Activo - CT10

I'd like to start by saying that I am, by no means, a true audiophile! I like my music to sound its best for sure, but if you ask me if I'll ever spend anything over Rs. 50K for a DAP, the answer would most definitely be 'No'!

And, that is where my decision about purchasing the Activo CT10 comes in. A&K components for the price of an entry level DAP is a no-brainer in my books! As for the device itself, it is extremely convenient to use. I had a few hiccups while installing Spotify, but if you know your way around Android, you'll be sorted within a few a minutes. I was doubtful about the plastic casing, but I actually like the feel of device in my hands. That being said, I would have really loved it if the bezels were smaller, and the screen was center-aligned. It doesn't hamper anything at all, but just a personal preference.

The software is a breeze to use, and is very responsive. In a week of usage, I haven't had a single incident of the device freezing or stuttering on any occasion. I have the latest firmware installed which was received via OTA.

The Sound- Well, coming from a FiiO M3K, I have to admit I like the signature of the Activo CT10 much better! I find it better balanced overall, without overemphasizing the higher frequencies, which I felt was an issue with the FiiO. The bass is extremely coherent, and the mid-range is well pronounced, with great instrument separation. Decay is fast as well. The stage is more deep, than it is wide. But then again, I've barely used it for a week to be able to judge properly. Overall, I truly enjoy listening to music on the CT10, and I prefer it over my FiiO M3K.

I have also used this in my car via Bluetooth and USB, both, and have found no difference in the quality of playback. Honestly, using it in my car was actually the primary purpose of my purchase, but after listening to the output on my headphones (Yamaha EH100 - Bower&Wilkins P7), I don't feel like leaving it there anymore. I just carry it along everywhere now, and as I warm up to it, there's a possibility that I might just start experimenting with different DAPs soon. All thanks to the CT10! Great stuff, really, and a device that I can, and will recommend to anyone looking for a DAP that's extreme value for money :)

Pros: App support. Can stream and download songs from apps like tidal and apple music.
Decent Sq
Nice build quality
Support for MQA tracks
Can double up as USB DAC.
Aptx hd support.
Beautiful screen and colors.

Cons: Sluggish UI, freezes from time to time.
Gets hot after few hours of usage.
No LDAC support.
Poor battery performance. Take a lot of time to charge and discharges quickly.
No case provided for such a slippery unit. Ergonomics not that good.
No 5ghz wifi.

I am writing this review after 10 days of use. Overall, i am satisfied with the product. Battery life is good and it can play almost all kinds of music files. However, it could not play WV file (i dont know if other DAPs can). The precision with which it plays audio files is decent and i can get a good sound. Earlier, i was using my phone and laptop for playing songs. The experience has definitely improved. Sometimes, i feel volume is somewhat on lower side and i feel the need of an amplifier.
The user interface is quite good and user friendly. One can easily locate the desired file. The scrolling and exploring the content is smooth. Overall, it is a good choice and value for money. Thanks HPZ for making this product available for us.

First of all i would like to thank Salim for helping me through the whole process, he really has great knowledge and he is the go to person if anybody has any query. I would also like to say thanks to Raghav.

Earphones / headphones tested with this:

Bose QC25, Klipsch S4, Monster DNA in ear, KZ ZS10 pro
The player is really well built has very good sound, in this review i would also like to clarify which was later on clarified by salim and i had personally tested about compatibility with apple music. Being an apple music user i had to purchase a dap which would support it. On activo’s website they have not clearly mentioned whether it supports the same here in India.

So i can now confidently say that it does support and works really well.

PROS:

- Good Interface
- Crisp and bright screen - almost 300 dpi
- Has a warm sound signature which i really like as i am a basshead
- As mentioned above lows are really good and custom EQ makes a lot of difference to overall sound signature. This is the only player which has pushed my Bose QC25 and Klipsch S4 to produce decent bass as they generally have a very flat sound signature.
- With KZ ZS10 pro, the sound is phenomenal and it can really push it hard and the IEM’s can handle all the power thrown at it.
-Connects to both PC AND MAC without any issue.
-Supports Apple music, amazon prime, spotify and more

CONS:

There are only a few negatives:

- Keyboard is a bit small to type on
- Back button when using apps cannot be disabled
- Wifi range is not very good but does the job overall
- Apple music app hangs when downloading lot of music for offline playback, but when done 3-4 songs at a time, it works fine.
- Battery life is OK and not very good ( because of android ) but this is something all android players suffer from.

A future software update and updated apple music app should definitely improve the overall experience.

Nontheless the product is really good, has great sound, feels good in the hand, well built, has 150 level volume adjustment. I am really happy with the product as it is a bargain for what it offers. It stands upto the Astell and Kern name as the inbuilt teraton chip produces amazing sound with good lows, mids and Highs and has a very good balanced sound signature.

Thanks for giving me opportunity for reviewing Activo CT10.Well designed.Though simple yet beautiful. Comfortable to handle and ergonomic to operate. Sound quality is excellent. Every instrument is heard distinctly and no muffling and no jamming.
At my level I can give 5 stars
Don’t laugh, I have only Apple earphones.

Bought this device out of sheer curiosity as this is the cheapest allround DAP which play MQA with full decoding/ final unfolding. This is my first DAP as previously (and still now) I use my LG V20/G8X as my DAPs, standalone or coupled with USB DAC /AMPs (I have quite a few of them) with UAPP app.
Coming to the DAP, it performs very well and has a different sound signature compared to my LGs. It sounds kind of laidback with very deep (not at all boomy) bass and very smooth treble (without losing detail and rolling off). Mids seems to be a little laid back at least to my old ears (which are not 100% efficient at my 58 years of age). Sound is also spacious & airy in comparison to my LGs.
On first use, the device updated itself to firmware version 1.2 and the process went on smoothly. It has many features with TIDAL & GROOVERS built in. The GROOVERS vanished with firmware updation though. The embedded TIDAL doesn’t allow offline listening (i.e., downloads). So I installed a separate TIDAL apk (v 2.30) alongwith SPOTIFY & AMAZON PRIME MUSIC, all of which works fine. The process of installation and other thing are well detailed in a long & very active thread at head-fi.
The device comes with 12gb of empty space and with latest firmware, cards of 512gb (or 1tb???) is supported although I haven’t installed any still now. Its UI is pretty smooth and doesn’t stutter (except rarely random occasions). The display is pretty clear and bright at minimum brightness level indoors. It has an equalizer and the changes to sound signatures with default modes are very subtle with the earphones I used (Focal Sphear S, DUNU Titan 1 etc). Users can also save their custom equalizations.
The volume level goes upto 150 level MAX. The device gives a warning if volume level cross 50 which is unlistenable to me as I require boosting to at least 80/85 for normal listening levels. There is “WHEEL LOCK” function which doesn’t seem to lock the volume wheel either in SCREEN ON or OFF mode. There is a LINE OUT mode with four levels of Output voltages configurable (MIN 0.7V, MAX 2.0V). However, I could not detect any increase in sound level with LINE OUT mode ON despite warning in the user manual not to listen in earphones with LINE OUT mode ON. In fact, the VOLUME wheel also works with LINE OUT mode and I required increasing the VOLUME to 140/145 (when I connected the device with my HiFi system amp) to deliver the standard sound level in comparison to the other sources of my main system amp. However, the device sounded very very good with my main amp through my main speakers and I am planning to use this device as a streamer connected to my main system and remotely control the device by AK Connect app & Spotify from my Android phone.
In cons, the battery consumption seems high and the device heats up on continuous use, mainly streaming.
Overall, this is an exceptional device with very high VFM. I am extremely satisfied. Thanks to Headphone zone.

I had returned the parcel since piece was faulty

Got a defective device which was replaced by headphone zone
The sound is great....but ui could have been better
More services would have been good
And most importantly gets heated up within minutes of playing
All said...charge stays up pretty well and sounds great on good pair of earphones

Pros
.I generally hear WAV and FLAC files and its sounds pretty good with CT10. It distinguished instruments with proper equalisation. (5stars)
.User interface is good

Cons
.No option of casting through WiFi with tidal and storage.