’t handle the troughs. It’s that they’re not tuned to emphasize them.
No significant EQ changes are required to give the bass a bit of a boost, although this may be a problem if your favorite audio source doesn’t offer EQ adjustments. This is certainly true of Activo’s P1 music player, and I found that the relatively minor EQ curve adjustments on the P1 added extra hiss to SOPHIE’s music lemonadewho produced The Cure’s piercing bass lullaby Remixed to be more spidery and turned Peter Gabriel’s live version into Digging in the dirt Listen to your front-row seat to Godzilla’s Stomping City soundtrack.
Whether you adjust the low frequencies or not, the Q1’s clarity is impressive – the kind of clarity that’s useful not only for easy listening, but also for producing or mixing music. In my own projects, I’m able to hear details and errors that aren’t as obvious on my regular mixing headphones or AirPods Pro/Max.
- Sound quality rating: 4.5/5
Activo Q1 review: great value for money
- Very affordable compared to parent brand
- Half the price of the best competitor device
- Frequency range is narrower than some
Activo may be a lifestyle brand, but these in-ears are still aimed at a higher-end audience, which means they’re up against some very The best wired headphones About.
Our current in-ear audiophile pick, Sennheiser IE 600RRP approximately $800/£699, currently retailing at $599/£499; eight riders FiiO FH19 Recommended retail price is US$599/£549/AU$999. As a result, the Activo Q1 is significantly cheaper than both sets of rivals.
The biggest difference between these in-ears and their two competitors is the frequency range: the Activo Q1 offers 20Hz to 20kHz, but the FiiO offers 8Hz to 40kHz, and the Sennheiser offers 4Hz to 46.5kHz. Whether it’s worth paying more depends largely on personal preference and the quality of the audio source.
Activo Q1: Should you buy them?
| property | notes | grade |
|---|---|---|
| Design and features | Perfectly matched to Activo’s own players, the construction is stylish and sturdy even if you use other devices | 5/5 |
| sound quality | As long as you don’t just listen to drum and bass (and your player has enough oomph to drive them), there’s a lot to love | 4.5/5 |
| value | It’s hard to argue with the value for money here | 4.5/5 |
Buy them if…
Don’t buy them if…
Positive Q1 Review: Also Considered
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Active Q1 | Sennheiser IE 200 | After “Onynik 3” |
|---|---|---|---|
| price | US$349/£299/approximately AU$600 | US$149.95/£129.99/AU$239.95 | $199/£209 (approximately AU$300) |
| driver | 9.8mm PM1+ Dynamic | 7mm dynamic | Single balanced armature driver (each earbud) |
| weight | Unspecified | 0.14 oz/4 g (per bud) | 0.73 oz/20.8 g |
| frequency range | 20 Hz-20 Hz | 6Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-18.5kHz |
| Other features | 3.5mm jack, 4.4mm jack, detachable cable | Detachable cable, carrying bag, additional earbuds | Detachable cable, 6.3mm connector option, carrying case, controller with microphone, additional earbuds |
how i tested
- Tested with Activo P1 player, hi-fi and Mac
- Compressed, lossless and high-resolution audio
- Test at home and while traveling
I tested the Q1 with their Target Partner Activo P1 high-resolution audio player, and I also used them with my Marantz CD player, played vinyl through my Onkyo amplifier, and played vinyl records with the Komplete Audio interface for playing my own music projects on Mac.
For the latter option, I compared the Q1s to my go-to mixing headphones, a set of Beyer-Dynamic DT770 Pros, and more casual earbuds apple and Bose. I have to say, no matter how I tested it, the Activo Q1 performed great.
Read more about How we test.
- First review: January 2025
