At a glance
Expert's Rating
Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Compact, minimalist design
- Versatile app
- Good connectivity
Cons
- Expensive
- No USB-C audio input
- Deep bass could be stronger
Our Verdict
It’s slightly more expensive than Apple’s HomePod, but the C10 MKII W scores better on sound quality and connectivity. Despite its compact design, it’s powerful enough to act as your main music system at home, and its support for AirPlay 2 is ideal for use with Apple devices.
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Best Prices Today: Audio Pro C10 MKII W
Audio Pro’s A10 held a spot on our list of best AirPlay speakers a couple of years ago, but after a bit of a quiet period the Swedish company recently came back with a bang and updated its entire range of speakers all at once. The A10 is still around – at a reduced price if you’re looking for a bargain – but for this new generation of speakers we prefer the slightly larger, one-piece C10 MKII W, which costs $480/£350.
Audio Pro’s model numbers are a bit untidy – the latest models all have that ‘W’ suffix but, as mentioned, some of its older models are still on sale online, so make sure you buy the correct model. But, thankfully, the Swedish company takes a more elegant and minimalist approach to its product designs, with the C10 MKII W consisting of little more than a simple rectangular box that measures 166mm high, 320mm wide and 180mm deep. It’s sturdily built though, weighing in at just over 4kg, and it packs a lot into that unassuming design.
You can remove the fabric grille on the front of the speaker for a more retro look.
There’s a smart fabric grille on the front panel of the speaker, but you can easily remove this if you prefer a more retro look with the speaker drivers exposed. Audio Pro’s attention to detail even allows you to fine-tune the sound depending on whether you prefer to remove the grille or keep it on. Removing the grille reveals a large woofer in the centre of the speaker to provide a deep, full sound for mid-range and lower frequencies, with smaller tweeters located on either side to handle the higher frequencies.
This combination provides a total output of 80W, so the C10 MKII W has enough power to function as your main speaker system in your front room or lounge. It does require mains power supply, though, and the weight of the speaker means that it’s probably going to spend most of its time just sitting in one room at home.
It’s well connected, though, with support for Bluetooth and Apple’s AAC codec, as well as dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz). The Audio Pro app has been updated too, and now works with a wide variety of streaming services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud. It also supports AirPlay 2, allowing you to stream audio from any apps on your Apple devices, and allowing the C10 MKII W to work as part of a multi-room music system with Apple’s HomePods or any AirPlay 2 speakers from other manufacturers.
Android users may be disappointed that there’s no support for aptX with Bluetooth, but that’s not a problem for Apple devices, and the C10 MKII W does support Google Cast for Android devices.
Finally, there’s a set of RCA connectors on the back of the speaker to provide a good old-fashioned wired connection for devices such as a CD player or vinyl turntable. There are no audio cables included though, so you’ll need to provide those for yourself. And, at this price, we’d have liked to have seen a USB-C interface to provide a wired audio connection for computers and mobile devices as well.
There’s a manual control panel on top of the speaker, but you can also control it via Bluetooth or AirPlay with wi-fi.
The C10 MKII W delivers the good when it comes to sound quality, though, and it works a treat listening to the lossless version of Madonna’s Frozen on Apple Music via AirPlay on my iPad. It shows a delicate touch on the strings and gentle electronic chimes that open the track, but then wakes you up with the sharp crack of percussion that leads into the chorus. Madonna’s multi-tracked vocals are silky smooth, but the C10 MKII W handles the contrast well as the jangling guitar and percussion add a sharper tone that drives the song forward.
It handles harder rock sounds well too, as I turn to Sing Along by Sturgill Simpson. It’s a dense track, with a mash-up of heavy rock guitar and fizzing electronic keyboards, but the C10 MKII W is able to pull all the detail out of the high-res version of the song on Apple Music. It finds room for the thick, fuzzy sound of the guitars that form the bedrock of the song, while the keyboards wail like sirens and get you dancing.
My only minor complaint is that, as with many compact one-piece speakers, the deep bass could be a little firmer, and the bass drop towards the end of the track doesn’t quite have the impact that I’m used to. However, one last feature is the inclusion of an extra RCA connector on the back of the speaker that will allow you to add an external sub-woofer if you really want to pump up the bass.
Should You Buy The C10 MKII W?
It’s a little more expensive than one-piece rivals such as Apple’s HomePod at $299/£299, but the C10 MKII W wins hands-down on the clarity and precision of its sound, especially when playing high-res music on Apple Music and other streaming services. It provides better connectivity than the HomePod too, with support for a wide range of computers, mobile devices and streaming services, while its support for AirPlay makes it a great option for use with Apple devices.
