Second-gen audiophile favorite goes live
Audio Pro has released a second generation of its audiophile favorite Audio Pro C5 speaker, the C5 Mk II.
Key upgrades include support for Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Cast. These make the Audio Pro C5 Mk II a much better smart home speaker than its predecessor, even without a mic to directly connect to digital assistants like Siri and Google Assistant.
AirPlay 2 adds multi-room audio support for Apple households, while Google Cast lets the speaker connect through Google Home.
The first generation Audio Pro C5 was limited to Audio Pro’s own multi-room system. Both generations support Spotify Connect and have Bluetooth for simple wireless streaming.
Audio Pro told us the C5 Mk II has power comparable with the larger C10 MkII, but the speaker drivers and amp power actually remain the same in the second-gen model. The Audio Pro C5 MkII has two 0.75-inch tweeters and a 4-inch subwoofer.
Its class D amplifier circuitry provides 8W for each of the tweeters, 25W for the bass driver. However, the original design was already regarded as one of the best-sounding wireless speakers. The tech may have needed an upgrade, but the sound did not.
The Audio Pro C5 MK II is a 25cm-wide speaker that weighs 2.5kg, and needs to be plugged-in to operate as there is no internal battery.
As in the last generation, the Audio Pro C5 Mk II has both RCA and 3.5mm wired inputs, handy for older non-wireless sources.
There’s one more slight change. The C5 Mk II has preset buttons, for quick access to playlists and other “favorited” content. You get six of them in this new version, up from four in the original Audio Pro C5.
The speaker comes in black, grey and white finishes, and is available to order now. An Audio Pro C5 Mk II costs $350/£300.
