The $69.99 PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast true 4K wireless display adapter does one thing, and it does it well: stream from computer/phone/tablet to computer monitor/TV screen/projector without an app. It also features a built-in DAC for sound.

The $69.99 PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast was kindly provided by the manufacturer, and I thank them for that. You find more information at www.proscreencast.com.

Introduction

PROSCREENCAST are Chinese company that offer a number of streaming devices via direct distribution through their website www.proscreencast.com.

The $69.99 SC01 Miracast “wireless display adapter” is their “most affordable” and most portable device offering mirroring between a variety of sources and displays. In other words, you can stream wirelessly from your phone, tablet, or computer to your TV, projector, or computer screen…without an app.

The particular wireless technology behind screen their mirroring is called “Miracast”. It is described in detail here. Apple AirPlay and Google Cast are also used.

PROSCREENCAST claim that the SC01 has has ultra-low latency (=delay) of about 1/10 of a second, which should make wired connections redundant and remove cable clutter. For streaming music or videos, the SC01 also features a basic DAC (to create sound).

For the last 10 years, I have streamed videos from my MacBook Air to my TV screen. First I used Apple TV 3rd generation…until they cut YouTube compatibility. Next, I used ROKU. Both offer a wide variety of apps and services.

Recently, my favourite German online TV channels cut compatibility with ROKU so that I had to look for new options. The SC01 fills this niché (and more) as it has the widest compatibility of all devices I have tested.

Specifications PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast

Technology/Architecture/Company Claims

In other words, the SC01 does one thing, and one thing only, and it does it well: it mirrors images/videos in 4K high res at 60 frames per second to wherever you project them to.

Physical Things

The SC01 is a plastic box with rounded corners of the dimensions of an ice-hockey puck. It features a USB-C port for power and an HDMI port for connectivity with a display.

Also in the box are a (way too short) basic HDMI cable and a (long enough) USB-C to USB-A cable . The latter is meant to connect the SC01 through its USB-C port with the USB-A port of an external 5V/2A power supply or your TV. You switch the SC01 on and off with your TV. If connected to an external 5V/2A power supply, the device is always on.

The SC01 features an illuminated button that serves the sole purpose of toggling between landscape and portrait. But it is not an on/off switch.

Functionality and Operation

The SC01 needs a brief setup. Once everything is plugged in, you follow the on-screen description how to connect to your network. This has to be done only once and is more intuitive than the manual suggests.

The SC01 also features his own network for the case you have no home network available, let’s say in a hotel or somebody else’s office. Just log your source device into the SC01’s network – and bingo. Good for on the road.

Videos or general screen sharing works from phone/tablet and computer sources to TVs, computer monitors, and projectors, provided the target device has an HDMI port. I use it mainly for streaming videos from my Mac to the TV.

Any video that plays on Google Chrome can be streamed through the browser’s “cast” function. The TV automatically plays the video full screen, although it may not be full screen on the computer source.

Image quality is good, but I recorded the occasional stuttering, possibly owing to a lack of memory/buffering. The 0.1 s latency is also noticeable.

With my Mac I have the additional choice of AirPlay mirroring.

Streaming from iOS and Android devices follows the same principles. You can switch from default landscape to portrait via the aforementioned button on top of the SC01.

Apart from screen sharing, you can also play Apple Music to your TV. Cover art and timing of the track are displayed on a black background. The DAC and therefore the sound quality are basic, but not any worse than in the ROKU or 3rd gen. Apple TV. It ain’t High End but is perfectly workable.

What the SC01 does not offer is its own integrated player with apps such as Netflix, Apple+, Crave etc. You have to stream these from your your computer/phone/tablet. Or you get Google Chromecast, ROKU, or Apple TV.

I use the PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast all the time as it is so versatile.

Concluding Remarks

The PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast is a simple, functional, no-frills device that mirrors everything to anything. And this includes sound. Goal achieved. My only criticisms are that the the mirrored image sometimes stutters and that the SC01 is more expensive than the well-established ROKU and Google Chromecast.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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The post PROSCREENCAST SC01 Miracast True 4K Wireless Display Adapter Review – Job Done Well appeared first on Music For The Masses.

The hockey-puck sized WiiM Mini (SRP $100, though sometimes discounted to $70-80) packs a lot of accessories in the box, including good-quality charging, optical and analog audio cables. The WiiM app accesses music services and allows you to select Bluetooth, Wifi or line-in modes and to set output level, sample rate and bit depth (it also has multiroom functionality, 22 EQ presets and an “adaptive EQ” function, which adjusts frequency using music genre and other tags in the audio content).

The app is well-conceived, if initially a bit tricky to navigate; once I set it up I found it easier to use Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect to control music search and playback functions. Once connected, I experienced no pauses or dropouts.

The Mini works fine in Bluetooth mode, with clean, if compressed, sound but limited high-end extension and definition. Predictably, the Mini sounds much richer and more dynamic as a Wifi streamer, where it can output gapless, bitperfect 24/192 through the SPDIF out.  I first tested its analog out in Wifi—the onboard Burr-Brown PCM5121 DAC sounded significantly bassier, more energetic and detailed than the analog out in the Chromecast Audio it replaced.

Comparison to the analog out of my buddy’s Bluesound Node 2i was a closer race—the 5x pricier Bluesound had a warmer, more organic tone and a slightly more expansive, open soundstage, while the brighter Mini showed a fuller midrange, more perceived microdetail and sparkle, albeit with some highend digital glare.

I thought the Bluesound sounded more lifelike on acoustic fare while the WiiM was better-resolving and clearer on more complex material, though the differences were by no means significant or cost-effective. I do note that many reviewers have maligned the onboard DAC of the Bluesound and that the guy at audiosciencereview said the analog out of the Mini was “just okay”; I’d be content with either for less critical listening.

It was clear, however, that the Mini sounded best through its digital out–when connected to my SMSL SU-9, notes were weightier, with better instrument separation, more bass impact and significantly more high-end extension—percussion and piano sounded more smoothed over and less resolving through the analog out. There’s an overall physicality to the Mini—drums have a lot of punch and male vocals sound slightly chesty, but very clear and forward.

The Bluesound connected to the same DAC again sounded softer-edged and a tiny bit warmer, with perhaps a bit less sharpness/brilliance than the Mini, but again there wasn’t a ton of difference. FWIW, the Chromecast Audio through the digital out sounded appreciably flatter and less punchy than the Mini or the Bluesound; low end in particular was more rounded and reserved—the Chromecast’s limitations were readily apparent when playing “ultra-HD” and higher rez files. Transports do make a difference, kids.

I’m not one of those dimwits proclaiming that “bits are bits” or that all digital sources sound alike, and I trust  that those folks dropping big bucks on Auralic or Lumin streamers are getting their money’s worth. For me, especially considering I listen to a lot of lower-rez Spotify at moderate volumes, it’s tough to justify buying more than the Mini. It’s a very good piece which is something of a breakthrough at this price point.

Non-disclaimer: bought three of ‘em myself.

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INTRO

We previously reviewed other Arylic products, and now they have given audioreviews.org another featured packed entry level wireless streaming device the Arylic S10 to play with. While not considered an audiophile piece, the purpose of the Arylic S10 is more basic to serve as a multi-room wireless streaming box without stealing the money inside your wallet to achieve this goal. It’s available for the low price of $79 and packed full of features to serve as the backbone of a good leisurely party.

Disclaimer: Unit provided for free by Arylic. I am not a robot controlled by anyone so consider these thoughts my own.

GOOD TRAITS

• Lots of connectivity options, Wifi, LAN, Bluetooth, analog, USB audio, Apple Airplay
• Strong Bluetooth connection
• Small size
• Remote Control can allow it to act as a preamp device switching between various inputs

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

• Specifications are below CD quality (SNR), but for background music use this is perfectly acceptable
• No USB-A to USB-A cable for connection to PC
• No optical input-this would make it useful for a preamp source select in a media room.

COMMENTARY

The Arylic S10 can be setup using the 4Stream app available from the Apple APP store or Google Play store. This unlocks the wireless and network streaming functionality where many apps can access the device such as TuneIn, IHeartRadio, Spotify, TIDAL, Internet Radio, Napster, Qobuz, Deezer, Amazon Music, Pandora as well as your local library on your phone.

The 4Stream app also allows you to select the inputs Wifi, Line In, Bluetooth, or USB DAC. There is also a section for favorites and MY Music which opens local files on the device or also searches your network for home music shares from a NAS (Network Attached Storage) DLNA, UPnP source. While not flashy, I appreciate the simple design of the app.

The app also allows the user to set an alarm, sleep timer, and EQ. There is also a multi-room function where multiple devices can be paired together or set as a master/slave or in a more inoffensive term (parent/child) configuration.

The final features of the app allow you to update firmware and rename the device so if you had multiples they can be assigned room names or whatever you want to call it for identification.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

• Device
• Remote (requires 2xAAA batteries)
• Micro-usb cable (power)
• USB power adapter
• 3.5mm to 3.5mm analog cable
• 3.5mm to RCA analog cable
• Instruction Manual

SOUND

While the Arylic S10 is not an audiophile device or as Alberto called it “low-fi”, the sound is acceptable for background music which is the purpose anyway. I don’t notice any major flaw in terms of noise and frequency response, just don’t expect to use as a high quality USB DAC given it’s 91db SNR rating. Great for parties, garage workshop, or backyard entertainment for example.

I put it to use at my place of work paired with a small Lepai/Lepy 15W amplifier and a pair of Athena bookshelf speakers. I also used it plugged into my JBL 104 studio monitors at home. The size is exactly the same footprint as the Lepai/Lepy amps that are popular for simple playback systems so that is a nice combo.

To further reinforce the party nature of the Arylic S10 device, the remote control unlocks audiophile repulsion features such as Bass and Treble controls and an extra special sauce called d.bass meaning kick up the deep bass for weak bookshelf speakers or just to boost low output for a fuller sound. After you are done mucking around, there is also a flat button to reset your insanity. Unfortunately the flat button only resets the bass/treble controls and not the d.bass. To turn off d.bass, it requires a secondary push of the d.bass button.

FINAL REMARKS

Stuck at home recovering from surgery, I find the Arylic S10 useful for providing uplifting music throughout my home while I perform low level tasks that do not require me to be stationary. For the price of $79 it provides an excellent grouping of features.

While I don’t have much else to compare to other than bluetooth only devices for the same cost, or Google Chromecast Audio that is single input, the Arylic S10 is a very competent device if you are in the market for a wireless streamer preamp packed full of features.

SPECIFICATIONS

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DISCLAIMER

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About my measurements.

The post Arylic S10 Wireless Streamer Review – Affordable Party in a Box appeared first on Music For The Masses.

Additionally, Arylic also sent me a pair of their RK30 Satellite speakers, to be assessed with the A30+ of course. You can find them too on Arylic site, costing $149,00 on their own, or on Ali Express again.

At-a-glance Card

Features and description

Externals

A30+ is a small (13x8x3cm) and lightweight device. Its enclosure is metallic, and comes with an external 18V/4A non-audio-grade PS.

The front panel offers on the left side a quite big colored led light indicating the current selected input (more on this later). On the right side there’s the (invisible) IR receiver for the handheld “classic” battery operated remote control.

On the back panel instead we can find the connectors for 2 antennas (one for wifi one for BT), an RJ45 ethernet connector marked LAN, a USB-A female connector marked “USB”, a micro-USB female connector marked “micro-USB”, a 3.5mm audio connector marked “AUX”, a green block connector marked “SPEAKER” and the female barrel connector marked “DC 18V/4A”. As a complement, the back panel also includes a “RESET” button.

Internals

Arylic offers a quite wide range of wireless audio devices, both in form of ready-to-use turnkey (sub)systems like this A30+ I’m assessing, and in terms of DIY or at least macro-DIY components, basically populated PCB boards which one can more easily integrate into his/her own audio infrastructure project.

Inside the A30+ there’s a board which is also sold separately under the name “Up2Stream Amp V4“. Simply put, think to it as a SBC-class computer (e.g. a raspberry pi), coming with a certain kit of communication subdevices (the ethernet chip, usb chip, etc), and of course the audio related ones. The board is apparently competently engineered and realised, and most if not all the components involved are “customised” so it’s not easy to “recognise” standard chips on it.

One very important thing to note on the features side is that in spite of its tagline (“Wireless amplifier”) A30+ is not a mere amlifier but a DAC – AMP too, which if course scales its applicative flexibility up a lot!

Connectivity

From the hardware input standpoint, A30+ can connect to music sources in 4 main ways: ethernet (both wired and wireless), bluetooth and USB for digital input, and 3.5mm single ended cable for analog input.

Wired ethernet connectivity is 100base-T grade, via an RJ45 connector. Wireless ethernet connectivity is 2.4G only, quite stable indeed. USB connectivity is USB2-grade, and Bluetooth connectivity follows BT5.0 standards.

On the hardware output side, A30+ offers just one option: connective a pair of passive speakers. It supports both 4 and 8 ohm speakers. There is no preamp output, no s/pdif, no bt out option to connect onto active speakers.

In terms of control input, A30+ obviously does not offer any physical commands on its main chassis. The way for the operator to interacti with it is solely by accessing its sw by remote control.

A30+ offers 3 remote control “channels: 1) a physical “tv-style” battery operated remote control, intended to select inputs, setting volume and tonal control, and little else; it works, although the range is nothing to write home about 2) a web page published by the device’s internal firmware, and accessible by means of a normal browser from any active device (phone or pc) on the same logical network; I was totally unable to make this work – all my browsers on all platforms got stuck on the home page very likely due to some insecurity rejection; 3) an android App (called 4Stream, free to download) allowing full control of the system; the GUI is quite basic so is the UX, but it works solidly, and it’s therefore “the” way to use the A30+

Last but not least, by means of its sw A30+ can be configured as a part of a multi-point Arylic system – for example to obtain multi-room simultaneous playback, or multi-speaker rendering. This is set via the controlling App.

Sound inputs

Input capabilities are no doubt A30+’s strong point, both their number and their apparent reliability.

A30+ can be set up as a system to play music coming from a plethora of online musical streaming services including Tidal, TuneIN, Qobuz, Deezer, Amazon Music and others. No MQA support for Tidal though. No support for Apple Music.

To use any of such services you simply provide your service credentials once via the App. The trick is that the app calls the provider’s own authentication service, and once you log in there the A30+ gets authenticated as a remote device. The good thing is that your credentials don’t (or at least don’t seem to) ever be known let alone saved into the A30+ itself.

Apart for active accounts on the relevant services, prerequisite to this is obviously ethernet connectivity with internet access – no matter if wired or wireless of course. Also: once the configuration is done, the entire operation happens autonomously. You need a phone or a table with Arylic’s app to browse music and play it, but the same phone / tablet may well not have the original service’s own app installed, nor any other phone or pc is required to be linked to A30+ on the same network for this to work.

In addition to the above, A30+ offers DLNA / UPNP connectivity. This means that you can both use the 4Stream App to browse any DLNA-capable NAS or Media Server accessible on the same A30+ network and “pull” tracks in and play them as if they were resident on the A30+ itself, or you can use UPNP-capable applications on Windows (e.g. Foobar, or Musicbee or many others) or Android (e.g. BubbleUPNP) to “see” the A30+ as an eligible “music card”, basically as if it were an active speaker system connected to the same host device.

Intersting to note at this point: on its back panel A30+ carries a USB-A port allowing for the connection of a pen drive, or a hard disk. Once that’s done, the 4Stream App will be able to browse through the tracks saved on that drive and play them out. This to this as a way to avoid DLNA connectivity to a LAN-connected NAS, and just “plug the disk directly onto the player”.

To complete the ethernet picture, A30+ also offers AirPlay1 and Spotify Connect compatibility, together with QPlay which is however not useful outside China .

In terms of Bluetooth connectivity, A30+ makes it quite straightforward to pair a host – provided on remembers to switch to “Bluetooth” input from the 4Stream App in advance. Basically, when A30+ is set to one of the other modes, BT connectivity gets switched off. I found it out the hard way Supported BT protocols are SBC and AAC only. No APTX nor LDAC are offered.

As I guess you got at this point, A30+ is mainly thought as a small box you put someplace in your sitting room (or kitchen? or bathroom, why not!), just “visible” enough to facilitate wireless connectivity if need be. Once turned on it will act as a wireless gateway between mutiple digital music sources (a home nas, online services, and/or personal mobile devices) and the speakers. That said, A30+ offers some further wired connectivity options, too.

One is a micro-USB port, allowing for the connection to a wired host (a PC, Mac, Linux machine, or a DAP / Transport with USB-out capabilities). When connected this way, A30+ behaves as a “desktop DAC with integrated speaker AMP” – nothing more nothing less. To use it you need to switch over to “USB DAC” input on the 4Stream App, then control volume and tone as you wish.

The last connectivity option is the 3.5mm analog (Line) input. That’s to receive input from a preamp, or a DAC with single ended analog output, or the TV’s AUX OUT for example. Similarly to the above, when connected this way A30+ behaves as a “desktop speaker AMP”. As you guessed by now, to use it this way you need to switch over to “Line In” on the 4Stream App.

When A30+ receives digital input (which is pretty much always, with the sole exception of the analog Line In option) it processes the data with its internal DAC first, then amplifies it out on the speakers. The DAC accepts only PCM formats (FLAC/MP3/AAC/AAC+/ALAC/APE/WAV), no DSD is allowed. Maximum PCM resolution is 24bit / 192KHz, which is consistent with the maximum connectivity speeds allowed by A30+’s ethernet and usb interfaces.

Sound output

A30+ can exclusively output to passive speakers.

Either 4 or 8 ohm speakers are allowed. Of course on 4ohm speakers a double output power (35W max) will be deliverable compared to 8ohm speakers (18W max).

Sadly A30+ required passive interconnects to be screwed into a block-connector, so it was not straightforward to test A30+ with my existing Roth Oli RA1 speakers, which of course I did anyway by taking off the existing bananas from them.

RK30 Satellite speakers

These RK30 Satellite speakers impressed me very positively.

We’re talking about 8 ohm passive “satellite-class” speakers, which means by design their Frequency Response does not take bass and sub bass into account (specs indeed specify a 120 Hz minimum frequency). This should of course be imperatively considered when putting them to work. Taken alone, they can do a good job for “piped music” type airing, or for voice-centric applications as audio/video conferencing and such. For musical applications, they obviously need to be included in a wider system, at the very least a 2+1 one (being the “+1” a companion subwoofer of sort).

Neither the A30+ nor my current desktop speaker amp (an Allo Volt+) can directly manage a subwoofer, so my auditioning of the RK30 Satellites has been “surgical” in a sense. More on this below.

On the structural level, RK30 Satellites are well built. They can be wall-mounted and oriented by means of a turn-tilt base. Very interestingly, their housings are IP66-grade so they can bear rain and moderate watering – which means they can be installed in the garden or on the balcony too.

Sound

A30+

As reported above, A30+ is fundamentally a DAC/AMP offering a very wide range of digital input options.

When used in such capacity, in terms of “audiophile expectations” A30+ delivers very, very modest results. The DAC in particular offers just very basic performances: extension is limited at both ends, presentation is clearly mid centric and fundamentally dull, soundstage is intimate to be generous, and totally bidimensional (lacks depth and height); there is no significant layering / separation capability that I could spot.

Simply put: A30+ is a very nice flexible “low-fi” wireless renderer. Nothing less, but nothing more.

For completeness, the output quality situation gets a bit better when I test the A30+ as a mere AMP, i.e. by pairing its Line In port with one of my existing DACs. In this case A30+ is by far not the best 130$ amp I auditioned, but believe me not the absolute worst either. I am ready to bet, for example, that by simply swapping the IT-grade power supply coming within the package with an at least entry-level Audio-grade PS clarity and dynamic range would furtherly go significantly up.

RK30 Satellite speakers

As I previously already mentioned, RK30 are Satellite speakers not offering (by design) a full frequency range coverage: low-mid-bass and sub-bass are totally absent. What is not supposed to be there in the first place cannot be called “bad” of course.

When auditioned for what the offert, RK30 are actually quite nice inexpensive speakers. Considering what I reported above regarding A30+’s modest sound reconstruction quality, I mainly tested these RK30 with my Allo Volt+ and I must say they do not leave tooooo much to desire on the mid and treble ranges when compared with my Roth Oli RA1. Mid range in particular is quite sweet, with good body and clarity.

Specifications recap

A30+

RK30 Satellite speakers

Considerations & conclusions

From a nice little device like the A30+ offering such a well designed and working (!) host of different input options costing well less than 150$ one cannot reasonably expect top sound performances, and this is indeed the reality.

Very simply put, A30+ should not be scored within the audiophile-grade devices market, as that would be quite unfair to begin with. Taken as a non-audiophile-grade device (a “low-fi” wireless dac/amp, if you wish), A30+ is a very nice electronic gadget helping anyone to obtain pleasing sound output easily, coming from an impressive host of different possible sources.

Arylic RK30 Satellite speakers are within their category even better than A30+: when properly integrated with a good subwoofer companion in a 2+1 or 4+1 configuration than can surely offer some good sound quality for a modest budget.

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