Phono Pre-amp to supplement WiiM Ultra

[SoundMagic]

actual RIAA response curve performance will be influenced by how the stage loads the cartridge and how that impacts its inherent frequency response. It’s not nearly as straightforward as other mediums.

Yes that’s where my confusions are. I might get better at it with more experience I guess.

 

[SoundMagic]

LOL I definitely am not in that strange world you're in....

LOL so you haven’t tried Beethoven yet? Individuals listening preferences vary vastly and it is subjective. If I had insisted my spouse to listen to what I listen, our marriage would have ended long back before I discovered ASR. I believe some technically oriented (including me) appreciates measurements but it does not reflect the practical application or day to day usage of common people. All they want is sit back relax and listen to their favorite music

 

[ChefBrunch]

I would go for a pure MM phono, but not an entry one, you can get a pretty good unit for $200

the cambridge Alva MM solo should do good job for what you need. ..

 

[Chrispy]

LOL so you haven’t tried Beethoven yet? Individuals listening preferences vary vastly and it is subjective. If I had insisted my spouse to listen to what I listen, our marriage would have ended long back before I discovered ASR. I believe some technically oriented (including me) appreciates measurements but it does not reflect the practical application or day to day usage of common people. All they want is sit back relax and listen to their favorite music

Beethoven makes the difference alone? Wow. A composer affecting many different recordings, mixes, ears, hardware, speakers, etc.

 

[JRowland]

I have an rt85 and use the Fluance PA10. The PA10 has a capacitance of 100pf, the Fluance rca cables in 3 foot lengths have a capacitance of 90pf. Not sure the tone arm capacitance of the rt85, say 30-40pf plus the 190 puts it at 210-220 which is right in the middle of Ortofons recommendation for the 2m blue of 150-300 pf.

 

[Mnyb]

I’m interested in the final outcome of this , the WiiM’s phono stage did not measure fantastic compared to others .
So it’s not completely out of whack to wanting something better.
( OP’s description of it’s shortcomings may not match reality but still it’s not the best , I would expect it to bee noisier with less overload margins for crackle and pops etc so these gets expressed more when listening

Wonder if not getting a WiiM Pro + and a phonostage is a better position. For example the Fosi mentioned ( or a classic audio Spartan if you really go for it ) .

We had a thunder storm this summer that killed my WiiM Pro + ( and dozens of other stuff like the HT reciever and plasma TV etc etc ).

And at the same time I bought a used vintage vinyl player on a whim I saw something I could not resist a mint condition Thorens TD165 with an SME series III arm a museum exhibit of a bygone era basically .

The Pro + was a good fit when I bought it , I’m not sure what streamer to get , for example the only Eversolo product that matches features is the play and it also has a power amp ? For some reasons the more upscale Eversolo products lacks analogue in and subwoofer crossover .

Also considered that I would not have a massive vinyl collection, I have some thinking to do .

Or the park’s waxwing ? But thier puffing did not measure to great either ? Do all the features and functions makes up for that in practical use ?

 

[SoundMagic]

I have an rt85 and use the Fluance PA10. The PA10 has a capacitance of 100pf, the Fluance rca cables in 3 foot lengths have a capacitance of 90pf. Not sure the tone arm capacitance of the rt85, say 30-40pf plus the 190 puts it at 210-220 which is right in the middle of Ortofons recommendation for the 2m blue of 150-300 pf.

Fluance PA10 would be a great choice as well I will have to try it. And it is right from the turntable manufacturer. Unfortunately my cheap multimeter does not have the feature to measure capacitance. Will have to grab one that does it.

 

[SoundMagic]

I’m interested in the final outcome of this , the WiiM’s phono stage did not measure fantastic compared to others .
Somits not completely out of whack to wanting something better.
( OP’s description of it’s shortcomings may not match reality but still it’s not the best , I would expect it to bee noisier with less overload margins for crackle and pops etc so these gets expressed more when listening

Wonder if not getting a WiiM Pro + and a phonostage is a better position. For example the Fosi mentioned ( or a classic audio Spartan if you really go for it ) .

We had a thunder storm this summer that killed my WiiM Pro + ( and dozens of other stuff like the HT reciever and plasma TV etc etc ).

And at the same time I bought a used vintage vinyl player on a whim I saw something I could not resist a mint condition Thorens TD165 with an SME series III arm a museum exhibit of a bygone era basically .

Th Pro + was a good fit when I bought it , I’m not sure what streamer to get , for example the only Eversolo product that matches features is the play and it also has a power amp ? For some reasons the more upscale Eversolo products lacks analogue in and subwoofer crossover .

Also considered that I would not have a massive vinyl collection, I have some thinking to do .

Or the park’s waxwing ? But thier puffing did not measure to great either ? Do all the features and functions makes up for that in practical use ?

My thought process to get the WiiM Ultra is to replace it as the one box preamp solution. Since it had the phono stage I thought I’m covered in all my needs. But the sound from the phono stage wasn’t agreeable to my ears. This is a late learning, otherwise a WiiM pro + external preamp would have worked as well.

Sorry to know about your lightning losses. Power conditioners and protectors are the first thing I buy for all my electronics. Lately I have started adding smart plugs for all electronics and appliances from tp-link or Amazon basics. Even though they are rated only for some basic joules protection, it’s mechanical relays keeps my devices disconnected when not in use. Especially in the nights (scheduled) and during storms. One click from my phone and everything is disconnected from the mains.

 

[somebodyelse]

Or the park’s waxwing ? But thier puffing did not measure to great either ? Do all the features and functions makes up for that in practical use ?

We haven't seen many complaints from those who own them, but have seen a lot of positive comments, so I guess they generally think they're worth it. They show you when either input or output overload so you can set gain accordingly, so the lack of headroom isn't the problem it might be if you didn't have clipping indication to guide your gain choice - set so it doesn't clip with your hotest/ clickiest / most warped record and you should be safe. Noise seems not to be a real world problem either, at least from what I remember of user feedback.

 

[SoundMagic]

This is the EQ curve I got for the WiiM phono to sound neutral. It might not be much but I do hear much better details in my system.

Also learnt that WiiM is sensitive to vibrations. Placing it anywhere closer to a subwoofer might cause it to pickup the low frequencies. After all those snake oil isolation products might really work on WiiM

 

[5-pot-fan]

Hi,
I have a Wiim Ultra and did have a Linn LP12 with an MC cartridge. To my ears the Wiim phono (with MC cartridge) was not great so I bought a Fosi X5 and thought that was better. Not a lot of cost for an (apparent) improvement.

 

[SoundMagic]

Hi,
I have a Wiim Ultra and did have a Linn LP12 with an MC cartridge. To my ears the Wiim phono (with MC cartridge) was not great so I bought a Fosi X5 and thought that was better. Not a lot of cost for an (apparent) improvement.

I tried the Fosi X5 and it was lot better than the WiiM Ultra's phono and almost close to the Rotel (that says they are neutral). I think the contributing factor is the Ultra's uneven frequency response that I'm able to hear. Probably need to play some more with the EQ and see if it fixes it. Below is the FR for both.

 

[somebodyelse]

I tried the Fosi X5 and it was lot better than the WiiM Ultra's phono and almost close to the Rotel (that says they are neutral). I think the contributing factor is the Ultra's uneven frequency response that I'm able to hear. Probably need to play some more with the EQ and see if it fixes it. Below is the FR for both.
View attachment 501821
View attachment 501822

To put it into perspective have a look at the cartridge measurement library - apart from the rumble filter the frequency response difference between the Fosi and Wiim is less than the frequency response difference between the left and right channels of many cartridges, let alone different examples of the same cartridge model, or the same cartridge into different loads.