Is Wiim Amp Ultra upgrade over Yamaha AS701?

[dankandi]

Thanks all for the help!
I got it, and i am glad to report, the airyness of WAU is same as my AS701. I do not know what happened to D3 Pro, maybe the AKM DAC programming was off.

With WAU, my SVS 1000 Pro integrated very well, much better than AS701 basic crossover setting.

I recommend the change! It is so small but so much to do, and clear up a lot space!

Added a fan with cut iso gel pad to prop up the blades. Temperature are ok for 30°C after 45 mins of 50 volume.

 

[Miker 1102]

My simple two cents. The wiim ultra amp has the ability to use thier room correction or a 10 band eq. This is alo in addition to a basic sub integration. I have years of experience with Audyssey, Dirac, YAPO, Sony ( which never gets the appreciation) so I felt like I had a good foundation to judge the software. I simply was delighted what this amp could do for 423 dollars (black Friday) it just amazed me. The amp is not load dependent and drove my towers just fine. I have not heard the Yamaha and I am still an AB fan over D but Wiim has changed audio... regardless of the audiophile crowd show will tell you that the r2r dac made by monks in the carpathian mountains is the only way to Nirvana.

 

[SoundMagic]

Is Wiim Amp Ultra with dual TPA3255 gives me a nice middle ground? Thank you!

I have first hand experience with LS50 Meta and Yamaha R-N303 and R-N803 and have compared with WiiM Amp (not ultra) with them. I rejected the WiiM Amp right away. What you might hear from people here are text book lectures without having experience hearing the LS50 sound stage and dispersion pattern. Some speakers does not react to any source differences at all (due to its design limitations) but not LS50/Meta. Subtle changes are heard through these speaker and they affect the sound stage.

If you don’t have a streaming source yet, my suggestion would be to add a WiiM Mini to the AS701. Ditch the class D amps.

 

[Mort]

I have first hand experience with LS50 Meta and Yamaha R-N303 and R-N803 and have compared with WiiM Amp (not ultra) with them. I rejected the WiiM Amp right away. What you might hear from people here are text book lectures without having experience hearing the LS50 sound stage and dispersion pattern. Some speakers does not react to any source differences at all (due to its design limitations) but not LS50/Meta. Subtle changes are heard through these speaker and they affect the sound stage.

If you don’t have a streaming source yet, my suggestion would be to add a WiiM Mini to the AS701. Ditch the class D amps.

This is nonsense. If you are open to changing your mind, stick around.

 

[Vladetz]

Hello audiophiles, i am using Yamaha AS701 for many years, and looking for something smaller and modern.

This is review of AS801 with similar audio circuit to AS701, with measurements.

Yamaha A-S801 Integrated Amplifier Review

The Yamaha A-S801 is an honestly rated 100 watt/ch integrated amplifier with a built in high resolution USB-B DAC to power a serious dedicated two-channel or upscale PC system with pristine fidelity.

www.audioholics.com

I tried one highly rated Chinese Class D amp, the O-NOORUS D3 PRO, with SINAD 90. But it was quite disappointing on 48V 5A GAN power supply.
It sounded more bassy excited but lacks the wide sound stage of AS701. I do not have measuring equipment but i played D3 Pro and AS701 up to their max tolerable volume, and i feel AS701 have more room left to go louder.

It is catch-22 AS701 gets abit fatiguing over time, i think the PSU cannot take the long play time stress.

But the D3 Pro is too dark.

Is Wiim Amp Ultra with dual TPA3255 gives me a nice middle ground? Thank you!

This is a teardown photo i found of WAU and D3 Pro

Can you provide source of teardown photo?

 

[SoundMagic]

I have first hand experience with LS50 Meta and Yamaha R-N303 and R-N803 and have compared with WiiM Amp (not ultra) with them. I rejected the WiiM Amp right away. What you might hear from people here are text book lectures without having experience hearing the LS50 sound stage and dispersion pattern. Some speakers does not react to any source differences at all (due to its design limitations) but not LS50/Meta. Subtle changes are heard through these speaker and they affect the sound stage.

If you don’t have a streaming source yet, my suggestion would be to add a WiiM Mini to the AS701. Ditch the class D amps.

Also another suggestion. If you need the best in class sound stage out of the LS50, go with the Cambridge Audio AXR100, I did not like it since it was lacking in details unlike the Yamaha but a warm amp some might like. This is from true listening comparisons and living with them for years.

 

[SoundMagic]

This is nonsense. If you are open to changing your mind, stick around.

Respected sir, have you heard the LS50 with a Yamaha and WiiM amp with your senses before?

 

[dankandi]

Can you provide source of teardown photo?

 

[kyuu]

Respected sir, have you heard the LS50 with a Yamaha and WiiM amp with your senses before?

No one needs to do such a thing. The amp cannot do what you are describing. It's an electronic device and we can easily tell if the signal coming out is the same as what went in (except amplified of course).

Unless you have conducted a proper blind listening test, then what you think you've heard is simply not reliable. This is true for anybody, not just you. If you want to push subjective, evidence-free foolishness rather than understand how things actually work, this is the wrong forum.

 

[SoundMagic]

No one needs to do such a thing. The amp cannot do what you are describing. It's an electronic device and we can easily tell if the signal coming out is the same as what went in (except amplified of course).

Unless you have conducted a proper blind listening test, then what you think you've heard is simply not reliable. This is true for anybody, not just you. If you want to push subjective, evidence-free foolishness rather than understand how things actually work, this is the wrong forum.

You had your boat load of opinions if so direct it in answering and helping the OP.

 

[SoundMagic]

Is Wiim Amp Ultra with dual TPA3255 gives me a nice middle ground? Thank you!

And another practical experience running the WiiM amp with LS50 is it’s 3.5 ohm dips will cause the WiiM amp run hot as hell almost frying all the electronics inside it. Your Yamaha will run cool even to 2 ohm loads and will last another 25 years. Something to consider as well. Do experiment with class D but don’t let go the Yamaha yet.

 

[Svend P]

You had your boat load of opinions if so direct it in answering and helping the OP.

You seem like a bull in a china shop. Please read the FAQ first.

Audio Science Review FAQ #1

This is the first in a series of FAQs for Audio Science Review. 1. Who created Audio Science Review? The founder is Amir Majidimehr. You can find out more about me by clicking on my background link in my signature. Briefly, I have had a long career in computing, audio, video and imaging...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[voodooless]

have you heard the LS50 with a Yamaha and WiiM amp with your senses before?

What senses are those, do you think?

WiiM amp with LS50 is it’s 3.5 ohm dips will cause the WiiM amp run hot as hell almost frying all the electronics inside it.

WiiM amp != WiiM Amp Ultra

The Ultra is basically the Vibelink amp with the streamer built in. It remains plenty cool, and is 2 Ohm stable, as can be seen here:

WiiM Vibelink Amp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the WiiM Vibelink stereo class D amplifier with DAC. It was sent to me by the company and I believe will cost US $299 [original estimatews $400.]. I was relieved from the point of view of testing that is NOT a streaming product so no need to mess...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Roland68]

And another practical experience running the WiiM amp with LS50 is it’s 3.5 ohm dips will cause the WiiM amp run hot as hell almost frying all the electronics inside it. Your Yamaha will run cool even to 2 ohm loads and will last another 25 years. Something to consider as well. Do experiment with class D but don’t let go the Yamaha yet.

With the WiiM AMP Ultra, this shouldn't be a problem. Since it uses a TPA3255 per channel, it's even 2-ohm stable and no longer has any issues with speakers that are critical to impedance.

We have already conducted several blind tests with various TPA325x based amplifiers (A7, PA7, PA5 (II)) and Sabaj A30a against significantly more expensive Class A and AB HiFi amplifiers (up to over €5000), including Yamaha A-S1X00 and 2X00.We've already conducted several blind tests with significantly more expensive Class A and AB HiFi amplifiers (up to over €5000), including the Yamaha A-S1X00 and 2X00, using various TPA325x-based amplifiers (A7, PA7, PA5 (II)) and the Sabaj A30a. Almost everyone preferred the Class D amplifiers. Even the audiophile guests who previously claimed to be able to immediately recognize a Class D amplifier because it was so much worse weren't short of absurd excuses.

Incidentally, I'm one of those people who wouldn't have touched switching power supplies and Class D amplifiers with a ten-foot pole 10-15 years ago.
But technology has moved on and doesn't care about preconceived notions.

 

[SoundMagic]

Is Wiim Amp Ultra with dual TPA3255 gives me a nice middle ground? Thank you!

And when all these cheap class D amps floods the market in a few years your WiiM investment will be 0. I saw the other day WiiM Vibe Amp brand new sold in FB marketplace for 50% off

You have gold (Yamaha) in your hands, decide for yourself which is a good investment.

 

[voodooless]

good investment

It’s not a monetary investment. If you want that, there are other much saner options. It is incredible though that in 2017 this amp was € 450, and now it’s € 719 Besides, he still has the amp, he can keep it and wait for an even better price

As to investment in sound quality, the WiiM amp ultra has much more potential because of room correction, EQ and bass management.

Nevermind that the OP wants something smaller.

 

[SoundMagic]

It’s not a monetary investment. If you want that, there are other much saner options. It is incredible though that in 2017 this amp was € 450, and now it’s € 719 Besides, he still has the amp, he can keep it and wait for an even better price

As to investment in sound quality, the WiiM amp ultra has much more potential because of room correction, EQ and bass management.

Nevermind that the OP wants something smaller.

He does not need a WiiM amp for it. He only needs to add a WiiM mini to his AS701.

 

[Roland68]

And when all these cheap class D amps floods the market in a few years your WiiM investment will be 0. I saw the other day WiiM Vibe Amp brand new sold in FB marketplace for 50% off

You have gold (Yamaha) in your hands, decide for yourself which is a good investment.

So what does that tell us?
Seeing something with a 50% discount and actually buying it are often two completely different things. Especially with current WiiM products, a used device is rarely worth it. Even on eBay, these devices are rarely sold used for less than the asking price.

On eBay, used Yamaha A-S701s have sold for €251-400 in the last two years. One even went for €450.
Yamaha A-S1000 and A-S1100 models have sold for €400-650. I paid €470 for my absolutely mint-condition A-S1000, including the original box and all accessories.
On average, though, the discount is 50% of the new price or less. This is true for most other brands as well.
I wouldn't call them Yamaha Gold (unfortunately). Receivers from the Advantage series are a completely different story; they are sometimes traded like gold.

Besides, conventional amplifiers are quite large and often heavy, which is another point to consider.

 

[voodooless]

He does not need a WiiM amp for it. He only needs to add a WiiM mini to his AS701.

Sure, but the mini has no subwoofer output, so one model up would be better.

But the OP speced a smaller package. That’s not what you get with that. If this wasn’t a wish, I would certainly vote to keep the amp and add a WiiM streamer

 

[SoundMagic]

Sure, but the mini has no subwoofer output, so one model up would be better.

But the OP speced a smaller package. That’s not what you get with that. If this wasn’t a wish, I would certainly vote to keep the amp and add a WiiM streamer

AS701 already has a subwoofer output. And it is as simple as running roomfit on WiiM mini and reach down to turn a few knobs on the sub to get the same outcome.