Activo Scoop review: Hi-Fi earbuds with a low-fi price

Price When Reviewed

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Best Prices Today: Activo Scoop

Astell & Kern is a well-known name in the high-end Hi-Fi market, but it recently launched a more affordable brand called Activo, aimed at buyers on a tighter budget. Its latest release is the Scoop, a set of wired in-ear headphones designed for Hi-Fi and lossless listening. Despite the lower price, the Scoop still delivers A&K’s strong audio pedigree, along with versatile connectivity and a generous set of accessories. A&K even describes the Scoop as an IEM (In-Ear Monitor), a term commonly used for high-quality earbuds designed for accurate audio reproduction.

Our review covers the Scoop’s sound quality, comfort, design, accessories and multi-device connectivity, while assessing whether its audio performance outweighs the lack of wireless and noise-cancelling features.

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Design and connectivity

The first thing you notice is the sturdy design of the Scoop, with chunky earpieces and a thick braided cable, which is also detachable. In fact, the cable itself is an impressive piece of engineering as – like many expensive Hi-Fi cables – it’s made of silver-plated copper wire, and uses ‘oxygen-free’ copper (OFC) that helps to reduce distortion that can affect the audio signal. 

The cable has a standard 3.5mm connector attached when you open the box, but you can remove this and replace it with either the USB-C connector that is included for use with computers and mobile devices, or the 4.4mm connector that is provided for use with high-end Hi-Fi equipment (although a proper manual or quick-start guide would help for new users who aren’t familiar with this type of design). 

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How comfortable is Scoop to wear?

The earpieces are a little on the chunky side, but A&K says that the design was inspired by the shape of a pebble that has been worn smooth over time in order to fit comfortably into your ear. And, as with many IEMs, that cable is designed to hook upwards and then wrap back behind your ear, rather than just hanging straight down from the ears. 

This means that the Scoop isn’t the most elegant set of earbuds you’ll ever wear, but hooking the cable over your ears like that does help to keep the earbuds in place, especially if you’re out jogging or exercising.

I was also pleased to find that the Scoop includes three sets of silicon eartips (S/M/L) along with three sets of memory foam eartips as well, so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a firm and comfortable fit for the earpieces. There’s also a sturdy carrying case included to provide extra protection when you’re travelling. That set of accessories is very good value at this price, but the real strength of the Scoop lies with the internal design of the earpieces.

How does the Scoop sound?

One reason why the earpieces on the Scoop are larger than many of their rivals is that they boast a ‘hybrid’ design that uses no less than five separate drivers in each earpiece. There are three conventional ‘dynamic’ drivers – which are the most common type of driver found in affordable earbuds such as this – along with two ‘balanced armature’ drivers, which are more typically found in expensive Hi-Fi headphones. That combination is designed to provide strong sound quality right across the frequency range, with the dynamic drivers handling the mid-range and bass, while the more precise balanced armature drivers handle the higher frequencies.

That hybrid approach paid dividends when I used the Scoop’s USB-C connector to plug into Apple Music on my iPad Air. The electronic bass effects on You Should See Me In A Crown by Billie Eilish land with real weight, pulsing with an ominous energy as Billie whispers – “watch me make ‘em bow”. The bass doesn’t get out of control though, and the Scoop captures the breathy whisper in Billie’s voice, as well as the manic ticking of percussion that sounds like someone having a panic attack in the background. 

The Scoop also works a treat on the head-banging guitar work of Brian May on the aptly titled Hammer To Fall – Headbanger Mix by Queen. There’s that same weighty sound again, this time on the opening drums and crashing cymbals, before May launches into the track’s crunchy riff. The Queen harmonies ring out clear and loud as they yell – “what the hell we fighting for?” – but the Scoop really comes into its own with May’s shrieking, wailing guitar on the final extended solo, underpinned by riffing power chords and the driving bass and drums. Some people might find the treble a little in-your-face but I’ve always loved the screechy sound of Brian May’s home-made guitar and the Scoop can handle dance music and heavy rock with equal authority.

Should you buy the Activo Scoop?

If you want wireless features such as noise cancellation or AI-powered tools like live translation, the Activo Scoop won’t be the right fit. However, for listeners focused purely on sound quality, these affordable wired earbuds deliver impressive hi-fi audio, powerful bass and crisp detail, along with excellent connectivity options and a generous bundle of accessories that make them outstanding value.