Astell&Kern’s ACTIVO sub-brand is going in the opposite direction to its mothership with a new pair of budget-friendly earphones.
The ACTIVO Scoop has launched in the UK priced at just £99, bringing some unusually high-end features to a much lower price point.
At a glance, the Scoop looks like a typical set of wired in-ears. However, it’s the flexibility that stands out.
It supports USB-C, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm balanced connections, making it compatible with everything from smartphones and laptops to portable consoles and dedicated music players. The inclusion of a 4.4mm balanced output is particularly notable at this price. This output can offer cleaner separation and reduced noise on supported devices.
That focus on audio quality carries through to the internal design. The Scoop uses a five-driver setup, combining three dynamic drivers with two balanced armature drivers. According to ACTIVO, this allows for a more natural sound with deeper bass, clearer mids, and sharp highs.
The design is fairly understated, with a pebble-like shape aimed at improving comfort during longer listening sessions. It also ships with a braided seven-core cable using silver-plated and oxygen-free copper. In addition, it comes with both silicone and memory foam ear tips in multiple sizes.
The launch also comes with a small shake-up to ACTIVO’s existing lineup. The Volcano earphones, which share similar multi-connection support but use a triple dynamic driver setup, are now permanently reduced to £79. This is down from their original £99 price.
The ACTIVO Scoop is available now through Amazon and ACTIVO’s UK store. While Astell&Kern’s main lineup still sits firmly in the premium space, this release shows the company is paying more attention to the growing demand for affordable wired audio, which is especially important as interest in higher-quality, latency-free listening continues to pick back up.
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