First time poster, so please take it easy on me if I have made any mistakes with the post.
I have been keeping an eye on the Wiim Ultra since it's been available and I believe this a good price since it's still quite new.
It's a nice little all in one preamp, network streamer with a screen for album art etc.
Key Features
Thank you. Updated
It's more an amplifier than DAC.
Grey value normally, amazing value at this price!
Its a network streamer that also contains a very basic dac/headphone amp. Its main purpose is as a source for your system tho. The DAC can be bypassed if you wish to connect it to something more competant.
Calling it an amp implies you can hook speakers directly to it, which you cant. Could call it a Pre-Amp I guess, but again it would be very basic.
These are a very popular basic and affordable network streamer that will add things like Spotify Connect / Tidal Connect / bluetooth audio, etc to a 2 channel setup that doesnt include any of those things, or even to an older Receiver like my Yamaha rx-a3080 which does not include Spotify.
There are many higher end options too, such as from Cambridge Audio and Eversolo, but the price just goes up (substantially) from here.
its a streamer with phono and it also has room correction and EQ
its not really a true modern dac anyway as it lacks USB input
something is kind of off to me if a modern product already has a price cut
its also NOT an amplifier
you need an amp as all it has is rca out
wiim actually make a few amps if you need that
@tonyjzx: It has a headphone amp so i guess someone could argue it's an amp in this way.
But i did say in my above post that it's NOT an amp
I am quite sure an RX-A3080 would have Spotify Connect built-in.
These type of devices, IMO, is for adding streaming options to an existing 2 channel amp/speaker setup when there is no need to upgrade the amp. It's an interesting segment, because this Wiim is tiny, and has a screen. So it feels like it's designed for a small space and close-up operations. And yet it's only logical to add this to an existing amp setup you are happy with…. usually to be this particular to not want to change amp, it's a descent amp (and not theatre receiver which would have all this built-in) - which implies something sizeable… or a second room with big speakers also…. which then wouldn't suit close up operations…..
Otherwise, a Yamaha WXA-50 would achieve both streaming connectivity and very good amp'ing for around the same money (when on special)…
As someone who buys lots of "good looking" devices and have multiple listening zones (5) setup at home, I still truggle to find a use-case for this….
@Jstrrrr: You are correct about Spotify Connect on my Yamaha receiver, I meant Tidal Connect, doh.
Also, My Yamahas support for playing stuff off of USB or even dlna sucks because the UI and accompanying app are complete trash. Thats why i am looking in to a Streamer. They have far better ability to navigate a large library of local music and more comprehensive support for online streaming services.
Also, dont forget the higher end streamers will contain a better DAC setup than a cheap receiver leading to potential for better sound quality if the rest of your setup is up to the task.
@DanielP2: Your A3080 was a flagship Aventage with a 9026Pro DAC with a 110 SINAD. Surely that's good enough for human ears? LOL Yamaha's implementation tends to be quite musical too.
Having recently implemented Dirac into my signal chain, I can highly recommend that instead of swapping DACs. Made a massive audible difference.
My bad. I thought this was the upgraded WiiM Amp (which I have).
Mixed up with the WiiM Amp Pro
Hi Daniel, do you know if I could hook my passive speakers and a Sonos ultra in order to stream some music?
Tx
@vnet: For your passive speakers you will still require an amplifier. Any amp with RCA or optical in would work. I am unfamiliar with any of the Sonos gear, so cant offer any advice there, sorry
why are you forking out so much for a basic flac/mp3 player?
would a mini/sff pc not do the same for much, much less for spotify etc ?
or just a simple bluetooth connection from your phone?
personally i just use plex amp on iphone to control music over home network my own collection of legally aquired rips on pc connected to main tv/amp - i wont even cough up for spotify let alone this contraption!
The use case for this is that you have a piece of permanent hi-fi equipment that doesn't have networking capabilities and you want to add them. These add Spotify, Google cast, Apple music, Tidal, local streaming and a bunch of other protocols to 'dumb' hardware.
E.g. I have one of these permanently hooked up to a vintage 1970s hifi setup I restored. So now my excellent early 70s NAD amp shows up as a Spotify connect target. It can also locally stream FLAC files from a media server, etc etc.
yep, understand all that - i too use a vintage marantz amp in my main AV setup.
my point is that why spend $500 when you can just use a BT dongle/a cheap SFF pc + your phone to achive the same result?
@QuickToThePointless: What BT dongle/mini PC has all the proprietary streaming services ready to go and proper physical hi-fi standard outputs and a proper DAC? The WiiM mini is like $130, I'd be interested in any options that are more competitive than that.
@caitsith01: i was considering this $500 option - in fact for $500 you'd get an entire new PC build capable of whatever this thing does - hook that up to your TV and you'd have a full AV media player/server/streamer/emulator/TV web surfing - not just a music player!
but, yes, at $130 that would be approaching cost effeicency i guess…although you can get 8th gen Dell Optiplex SFF for around $150 these days…
@QuickToThePointless: A PC would use a lot more power, be physically huge and again would require specialised hardware to deal with the DAC/output side of things. Getting it working with all of the relevant services would be a pain in the arse. If you care about audio quality then using a PC to directly feed an amplifier is a recipe for noisy audio. Just my view, I think these WiiM boxes are great value for their specific purpose. Their competition is more like a Raspberry Pi with a DAC add on board which costs most than the cheapest WiiM before you start dealing with the shitshow that is getting Spotify Connect etc working properly on a Pi.
@QuickToThePointless: The thing is that this is an audio device first and foremost. So the bulk of the R&D and what you're paying for a great quality audio. Add in its hifi-styling to fit the rest of your system, a 'music-first' remote, an integrated music app, room correction extra connectivity etc etc. and this becomes a different beast to a SFF PC.
Yes, you can mimic the functionality (that is get audio out of Spotify, say) on a second hand PC but it won't sound as good and the user exerience isn't as good.
But yes, if you just want to do a checklist there's ways of 'doing the same as this' with a computer of course and if you don't care for the aesthetics, usability and sound quality of this that's defo the way to go to save a few bucks.
@zfa: Exactly - it's possible to replicate this so long as you don't care about convenience, form factor, audio quality or user interface!
@QuickToThePointless: Going by your comments here and below, you are going for broadstroke function rather than audio fidelity, which is fine of course. And that's why you find a product like this unappealing. A BT dongle and the rest like you said would achieve the same result, especially if your vintage setup is "warm" instead of "transparent/analytical".
But if you have above average speakers and an above average musical amp aimed at transparency, and you cared enough to attempt to hear the difference, you will quickly find that adding a lossy BT link into the chain would degrade the final audio output in a very very, very, very audible way…. to say nothing of the negative impact of the low end DACs likely present in the PC or the phone….
How's is App control though
I have Wiim Amp, not Wiim Ultra. but the app is great. I'd say it puts it on par with Sonos capability, but better value due to it's price.
Streaming is seamless, if you have more than 1 amp, you can "bundle" it, etc.
I have a WiiM Pro and the app is great. Doesn't require an account or any always online crap, either, and can stream from local sources.
I love my Wiim Amp. I stream from my phone and also use it for other media simultaneously, unlike the bluetooth setup on an amp I used before.
Last week though, I lost interent for four days, rendering the Wiim useless.
Does it really kick the llama’s arse?
I have this. It's great. Add some chinese amps and it's solid. Fosi v3 mono.
This is my plan too. Two V3 mono's and some nice bookshelf speakers.
I have mine powering a V3 for Bookshelves and have a V3 on the way for a dual driver sub I bought not working.
Awesome budget system, I have a mini dsp from before I had the Wiim, barely need it.
Yep perfect combo
Does this have backwards compatibility with the WiiU?
It's not even compatible with Winamp
Should be forward compatibility, U is after M
Yes. Via the RCA inputs.
What sort of upgrade would this be over an old school google audio given its got spotify streaming and optical out already?
You'd need an amp and speakers so it really depends what you pair it with
The more Wiim Amp may be a better choice. I replaced a JBL Google assistant wifi speaker with that and some qacoustics speakers off market place and have been very happy with the upgrade.
Sorry I mean the older google audio streamer plugged into an amp, not the more recent thing with the inbuilt speaker
Google audio streamer being the old Chromecast Audio? Mainly just better quality, support more services, remote, dedicated streaming app, room correction, sub out and other in/out options yadda yadda yadda. But I would consider the price difference so large you're nto really comparing apples to apples.
@zfa: Ok cool thanks. Apart from better quality i'm not overly concerned about all those other features as my amp looks after them. Thanks for the reply though
https://www.westcoasthifi.com.au/shop/2-channel-audio/wirele…
Also look at this option (and the pro plus) and see if it has extra features The old Google thing is just a dongle you cast to?
This way you use their good app to control it.
The WiiMs all do hi-res/lossless audio too
I dont think you cast - it supports spotify natively
Nice! I’m waiting for the Amp pro to go on black friday sale *fingers crossed
Not much difference to wiim amp.
Prob gonna wait for an eventual wiim amp ultra with more watts hopefully
I'm looking for a deal on the Wiim Mini if you see one
Dang it was $111 earlier today, go to order this evening and its $138.
I have one I need to part with if you are in Syd.
If you just need a digital source, get the Wiim Pro for less than half the cost. Much better value.
So my current setup is
Yamaha RX-V6A (AVR) - Yamaha A-S701 (amp) - Wharfedale Linton
I stream all my music through the receiver (Airplay) which feeds through the pre-outs to the amp. I have heard that the DAC in receivers is poor and I’d be better with a dedicated streamer, but is it something I would really notice? It is so hard to know what is real and what is audiophile nonsense.
I don’t think the quality would be noticeable but you’d be taking the iPhone out of the loop which would be a big win in my eyes. But you can already plan Spotify, Tidal, local files etc on that receiver via MusicCast.
Just FYI, these doesn't support AirPlay. They botched the launch, initially they launched the product saying that AirPlay2 is coming, just waiting for certification, then afterward they had to backtrack cause they didn't have specific hardware for AirPlay2 certification. Although I don't use AirPlay much, I'm still hoping there'll release an updated version by the time I buy one.
The DAC on these should be leagues above the AVR you've got but whether or not you could hear the diff.. who knows.
I'm running Hegel H190 - KEF LS50Meta and I planned on getting this when I decide to add a subwoofer to my setup, so you might want to consider that as well.
Speaking as a sceptical but audiophilia-leaning person myself with around $30k worth of equipment, the answer is: it's impossible to say whether you would notice an improvement - because it depends hugely, hugely, on your speakers, room accoustics, and self-assuredness.
But empirically speaking, the DAC inside your V6A is…. well, it measures poorly. WiiM Ultra has ES9038, which is, on paper, much much better.
Your A-S701 is a great entry level musical amp, so it shouldn't be too limiting.
That said, unless you have paid attention to your speakers and room correction, you will likely only hear a "difference" rather than an "improvement" - this is the issue with audiophilia at the end: you will hear a difference, but often you have no innate preference to say whether this difference is for better or worse.
In my experience, the biggest difference makers are, in order of diminishing influence:
1. Speaker type - cone vs planar magnetic vs ribbon vs open baffle etc
2. Room correction - Dirac Live
3. Wattage - nothing beats absolute power rating
4. Amp type - valve does sound louder with a lower power rating
5. DAC quality - very subtle difference, IMO
How about on the receiver end?
Is this the 2024 version of Logitech Squeezebox ?
This Wiim Ultra can only be used with active speakers, not passive ones, as it is not an amplifier."
So no channel separation like 2.1 or 5.1, no making sound for speakers?
Am I understood?
It's got L/R and sub channel outs. Can go to dedicated amp. Also optical and coax out.
Oh you mean this wiim ultra can be a power amp as well? Then it's very versatile!
No you will need a separate power amp/s for passive speakers.
No this is strictly a pre-amp/streamer.
For what it does, and you compare it against the competitors in terms of quality, features, etc. It's a solid deal even at retail price.
The audio world is full of snake oil salesmen selling things like this for $5k.
Absolutely a bargain for what it is. Many would argue this product at RRP is a bargain already.
No Airplay on this one, just FYI.
I added this to replace the streamer in my KEF LS50 IIs. Great speakers but the internal streamer and the KEF app are both hot garbage. This is a bargain at $479.
It has replaced the KEFs internal streamer, consolidated all of my HDMI inputs with eARC (PS5, Mac Mini, Chromecast), has a built in phono stage, subwoofer out with crossover, 10 band parametric EQ and room correction software similar to REW, automatic syncing of speakers and subwoofers, it’s Roon Ready, and has an API if you want to customise your set up further. The app is fantastic, and the devs are actively engaging with users and pushing new features.
It can legitimately replace thousands of dollars of other audio gear without compromising on much, if anything. Easily the best $500 I’ve spent on hi-fi in a decade.
Hey mate, I'm planning on getting this eventually for my LS50Meta + Hegel H190, when I eventually add a sub to the mix. The ability to integrate sub with high/low-pass alone makes this thing worth it for me.
Curious about the room correction though, is it any good?
Thanks, picked one up from audio trends for the same price. Room correction (lower frequencies) is worth $500 to a lot of audiophiles in its own right. Nice peice of kit.
Reading up on this and it’s confusing what it does. I have a triangle Br02 bt speakers connected by optical direct to my PC. Will this device offer better SQ?
Bought one , nearly bought Wiim pro plus last week , plan to run it with external DAC , streaming from NAS , with EQ and room correction , it will be good, Thank OP .
Right. It's an overpriced Chromecast audio with more connection options.
Sure, if that's your use-case - but it also sounds a hell of a lot better, and is cheaper than most currently-available alternatives.
One feature not mentioned much here is whole home audio streaming, making use of a few WiiM devices. It's one of, if not the best system on the market for ease of use and affordability.
I run 5 devices through my house over both ethernet and WIFI (amps, pre-amps and main TV ARC), and prefer it over Sonos for playing audio between sets of speakers. Mine isn't a WiiM specifically, but my Arylic uses the same Linkplay ecosystem (but using the WiiM app).
First I've heard of Arylic. If these things were Google Cast compatible, I'd probably buy 5 right now.
Maybe add DAC to the title, not knowing Wiim had to click through to find what the product is (thought it was a projector based on thumbnail)