diff --git a/.github/spellcheck-wordlist.txt b/.github/spellcheck-wordlist.txt
index 4604067e8..480acf3c9 100644
--- a/.github/spellcheck-wordlist.txt
+++ b/.github/spellcheck-wordlist.txt
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ hfpag
 hfphf
 hspag
 hsphs
-hVB
+hVSB
 ioplug
 IPHONEACCEV
 iter
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e421f58f3..b39ea1925 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -350,9 +350,9 @@ AC_SUBST([SYSTEMD_BLUEALSA_ARGS], [$systemdbluealsaargs])
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([systemdbluealsaaplayargs],
 	AS_HELP_STRING([--with-systemdbluealsaaplayargs=ARGS], [bluealsa-aplay arguments to
-		be used in bluealsa-aplay.service, defaults to empty if not specified]),
+		be used in bluealsa-aplay.service, defaults to '-S' if not specified]),
 	[systemdbluealsaaplayargs="${withval}"],
-	[systemdbluealsaaplayargs=""])
+	[systemdbluealsaaplayargs="-S"])
 AC_SUBST([SYSTEMD_BLUEALSA_APLAY_ARGS], [$systemdbluealsaaplayargs])
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([bluealsauser],
diff --git a/doc/bluealsa-aplay.1.rst b/doc/bluealsa-aplay.1.rst
index 3dac64460..599ff355d 100644
--- a/doc/bluealsa-aplay.1.rst
+++ b/doc/bluealsa-aplay.1.rst
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ bluealsa-aplay
 a simple bluealsa player
 ------------------------
 
-:Date: June 2022
+:Date: November 2022
 :Manual section: 1
 :Manual group: General Commands Manual
 :Version: $VERSION$
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ OPTIONS
 -V, --version
     Output the version number and exit.
 
+-S, --syslog
+    Send output to system logger (``syslogd(8)``).
+    By default, log output is sent to stderr.
+
 -v, --verbose
     Make the output more verbose.
 
diff --git a/doc/bluealsa.8.rst b/doc/bluealsa.8.rst
index 5f4ecd044..1c506ab74 100644
--- a/doc/bluealsa.8.rst
+++ b/doc/bluealsa.8.rst
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ bluealsa
 Bluetooth Audio ALSA Backend
 ----------------------------
 
-:Date: September 2022
+:Date: November 2022
 :Manual section: 8
 :Manual group: System Manager's Manual
 :Version: $VERSION$
@@ -33,15 +33,15 @@ OPTIONS
 -V, --version
     Output the version number and exit.
 
+-S, --syslog
+    Send output to system logger (``syslogd(8)``).
+    By default, log output is sent to stderr.
+
 -B NAME, --dbus=NAME
     BlueALSA D-Bus service name suffix.
     Without this option, **bluealsa** registers itself as an "org.bluealsa"
     D-Bus service.  For more information see the EXAMPLES_ below.
 
--S, --syslog
-    Send output to system logger (``syslogd(8)``).
-    By default, log output is sent to stderr.
-
 -i hciX, --device=hciX
     HCI device to use. Can be specified multiple times to select more than one
     HCI.  Because HCI numbering can change after a system reboot, this option
diff --git a/misc/systemd/bluealsa-aplay.service.in b/misc/systemd/bluealsa-aplay.service.in
index acd496ab6..8a187ac71 100644
--- a/misc/systemd/bluealsa-aplay.service.in
+++ b/misc/systemd/bluealsa-aplay.service.in
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Requisite=dbus.service
 # $ sudo systemctl edit bluealsa-aplay
 # [Service]
 # ExecStart=
-# ExecStart=@bindir@/bluealsa-aplay --pcm=my-playback-pcm
+# ExecStart=@bindir@/bluealsa-aplay -S --pcm=my-playback-pcm
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 18da10624..2b1df2e56 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -145,12 +145,12 @@ static void g_bus_name_lost(GDBusConnection *conn, const char *name, void *userd
 int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
 	int opt;
-	const char *opts = "hVB:Si:p:c:";
+	const char *opts = "hVSB:i:p:c:";
 	const struct option longopts[] = {
 		{ "help", no_argument, NULL, 'h' },
 		{ "version", no_argument, NULL, 'V' },
-		{ "dbus", required_argument, NULL, 'B' },
 		{ "syslog", no_argument, NULL, 'S' },
+		{ "dbus", required_argument, NULL, 'B' },
 		{ "device", required_argument, NULL, 'i' },
 		{ "profile", required_argument, NULL, 'p' },
 		{ "codec", required_argument, NULL, 'c' },
@@ -191,31 +191,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 	opterr = 0;
 	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
 		switch (opt) {
-		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
-			syslog = true;
-			break;
-		}
-
-	log_open(argv[0], syslog);
-
-	if (bluealsa_config_init() != 0) {
-		error("Couldn't initialize bluealsa config");
-		return EXIT_FAILURE;
-	}
-
-	/* parse options */
-	optind = 0; opterr = 1;
-	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
-		switch (opt) {
-
 		case 'h' /* --help */ :
 			printf("Usage:\n"
 					"  %s -p PROFILE [OPTION]...\n"
 					"\nOptions:\n"
 					"  -h, --help\t\t\tprint this help and exit\n"
 					"  -V, --version\t\t\tprint version and exit\n"
-					"  -B, --dbus=NAME\t\tD-Bus service name suffix\n"
 					"  -S, --syslog\t\t\tsend output to syslog\n"
+					"  -B, --dbus=NAME\t\tD-Bus service name suffix\n"
 					"  -i, --device=hciX\t\tHCI device(s) to use\n"
 					"  -p, --profile=NAME\t\tset enabled BT profiles\n"
 					"  -c, --codec=NAME\t\tset enabled BT audio codecs\n"
@@ -273,6 +256,27 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			printf("%s\n", PACKAGE_VERSION);
 			return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 
+		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
+			syslog = true;
+			break;
+		}
+
+	log_open(basename(argv[0]), syslog);
+
+	if (bluealsa_config_init() != 0) {
+		error("Couldn't initialize bluealsa config");
+		return EXIT_FAILURE;
+	}
+
+	/* parse options */
+	optind = 0; opterr = 1;
+	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
+		switch (opt) {
+		case 'h' /* --help */ :
+		case 'V' /* --version */ :
+		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
+			break;
+
 		case 'B' /* --dbus=NAME */ :
 			snprintf(dbus_service, sizeof(dbus_service), BLUEALSA_SERVICE ".%s", optarg);
 			if (!g_dbus_is_name(dbus_service)) {
@@ -281,9 +285,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 			}
 			break;
 
-		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
-			break;
-
 		case 'i' /* --device=HCI */ :
 			g_array_append_val(config.hci_filter, optarg);
 			break;
diff --git a/test/bluealsa-mock.c b/test/bluealsa-mock.c
index 587fa0cc2..51bc23763 100644
--- a/test/bluealsa-mock.c
+++ b/test/bluealsa-mock.c
@@ -682,7 +682,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 			return EXIT_FAILURE;
 		}
 
-	log_open(argv[0], false);
+	log_open(basename(argv[0]), false);
 	assert(bluealsa_config_init() == 0);
 	assert((config.dbus = g_test_dbus_connection_new_sync(NULL)) != NULL);
 
diff --git a/utils/aplay/aplay.c b/utils/aplay/aplay.c
index 07d85cf5d..3a6a80807 100644
--- a/utils/aplay/aplay.c
+++ b/utils/aplay/aplay.c
@@ -591,12 +591,12 @@ static void *pcm_worker_routine(struct pcm_worker *w) {
 			pcm_open_retries = 0;
 
 			if (verbose >= 2) {
-				printf("Used configuration for %s:\n"
+				info("Used configuration for %s:\n"
 						"  PCM buffer time: %u us (%zu bytes)\n"
 						"  PCM period time: %u us (%zu bytes)\n"
 						"  PCM format: %s\n"
 						"  Sampling rate: %u Hz\n"
-						"  Channels: %u\n",
+						"  Channels: %u",
 						w->addr,
 						buffer_time, snd_pcm_frames_to_bytes(w->pcm, buffer_size),
 						period_time, snd_pcm_frames_to_bytes(w->pcm, period_size),
@@ -854,10 +854,11 @@ static DBusHandlerResult dbus_signal_handler(DBusConnection *conn, DBusMessage *
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
 	int opt;
-	const char *opts = "hVvlLB:D:M:";
+	const char *opts = "hVSvlLB:D:M:";
 	const struct option longopts[] = {
 		{ "help", no_argument, NULL, 'h' },
 		{ "version", no_argument, NULL, 'V' },
+		{ "syslog", no_argument, NULL, 'S' },
 		{ "verbose", no_argument, NULL, 'v' },
 		{ "list-devices", no_argument, NULL, 'l' },
 		{ "list-pcms", no_argument, NULL, 'L' },
@@ -874,6 +875,12 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 		{ 0, 0, 0, 0 },
 	};
 
+	bool syslog = false;
+
+	/* Check if syslog forwarding has been enabled. This check has to be
+	 * done before anything else, so we can log early stage warnings and
+	 * errors. */
+	opterr = 0;
 	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
 		switch (opt) {
 		case 'h' /* --help */ :
@@ -882,6 +889,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 					"\nOptions:\n"
 					"  -h, --help\t\t\tprint this help and exit\n"
 					"  -V, --version\t\t\tprint version and exit\n"
+					"  -S, --syslog\t\t\tsend output to syslog\n"
 					"  -v, --verbose\t\t\tmake output more verbose\n"
 					"  -l, --list-devices\t\tlist available BT audio devices\n"
 					"  -L, --list-pcms\t\tlist available BT audio PCMs\n"
@@ -907,9 +915,27 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 			printf("%s\n", PACKAGE_VERSION);
 			return EXIT_SUCCESS;
 
+		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
+			syslog = true;
+			break;
+
 		case 'v' /* --verbose */ :
 			verbose++;
 			break;
+		}
+
+	log_open(basename(argv[0]), syslog);
+	dbus_threads_init_default();
+
+	/* parse options */
+	optind = 0; opterr = 1;
+	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
+		switch (opt) {
+		case 'h' /* --help */ :
+		case 'V' /* --version */ :
+		case 'S' /* --syslog */ :
+		case 'v' /* --verbose */ :
+			break;
 
 		case 'l' /* --list-devices */ :
 			list_bt_devices = true;
@@ -962,9 +988,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 			return EXIT_FAILURE;
 		}
 
-	log_open(argv[0], false);
-	dbus_threads_init_default();
-
 	DBusError err = DBUS_ERROR_INIT;
 	if (!bluealsa_dbus_connection_ctx_init(&dbus_ctx, dbus_ba_service, &err)) {
 		error("Couldn't initialize D-Bus context: %s", err.message);
@@ -1003,7 +1026,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 		for (i = 0; i < ba_addrs_count; i++, tmp += 19)
 			ba2str(&ba_addrs[i], stpcpy(tmp, ", "));
 
-		printf("Selected configuration:\n"
+		info("Selected configuration:\n"
 				"  BlueALSA service: %s\n"
 				"  PCM device: %s\n"
 				"  PCM buffer time: %u us\n"
@@ -1011,7 +1034,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 				"  ALSA mixer device: %s\n"
 				"  ALSA mixer element: '%s',%u\n"
 				"  Bluetooth device(s): %s\n"
-				"  Profile: %s\n",
+				"  Profile: %s",
 				dbus_ba_service,
 				pcm_device, pcm_buffer_time, pcm_period_time,
 				mixer_device, mixer_elem_name, mixer_elem_index,
diff --git a/utils/cli/cli.c b/utils/cli/cli.c
index 6493ccebf..eb1867bb5 100644
--- a/utils/cli/cli.c
+++ b/utils/cli/cli.c
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 			return EXIT_FAILURE;
 		}
 
-	log_open(argv[0], false);
+	log_open(basename(argv[0]), false);
 	dbus_threads_init_default();
 
 	DBusError err = DBUS_ERROR_INIT;
diff --git a/utils/rfcomm/rfcomm.c b/utils/rfcomm/rfcomm.c
index 0a5cc91c9..e5e6e69ce 100644
--- a/utils/rfcomm/rfcomm.c
+++ b/utils/rfcomm/rfcomm.c
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
 	char dbus_ba_service[32] = BLUEALSA_SERVICE;
 
-	log_open(argv[0], false);
+	log_open(basename(argv[0]), false);
 
 	while ((opt = getopt_long(argc, argv, opts, longopts, NULL)) != -1)
 		switch (opt) {