Big thank you to Arylic for sending the S50 Pro+ 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.
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Arylic S50 Pro+
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In The Box
Main Unit x1
User’s Manual x1
Aux 3.5mm cable x1
RCA to 3.5mm cable x1
Power Adapter x1
Remote Control x1
Bluetooth Antenna x2
Specifications
- Connectivity – Wireless Network: IEEE802.11 b/g/n 2.4G
- Ethernet: Single 10/100M RJ45
- Bluetooth: Qualcomm aptX-HD
- USB Host: Play music from a USB pen drive
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Digital Output: Coaxial Output, Optical Output
- Analog Output: 1x RCA, 1x Subwoofer
- Audio Input: 1x RCA, 1x Optical In
- Power Supply: 12V/1VA
- Decoding: Up to 24-bit/192kHz
- Music Format: FLAC/MP3/AAC+/ALAC/APE/WAV
- SNR: 110dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.03%
- Remote: IR Remote Controller
- LED: RED-Standby Mode
- Display Panel: Status Info
- Dimensions: 12×11.3×3.7CM(4.72×4.45×1.46in)
- Weight: 0.4kg (0.88lb)
Main Features
Bold/Italics = Changes/additions from the original S10.
- Streaming music via network without distance limitation, or Bluetooth 5.0 up to 15 meters.
- Bluetooth 5.0 aptX HD for true high-resolution music
- Spotify Connect, Airplay, Qplay, DLNA, and UPnP streaming protocols are supported.
- Supports streaming from online services, smart device memory, USB pen drive, NAS, Bluetooth, and line-in.
- Multi-room and multizone streaming enabled by multiple units connected to the same network.
- All music sources can be restreamed in sync with other models from Arylic.
- Up to 24-bit/192kHz supported.
- Coaxial and Optical outputs.
- The app supports Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Napster, etc.
- Free iOS and Android App available (more on this in a second).
- Free global online update for new features.
- Full-function remote controller for use without a phone.
- Digital and Analog inputs for added versatility.
- Subwoofer output for an external active subwoofer.
- OLED display panel.
- EQ adjustment via app or remote controller.
- iTunes works with PC streaming.
- Connect to PC to stream music from PC digitally.
- Preset playlist available + one button play (short buttons) on the remote control.
What is it?
The S50 Pro+ is a wireless streaming preamplifier with network and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity using your phone or tablet.
In other words,
you can use it to stream music from your favorite apps such as Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, etc. while also controlling the volume from the app on your phone.
It is a multi-room device as well which means you can stream with multiple units connected in the same network.
How it works
The S50 essentially takes a digital signal from Bluetooth, WiFi, or direct from USB, and converts it into audio into an active speaker, an older receiver, or an older analog-only preamp.
So it basically functions much like a DAC would.
- Related: Beginners Guide: What is a USB DAC?
Like the S10 that came before it, the S50 Pro is most certainly a useful device but still kind of suffers from the same general problem – it may be obsolete at this point.
Why?
Because most Receivers and devices nowadays already have these capabilities built in.
For instance,
I have an Onkyo receiver that I picked up from a friend.
If I want to send music from my phone to my Passive Speakers (that are connected to the receiver), it already has a built-in Bluetooth option for that.
There is simply no need for the S10 or S50 to bridge that gap.
And the kicker is that the receiver isn’t even all that new.
In any event, the S50 may be useful for some folks, so let’s take a gander.
Getting Started
Without this app, you’ll be severely limited in what you can do.
The booklet says this is a feature and free, but you can’t really use the S50 without it.
I’ll also quickly mention that the app in my experience can be clunky and not very intuitive. More on that in a bit.
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.
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 (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 S50 is a bit finicky and doesn’t really 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.
In any event,
you also have the option of using a LAN cable and parking the S50 close to your Router/modem setup, but you don’t necessarily have to.
The beauty of the S50 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.
Moving onward,
once the app is opened, use the browse tab (represented by a small musical icon) and scroll down to the bottom.
There you will see your input options: Wi-Fi, Line In, Bluetooth, and Optical.
This time around, the unit’s front-lit OLED display panel provides all of the information.
There are no blinking lights, but the S50 will say aloud “Connected to your WIFI network” once powered on and connected.
When idle and waiting for you to play music, you’ll see an image of a computer monitor with a musical icon inside and your IP address below that.
For Bluetooth, just go to your phone’s settings and search for it.
This time it simply came up as “SoundSystem” with no numbers.
Remember:
Always adjust the settings in the 4STREAM app first, then your phone’s settings.
This will save you a lot of frustration, trust me.
For instance,
if you don’t press the Bluetooth button inside of 4STREAM first, your phone’s Bluetooth settings will NOT detect it.
This seems kind of silly when you consider that most Bluetooth devices will be found regardless – if they’re powered on.
Inside the 4STREAM app, I went ahead and renamed it “Arylic_S50_Pro+” to avoid any confusion later on.
Pretty neat.
Back Panel
If the S10 was a bit limited back there, the S50 Pro+ is anything but.
This time there’s a myriad of different options at your disposal:
- Trigger: 12V trigger output to use with another device.
- Reset: Short press to switch source input. Quickly press twice to reset WiFi/Bluetooth connection. Quickly press three times for a factory reset. Long press to turn the device off and press again to turn it on.
- Bluetooth antenna: External Bluetooth antenna for better signal strength.
- Line Input: For external audio sources from TV, CD player, and so on.
- Sub Output: For connection with an active subwoofer.
- Optical Input: For digital input source.
- Line Output: To provide analog audio to other devices.
- Coaxial Output: To provide digital audio output to amplifiers.
- Optical: Digital audio output.
- Lan: Wired connection to your router.
- USB Host: To connect a USB pen drive (1024 track maximum)
- WiFi antenna: External Wifi Antenna for better signal strength.
- DC in: 12V/1A DC input.
As you can see, this unit is miles more versatile than the S10, but it also seems to be less finicky and a lot more stable.
It also prefers to be handled in a very specific way and as long as you understand that, you shouldn’t have any issues with it.
Sound
Once you’ve paired it and set up your input, scroll back up a bit and you’ll see the options you have at your disposal as far as streaming services.
Do keep in mind that these services are available through the app; they don’t have anything to do with the unit itself.
With connect services such as Spotify Connect etc. the app does offload the processes to the Streamer and the streamer does the processing.
With this method, your tablet or phone simply acts as a remote control.
This way is actually more advantageous because,
- Your phone battery lasts a lot longer.
- Your phone/tablet doesn’t have to be in range (as the Streamer is doing the work).
I primarily use Spotify, so I would just press that and follow the prompts. (It will say “Open Spotify”)
Now you’re ready for la mùsica!
Just make sure you use the supplied RCA to RCA cable and connect it to some active speakers using the S50’s RCA outs.
I’m using the Presonus Eris e3.5s which are a great set of entry-level monitors!
- Recommended: The Best Budget Home Studio Monitors For Mixing
Put another way,
to the discerning ear, the sound quality is ever so slightly more artificial and boxy (Insert word salad here_________) but it’s a very subtle distinction and I’m not sure most people will care all that much.
The good news is that, unlike the S10, this time you’ve got the option to stream aptX HD which will result in a slight improvement depending on who you ask.
The ultimate question here is one of value.
Is the S50 Pro+ worth over $200? (roughly $229).
I’m not so sure.
It is a lot more versatile than the S10, but that unit was only $80 and basically functions in the exact same way minus all the extra connections on the back.
In other words,
sure, it may be a bit more flexible, but is that worth roughly $150 extra?
Not in my mind, but your mileage may vary.
I think this would be a pretty good deal at around $130. As it stands now, it’s overpriced in my opinion.
Still, it may be of use to a certain demographic of people and thus is still valuable to some degree.
As an example,
I wanted to see if the S50 would work with my receiver using universal ports and I’m happy to report that it does.
[This would be an option for receivers with no BT feature.]
Just run the supplied RCA to RCA from the back of the S50 into the RCA inputs labeled TV/CD on the back (most older receivers have these).
Your receiver then outputs the sound to your passive speakers and you can play music wirelessly this way with the S50 and the 4STREAM app.
Pretty neat!
Before we give a final verdict, let’s quickly go over some things I liked and disliked about this package.
What I liked:
- Lots more inputs and outputs on the back. More versatile than the S10.
- The build is sturdier and feels more rugged than the S10.
- Works well as long as you know how it prefers to be handled.
- The aptX HD option is a nice addition.
What could be improved:
- Price. I don’t believe this is a $230 unit and should come down about $100.
- A minor nitpick but the verbiage/spelling/grammar inside the booklet could use major work. I understand English isn’t your first language, but spell check never hurt anyone! 🙂
- The app is still a bit clunky and could be more intuitive and easy to use (a common complaint amongst reviewers and completely warranted). With a significant improvement, I may recommend this at its current price.
Final Verdict
The S50 is a compact, durable streamer that gets the job done.
It’s built a bit better than the S10, scraps the dinosaur-age micro USB connection, and boasts some extra features and versatility, but ultimately it’s a bit overpriced for my blood.
It’s not for everyone, but if you read this writeup and fit the targeted audience (i.e. people who prefer using their phones to stream), and/or people who have older legacy-type systems, I think it’s a good option but I’d rather just have an S10 if I’m going to go this route.
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Arylic S50 Pro+ 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 S50? 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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Photo Gallery
Arylic S50 Pro+
Pros
- Lots more inputs and outputs on the back. More versatile than the S10.
- The build is sturdier and feels more rugged than the S10.
- Works well as long as you know how it prefers to be handled.
- The aptX HD option is a nice addition.
Cons
- Overpriced.
- User Manual could use grammar/spelling improvements
- 4STREAM App is still clunky and annoying.
10 comments
I am presently using the S10 hooked up to a mini stereo in my living room. This is not my main listening room but a common area.
In the kitchen I am using an S30 paired with a set of passive speakers. Again this is not my main listening room but a great place to blast music while cooking.
In the entertainment room where I do sit and listen to the music I have the S50Pro+. I’ve set this up with a class D amp and decent monitors and a sub.
In concert these devices work quite well. The overall connectivity allows me to play music or talk radio in all three rooms simultaneously and adjust the volumes remotely and independently.
In each case the quality exceeds the requirements of the room and my ears.
Dave,
Thank you for the comment! So glad you’re enjoying it. You’re exactly one of the types of people I mentioned in the article who definitely benefits from this type of product.
And it certainly is a solid streamer for the most part. I actually demoed the S50 Pro+ recently and it was much easier to get set up because I knew this time around how these prefer to be handled.
The difference instead of the output connections and AptX between S10 and S50 Pro+, should be the DAC used, take a look at the specs
Mario,
Thank you for the comment! I’m not sure what part of the article you’re referring to specifically. Let me know and I will look into it!
-Stu
Thank you for the review!
I have a question:
Based on the digital outputs it looks like it is possible to connect S50+ to an external DAC of choice. If that is the case then 200 bucks seems like a reasonable price to me. But is it possible?
Marcus,
My pleasure! Yeah, I haven’t actually tested the A50+ into another DAC, but since it has line outs technically it’s possible. Any particular reason you want to do this?
-Stu
Ok, good, thanks!
I have a stand-alone DAC with a different chip (ROHM) which I imagine could elevate the sound fidelity. So the S50+ would just handle the streaming from Qobuz and then simply pass the digital signal on to my DAC.
Ah, nice! Keep me posted on it for sure man.
I have theS50 pro.
I like that it goes from one track to another with virtually no gap.
Does the S10 do this?
Alan,
Thanks for stopping by man! From what I remember, yes, the S10 has a seamless transition but I don’t actually have it here now and can’t re-test for you. It’s a great product though.
Keep me posted with any additional questions!
-Stu