Audio Pro Addon C10: Detailed Review and Specs

Addon C10 is one of the best quality speaker in the new multiroom range from the manufacturer Audio Pro. This multifunction wireless speaker will provide so many features and great sound. Let’s see the details of this larger and more versatile model compared to previous models.

Current Best Price on Amazon: $450.00

Audio Pro Addon C10: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent quality sound reproduction.
• Accurate, good readability of the soundstage.
• Excellent power to size ratio.
• Simple to use.
• Robust, neat workmanship.

Cons

• A somewhat inadequate mobile application
• Less indications.
• Some absences at the level of the connectors (Bluetooth multipoint, optical input, USB port for audio playback).
• monophonic only

Design and Ergonomics

The Addon C10 takes up the stripped look of its little cousin, the Addon T3. Overall, these speakers are also very similar aesthetically, but also in terms of design and ergonomics. The Addon C10 is a loudspeaker that opts for the simplest and most classic parallelepiped shape, with bevelled edges. 

The whole exudes solidity and the finishes are neat to say the least. And even if many screws adorn the back, they are not directly visible once the speaker is installed and they facilitate access to the interior for possible repairs. The painted wooden box seems thick, nothing seems to compromise the robustness of the whole structure.

But the manufacturer does not announce any particular resistance for this model: it should be kept away from water points to limit the risk of projections which could damage it. What’s more, unlike tweeters , the woofer has no grille to protect it. 

Four non-slip pads are inserted under the enclosure to provide it with stability and above all to orient it slightly upwards, and thus better aim at the listening point. The Addon C10 may be a purely sedentary speaker, but it still has a nice leatherette handle to carry it more easily in case you occasionally want to move it.

The Addon C10’s connectors are relatively versatile, even if we’ve seen better-equipped speakers. It offers wireless Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 802.11 b/g/n) to play an audio stream via the network (DLNA), take advantage of multiroom , Airplay, Spotify Connect, to connect to various music streaming services and web radios, and also in Bluetooth 4.0 (no particular compatibility with a specific codec is announced by the manufacturer; connection to a single playback device at a time). 

On the wired connection side, there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack input on the upper side of the speaker and, on the rear side, a stereo RCA input, a subwoofer outputin RCA, a USB-A port that can only charge a mobile device and an RJ45 Ethernet port. We would have liked to find at least one optical input or even have the possibility of playing an audio stream via USB (on a smartphone, a USB key or a computer, for example).

The list of controls directly available on the speaker is not overwhelming. We have access to the essentials, namely turning the speaker on/off, Bluetooth pairing, selection of the playback source, management of music playback and management of the listening volume. 

It is not possible to navigate between tracks, but the speaker still offers a little extra: four shortcut buttons that can be assigned to a playlist , a song, an album or even a radio, like this that Bose offers on its connected speakers like the SoundTouch 10 . On the other hand, there is not the shadow of a remote control for those who would like to control their speaker remotely without using a smartphone.

The Addon C10 also shows its love for sobriety when it comes to setting it up and using it. There are few indications here to guide the user. Apart from a few voice alerts when connecting to the network (in English, unfortunately) and to update the firmwareof the enclosure, it is necessary to be satisfied with the small luminous indications integrated on the higher face. 

There is no sound alert for Bluetooth pairing or to indicate when the minimum/maximum listening volume level has been reached. If you are not familiar with the connected speakers, and what is more with the language of Shakespeare, we recommend that you take a quick look at the instructions before starting. That being said, the speaker configures itself very quickly to the network and, something still too rare, the management of the listening volume is very precise.

Communication latency is clearly not the lowest when the speaker is directly connected to the network, regardless of the source selected on the speaker (wired or Bluetooth). There is a lag of more than 3 seconds, which is not really a problem for listening to music. 

If you want to use your speaker to play a wired or Bluetooth video, the manufacturer has integrated a switch that considerably reduces latency (which becomes zero in wired mode and approximately 150 ms in Bluetooth), by sacrificing in passing the connection via Wi-Fi. It is then possible to follow a video without being too disturbed by a significant lag between the image and the sound, even in Bluetooth.

Sound

Audio Pro has chosen monophonic playback for this Addon C10. To do this, this speaker has a 5.25” (approximately 13.3 cm) woofer and two 0.75” (approximately 1.9 cm) tweeters , coupled to a bass-reflex system whose The vent is located at the rear of the enclosure. Everything is powered by an 80 W class D amplifier and promises a frequency response of between 45 Hz and 22 kHz.

The result is simply stunning given the size of the speaker. The Addon C10 has all the good points: an extended, balanced frequency response, a precise, punchy , well-defined, powerful sound reproduction and all this embellished with very low distortion over the entire audible spectrum. 

Note also that all this is valid with all connection modes. Depending on the position of the loudspeaker and individual tastes, the bass may seem very slightly ahead of the rest of the sound spectrum. Never mind, just take a quick look at the EQ side of the application, which will be more than enough to rebalance everything (lowering them by one or two notches is enough in most cases), and That’s it.

Although it is “only” mono, this speaker does not put aside the readability of the soundstage. We perceive and identify the vast majority of the elements present; the precision and respect for the timbres shown by the speaker particularly help on this point. Without having any appreciation of the width, we still have a good impression of depth.

A small switch to limit communication latency 

A small switch on the back of the Addon C10 allows, in theory, to limit the communication latency according to your use of the speaker. For example, if you want to access via Wi-Fi (and on other multiroom speakers ) the audio stream received by your Addon C10 (via Bluetooth, RCA or mini-jack) you must position this selector on “Wi-Fi play “. 

You will be able to see and manage the sending of these flows in multiroomon the app. If you want to connect your speaker to your smartphone, your television or another device to watch a video, then place this switch in the “input play” position. The audio stream emitted by the speaker will not be dependent on the Wi-Fi connection and the latency will be lower. However, in this mode, you will lose visibility of your speaker on the home network.

Multimedia

The Addon C10, like all of the manufacturer’s multiroom speakers , comes with the Audio Pro Control app, available for iOS and Android devices. It is mandatory to take advantage of the multiroom possibilities , to manage the speaker on the network and to access certain small additional features.

Its interface is not really the most engaging and modern, but it has the advantage of being a minimum fluid and functional. We didn’t experience any bugs or unusual slowness during our test period, other than the time it took for the system to sync the speaker groups – which takes around 5-10s. We deplore all the same that it is not fully translated into French. 

It contains all the basic functionalities (renaming a speaker, group management, volume management, music playback, presets, source change, etc.) as well as a small two-band EQ (+/- 5) to manage the bass and treble level. The Audio Pro multiroom is compatible with less than 10 streaming serviceslike Spotify, Apple Music, TuneIn, Tidal, Napster, Qobuz or even Deezer. As we mentioned above, it is possible to play music stored locally on the network (DLNA) or to go through the AirPlay protocol. The speaker supports MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC and Apple Lossless audio streams.

Another small regret, it is not possible to link the volume control to a group. If you touch the general volume via the application – which is adjusted with the volume buttons of the smartphone – it is the general volume of the entire park which is affected. Also, the volume control buttons on the speaker only affect the volume of the speaker, even if it is assigned to a group. We would have liked a more logical organization for groups, but this does not affect the user experience.

Audio Pro Addon C10: CONCLUSION

After the Addon T3 , Audio Pro continues to surprise us with this Addon C10. This sedentary connected speaker is certainly not the best equipped on the market in terms of connectivity and features, but it delivers a superb listening experience. It remains to be hoped that the manufacturer will give its application a facelift to make the multiroom experience richer and more intuitive.

Current Best Price on Amazon: $450.00

View on Amazon

Price History on Amazon

Audio Pro Addon C10: Specs

Audio Pro Addon C5 vs Audio Pro Addon C10

Audio Pro Addon C10 Speaker

Compact High Fidelity WiFi Bluetooth Wireless Multiroom Speaker | AirPlay, Alexa, Spotify Connect Compatible. High quality Wireless speaker

Product Brand: Audio Pro

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 370.00

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
8.2