Big thank you to Arylic for sending the A30+ to review!
Full disclosure: This is a paid review but I made it clear to them that I do not guarantee positive reviews or recommendations – I make in-depth, honest evaluations based on my impressions and the ultimate value that the product may or may not provide.
Greetings mate and welcome aboard!
Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Arylic’s A30+ is another Bluetooth amplifier in a line of many, but how does it compare with the A50+?
Today we’ll take a hard look at this compact unit and determine whether or not it’s worth a purchase by comparing its feature set to some of the others in the series.
By the end, you’ll know if it’s right for you. Specs, Box Contents, and Photo Gallery at the bottom!
With that, let’s dive in!
What Is It?
The A30+ is a WIFI and Bluetooth 5.0 stereo amplifier, enabling you to stream music from a smart device, USB, NAS (not the rapper), or online streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, and more to a pair of passive, bookshelf-type speakers.
Think of it like a traditional receiver/amplifier, only it’s much smaller and more compact.
The box contains the unit, a User’s Manual, an RCA to mini (3.5mm) cable, a Power Adapter, Remote Control (needs 2 AAA batteries), a Screw Terminal Block Connector for use with the aforementioned passive speakers, and a small flat head screwdriver to cinch the speaker wire.
As mentioned above, it utilizes the Block connector, which can be a small hassle but still fairly straightforward.
Just insert the wires from your speakers inside the terminal, screw them in to cinch, and then snap the block into place.
From here, you’re almost ready to go.
The unit works over Bluetooth and is rather easy to set up.
Just plug the power adapter in, grab your phone, and search for it. Mine came up as “SoundSystem_C015.” Pair and you’re set.
At this point, the Blue light should stop flashing. Now just screw on the BT antenna and play some music. Here’s a good playlist to get you started.
In addition to Bluetooth, you can also set it up in a few other ways:
USB
This is the second easiest way. Just run a USB cable from your console (I’m using a PS4) into the back.
I would have liked to see them include one in the package, so I’m fairly disappointed here.
Fortunately, I had one lying around, but your mileage will vary and you may end up having to buy one separately. Not ideal.
It also requires a micro USB connection which is fairly outdated. I would like to see both of these issues rectified in the future.
Auxiliary
Because the unit doesn’t have an optical input, I had to use my FiiO K9 as an intermediary.
The setup looks like this:
- PS4 Optical Out > FiiO K9 Optical In.
- Then K9 RCA Out > A30 3.5mm In.
Then the sound outputs from the block terminals to your speakers.
A more complex way of doing it, but it just goes to show that it’s much easier when the unit has an optical input like their A50+ model.
WiFi
If using the A30+ this way, you’ll need to download Arylic’s “4 STREAM” app, which has given me some headaches in the past.
By contrast, their B50 requires the Go Control App and per my experience, it’s been a lot more stable.
In any event, go to your app store and download the 4STREAM app.
Once downloaded, it will search for the unit.
After demoing the S10 and wasting a lot of time milling about with it, I had a much easier time with the S50 Pro+, A50+, and A30+.
Follow these steps to ensure a headache-free experience:
- Before you do anything, go to your phone’s settings and turn on WIFI. This will make the process a whole heck of a lot easier.
- After that, open the 4STREAM app and it will ask you for your WIFI password.
- Follow the prompts and you should be up and running in no time.
While there are many ways to run this unit with 4STREAM (all of which I’ve tried on the S10 as well), the WIFI way seems to be the simplest and fastest.
Why?
Well, for a couple of reasons:
- The units are a bit finicky and don’t like to switch between sources without some sort of minor headache.
- It can be a pain to set up in general and your phone may be spending quite a bit of time actually searching for the unit. So once it’s finally set up, I’d probably just not mess with it much.
You also have the option of using a LAN cable and parking the A30 close to your Router/modem setup, but you don’t necessarily have to.
The beauty of the A30 is that you can put it pretty much anywhere in your house or apt. (where there’s an outlet and speakers), and it will theoretically stream music.
This will most certainly benefit those who are looking for a device that can contribute to their 2nd or 3rd setup; one that they may use when having company over, or for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Front Panel
The front reads “Arylic” in the middle, and “A30+” on the right-hand side. It’s built well, all connections are solid, and it’s fairly light. It also comes with pre-attached rubber feet.
By now you may be wondering, “Why would I even need a device like this?”
Glad you asked.
The problem with traditional receivers such as my HOnkyo (white boy version) TX-NR626 is that they’re incredibly bulky, heavy, and a huge pain to move around.
A unit like the A30+ essentially does the same thing as the unit above, only it’s much smaller and easier to handle.
Keep in mind that a traditional receiver still can do quite a lot of other things (surround sound for example), but the bulk factor can be a hassle.
Despite the A30+ not having an optical input, you can still easily use it with a PS4 in the ways I described earlier and output sound to a pair of passive speakers like my Andrew Jones Pioneers.
Speaking of, how does it perform?
Performance
As with the B50 and A50+ before it, the A30+ performs admirably, with a clear/loud conversion, though I much prefer the B50’s speaker connections. More on that later.
Like the A50+, the A30+ too has a more sterile presentation than my HOnkyo, but this may be my imagination. Keep this in mind.
It’s clear and clean, but perhaps a little on the clinical side.
Input Indicators
Your input colors are as follows:
- Auxiliary: Green
- USB: Red
- Bluetooth: Blue
- WIFI: Looks to be a Yellow-ish/Light Green color
- Optical: N/A.
The remote has an optical button but you obviously won’t be using it as I believe all the units come with the same remote.
With all that said, unless you really want to play around with the 4STREAM App (you don’t lol), just stick to a USB, Aux, or BT connection. You’ll probably thank me later.
While not completely infuriating, the app is a bit clunky and could use some work, so use it at your own risk.
In other words, I was up and running in 5 minutes without it and do not actually use it anymore.
Use Cases
The A30+, A50+, and B50 are geared toward users with passive speakers while the BP50, S10, and S50 Pro+ are meant for those with active speakers.
So determine what kind of setup you’ll need and then purchase accordingly.
- Recommended: Passive vs. Active Speakers: Which Are Best For YOU?
Out of the 5 units, the B50 with its banana plug connections is much more useful for my scenario (passive listening/minimal headaches when connecting), but your mileage may vary.
To demo these units, I have to completely undo my Banana Plugs and rewire everything, so if you found this article helpful, please share. 🙂
B50. Note the banana plug inserts.
Before we give a final verdict, let’s recap:
What I liked:
- Easy to use, compact, built well.
What can be improved:
- Scrap the micro USB connection.
- Provide a USB cable in the package.
- 4STREAM app needs work.
- Connections are a bit limited.
Final Verdict
The A30+, like the A50+ before it, is a solid unit but even more limited in connectivity (no optical), a stone-age micro USB connection, and a bit of a cumbersome passive speaker connection block (Phoenix).
A30+
A50+
My recommendation today is the B50; a more intuitive and convenient unit to set up with passive speakers and more versatility within the system.
With the added benefit of the Optical Input, Phono Inputs, Subwoofer Out, Line Inputs, and a TV ARC slot, you’re able to use it in more ways than the A30+.
Learn More:
Using active speakers and need a recommendation? Leave a comment or contact me. I’d be happy to help.
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Arylic A30+ Review and came away with some valuable insight.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!
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Would you invest in the A30+? What kind of system are you running currently? I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
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In The Box
Main Unit x1
User’s Manual x1
RCA to mini (3.5mm) x1
Power Adapter x1
Remote Control x1
Screw Terminal Block Connector x1
Screw Driver x1
Specifications
- Wireless Network: IEEE802.11 b/g/n 2.4G
- Ethernet: Single 10/100M RJ45
- BT: 5.0
- USB Host: Play USB Music
- Micro USB: Connect PC as external DAC
- Power Input: 18V/4A
- Audio Input: 3.5mm Line In
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Speaker Power: 2x35W@4Ω load at 18V, 2x18W@8Ω load at 18V
- THD+N: 0.03% @1kHz
- Speaker Impedance: 4-8ohms
- Music Format: FLAC/MP3/AAC/AAC+/ALAC/APE/WAV
- Decoding: Up to 24-Bit/192kHz
- Protocols: AirPlay, DLNA, UPnP, Spotify Connect, Qplay
- Dimensions: 131.8mm*85mm*27mm (5.18in*3.37in*1.06in)
- Weight: 0.35kg (0.77 lb)