Our latest in the tiny amp category is the Arylic A30+. This market segment is rapidly growing and will likely be an entry point for many budding audiophiles. I think it is essential to check products like this out, it could be what makes or breaks someone’s desire to continue with this hobby. The A30+ comes in at a price of $139.00 (U.S.) which makes it a bit more than the Fosi TB10D amp we checked out. That said it also has more features and input options. Being an integrated amp that you can fit nearly anywhere for less than 200 bucks is great if it sounds great too.

Setup

The manual is very comprehensive and honestly better than a lot of the more budget-oriented products on the market. It will walk you through all the features, inputs, app setup, and remote. I will say you do not need the app to use the A30+, so if you are the type to minimize apps on your phone, you do not have to worry. The app mainly serves as a repository of all your music apps, as well as a secondary remote for the A30+. I had no issue connecting from inside Spotify. One thing to note is that the speaker wire binding posts use a very small screw, you will need to use Pin style plugs or bare wire. I would venture to say most listeners will be using bare wire and this is what I used as well. In this case, I used a standard hardware store 16 gauge copper speaker wire. I set this up with my Martin Logan LX16 bookshelf speakers.

Sound

The remote has a couple of simple EQ buttons on it, you get flat, bass up/down and treble up/down, as well as a D.Bass, meaning Deep Bass. I will say with the bass turned all the way up you can get some impressive bass out of the LX16 speakers. I will also mention that there is some muddying of the mids when you turn it all the way up and add the Deep Bass. You can also get into audible distortion much quicker when turning the volume up, none the less it was fun to play with and I was able to get the bass to a point I liked without compromising overall sound quality. The treble adjustment had similar results, if you pushed it the sound got very thin and distortion crept in. While I doubt anyone typically sets these types of settings to the max, the adjustment was nice and fairly granular for a digital input as opposed to an analog knob that essentially has infinite increments.

I played Spotify over Bluetooth as well as listened to FLAC files from my FIIO M9 DAP, to get a feel of how it handled different protocols as well as digital vs analog input. Once I had the EQ where I preferred it I started listening to a favorite on FLAC, Discovery from Daft Punk. The whole album is fairly complex and has loads of sound layered so a detailed system will really help you appreciate the Album. The A30+ and Martin Logans do well to deliver detail and fairly good frequency coverage. With the mid drivers having to also take on the role of bass drivers the mid can get a bit muddy at faster portions of songs and you will probably want to sacrifice some low-end punch for that detail. The highs though sound wonderful with the AMTs. Though the EQ will let you really thin out the sound with these speakers so you will likely want to adjust treble modestly. Being a Class D amp is of no real concern these days. I have heard Class D sound better than some Class A, that is not to say this particular amp is an end-game Class D, but rather it is of no detriment to the sound. Sound had a good body though with this set up the stage wasn’t as deep as I have heard these speakers produce. The sound overall was somewhat close. To be sure I tested the amp on my Sonus Faber and the result was a bit expected. The sound stage opened up a bit with the larger speakers, but you don’t really get the same depth and width as you get with better amps.

I listened to my unsurprising favorite Taylor Swift. I chose my favorite of her discography, Folklore. I like to listen to her to get a sense of neutrality. I have heard her music Live multiple times, as well as acoustically, and have a good sense of how her voice and music in general sound. I set the EQ to Flat and turned off the Deep Bass and the sound was a bit too warm. Taylor’s voice also sounded a little veiled. Instrumentally the album was fairly good as well. I turned up the treble a couple of notches and it opened up and brought vocals more forward which is where they tend to be in Taylor’s music. I left D. Bass off for the entire album though bumping the regular bass one notch did add some life to the music. Especially on Exile, Bon Iver has a very low voice, and having that mid-bass richness added to the liveliness of his voice.

Specs

Newest Firmware Version 4.6.415145.35 Connectivity WiFi: IEEE802.11 b/g/n 2.4G Bluetooth: 5.0 SBC/AAC, 15M, BT Receiver Wired Network: Ethernet Single 10/100M RJ45 Power Input 12V-18V/DC in Audio Input Analog: AUX (1Vrms) Digital: Micro USB Input Analog: AUX (1Vrms) Speaker Out Amplifier Chip TPA3116 Speaker Power 2 x 35W @ 4Ω load at 18V 2 x 18W @ 8Ω load at 18V Speaker Impedance 4-8Ω USB Host For USB pen drive/stick, 1000 songs limited Frequency Response 20Hz to 20kHz THD + N <0.03% @ 1kHz/1W/4Ω Music Format FLAC/MP3/AAC/AAC+/ALAC/APE/WAV Audio Format Decoding up to 192kHz/24bits Output up to 44.1kHz/16bits CD quality

Protocols AirPlay, DLNA, UPnP, Spotify Connect, Qplay NAS Support NAS with DLNA support Dimensions: 131.8mm*85.5mm*27mm (5.18in*3.37in*1.06in) Weight: 500g Working temperature: 0~40℃ Accessory Power Supply Screw Driver RCA Cable Remote 4Pin phoenix connector External Antenna x2 User Manual Power Button Device on: Short press once: Switch input mode Long press once: Switch off Short press twice: Disconnect current WiFi connection and enter pairing mode (WiFi mode); Disconnect the current connected Bluetooth device (Bluetooth mode) Short press three times: Restore the factory settings Device off: Short press: Switch on LED Indicators ⚪White-WiFi & network mode: Flashing fast- device is booting Flashing slow- waiting for WiFi connection Solid- WiFi is connected 🔵Blue- Bluetooth mode: Flashing slow- waiting for Bluetooth connection Solid- Bluetooth is connected 🟢Green- Line in mode 🔴Red- USB mode 🟡Yellow- connect to PC

Associated Equipment

Speakers: Martin Logan LX-16
Sonus Faber Sonetto V
Cables: Standard 16 Guage Copper Speaker Cable
AudioQuest Evergreen Aux Cable
Included Power Cable
Sources: Fiio M9 (FLAC)
iPhone 14 Pro (Spotify Bluetooth)

Conclusion

I was pleased with the price to performance of the A30+. It sounds good, even great for under 150 dollars. It has a decent complement of input options, EQ options, and even a remote. You get a good amount of value in this little amp. You can use it as a Bluetooth amp, a network amp, or analog input. You can easily connect a Turntable as long as it has a phono amp built-in. I think my only 2 criticisms would be the speaker wire connection style and the lack of any type of screen. I think with the options you get to EQ and volume a simple seven-segment number screen would help you know what you have those set to. I will add though for the price it is hard to complain, the screen would be a nice to have. Though better binding posts should be included as they can be found on the cheaper Fosi, though it has fewer input options so it is not exactly a 1 to 1 comparison. Sound wise they are comparable. and I wouldn’t say one is wildly better sounding. I prefer using the Ayrlic over the Fosi, as the remote and app are great. I think it is worth the extra to have a little amp you can grow your system with.

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Disclaimer:
Ayrlic provided Hifi Chicken with an on-loan A30+ for the purpose of review, Ayrlic nor any affiliate paid in full or part in exchange for this review.