Audio Pro Addon C5A Speaker Reviewed and Rated
A Brief Summary
The Audio Pro Addon C5A is a wireless multi-room speaker that has taken on the challenge to rival Sonos. The design is very different, but functionally they both work to provide audio throughout your house. The C5A performed exceptionally well in our tests, and it sounded larger and clearer than most of the competition, making it worth the high price tag. Given Audio Pro's popularity over the past few years, it’s only fitting to give the Addon C5A a full review and let you know what we think of them.
Pros
Attractive design with clean lines and Scandinavian inspiration means they will suit many modern homes.
It gets loud enough to fill any medium-sized room
Very clean bass with a great balance of extension and detail, especially for its small size.
Cons
The Premium design comes with a matching premium price tag.
The Control App for android is lagging behind Sonos’s more polished software.
Pricing & Where to Buy
Specifications
Dimensions: 130x250x150mm
Weight: 2.5kg
Speaker Configuration: 2 x 0.75-inch tweeters combined with a 4-inch central woofer
Inputs: Wifi, Bluetooth, RCA & 3.5mm Aux
Freaquency Response: 50-20,000 Hz
Battery: No
Wireless music streaming: Yes - Support for Tidal, Spotify, and most other high-resolution streaming services via the Audio Pro Control app.
Multi-Room Audio: Yes, provided you buy more than one Audiopro Addon or Drumfire speaker they can connect via the app
Design and Build Quality
We previously tested the Audio Pro Drumfire and enjoyed the build quality but were let down a little by the styling. The good thing with the Addon C5A is that they managed to nail both aspects here. We had the white version for the review, but you can also buy this speaker in a black and grey color scheme. Having seen all three in person, it’s tough to choose; all are very good-looking.
The styling is reminiscent of old transistor radios but manages to blend modern and retro design aspects using high-quality materials. The cabinets are made from a high, relatively dense wood, which accounts for the weight, and they all have an aesthetically pleasing driver configuration on the front to bring cohesion to the speaker line that also includes a smaller battery-powered C3 and larger, more powerful C10.
The top of the speaker is mighty handsome and shows a lot of the build quality aspects that make the Addon line stand out from the more generic competition. A sizeable genuine leather carries hand adds a touch of class; it is held down by some chunky machined metal buckles.
In front of the handle is the control panel. The panel is well laid out and provides users with additional functionality beyond the App that we will discuss in the next section. Centrally located, you find the volume up and down toggle switch to the left power, source, play/pause, and pairing. On the right are buttons numbered 1-4, which can be used for presets.
On the back, you find even more connectivity via RCA and Ethernet, as well as an output port to attach the C5A to an external subwoofer. While Audio Pro does recommend pairing the speaker with a Drumfire Sub, the reality is that you can pair it to any other model from other manufacturers that will accept this input.
In comparison to Sonus? For me, it’s not even close; the Audio Pro is better looking and better designed.
Audio Pro Contol Application
You will need the Audio Pro Control App to have full functionality, linking your speakers, controlling where music is playing, and connecting them to a wireless streaming service.
This app lets you connect to almost any high-resolution streaming service like Tidal, Qobuzz, Deezer, and Spotify, as well as radio services like TuneIn and iHeart.
Clicking on speaker settings in the app allows you some limited control. You can change the name of the speaker and have limited sound adjustment via a treble and bass slider.
The App felt lacking against other company’s offerings. It worked, but I wanted to be able to do more like set shut-off timers and have ten bands EQ to really dial in my music to how I want to listen.
Sound Performance Testing
The C5A is up there with the best speakers when it comes to sound quality at this price. It is a very noticeable step up when coming from the smaller C3 version. Fuller bass and a more natural-sounding midrange were observed.
Yes, I feel natural is a great way to describe the C5A. Bass can hit hard when required but is not overbearing, and it’s actually very clean in the response. This is a more refined tuning than I have seen from makers like Sony and Harmon Kardon, who tend to bloom the low end to compensate for the small size. Audio Pro refrained from that, and to myself, as a hobbyist, I felt it was very accurate and allowed more spacing to be shown in the midrange frequencies.
The midrange itself has a very slight lean towards the warm side, making it work well with many genres. Male vocals perform clearly but lack weight against larger speakers. Female vocals perform well due to the slight forward push in the upper midrange.
Treble is present and done well via the two tweeters. They did a nice job of delivering a sparkle but not delving into the sibilant territory.
It’s an excellent speaker with a very clean and pure sound, even more than Sonos, which sounds a bit heavier when side by side. I think the tuning leans towards audio enthusiasts and even though I wouldn’t consider this an Audiophile-grade speaker it is extremely pleasing.
Comparison with the Audio Pro C3 and C10 Speakers
I will keep this short because there is no real reason to compare. Depending on the size of your room, how much bass you like, and how loud you listen to music will all factor into which one works best.
The C10 is by far the best sounding with the most powerful bass. It can handle very large rooms and sound great, whereas the C5A may fail to fill the space. The C3 is best used as a combination of semi-portable (due to it having a built-in battery or for smaller rooms like bathrooms and studies.
The C5A is designed for a normal-sized living room or bedroom. Pumping out volume loud enough to fill that area without having to push volumes above 80%, where distortion will start to occur.
Remember, the Addon range is a system meant for you to combine the different speakers in the range depending on where you are listening. If it was my money, I would go with a C10 in the living room, C5A in the kitchen and bedrooms, and perhaps a C5A set up in the garage and study. That would be a really nice setup for an average family home.
Final Thoughts
The Addon C5A has impressed me for a couple of years. I love the speaker's look and think it’s one of the best looking on the market. The multi-room wireless audio works great, but Audio Pro does need to improve its app to keep it up to date with Sonos etc.
Overall it’s a great product with numerous features, good build quality, and lovely design. It works well and has good sound for its size. Moving up to a Drumfire would be the next step, but that is a significantly bigger and more expensive offering. Audio Pro is starting to flex its muscles now and is showing the audio world that it can compete with companies who dominated this space for so long.
Official Website for the Addon C5A: www.audiopro.com
