Poor man’s ARC or Dirac for WiiM products: 80% of the results for €0

[Hugo!]

Hi everyone,

I’ve owned the WiiM Ultra for about a year now, and it's a fantastic piece of kit. For the last 12 months, I used it purely as a digital source into my Anthem MRX540. However, I want to transition back to a dedicated 2-channel setup.

As an experiment, I took the MRX out of my signal chain and am now running the analog out directly into a pair of Hypex Nilai500 power amps. To my surprise, the internal DAC in the Ultra is remarkably transparent. Furthermore, the Ultra turns out to be a fine pre-amp from a usability perspective. It offers perfectly smooth and consistent volume control, something I’ve often found problematic on other streamers. Also, input source switching is seamless, without audible clicks or pops.

The Problem: RoomFit vs. ARC
The one area where the WiiM falls flat is its automated "RoomFit" feature. Coming from Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which I consider one of the best in the business, RoomFit feels like a toy. It is inconsistent and, frankly, unusable for a high-fidelity setup.

I considered moving to a Bluesound Node Icon to get Dirac Live support, but after adding the Dirac license, a calibrated mic, and a remote, I was looking at a €1000+ price jump.

The Solution: Manual PEQ with REW
Instead of spending the money, I decided to leverage the WiiM’s 10-band Parametric EQ (PEQ) using REW (Room EQ Wizard). By limiting the correction to the modal region (below 500Hz), I’ve managed to get about 80% of the benefit of Dirac/ARC for free.

Here is the high-level guide for anyone looking to do the same:

High-Level Guide: Manual Room Correction for WiiM​

1. Hardware Needed

• A calibrated microphone (UMIK-1 is the standard here).
• A laptop with REW (Room EQ Wizard) installed.
• USB cables long enough to connect your laptop and mic to the WiiM simultaneously, so that you are able to reach your listening position with the mic.
• Configure your WiiM and laptop / REW settings so that the WiiM becomes a external USB "soundcard" for your laptop.

2. The Measurement Strategy

• Don't rely on a single-point measurement. Use the Moving Microphone Method (MMM) or take around 5 positions around your "head space" at the listening position.
• Focus purely on the region from 20Hz to 500Hz. Above 500Hz, room reflections may become too much for a simple PEQ. You’re better off leaving the speaker’s natural character alone.

3. Setting the Target

• Import a Harman House Curve (see attachment) or similar into REW. A flat target usually sounds "thin" in a real room. You want a gentle bass boost (3-6dB) that tapers off to neutral by 400Hz.

4. Generating the Filters in REW

• Set REW's Equalizer to "Generic".
• Set your Filter Tasks to a maximum of 10 bands.
• Set your sample rate to 48kHz for WiiM Mini, Pro, Pro Plus en de WiiM Amp. 96kHz for WiiM Ultra
• Limit the optimization range to 20-500Hz.
• Set Max Boost to 0dB. (Always cut peaks rather than boosting dips).

5. Implementation on the WiiM

• Open the WiiM Home App and go to Parametric EQ.
• Manually copy the Frequency, Gain, and Q values from REW into the 10 slots.
• Important: Check the highest "boost" in your filter set. If you boosted anything, reduce the Pre-Gain in the WiiM app by that same amount to prevent digital clipping.

Enjoy listening!

 

[Keith_W]

Welcome to ASR! Great first post.

 

[Rotiv]

I use my Ultra Room fit 20 to 500hz MMM measurements, and the 10 band parametric eq above with the Rew filters. I also tried it with the rew filters 20 to 500hz from the average of five measurements, diferent, but imo not better. they are doing an excellent job, and keep on delivering with updates

 

[staticV3]

Great methodology, exactly what I did as wel:

Important: Check the highest "boost" in your filter set. If you boosted anything, reduce the Pre-Gain in the WiiM app by that same amount to prevent digital clipping.

This is not so straightforward as overlapping filter bands will add to each other, so the total EQ gain frequently cannot be read from the individual PEQ parameters alone.

What definitely works as EQ Pre gain is the Maximum volume setting, for more see here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...headroom-on-the-wiim-mini-measurements.69605/

 

[Soniclife]

This is not so straightforward as overlapping filter bands will add to each other, so the toal EQ gain frequently cannot be read from the individual PEQ parameters alone.

Fortunately REW already calculates the max gain when you use it's filters. So just copy that.

 

[staticV3]

Fortunately REW already calculates the max gain when you use it's filters. So just copy that.

Has it been confirmed yet that the Pre gain setting recovers EQ headroom just as the WiiM Volume control does?

Logically it should, but I also expected the Aux out level control to restore headroom and that doesn't.

 

[90sNintendoKid]

@Hugo!, did you measure the delay between the left and right speaker in REW?

 

[john61ct]

This brings me back to a new version idea of an idea I abandoned

2xWAU used as crossovers

I am planning a stereo system with "full-range" OG LS50s main pair, HPF'd somewhere between 170-300Hz stereo MBM pair, bandpassed between LPF blending with the above, and an HPF between 70-90Hz then mono sub(s) below that. My idea is to use two WAU for handling the crossovers, the "top one"...

forum.wiimhome.com

Using a Wiim AMP Ultra fed by a regular input (not multi-room Grouping) to control JUST the low end

in my case a pair of midbass couplers in stereo, crossed over to meet their colocated main front pair at ~200Hz above, and trueSub(s) in mono below, ~80Hz

so a "2.1 subset" not just speaker compensation EQ and FR crossovers, but delay if needed

and of course room compensation EQ in this case I guess not automated.

No specific questiins, but any feedback welcome.

 

[Soniclife]

Has it been confirmed yet that the Pre gain setting recovers EQ headroom just as the WiiM Volume control does?

Logically it should, but I also expected the Aux out level control to restore headroom and that doesn't.

I've no idea about the pre gain, I've never played with it, but I agree logically it should, it would be good to know for certain.

 

[thcdru2k]

I’ve ended up using the WiiM Ultra in several systems now and it has been one of the most versatile pieces of gear I own.

For calibration I connect a UMIK-2 to my phone and run RoomFit, but keep the correction limited. In Device Settings → Sound → RoomFit I run the measurement with the external mic and constrain correction mostly to the modal region. Above a few hundred Hz I generally leave the speaker response alone since reflections dominate there. I also use REW on a laptop to measure and adjust subwoofer delay in the WiiM app.

Also a small thing but the VU meter on the screen is a nice touch and looks great.

For the price it’s a remarkably capable hub. Streamer, DAC, preamp and option to use a calibrated mic for correction in one box that scales well from simple systems to more complex setups.

 

[dominikz]

Hi everyone,

I’ve owned the WiiM Ultra for about a year now, and it's a fantastic piece of kit. For the last 12 months, I used it purely as a digital source into my Anthem MRX540. However, I want to transition back to a dedicated 2-channel setup.

As an experiment, I took the MRX out of my signal chain and am now running the analog out directly into a pair of Hypex Nilai500 power amps. To my surprise, the internal DAC in the Ultra is remarkably transparent. Furthermore, the Ultra turns out to be a fine pre-amp from a usability perspective. It offers perfectly smooth and consistent volume control, something I’ve often found problematic on other streamers. Also, input source switching is seamless, without audible clicks or pops.

The Problem: RoomFit vs. ARC
The one area where the WiiM falls flat is its automated "RoomFit" feature. Coming from Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which I consider one of the best in the business, RoomFit feels like a toy. It is inconsistent and, frankly, unusable for a high-fidelity setup.

I considered moving to a Bluesound Node Icon to get Dirac Live support, but after adding the Dirac license, a calibrated mic, and a remote, I was looking at a €1000+ price jump.

The Solution: Manual PEQ with REW
Instead of spending the money, I decided to leverage the WiiM’s 10-band Parametric EQ (PEQ) using REW (Room EQ Wizard). By limiting the correction to the modal region (below 500Hz), I’ve managed to get about 80% of the benefit of Dirac/ARC for free.

Here is the high-level guide for anyone looking to do the same:

High-Level Guide: Manual Room Correction for WiiM​

1. Hardware Needed

• A calibrated microphone (UMIK-1 is the standard here).
• A laptop with REW (Room EQ Wizard) installed.
• USB cables long enough to connect your laptop and mic to the WiiM simultaneously, so that you are able to reach your listening position with the mic.
• Configure your WiiM and laptop / REW settings so that the WiiM becomes a external USB "soundcard" for your laptop.

2. The Measurement Strategy

• Don't rely on a single-point measurement. Use the Moving Microphone Method (MMM) or take around 5 positions around your "head space" at the listening position.
• Focus purely on the region from 20Hz to 500Hz. Above 500Hz, room reflections may become too much for a simple PEQ. You’re better off leaving the speaker’s natural character alone.

3. Setting the Target

• Import a Harman House Curve (see attachment) or similar into REW. A flat target usually sounds "thin" in a real room. You want a gentle bass boost (3-6dB) that tapers off to neutral by 400Hz.

4. Generating the Filters in REW

• Set REW's Equalizer to "Generic".
• Set your Filter Tasks to a maximum of 10 bands.
• Set your sample rate to 48kHz for WiiM Mini, Pro, Pro Plus en de WiiM Amp. 96kHz for WiiM Ultra
• Limit the optimization range to 20-500Hz.
• Set Max Boost to 0dB. (Always cut peaks rather than boosting dips).

5. Implementation on the WiiM

• Open the WiiM Home App and go to Parametric EQ.
• Manually copy the Frequency, Gain, and Q values from REW into the 10 slots.
• Important: Check the highest "boost" in your filter set. If you boosted anything, reduce the Pre-Gain in the WiiM app by that same amount to prevent digital clipping.

Enjoy listening!

Thanks for the write-up!

I'd just like to add that RoomFit improved a lot in recent months.

With Individual Channel RoomFit, correction limited to below 300Hz, Non-Boost Mode and MMM enabled, and with variable smoothing I get practically the same result that I get if I create the filters in REW:

Another example here: link.

Here's a bit more about the RoomFit Non-Boost Mode (previously called "Cut-Only Mode"): link.

Some comparisons of sweep vs MMM, and 1/12 vs variable smoothing are covered in this post.

IMHO RoomFit now works pretty well! REW is still more flexible and powerful, though, but I wouldn't say that necessarily translates to better sound after correction.

Perhaps it is also interesting to note that RoomFit should be getting REW-compatible EQ import capability (link) - though exact timing has not been announced yet.

 

[thcdru2k]

Would also be nice if they just unlock .01ms subwoofer delay adjustment. Seems well within the hardware capability

 

[Mort]

I'd just like to add that RoomFit improved a lot in recent months.

Thanks for that update. I should try it again. For a long time, it underperformed the usual DSP suspects like REW and Dirac.

 

[Oddball]

Hi everyone,

I’ve owned the WiiM Ultra for about a year now, and it's a fantastic piece of kit. For the last 12 months, I used it purely as a digital source into my Anthem MRX540. However, I want to transition back to a dedicated 2-channel setup.

As an experiment, I took the MRX out of my signal chain and am now running the analog out directly into a pair of Hypex Nilai500 power amps. To my surprise, the internal DAC in the Ultra is remarkably transparent. Furthermore, the Ultra turns out to be a fine pre-amp from a usability perspective. It offers perfectly smooth and consistent volume control, something I’ve often found problematic on other streamers. Also, input source switching is seamless, without audible clicks or pops.

The Problem: RoomFit vs. ARC
The one area where the WiiM falls flat is its automated "RoomFit" feature. Coming from Anthem Room Correction (ARC), which I consider one of the best in the business, RoomFit feels like a toy. It is inconsistent and, frankly, unusable for a high-fidelity setup.

I considered moving to a Bluesound Node Icon to get Dirac Live support, but after adding the Dirac license, a calibrated mic, and a remote, I was looking at a €1000+ price jump.

The Solution: Manual PEQ with REW
Instead of spending the money, I decided to leverage the WiiM’s 10-band Parametric EQ (PEQ) using REW (Room EQ Wizard). By limiting the correction to the modal region (below 500Hz), I’ve managed to get about 80% of the benefit of Dirac/ARC for free.

Here is the high-level guide for anyone looking to do the same:

High-Level Guide: Manual Room Correction for WiiM​

1. Hardware Needed

• A calibrated microphone (UMIK-1 is the standard here).
• A laptop with REW (Room EQ Wizard) installed.
• USB cables long enough to connect your laptop and mic to the WiiM simultaneously, so that you are able to reach your listening position with the mic.
• Configure your WiiM and laptop / REW settings so that the WiiM becomes a external USB "soundcard" for your laptop.

2. The Measurement Strategy

• Don't rely on a single-point measurement. Use the Moving Microphone Method (MMM) or take around 5 positions around your "head space" at the listening position.
• Focus purely on the region from 20Hz to 500Hz. Above 500Hz, room reflections may become too much for a simple PEQ. You’re better off leaving the speaker’s natural character alone.

3. Setting the Target

• Import a Harman House Curve (see attachment) or similar into REW. A flat target usually sounds "thin" in a real room. You want a gentle bass boost (3-6dB) that tapers off to neutral by 400Hz.

4. Generating the Filters in REW

• Set REW's Equalizer to "Generic".
• Set your Filter Tasks to a maximum of 10 bands.
• Set your sample rate to 48kHz for WiiM Mini, Pro, Pro Plus en de WiiM Amp. 96kHz for WiiM Ultra
• Limit the optimization range to 20-500Hz.
• Set Max Boost to 0dB. (Always cut peaks rather than boosting dips).

5. Implementation on the WiiM

• Open the WiiM Home App and go to Parametric EQ.
• Manually copy the Frequency, Gain, and Q values from REW into the 10 slots.
• Important: Check the highest "boost" in your filter set. If you boosted anything, reduce the Pre-Gain in the WiiM app by that same amount to prevent digital clipping.

Enjoy listening!

So what's your system and how did you get to 80% of what ART can do? It does depend on the room though, some rooms are easier than the others.

 

[thcdru2k]

It's not really a fair comparison. ART is overkill for a 2 channel setup. Honestly placement and room treatment could make either overkill for 2ch

 

[Oddball]

It's not really a fair comparison. ART is overkill for a 2 channel setup. Honestly placement and room treatment could make either overkill for 2ch

Why do you think so? Too expensive or something else?

 

[thcdru2k]

Why do you think so? Too expensive or something else?

I think the true benefit of ART is a system with multiple subwoofers and more bed channels. It's way more advanced than simple EQ adjustments. I also think over EQ alters speakers natural sound. If you have a nice speaker I rather hear what it sounds like than just make it flat . Minimal EQ is ok but I think blind auto correction can sometimes not be desirable

 

[ShadowBoxer]

So what's your system and how did you get to 80% of what ART can do?

REW auto-EQ copied to the WiiM PEQ slots. ie what you quoted.

 

[Mort]

So what's your system and how did you get to 80% of what ART can do?

Take that with a grain of salt. I'm not sure ARC was ever tested by the OP.

Honestly the post is good enough that it deserves a better, less clickbait-y title.

 

[Hugo!]

Take that with a grain of salt. I'm not sure ARC was ever tested by the OP.

Honestly the post is good enough that it deserves a better, less clickbait-y title
xc

The 80% is indeed subjective and an attempt to refer to Pareto and the diminishing returns of spending much more cash on gear.