Bluetooth users! Anyone here have an Audioengine B1?

Taketheflame

Super Member
Hey all,

Curious if anyone here has experience with the Audioengine B1 Bluetooth receiver? They're a bit pricey compared to other Bluetooth options out there (although relatively modest in the grand scheme of hi-fi components), but I'm just trying decide if it might be worth the upgrade for me?

I'm currently just running a $20 Esinkin adapter at the moment (that I run through the AUX port on my receiver) - which certainly does the job, and is great for the price - but I'm wondering if I can expect better audio quality/connection stability out of a B1? I recently upgraded my speakers, and they reveal quite a bit more of the flaws of MP3/compressed audio files than my old pair, so I'm planning to re-rip my CD collection into lossless formats on my phone. The Esinkin also experiences occasional (but brief) audio dropouts - that has me considering the Bluetooth receiver side of the equation too.

The other option would be to buy a decent CD player - but truthfully, I would rather keep my CD collection on my phone as I have been - my shelf real estate is already pretty full from the receiver and analog sources, and phone + bluetooth is great for those lazy evenings :).

Hoping someone can shed some light on the B1 - thanks in advance!
 
I too would like to hear if the Audioengine B1 is worth the price. I recently bought three BluDento BLT-2's for the less than the cost of one B1. They look almost identical, except the BLT-2 has coax output in addition to optical.
 
Very happy B1 user here. If you like the cheesy $20 bt adapter then you're going to love the B1 that is a major upgrade. I stream from my phone and use the B1's optical output into my dac on my main rig and it's quite listenable which is not the case with the Erskin bt adapter I also have.
 
I too would like to hear if the Audioengine B1 is worth the price. I recently bought three BluDento BLT-2's for the less than the cost of one B1. They look almost identical, except the BLT-2 has coax output in addition to optical.
Just looked this one up - not only incredibly similar in appearance, but almost identical tech specs...hmmm...

Looks like a key difference between these options and the Esinkin/other cheap BT receivers is that the onboard DAC supports the aptX BT codec? Motorstereo, what external DAC are you running? Would there be a big difference between an external DAC and the onboard one? (I don't already have a standalone DAC to use).
 
Last edited:
^^^^^^I use a Mcintosh D100 dac and I don't believe I've ever used the B1's onboard dac. Yes the aptX codec helps out a great deal to. My older phone didn't do aptX and I was not happy with the sound.
 
Just looked this one up - not only incredibly similar in appearance, but almost identical tech specs...hmmm...

Would there be a big difference between an external DAC and the onboard one? (I don't already have a standalone DAC to use).

FWIW, I connect one of the BLT-2's through an Emotiva XDA-2 DAC via coax. Doing some A/B testing between the internal DAC and the XDA-2, the XDA-2 sounds a little better -- just a little cleaner. But the internal BLT-2 DAC still sounds a lot better than the Amazon Basics Bluetooth unit it replaced.
 
I am also very happy with my B1. Using it into my Mac C48 with great success . Never a dropout.
 
Just picked up a B1 today! A local shop I like (and have bought stuff from before) had one in stock and offered it sales tax free, so that sealed a deal pretty quickly :).

Right off the bat, there is quite a bit of sound quality improvement over the $20 BT apapter. Much more dynamic overall, with stronger lows, more top end clarity, and less of a "squished" sound. I'm guessing much of this has to do with it having a much better onboard DAC, as this is only with the standard BT aptX codec - I have to flash/modify my phone to gain aptX HD functionality and get the most out of this thing - but I still have to re-rip my CDs into FLAC format too (bye bye MP3s!), so I've got a bit of a project on my hands.
 
If you want to hear how really great it can sound, log on to Jazzgroove.org internet radio and stream it to the B1 with Bluetooth.
 
Just picked up a B1 today! A local shop I like (and have bought stuff from before) had one in stock and offered it sales tax free, so that sealed a deal pretty quickly :).

Right off the bat, there is quite a bit of sound quality improvement over the $20 BT apapter. Much more dynamic overall, with stronger lows, more top end clarity, and less of a "squished" sound. I'm guessing much of this has to do with it having a much better onboard DAC, as this is only with the standard BT aptX codec - I have to flash/modify my phone to gain aptX HD functionality and get the most out of this thing - but I still have to re-rip my CDs into FLAC format too (bye bye MP3s!), so I've got a bit of a project on my hands.
The B1 sounds very good by itself but you can get even better sound if you use the optical out to a good external DAC and then to your receiver.
 
I too would like to hear if the Audioengine B1 is worth the price. I recently bought three BluDento BLT-2's for the less than the cost of one B1. They look almost identical, except the BLT-2 has coax output in addition to optical.

Not long ago, I purchased a BluDento receiver, but mine is a BLT HD. I am very happy with it! I am a bit of a novice in some ways, having built a house a few years ago and being a bit naive about the number of times I could split RCA lines. Unfortunately, having a limited budget at the time was a restricting factor in me being able to use the proper cables to allow me to have sound in various rooms without there being an audible low-level hum throughout. Initially, the hum wasn't too bad but for some reason it seemed to get worse over time. This receiver was the perfect solution. Between using a combination of RCA lines where necessary along with the optical and digital coax outputs, I was able to correct much of the error I made. As it turns out, I have sound in four different rooms without any audible hum whatsoever. The sound quality, at least as far as I can tell from my novice ears, is as good as one can achieve with the limitations of a Bluetooth connection.
 

Attachments

  • 15515493171258658724445844884052.jpg
    15515493171258658724445844884052.jpg
    32.5 KB · Views: 27
I've had a B1 for a couple of months and I'm satisfied with it. No connection or drop out problems and the audio quality is acceptable. I would like to replace it in the future with a network music server with wifi, lan and Bluetooth.
 
I too would like to hear if the Audioengine B1 is worth the price. I recently bought three BluDento BLT-2's for the less than the cost of one B1. They look almost identical, except the BLT-2 has coax output in addition to optical.
I bought a BLT HD also. It links up quick when powered on and stays linked. I have it paired to an hp Elitebook w/SSD running windows 10; then digital coax to an Onkyo TX SR-703; Paradigm speaker's (Monitor 11’s, ADP 370’s and a CC370); dbx 120X-DS Subharmonic Synth/Electronic Crossover controls an SVS PCi 20-39 sub. It works well for music or movies and the Onkyo picks up DTS through it no problem. For music, I listen to FLAC and DSD and like the BLT sound quite a lot.
 
I am running chromecast audio and finding it not having an open sound and detail. Is audioengine b1 like this?

I have carver amp and preamp with b&w speakers and tube cd player so my ears are accustomed to clarity and detail.

My source of.music is YouTube.
 
Last edited:
Question: I see people in here own the BluDento HD or the BLT-2. I can't really see anything that refers to what the difference is. What am I missing? I own an AudioEngine B1, and think it sounds very good as I have implemented it, which is optical digital out to the DAC build into an Old School Lexicon MC8. In a different room however, I will want to go with a good BT converter and a coaxial digital stream, not optical as the other room's legacy equipment doesn't have the optical. Anyone able to post photos of both BluDento and AudioEngine guts? Are they similar? Can someone confirm that the third RCA appearing connector is a digital stream out.....? thanks in advance.
 
Interesting:
The B1 and BluDento both use CSR8675 Chipset for BT to digital. The B1 only optical out tho.

X-duoo xq-50 Adopts the QCC3008, which seems a lesser quality chip and doesn’t offer AptXHD

if you aren’t using the internal DACs, this might make a difference.

I now need BT to digital out in coax, rca, and the B1 won’t do it. The BluDento will allow upgrades steaming later.
 
If bypassing the Bluetooth's internal DAC, and using an external one, wouldn't a cheaper BT device work just as well as the pricier ones? I'd think the difference in cost, between BT devices, would be attributed mostly to the quality of the internal DAC used. :dunno:
 
Back
Top Bottom