WiiM Ultra

[Ze Frog]

So looking forward to the Ultra. There current stuff has been impressive enough, this should be pretty amazing. Looking forward to their next amplifier as well.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

So looking forward to the Ultra. There current stuff has been impressive enough, this should be pretty amazing. Looking forward to their next amplifier as well.

Do you think they’ll continue with amplification?

 

[Ze Frog]

Do you think they’ll continue with amplification?

I certainly hope so. The WIIM amp must be doing pretty well. The looks and price, should imagine it really appeals especially to lifestyle types and people who like Apple type design. If it had more power and PFFB I'd certainly take one myself.

 

[Brantome]

I certainly hope so. The WIIM amp must be doing pretty well. The looks and price, should imagine it really appeals especially to lifestyle types and people who like Apple type design. If it had more power and PFFB I'd certainly take one myself.

Over on their forum WiiM hinted they’d be releasing another product around the same time as the Ultra. One possibility might be the more powerful 110w amp first mentioned in some CI market articles such as this https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/wiim-professional-moves-into-the-ci-sector/

I know WiiM also said in this forum that they’re “actively exploring solutions and are committed to potentially integrating PFFB into future products”.

Nobody knows what this other mooted product might be, but even the first link suggests that they do (or at least did) intend to continue with amplification. Or it might be another WiiM light

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I certainly hope so. The WIIM amp must be doing pretty well. The looks and price, should imagine it really appeals especially to lifestyle types and people who like Apple type design. If it had more power and PFFB I'd certainly take one myself.

So I think it’s always great to have competition in the market.

But leaving that aside, the only misstep WiiM have made, the only mild criticism they’ve had from sensible quarters, is the amp stage in the Amp. Now I get the Amp, from a sort of lifestyle-all-in-one perspective. But we already have the Amp. An upgrade version with PFFB? Absolutely! More WiiM Amps with various standards? Not so sure there’s a need.

Separate amp-only devices? As I say, we’ve got that covered.

Here’s a few ideas. A WiiM Mini Lite-A and Lite-B. The item is just a streamer. Nothing else. No PEQ. No digital inputs. No analogue input with ADC stage. No nothing. Just a streamer. The Lite-A has a basic DAC, and analogue out - and that’s the only output. The Lite-D has no DAC, just an optical out, and that’s the only out. The ultimate stripped back streamers. £50 each.

Then, how about a WiiM Pre, without a streamer. A phono input stage, a second line-level input, coax and optical inputs, USB in, HDMI in. Balanced inputs. No streamer (we have that covered). PEQ. Room correction. Digital stage can be by-passed for analogue inputs. Great DAC. RCA, balanced, optical, coax and USB outs. The ultimate hub.

Just a few ideas.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Over on their forum WiiM hinted they’d be releasing another product around the same time as the Ultra. One possibility might be the more powerful 110w amp first mentioned in some CI market articles such as this https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/wiim-professional-moves-into-the-ci-sector/

I know WiiM also said in this forum that they’re “actively exploring solutions and are committed to potentially integrating PFFB into future products”.

Nobody knows what this other mooted product might be, but even the first link suggests that they do (or at least did) intend to continue with amplification. Or it might be another WiiM light

Or a Sonos-challenging smart speaker.

 

[Ze Frog]

Over on their forum WiiM hinted they’d be releasing another product around the same time as the Ultra. One possibility might be the more powerful 110w amp first mentioned in some CI market articles such as this https://www.pursuitperfectsystem.com/wiim-professional-moves-into-the-ci-sector/

I know WiiM also said in this forum that they’re “actively exploring solutions and are committed to potentially integrating PFFB into future products”.

Nobody knows what this other mooted product might be, but even the first link suggests that they do (or at least did) intend to continue with amplification. Or it might be another WiiM light

That would be pretty awesome.

 

[MitchH]

With them exploring PEQ, room correction and sub outs, do you think they could be building up to a streamer + dsp + dac all in one?

Something like a Wiim Pro Plus, but with 4 or 6 outs using those fantastic DACs and internal management for use with active speakers etc?

I’ve been thinking about how a Wiim pro -> coax/toslink -> minidsp flex would be an awesome digital active crossover speaker system. Making that all into one unit, especially supported by Wiim would be amazing.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

With them exploring PEQ, room correction and sub outs, do you think they could be building up to a streamer + dsp + dac all in one?

Something like a Wiim Pro Plus, but with 4 or 6 outs using those fantastic DACs and internal management for use with active speakers etc?

I’ve been thinking about how a Wiim pro -> coax/toslink -> minidsp flex would be an awesome digital active crossover speaker system. Making that all into one unit, especially supported by Wiim would be amazing.

I think a streamer + DAC + dsp is pretty close to the Pro Plus now.

For ‘dsp’ I suppose it depends how you want to define it.

 

[MitchH]

I think a streamer + DAC + dsp is pretty close to the Pro Plus now.

For ‘dsp’ I suppose it depends how you want to define it.

4/6/8 high quality DAC outputs, active crossover capacity, time & phase alignment, FIR?
Basically think minidsp Flex + inbuilt streaming source.

 

[antcollinet]

4/6/8 high quality DAC outputs, active crossover capacity, time & phase alignment, FIR?
Basically think minidsp Flex + inbuilt streaming source.

OK - but DSP is just the processing. It doesn't imply multi channel output. Though they could choose to implement - even if it were just a couple of extra digital channels.

 

[voodooless]

was announced at the autumn 22 but 10bands then quickly announced that the mini will not be able to do more than 4bands.. enought memory etc

That’s absolutely a silly argument. They already have a working 10-band GEQ. It needs the same amount of resources as a PEQ, the only difference is the UX. They could have had this right from the start..

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

That’s absolutely a silly argument. They already have a working 10-band GEQ. It needs the same amount of resources as a PEQ, the only difference is the UX. They could have had this right from the start..

They’ve since said they’re going to put putting the Mini up to 8 or 10 bands.

 

[gwing]

That’s absolutely a silly argument. They already have a working 10-band GEQ. It needs the same amount of resources as a PEQ, the only difference is the UX. They could have had this right from the start..

Have you measured the resources required on the Wiim for PEQ and GEQ? Even if theoretically they might be doing similar processing I wouldn't assume that the code for one hasn't been written better than that for the other.

Perhaps more likely though is that they just haven't decided to invest the resource to improve the Mini's software, or want to create a marketing distinction between models.

 

[voodooless]

Have you measured the resources required on the Wiim for PEQ and GEQ? Even if theoretically they might be doing similar processing I wouldn't assume that the code for one hasn't been written better than that for the other.

That would be a very stupid implementation if that were the case. Both require a bunch of bi-quads, a similar amount for the same number of bands.

Perhaps more likely though is that they just haven't decided to invest the resource to improve the Mini's software, or want to create a marketing distinction between models.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that there are no technical limitations stopping any of this to be implemented.

 

[gwing]

That would be a very stupid implementation if that were the case. Both require a bunch of bi-quads, a similar amount for the same number of bands.

Yeah but we are talking software development here. You know what it's like, one application is written, then you get asked to write something similar so you do that borrowing code from the first one and perhaps improving it as you go along, doesn't mean to say that management decide it is worth the effort to retrofit your improvements to the original application.

 

[voodooless]

Yeah but we are talking software development here. You know what it's like, one application is written, then you get asked to write something similar so you do that borrowing code from the first one and perhaps improving it as you go along, doesn't mean to say that management decide it is worth the effort to retrofit your improvements to the original application.

Sure, but that wasn’t the (alleged) argument.

 

[kharan]

I'd love something that does

- USB and BT in
- volume controlled SPDIF out for speakers that take digital in
- either analog out for a headphone amp, or integrate headphone amp.
- or even a second SPDIF out for a DAC/headamp combo.

 

[rgruber]

If you wanted to use your own DAC with the Ultra and the Ultra is functioning as a pre-amp (controlling volume), how would that work? Would you send the streamer signal out to a DAC and then back into the Ultra and then out to a power amp?

 

[JeremyFife]

Preview announced

Wiim teases the Ultra, a streamer with color touchscreen | Digital Trends

LinkPlay is giving fans a sneak peek at the new Wiim Ultra, a network media streamer with a 3.5-inch touchscreen that it will officially launch May 9.

www.digitaltrends.com