Do network streamers need to be expensive?

[Newman]

Yes. It gives bit-perfect high-rez digital output. Not much to improve other than features, and it's feature set is good too.

Is it only 2-channel? That leaves a big hole “to improve”.

 

[Zapper]

Is it only 2-channel? That leaves a big hole “to improve”.

The digital output supports multichannel surround. You need to provide the multichannel DAC. The internal DAC is 2 channel.

 

[Joffy1780]

The digital output supports multichannel surround. You need to provide the multichannel DAC. The internal DAC is 2 channel.

Didn't realise the Wiim devices supported multichannel passthrough. Are you sure?

 

[Zapper]

I haven't tried it but I read on the boards that others do. It is limited to 5.1 because that's the limit of TOSLINK and coax.

 

[Joffy1780]

I haven't tried it but I read on the boards that others do. It is limited to 5.1 because that's the limit of TOSLINK and coax.

Nice

 

[rperry01]

Intentionally confusing and dishonest, I'd say.



Not to the digital stream (that would show up as dropouts). I think @amirm covers it here:

Do Audiophile Network Switches Make a Difference (video)?

This is a video summary of two tests/reviews I have done in the past on audiophile Ethernet switches. It is more more of a tutorial of the technology than what was covered in the text reviews. It is a bit long at 35 minutes so feel free to speed it up (click on the gear icon in YouTube and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Streaming access is one of the biggest improvements in my lifetime (I'm 59). When I was a kid, I used to go to a music library to explore, pulling records off the shelf and playing them in uncomfortable headphones. Now I sit in my living room, with my great-sounding (and cheap, apart from speakers) system and have everything at my finger tips in high quality. A musical omnivore's dream come true.

I agree with you on the music streaming front. I'm discovering lots of music and have my old favorites at my fingertips... I'm exploring speakers at the moment. A pair of Zu's are arriving tomorrow. I currently have some 30 year old Kef reference speakers which sound pretty good, but I need to replace the caps on the crossovers.

 

[Hatto]

For less than a hundred dollar, you can still buy used macbook air 2017. Wiim vs Macbook? I don’t think anyone will choose Wiim.
Add the $50 usb spdif interface to the macbook and you’re good to go.

I would choose Wiim even if both were at the price of Wiim.

I would even get a brand new Fire tablet or a used Android tablet for $50 to exclusively use as a screen/remote instead of a usb spdif interface to the macbook.

 

[Snoopy]

I love my Bluesound Node, especially its excellent (to my mind) user interface. I have no illusions that its audio output is any better than that of the Wiim products or other "cheap" streamers.

Raspberry pi 4 + DAC . Much better performance

 

[MaxBuck]

Raspberry pi 4 + DAC . Much better performance

In what way is the performance "better?"

 

[Snoopy]

In what way is the performance "better?"

The DAC would have a better performance then the bluesound DAC.

The bluesound is not able to stream DSD as far as I'm aware. You can't use it as NAA entpoint either.

BlueOS is meh.

 

[tinnitus]

In what way is the performance "better?"

The Performance is much better, if you use the raspberry as streamer and grown up DSP.

 

[charleski]

grown up DSP.

DSP is a critical function in any proper streamer, and something that most ‘audiophile’ streamers fail at. It’s hard to beat CamillaDSP.

 

[Liya]

For less than a hundred dollar, you can still buy used macbook air 2017. Wiim vs Macbook? I don’t think anyone will choose Wiim.
Add the $50 usb spdif interface to the macbook and you’re good to go.

... or iPad. Wiim has no screen. iPad has 10 inch screen. Wiim can only access limited services. iPad can access anything that there is to access.
Connect the iPad to your dac and forget about any other streamer forever.
Audiophiles are really complicating everything they can.

 

[Liya]

An old laptop is fine if you only sit down to listen to music in one fixed location, maybe if you're in a small room where it is in arms reach and your circumstances never change.

Well, you can listen in any location. You don't have to sit by the laptop to listen to music

Have you been sitting on a sofa or walking up and down with your CD player?

Stop switching the songs every 5 seconds and listen the bloody album in full

 

[jhaider]

For less than a hundred dollar, you can still buy used macbook air 2017. Wiim vs Macbook? I don’t think anyone will choose Wiim.
Add the $50 usb spdif interface to the macbook and you’re good to go.

A 2017 MacBook can’t serve as an AirPlay receiver and even if there was an iOS equivalent of macOS Screen Sharing using a general computer for music playback is so tedious.

Can somebody explain what advantages the WiiM devices have over a cheap android media player or Pi with spdif out to an external DAC?
Thanks!

AirPlay2, just works out of the box. Probably spies on you less, too.

Is it only 2-channel? That leaves a big hole “to improve”.

Good point. I think of Wiim as great for 2-channel, but for multichannel streaming AppleTV makes much more sense. Those are cheap too.

 

[Hatto]

... or iPad. Wiim has no screen. iPad has 10 inch screen. Wiim can only access limited services. iPad can access anything that there is to access.
Connect the iPad to your dac and forget about any other streamer forever.
Audiophiles are really complicating everything they can.

Of course one can connect their iPad to a DAC with a cable like a savage living in 2002. But the very idea behind having a streamer is to remove the cable between your remote (laptop/mobile device/tablet) and your DAC, so you can control your audio stream(s at multiple locations) with a single untethered mobile device.

 

[Liya]

Of course one can connect their iPad to a DAC with a cable like a savage living in 2002. But the very idea behind having a streamer is to remove the cable between your remote (laptop/mobile device/tablet) and your DAC, so you can control your audio stream(s at multiple locations) with a single untethered mobile device.

Not really. It depends where you have your dac.

 

[Hatto]

Not really. It depends where you have your dac.

@dari, not really what exactly?

 

[Joffy1780]

.... like a savage living in 2002. ....

Love it haha.

 

[Liya]

Not really what exactly?

Looks like part of the sentence has gone. Anyway, was going to say that I personally don't run the cable across the room as I have iPad close to the dac. The room isn't particularly small either. But I get that this wouldn't work for all, especially when people have TV connected to a dac and sofa few meters away. But above all, I'll rather go for access to anything I want than a very limited access to whatever the streamer manufacturer included. There is no streamer on the market that would satisfy (access to services wise) me anyway.