Activo, the consumer arm of Astell&Kern, has launched new hybrid in-ear monitors with custom copper cables.

They're a fraction of the price of A&K IEMs with an RRP of £299 / $349.

Activo, the consumer sub-brand of audiophile firm Astell&Kern, has followed the launch of its Activo P1 Hi-Res music player with new, high quality in-ear monitors.

The Activo Q1 IEMs are built in association with South Korean designer Dita Audio and promise crystal-clear sound and punchy bass.

They have the same white colour scheme as the P1 player, and are built around a hybrid driver setup – a single Knowles balanced armature driver, and Dita's brand new PM1+ 9.8mm dynamic driver with brass housing.

Where Astell&Kern IEMs can be pretty pricey – typically around four figures – these are much more affordable, with an RRP of £299 / €399 / $349 (about AU$595).

In addition to the hybrid drivers, Activo has leant on Dita's expertise in cable design.

The cables here are US-made MOCCA2 cables, a custom design made to Dita's specification that uses 32 individual strands of Cardas ultra-pure copper conductors per cable. The cable comes with both 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended plugs to cover all your audio sources.