Not long ago we took a listen to and a look at the Arylic A30+, a wonderful little amplifier. Now we are looking at the A50+. There are not loads of differences between them, though the differences there are, are worth looking at. The amp itself is a bit larger than the A30+ but not by much so you get extra features without a large cost to form factor. Among those added features are subwoofer output, RCA input, as well as optical input. You also get an extra 20 watts per channel for a total of 50WPC. So let’s take a look at how it performs.
Sound Quality
The sound is not unlike the A30+, you are not exactly buying a different sound with the A50+. If you are curious of more detail on how these amps sound I recommend checking out that review (link here). It didn’t make much sense to run through the exact same things as they do sound much the same to each other. At least not different enough for most to notice. That said you are buying better features and more power. More power can mean a different sound though, as more power means more bass, mid-range, and highs before distortion. A more powerful amp can better power your woofers and give you cleaner bass and mid-bass. I first plugged the A50+ into the PMC Prodigy 5s that I have in for review. Man did it power them wonderfully. They were able to push out wall-shaking bass with reasonable clarity. Granted I turned down the bass a bit after having my fun and you still get plenty of low-end and retain great detail.
After playing through the Prodigy 5s for a couple of weeks I connected the A50+ to my smaller Martin Logan LX16s and input my Bravia XR sound using the Optical connection. With the A50+ handling all DAC duties and powering my speakers, the listening experience skyrocketed. Built-in TV speakers are not very good, they tend to be very mid-heavy and lack any bass or top-end, so if you are streaming a movie with any excitement you will likely be disappointed. I watched the First John Wick, through the TV speakers and the second John Wick through the A50+. I can’t go back, Typically this TV is for Hercules to watch whenever we aren’t home, but I do occasionally sit out in his room with him and will watch a show or play my Switch. Watching Wick shoot through dozens of enemies was exciting. Gunshots had punch and texture, the soundtrack had body and detail. It didn’t feel like all the sounds of the movie were fighting over each other to come out of the TV speakers. Voices also sounded better, with more clarity. The biggest difference was in dynamics, when listening to the TV speakers, a lot of times it was too quiet or much too loud. However The A50+ handled this much better, and I didn’t find myself adjusting the volume scene to scene like with the TV speakers.
Specs:
-Support Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music via Airplay, Tidal, Deezer, and more.
–Multiroom streaming with versatile sources: WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, NAS, USB disk, Micro USB DAC and Optical in.
–2.0 CH stereo class-D audio amplifier designed for home speaker systems applications.
–2x50W ultra power amplifier, HD audio quality, especially for bookshelf speakers and ceiling speakers.
–Gapless Playback, and lossless music with FLAC / MP3 / AAC / AAC+ / ALAC / APE / WAV.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Plenty of power
- sub output
- plenty of inputs
- remote
Cons
- speaker connection
- audible pop when switching modes/on/off
Conclusion:
The A50+ is a wonderful little amp, that builds on the A30+. The A30+ is $139.00, and the A50+ comes in at $219.00, which is to me worth the price difference for the extra power and features. You can set up a very competent 2.1 system for your TV and Gaming system, or even a dedicated music system. You have a good suite of inputs, as well as a subwoofer output, letting you build your system as you go. As I mentioned with the A30+ though, I do not like the speaker terminals, I would like to see a traditional binding post. Though what is used does take up much less space so I understand the choice. Also, there is a pop when you switch sources, it’s not loud, nor is it likely to damage any speakers, but it is there and would be nice if it didn’t do that when switching over. I am not sure what in the circuit may cause that, but something to be aware of. I don’t think for the price point either issue would be a deal breaker for me. The market is full of inexpensive Bluetooth amps. I have owned a few different ones now, from Fosi, Ayrlic, and NobSound/Douk. Both my Douk amps are dead, they didn’t last particularly long. Both Ayrlics are going strong, and as they are not tube amps I doubt that will change anytime soon. The Fosi is doing okay as well but is very very basic and not much cheaper than this Arylic A50+. My favorite of all these amps are the Ayrlic amps, and specifically, at least so far the A50+.
For information on where to purchase click the link below
https://www.arylic.com/products/arylic-a50
Disclaimer:
Arylic provided Hifi Chicken with an A50+ for the purpose of review. Arylic, nor any affiliate paid in full or part in exchange for this review.