Aiyima’s First Streaming Music Player — First Look!

[T&T]

530.00....good luck, there are other products around that price that do more.

 

[amper42]

530.00....good luck, there are other products around that price that do more.

No US Power plug? If Tarriffs are 100% that brings the price close to $1000 in USA?

 

[snickers]

I didn't found any mentioning of connect services, like Tidal connect, Spotify connect or Qobuz connect.
Will this be supported? Otherwise I don't really see the point...

 

[somebodyelse]

I didn't found any mentioning of connect services, like Tidal connect, Spotify connect or Qobuz connect.
Will this be supported? Otherwise I don't really see the point...

It's using Android 14, so presumably supports them via their respective apps just like a phone would.

 

[fredreadrick]

 

[t3chie]

Looks like an Eversolo Play at slightly lower cost with a lot of fewer features.

From the video the hardware doesn't look as polished as Wiim or Eversolo. Sadly the first disappointing Aiyima product I have seen.

 

[snickers]

True, priced between the Eversolo A6 and Wiim Ultra, but less features than booth of them.
From my point of view, I sadly don't see a reason to consider it over this 2 for example.

 

[Saponetto]

The feature of getting the display tilted 90° is a smart addon.
The 530 bucks required to get it keeps me away...

 

[snickers]

Yes, that's true. If it would have the connect functions for the streaming services, then I would maybe consider it, but don't want to have to use native apps.
With the connect function it's easier also for everybody else in the household to just stream from their phone/laptop

 

[masterhw]

Yes, that's true. If it would have the connect functions for the streaming services, then I would maybe consider it, but don't want to have to use native apps.
With the connect function it's easier also for everybody else in the household to just stream from their phone/laptop

then just get a wiim??

 

[Cbdb2]

bypassing SRC limitations for true bit-perfect playback and enhanced sound quality.

What acttualy are sample rate conversion limitations, where do they occur, how are they bypassed, and are they really a problem with other streamers or is this just marketing?

How can you convert a sample rate and still have the same bits?

 

[snickers]

then just get a wiim??

i'm using a Ifi Zen stream atm, but peek out a bit for an alternative

 

[somebodyelse]

How can you convert a sample rate and still have the same bits?

You can't, just as you can't apply DSP and still have the same bits. DSP could be as simple as digital volume control.

What acttualy are sample rate conversion limitations, where do they occur, how are they bypassed, and are they really a problem with other streamers or is this just marketing?

For a general purpose OS you usually want to be able to mix sounds from different sources, like still being able to hear notifications when doing something else. And you might want to be able to control their relative volumes. To do this they either need to be the same format (sample rate, bit depth) to begin with, or you need to convert them to a common format. You might also include a mode that allows a single application to take exclusive control of the audio output, accepting that you'll not hear notifications etc.

Because Android was a phone OS and they weren't aiming at audio pros or audiopiles, Google went with 'good enough' quality and no bypass to begin with, usually using 16/48 as the common format for output and with no exclusive mode. The 'usually' is because the manufacturer could pick something else if it suited their hardware better, so you might hope a streamer manufacturer would at least pick 24 bit. Later they added exclusive control via the NDK to allow for apps where audio was the primary purpose - that's what things like UAPP use. Streamers using Android generally live within these limitations - the apps can stick with the usual Android interface with resampling (if necessary) to fixed rate, or use the NDK to take direct control, although with fewer options than ALSA which we'll come to later. The advantage is that you get compatibility with all services that have an Android app, but with the limitation that (unless the app uses NDK) anything other than the chosen format will be resampled.

Streamers not using Android have much more leeway to do their own thing. Most use some form of linux, so they could use direct control via ALSA, an existing audio layer like PipeWire, or something entirely custom. All are highly configurable, with various strengths and weaknesses. The manufacturer can decide whether or not to resample, use DSP etc. The down side is that you can't just use the streaming service's app - you have to do some level of integration yourself. Android's NDK provides only a subset of the ALSA functionality.

When done well the resampling will be inaudible and measurably near perfect - see https://src.infinitewave.ca/ to see how they compare. The ones generally used in linux are amongst the best (sox, libsamplerate, speex), with scope to trade quality for processing power. For DSP, when done well the advantages massively outweigh the costs, but there are sometimes limitations such as rising noise floor at low frequency. Digital volume control has been covered in several threads here, plus places like https://archimago.blogspot.com/2025/08/another-digital-volume-control-article.html - suffice it to say that there's nothing to worry about unless they made a spectacular mistake.

 

[Cbdb2]

You can't, just as you can't apply DSP and still have the same bits. DSP could be as simple as digital volume control.

For a general purpose OS you usually want to be able to mix sounds from different sources, like still being able to hear notifications when doing something else. And you might want to be able to control their relative volumes. To do this they either need to be the same format (sample rate, bit depth) to begin with, or you need to convert them to a common format. You might also include a mode that allows a single application to take exclusive control of the audio output, accepting that you'll not hear notifications etc.

Because Android was a phone OS and they weren't aiming at audio pros or audiopiles, Google went with 'good enough' quality and no bypass to begin with, usually using 16/48 as the common format for output and with no exclusive mode. The 'usually' is because the manufacturer could pick something else if it suited their hardware better, so you might hope a streamer manufacturer would at least pick 24 bit. Later they added exclusive control via the NDK to allow for apps where audio was the primary purpose - that's what things like UAPP use. Streamers using Android generally live within these limitations - the apps can stick with the usual Android interface with resampling (if necessary) to fixed rate, or use the NDK to take direct control, although with fewer options than ALSA which we'll come to later. The advantage is that you get compatibility with all services that have an Android app, but with the limitation that (unless the app uses NDK) anything other than the chosen format will be resampled.

Streamers not using Android have much more leeway to do their own thing. Most use some form of linux, so they could use direct control via ALSA, an existing audio layer like PipeWire, or something entirely custom. All are highly configurable, with various strengths and weaknesses. The manufacturer can decide whether or not to resample, use DSP etc. The down side is that you can't just use the streaming service's app - you have to do some level of integration yourself. Android's NDK provides only a subset of the ALSA functionality.

When done well the resampling will be inaudible and measurably near perfect - see https://src.infinitewave.ca/ to see how they compare. The ones generally used in linux are amongst the best (sox, libsamplerate, speex), with scope to trade quality for processing power. For DSP, when done well the advantages massively outweigh the costs, but there are sometimes limitations such as rising noise floor at low frequency. Digital volume control has been covered in several threads here, plus places like https://archimago.blogspot.com/2025/08/another-digital-volume-control-article.html - suffice it to say that there's nothing to worry about unless they made a spectacular mistake.

Thanks for the great reply. Wow, I didnt know it was that complicated. So if Im using windows to stream lossless spotify with a external dac (motu m4) and its driver can I expect bit perfect? Do I need to set the driver to the same sample rate as spotify music?

 

[masterhw]

Thanks for the great reply. Wow, I didnt know it was that complicated. So if Im using windows to stream lossless spotify with an external dac (motu m4) and its driver can I expect bit perfect? Do I need to set the driver to the same sample rate as spotify music?

I’ll lead with saying you do not need bit-perfect. In your setup, unless you can use the hardware in exclusive mode (Spotify can’t) then you can’t expect bit-perfect. In practicality you can just set the interface to 24/192 in Windows and forget about it, the Windows resampler in 2025 is fine. Once again, bit-perfect playback is more powerful as an idea than an actual thing affecting quality.

 

[somebodyelse]

Thanks for the great reply. Wow, I didnt know it was that complicated. So if Im using windows to stream lossless spotify with a external dac (motu m4) and its driver can I expect bit perfect? Do I need to set the driver to the same sample rate as spotify music?

I'll leave that to someone who understands the intricacies of Windows audio - I don't use it myself. But, as @masterhw says, it shouldn't be a problem anyway. This thread should give you some hints and a lot more measurement-based detail.

 

[chauphuong]

No Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect I guess, which is far from acceptable these days.

 

[AdrianusG]

I've used Android tablets since the ancient Google tablet running Android 2.x. I rooted it when it stopped getting OS upgrades and got a couple of extra years out of it. I've never had a problem with one. I also have a Oneplus phone that I love. Oh, the first Android device I had, 15 years ago, was a Samsung phone without the phone mp3 player that played FLAC files and introduced me to Bubbleupnp, my favorite music player app. There is plenty of robust hardware around that runs Android. Most of the sub $100 tablets, etc. are junk. For $200 from a known decent company you can get a device that does web browsing, email, etc. You have to pay more for something that runs graphics and processor intensive things like a lot of games. Apple hardware is very good. You also pay a premium for it. Judging by my wife's relationship with her iphone, it's not perfect.

All my phones so far (currently my 5th) are android, not a single problem.
I have an android tablet as well, a Samsung (around 6 years old), due to age unfortunately now stuck at version 11, but works without flaw.
My wife has an Iphone and Tablet, well,.... let's just say that i'm glad there's android!

 

[T&T]

I just want a device with a 8 or 10 inches like tablet screen and something like wiim mini included for 200.00, and that is what most people will buy, If a company decided to make something like that will nailed.