This Tiny Gadget Can Breathe New Life Into Your Old Hi-Fi System

The Texas-based audio maker has given its well-loved music streamer a hi-fi upgrade.

Published January 20, 2025

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Audioengine’s B1 has been around for years. The little music receiver connects to a stereo receiver or amplifier (via optical or RCA outputs) and adds the convenience of Bluetooth streaming. It’s a simple plug-and-play solution.

Admittedly, there are a lot of Bluetooth music receivers out there. But the Audioengine B1 has been one of the most popular because of its superior build, ease of use, long range and excellent streaming quality.

And now the Texas-based audio company just made its B1 music streamer a little bit better.

Audioengine B1 (2025)

Improved sound

The 2025 edition of the B1 music receiver looks identical to past models, but Audioengine has upgraded it in two key ways.

First, the new B1 music receiver supports aptX Adaptive, a next-generation Bluetooth codec that’s able to play higher-quality wireless audio; aptX Adaptive has a max bitrate of up to 420 kbps.

And secondly, the new B1 music receiver features an upgraded internal DAC — now an ESS-9018K2M DAC chip — which the brand says upsamples audio to 32-bit/96kHz.

Same simplicity

Just like its predecessors, the new B1 music receiver is super easy to set up and use. It plugs into a traditional hi-fi component — be it a stereo receiver, amplifier, preamp or external DAC — via optical or RCA connections.

From there, you just turn on the B1 by pressing the single button on its front and connect to it via Bluetooth just like you would a pair of wireless headphones or a portable speaker. There’s no log-in and password required.