Whole House Audio on a Budget - Should Sonos be Scared?

Sonos is increasingly getting scared with newer, cheaper and better alternatives hitting the market. In this video we will show you just why they should be scared, as you can go a whole house audio system for a fraction of the cost. Take a look at the company Arylic and their new flagship streaming amplifier the A50.
Arylic A50: bit.ly/2TRqtne or Amazon: amzn.to/2MXYBLq
Arylic Diy Amp: bit.ly/2JmyxZw
Arylic Stream: bit.ly/2soXzM8
External Antennas: amzn.to/2W5lMIH
Learn more about Arylic here: bit.ly/2wFUUQ4 or Amazon: bit.ly/Arylic
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[@copperoutletghosttown3283]

Hello, Great video. Is there any kind of audio lag between speakers on the system. For example. If you have 4 powered speakers all Bluetooth / in the same room, will there be any type of lag or echo or are they perfectly synced. Or lets say you have 6 speakers in the same room. If there is no lag then there will be no need for in wall speaker wires. Just power wires, correct.

[@eyewandersfoto]

I am the first *of many* to come here for the first time or revisit following the disastrous Sonos announcement 24 hours ago. This is everything. Sonos should have been a bit nervous before yesterday's announcement - and now they should be *terrified*. Can you achieve channel separation with this unit to create a stereo-pair with two in conjunction?

[@Camrographer]

Home audio devices are intended for reliable long-term use. whenever I see products which utilize apps to function I become concerned about the long term support as without the applications being updated to function with smartphones and PCs, the devices could become useless. What happens when a unit fails, will there be parts? When they produce a newer unit will it be backwards compatible? these are important things which I would like to know before becoming invested into a system. Am I wrong about my concerns?

[@ihasmax]

I’d be more worried about that with Sonos. With the DIY arylic boards you can buy 10 for the same price as a single Sonos amp lol, so just buy another if it breaks and swap it out

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Should it not feed the signal through the mains wiring to be picked up via special adapter.

[@Nanaandherhammer]

Hi. I looked up the mini box and it didn’t look like yours so did you build a housing around it?

[@andrewruder6063]

My home audio system is all controlled from a central location with eithernet cables and each zone has a controller with the amp at the controller. The speaker wires terminate at each controller in each room. Can this unit be connected at the central eithernet location to provide a source for all the zones?

[@BrettCotham]

Anyone know how to get a 12v trigger on one of these? I would like to have a way to turn on the amp when I send music to the room.

[@kylerober242]

Any good speaker recommendations for this puppy?

[@wpw8282]

so maybe i missed it but does this allow you to connect multiple bluetooth speakers (different brands) at the same time?

[@mindbodyspinechiro39]

is the A50 the same as their DIY WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0 Amplifier Board Up2Stream amp V3 with a pretty case?

[@muskymcg]

Hi could i put 4of these in a com's room where my 4 zones are wired too ? As long as they are hard wired to same network should be OK?

[@dylanemeraldgrey]

Currently using PLEX as my music server. I have a bunch of stereo systems throughout the house, so I have to use a computer or phone hooked up to each system through RCA. What hardware do I need to buy? If the Arylic app doesn't support plex and I want to stream over wifi/ethernet, what free server can I use? Also, how do DACs fit into this picture?

[@sohal1025]

I have three zones 6 speakers)in my house at the moment. Would I need three of these units to complete this ? Thank you

[@franklinchaves70]

Which in ceiling wireless speakers would you recommend to pair with Arylic A50 Amp through wifi? I would like to create a multi zone system.

[@ryanmichalski7420]

Do you know if I can duplicate a 5.1 set up that would play the same sound through both, and how I would go about it the things and equipment I would need if it’s every possible.

[@oskarzon]

Thanks for a great video! one question though; I understand that it is possible to play, for example, one song in the living room and a different song in the garage at the same time. Is this also possible using one Spotify account as the source? as with the Sonos system.

[@joeycheff3572]

I just received two arylic boards and am wondering the same thing... It would kind of defeat my main reason for having the boards if this isn't possible through spotify

[@jrtishner]

Yes it is possible to split the audio

[@marvinjong5438]

Does this have alarm feature like Sonos to play music at preset time of the day?

[@traumarn0325]

Do you have a link to the system to purchase?

[@esaulpr55]

Does it work with the Google Assistant

[@Toid]

Arylic A50: bit.ly/2TRqtne or Amazon: amzn.to/2MXYBLq Arylic Diy Amp: bit.ly/2JmyxZw Arylic Stream: bit.ly/2soXzM8 External Antennas: amzn.to/2W5lMIH Learn more about Arylic here: bit.ly/2wFUUQ4 Join Our Community: www.toidsdiyaudio.com/community

[@Arylic]

hi Toid, i love your video ,it told the story about the amp well. btw, for app ,we recommend 4stream , deezer, globa internet radio , qobuz, alexa control is on the way with this app soon .and more in the future by online update

[@JimacGTti]

I've setup my whole-home audio using about a dozen Google Chromecast Audio (for circa £25 each), Class D amps (mostly SMSL98e, some with a seperate DAC if the speakers on the amp are worthy) and various floorstanders, bookshelves and in-ceiling speakers, oh and a couple of Google Home Max for the Office (as they were on sale). Those Arylic A50 look pretty decent, but I'm fairly happy with the current setup.

[@Toid]

That's a sweet setup. It's exciting to see all the different ways you can do whole house audio now. It's to bad Google is doing away with their Chromecast audio. That would be another great option.

[@200sxgrazor]

Same here, but I've only got 7 Chromecast Audios, one Google Home and 3 Google home minis. Love the google assistant integration, got so used to just asking for music from Google home and having it play on the various chromecast audios and groups. High underrated in my opinion.

[@juanosorio]

I have five Chromecast audio and one Chromecast TV FTW. So sad Google discontinued this but I think they are probably going to push that functionality on to the Google home and home mini.

[@samlee4833]

but Google discontinued the chromecast audio, it is a shame.

[@Arylic]

try an up2stream module, you will see the different when enjoy play music source without compression ,without distance limitation ,sync playback when having a party :)

[@moto-rambler]

does this do chromecast audio casting?

[@derekcassese9280]

So I got one of the DIY boards (Up2Stream AMP2.0) and it turns out my in-ceiling speakers (TruAudio Sp-6) are 5-60W, 8. Am I correct in that this wont work since I am under powering the speakers as I am getting 2 x 30w @ 8. Sounds muffled.

[@adriaan7627]

It is all about distortion. If you set the volume too hight the amp can't deliver the amount of current the speaker needs. To be able to give the speaker that current a higher voltage is needed. The up2stream AMP only goes to 24 volts. Tink of a sinewave. The higher the power setting the bigger the sinewave will get. When the sinewave wants to grow above the max voltage the top of the sine will get flat. Then the speaker gets a not changing current anymore (max voltage) and the coil of the speaker sees DC current. A speaker does not like that. The signal will not sound good anymore and you hear distortion. Do you continue playing, feeding a speaker with a big enough dc current (power building up heat) it will fail. But if the volume is set low enough, this system will work and sound as it should. You can also ruin a speaker with a too big of an amplifier, but that is because of forcing the speaker to move more than it is designed for and as well will overheat, melting the interior. It is true you can destroy a speaker easier by using a low power amplifier, but if the desired sound level is reached before distortion will playing you will be fine.

[@gopalbijarniyan1821]

Maximum how many speaker conect eatch other with same music and different music through WiFi and control through mobile app and WiFi

[@ggroch]

I like the video, but I think it would have been even more helpful if you mentioned that Arylic uses the LinkPlay Wi-Fi system. This is good because you can get a lot of other LinkPlay devices that will work great with these, and because some of the other choices may fit your needs better. The Dayton Audio WBA31 is an example. It is a lot like the $160 Arylic A50 but with no speaker amp. Its only $42 plus ship, and if you have any little amp speaker sitting around it will do most the same things. Also brands like GGMM, AudioPro, & Fabriq make smart speakers with Linkplay built in, and some work with Alexa too. I have several Linkplay devices and they work great. I mostly use Spotify and they work great with that with no dropouts.

[@Toid]

Thank you for bringing that up. Now that you say that, I wish I would have. Because you're absolutely right, there are a ton of linkplay devices that will work with these as well. Thanks again for the thoughtful response.

[@Arylic]

As you said ,it's amp ,there is a lot of audio hardware work we can do .Another story is about software .Deeaer, globa internet radio ,alexa control ,qobuz try that soon ,and you will see if other $40 dollar device could do that or not :)

[@Arylic]

Arylic will also a series smart control driver, such as for control4,crestron,RTI,Fibaro,IFTTT,... Wait and see !

[@unknownsauce3768]

Do you need to use their phone app or does it appear as say, a Spotify connect device, from the Spotify app? (I'm using volumio with Spotify connect add-on but it's buggy). I'm surprised how little talk there is about Arlyic on diy forums.

[@Toid]

It looks like it just uses Spotify connect. When you open Spotify on the app, it redirects you to the Spotify App, to use connect. I don't pay for premium Spotify, so I couldn't test that part.

[@Arylic]

it's spotify connect licensed ,that's why it's working well and you don't need to upgrade when spotify upgrade sth .Volumio not .

[@KolfMAKER]

If you have Spotify Premium, you can select in the Spotify app on which speakers you want to play the Spotify music. Here you will see the speaker as configured in the 4Stream App. From the user perspective you will use Spotify as your user interface.

[@marvinjong5438]

I only use Sonos coz it can play different playlist and online radio automatically everyday at preset times. Can this do that?

[@christiandehlinger3731]

What is the GUI and what can it pull in? A SONOS Amp is $649, 125w per channel and connects to your TV via HDMI arc.

[@mihaid3101]

Thank you so much for this review, I've been eyeing the Up2Stream for some time. What do you think about the latency of the boards though? One idea I had was for a set of truly wireless speakers, with one Up2Stream per speaker, one side amplifying and playing just the left channel and the other playing the right channel. However, timing would be critical for this to work - from your experience with the devices, do you think it would? I could even add a standalone wireless sub at a later time if it works out :)

[@Toid]

There is no delay at all. It is really neat. These actually do stereo pairing for that exact purpose that you are describing. So these would be perfect for that application.

[@mihaid3101]

@@Toid thanks, I had a hunch they might work for that application but it's great to get the confirmation. I'll definitely get a pair now :)

[@KolfMAKER]

I sometimes do experience some latency. But I am aware that it is caused by my own WiFi network. The Arylic system is managing the streams very well.

[@EsotericArctos]

Do these devices support Chromecast?

[@vurcz_da_vigilant2622]

If I wanted to hook up multiple outdoor speakers, how many of these would I need? Can this only support 2 speakers?

[@Toid]

Each unit supports two speakers.

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Wouldn't this be basically the same thing as an fm transmitter? Ive got a transmitter that will send fm signal to my whole neighborhood. They are advertised as short distance radio for factories, outdoor movies, malls, theme parks, etc... basically any fm radio will pick up the signal with no lag

[@KolfMAKER]

Great video, and yes, Arylic products are great. I have built several systems, with great joy. In my new setup I have an issue. - Situation: I have a TV and the S10 connected to the audio-OUT of the TV. And I have two active speakers each with Up2Stream Mini integrated. - What I want: I want to use the S10 as audio source only. It is connected to the TV, so it only needs to stream TV sound ‘out’. So in the 4Stream App I have my two speakers to stream sound to. And instead of using Spotify as a source, I need to see the S10 as a source. - Question: So, how do I configure the S10 as an audio source, to play the music to my speakers?

[@Toid]

If I understand this correctly. You would just open up the 4stream app and select the source to aux input. Then dragged whatever up to stream units you want underneath it in the app.

[@KolfMAKER]

@@Toid Exactly. Normally I select my speakers and than the source from which I want to stream (like Spotify, Internet radio, ...). But so far I have not been able to install the S10 so that I can use it as a source for my speakers. And I can't find documentation how to do that (the manual only explains basic setup).

[@KolfMAKER]

I just found out how this setup works. After installing the S10 and other Acrylic products, you will see all of them in the 'Device List'. If you use an Acrylic product as a source (in my case the S10 connected to a TV), it has to be a kind of 'Master' device in the device list. So like creating a multi-room setup, drag-and-drop several devices on each other. But ... in this case the source device has to be the master, so speaker devices should be dragged on top of the master/source device. Only then the 'Line-in' will become visible in the 'Music sources' overview. In fact, quite easy. But you have to know about the 'Master/Slave' principle. Thnx!

[@efrankphd]

Hey Toid, nice unit for sure, however, I have a Volumio set-up in my back office room that I would like to be able to run along with my living room set-up that's just hooked up to a regular stereo receiver (for now anyway). So I'm wondering if the Arylic would be able to pick up the signal of the Volumio since they would be on the same network. I'm thinking that if I can enter the ip address of the Volumio player that I would be good to go.....thoughts?

[@Toid]

That is a great question. I honestly do not know. I tried to research it, but could not find it. I would ask Volumio if they can connect linkplay units. That is the architecture these are built around. They should be able to tell you if and how. Sorry I couldn't be more of a help.

[@efrankphd]

@@Toid Thank's for the reply Toid, and after some digging around through the seemingly endless Volumio forum topics, apparently they do have multi room capabilities but you "cannot" run them simultaneously. They did say however, that they were working with Sonos for a plug-in but that was like 2 years ago, and no word since, and there were a lot of people asking about it too. I sure wish I knew how to design plug-in's LOL However, for those who do not use Volumio, the Arylic appears to be a great solution for your multi room set-up due to it's affordability. I might have to rethink my set-up now :) Enjoy the music :)

[@Arylic]

you can have a try ,A50 support DLNA .Volumio may can recognize as a DLNA render .

[@Arylic]

@@Toid we have volumio here and will try and let your fans know that .

[@efrankphd]

@@Arylic That's kind of what I was thinking, and I also learned that Sonos does not support DLNA either, so that's another plus for the A50. Dont get me wrong, I'm not bashing or am I a Sonos hater, I think they have a great product. It's just that I cant afford one is all. The A50 is just closer to my price range which makes it very appealing to me.

[@JLaw962]

Will this work with alexa?

[@benjaminspray519]

Could you clarify on the need for the IR remote? If you have this connected to wireless does it not have all functions via the app? Like Sonos thx

[@Arylic]

no all function ,but most of that , playback control ,source switch ,EQ ,1-6 preset list buttons .that's it .

[@benjaminspray519]

Arylic Suoer thanks what about power on off? I have like 7 zones and want to hide some of the outdoor units so access IR would be an issue. If I had it set to source WiFi I would not need to adjust. Alternatively I have keypad control wires running to zone controls on wall can I run an external IR or serial control. Thanks 👍

[@Arylic]

@@benjaminspray519 i read your 1st message ,app get all functions .you can do exactly you want with our apps . for power on/off, we have green technology ,when no music playback ,power consumption very low ,just keep wifi working .!

[@benjaminspray519]

Arylic amazing now we are talking 👍 will check things out thank for the responses

[@Arylic]

@@benjaminspray519 anything, you may write to us directly :)

[@renerioscom]

Great video!! Is this amp compatible with Spotify Connect?

[@soundadvice9138]

Thank you. It does work with Spotify, but you have to have their premium service. That is a spotify requirement.

[@sixstringsdown1]

@@soundadvice9138 Do you know of any reliable LOSSLES STREAMING SERVICE that is not names... TIDAL?

[@Arylic]

@@sixstringsdown1 yes supported .and QObuz will be available soon as well .

[@sixstringsdown1]

@@Arylic thanks guys for all the responses! Also, have yet to see a single "BAD FAITH, NEWBY TRASHING" post! Good Work😊

[@KolfMAKER]

@@sixstringsdown1 Besides Qobuz (FLAC), also Deezer (FLAC) is supported.

[@TheoSmith249]

Do you answer questions on this channel. ?

[@speakerpat]

Thats pretty cool! I bet Sonos will have to get their prices down now that there is some kind of competition. ..But I dont need that. I just turn up my system and you can hear it in the whole house :P I feel like this house is made of cardboard. Its unbearable because you can hear everything 😂

[@Toid]

Haha! That's one way to do it! I do like Sonos, but they're so expensive. It's just exciting to see units like this that are really challenging them. Have fun turning up that volume. Blast away 😆

[@johnlucas463]

I wonder, is it possible to build a speaker using Lego Technic?

[@Toid]

If you want to do it, I bet we could come up with something. I'll have to come down and see what we can do.

[@garyfriedman6681]

2nd updated : Update Have you updated your thoughts/comments/reviews about best whole house audio devises such as Acrylic A50 and the update version H50 or Juke Audio to permit non amplified/ no wifi ceiling speakers whose all home speaker(s) wiring is located in an stereo room located a distance from TVs . I want to use Roku 4K streaming devises instead of Apple TV 4K and to send audio from streaming apps by wifi or bluetooth connected to optical cables (maybe have to convert to bluetooth) or maybe ARC cables out of TVs ) or from Roku by wifi or bluetooth directly to WHA devises ( Apple TV /air play 2 permits video in to TV and audio in sent directly to Jude Audio devise) I also want enough amplified sound sent to speakers to product good sound out of ceiling speakers and permit different zones for different output coming from different streaming sources to play at same time. Is there an additional reasonable cost single amp with line in which can increase/boost output from under powered Jude Audio devise which might boost sound quality of individual speakers in system-maybe as many as 30 speakers could use boost in amp.

[@submeitsfreebruh]

I just bought 15 inch double top speaker system with horn tweeters. Now i have whole village music zone. 😂

[@edwinlee613]

do you need one arylic device for each room?

[@Toid]

Yes. At least for every room you want a different zone.

[@egrocket94]

What are some affordable speakers that could go with this? Bluetooth speakers?

[@Toid]

This has bluetooth in it. So you just need a set of passive speakers. I like the MK402's if on a budget. amzn.to/2GZfpgr Second on the list would probably be the Micca's amzn.to/2KyOAlw

[@derekcassese9280]

Whats the difference between Muzo app and 4Stream?

[@Toid]

It appears to be the exact same app, just rebranded.

[@Toid]

All of these units are able to use either app

[@protectork9831]

so instead of receiver you would use this devise

[@RickSanchez-ye9bi]

Is the app free to download?

[@Toid]

Yes

[@rotecrl9719]

Whole House Audio ceased to be affordable for a few years when Logitech discontinued the Squeezebox Touch..

[@Coreycry]

Sonos Killer this video is so underrated !

[@bestofbritish4998]

Whats wrong with using a raspberry pi

[@THNKKY]

At first i thought it was an fm transmitter.

[@paulgerg6879]

I bought a Sonos One SL. Lovely sound, absolutely atrocious multi-platform support. Will never buy another one. A pity I can't buy this in the UK.

[@cargillmonteque2311]

You can buy from Germany

[@digitaldood5252]

KEiiD looks a little bit better and less expensive.

[@drewwfulkerson]

It looks like KEiiD with 40watts is $109 and Arylic is $169 with 50watts. I'm not sure about the other specs, but I think more watts would be worth a little more money--not sure about $60 extra. If someone was really on a budget the Arylic DIY is $91-$99 with 50 watts.

[@martinda7446]

Seriously this has been possible to do on the cheap for getting on 20 years and more than 10 for (quality/ reliable) video. Sonos has been around since...well getting on 20 years..No coincidence - the technology had arrived. .Sonos is just a nice box and app. You pay for the convenience and ease of use. The sound quality is simply OK, so nothing special there. I thought Sonos would fall away into obscurity 15 years ago...It didn't happen then. The power of marketing.

[@Arylic]

we try to make some voice to everybody, there is a better choice :)

[@martinda7446]

@@Arylic Not saying different. I like your products a lot. They are a better choice for me than Sonos from many angles, value/ size/quality/convenience etc.

[@martinda7446]

@@Arylic ...Just the video publisher suggested there had been no alternative till now. I was just addressing that.

[@Arylic]

@@martinda7446 we appreciated .truth is most of our users have SONOS and start our product ,then sell SONOS. I'm sure there will be this kind of voice about us in the market soon !

[@martinda7446]

@@Arylic I am hoping shortly to introduce some high end audio products to market. I know this is not the usual place for introductions, but I had in mind the necessity to cover this area for customer convenience - and it occurred to me just this moment that Arylic may suit my needs here. I have worked in the audio industry for 40 years on and off, so I'm not new to this. Please try and remember me if I make contact in the future. Best regards and best of luck.

[@christiandehlinger3731]

Phoenix is way more pro than binding post.

[@hagbard72]

Doesn't do it all if you dont do smartphone.

[@Cherishthemoment]

All nonsense…my opinion…by the time you buy the amp and the speakers, you can get a decent set of Sonos.