Arylic BP50 Stereo Preamp – A Blogs & Little Things Review

The BP50 Stereo Preamplifier takes a different direction with an all-in-one hub to connect everything while allowing you the freedom to use your own amp and/or DAC. And did I mention there is an app for control in addition to a remote?! On paper, this sounds very interesting and all for under $100, so let’s jump into the review.

The audio/video receiver in my opinion is dying a slow and painful death in the audio world, my company hasn’t sold them since 2021 and we stopped servicing them in 2022. All-in-one A/V solutions are quickly being replaced by much more reliable and easier-to-use products like Sonos and Heos. However, the desktop and compact audio world has shifted to more robust options that allow better upgrade flexibility than an AVR ever could while also being much smaller. The BP50 is in a unique place because many options that can go obsolete can be simply bypassed, don’t like the DAC? Use your own! Even having an optical and coaxial out is a feature not often seen on models this cheap. Models like the BP50 keep the good parts of an AVR while leaving out the bad, but it’s not all perfect.

At $99, the BP50 is awesome for what you get, but there are of course many cost-cutting liberties taken. The lack of a front screen and a trigger for amps are the big ones, but also the remote feels cheap. With the downsides out of the way, let’s look at the inputs. Bluetooth, line-in, phono, optical, HDMI ARC, USB Host, and USB Type C. The versatility here is impressive, for the price of most lower-end phono pre-amps you can just buy the BP50 and have many future-ready options.

Looking at the outputs, yes there is a sub out, line out, optical out, coaxial out, and Bluetooth out for headphones. Pretty solid options here for nearly any setup, I do lots of Bluetooth headphone reviews and this will be great for A/B testing between two using the same source. Having an optical out gives options like feeding a Sonos Soundbar while also using your own sub. It really feels like a fix-all solution for audio. Need to add in a turntable? Done! Bluetooth for headphones? Done! Optical decoded? Done! The more I look at the options, the more usefulness I see.

The app itself is basic, but gives you most of the control you’ll need. Treble and bass options are there but any more advanced tuning is absent. Being able to switch between sources and outputs quickly is excellent. I had no issues with the app myself and the Arylic team does a good job of keeping it updated. I like using the app more than the remote just for the Bluetooth alone, so I would say it’s a good complement to the remote, though one is not better or worse than the other. Which is how it should be; thought was definitely put into both.

The BP50 sounds really clear and transparent for what it is, I found it to be quite neutral overall when used with a separate DAC. The built in DAC was good, but a dedicated one will be better. It was just average, about what you’d expect from a $20-40 chip. Are there better sounding pre-amps for the price or close to it? Sure, but the BP50 at only $99 doesn’t add or subtract much from the sound for me to comment in a good or bad way. To sum it up, it’s pretty transparent and will play nicely with your gear.

If you’re like me and want a solution for adding more audio devices while keeping it small and simple, the BP50 Stereo Preamplifier is a great choice. Fancy finishes, chips and features are not found here, but at the price point, it’s impressive. The future (and I don’t like to use the term future-proof) options of the BP50 are all there as long as the app exists and is updated. For $99, it’s a great solution product and it definitely gets a recommendation from me.