WiiM Amp Pro Streaming Stereo Amplifier Review

[Sokel]

So what's in a musical recording at such high frequencies?

What commonly used acoustic music miking mics - I'm not talking about the ones used for some unrealistically well-made test recordings to show that there are harmonics at a high level after placing the mic in the mouthpiece of the trumpet or flush with the piano strings at the very end of the soundboard -, go above 20-21 Khz? Not the great Neumans anyway. Some B&K go higher but they don't have much to capture when they are 2 m or more from the instruments to be recorded... And what is there to record at these frequencies in a concert hall ?

Not much and on an infinitesimally small level...

What effects potentiated with each other could have effects an octave or two lower that would measure up and be found in the audible band?

I don't know... if someone can tell us...

I choose a treble -hot one to show (Space Oddity by David Bowie) and that's how it looks like in real time:

Some -10 to -40dB difference across after 10k.

 

[morillon]

I assure you not only do my ears hear the unbearable distortions of 33 rpm recordsin the treble played according to the rules of the art, but my entourage is full of young people who are no more bothered than me by the sound that comes out of these little amps. .. neither me nor many people who own them on ASR and speak of them in very glowing terms.

as a reminder the impact is not only in distortions.. but also f-r.... but let's stay there... the pffb is good news ;-)
(and it is the behavior in real complex loads, by definition not easy to understand, between 2k and 10k that will interest me... ;-) )

 

[Burnside]

See comment #11 here

See comment #27 here : “We’re still working on enabling USB out alongside Sub out“

 

[Burnside]

Maybe next year on the Wiim Amp Pro Plus!!

Maybe in the WiiM Amp Ultra (if that’s what they’ll call it). I’m sure I heard that at the Munich Show one of their reps mentioned a more powerful amp pro with the ultra’s screen (and possibly headphone amp) would be coming after the Pro, I’d guess at the start of next year… who knows?

 

[Haskil]

I choose a treble -hot one to show (Space Oddity by David Bowie) and that's how it looks like in real time:


View attachment 394903


Some -10 to -40dB difference across after 10k.

!!!!
Well there you go, I remember being surprised, a long time ago, to have listened to music on a pair of Altec 19s and a pair of DIY horn speakers placed next to it and to have ecstatic about the magnificent sparkle of the cymbals... The tube amp that powered them was a 300 B PP whose response curve plunged from 12 KHz, its owner and manufacturer told me...

So hear a treble reading of 3 or 3 dB above 10 Khz... not tomorrow the day before...

 

[Mikig]

at this rate only aesthetics and personal needs becomes the only factor of choice….
between Topping, SMSL, Wiim, Eversolo and company now when you click on the purchase button, you are sure that you are buying well!
Already…!! Click on the purchase button…I miss the afternoons with my friend, who has accompanied my passion for hi-fi for years…

 

[Petrushka]

at this rate only aesthetics becomes the only factor of choice….
between Topping, SMSL, Wiim, Eversolo and company now when you click on the purchase button, you are sure that you are buying well!
Already…!! Click on the purchase button…I miss the afternoons with my friend, who has accompanied my passion for hi-fi for years…

Ummmmm.

There’s the Wiim app with room correction and 10 channel peq.

Like the sound qualify of two Fosi monos, plus a mini DSP.

 

[FrantzM]

The challenge with AVRs is that they’re multiple orders of magnitude more complicated when it comes to the software and firmware side.

You have to integrate all of the surround formats (plus pay licensing fees to Dolby and DTS), you have to develop or license a room correction system, you have to handle video signal routing now as well, you have to include many more amp channels, and you have to make all of that work in the same box without electrical noise from the various components bleeding in to everything else.

The smaller company AVRs have had some innovative features, but the affordable ones such as those from Emotiva or Monoprice have been plagued by software/firmware issues.

Granted the really fancy boys like Trinnov and Storm Audio have figured it out, but when you’re making a cost-is-no-object type of product you can afford to hire good software developers apparently.

IMHO, Engineering is not a concern for these companies . The issue remains that of licensing.

Otoh, software and its GUI, remain thorny: Most current AVR GUI have poor ergonomics. Configuring any HT is a daunting task for many people. It remains arcane...
Let's wait and see.. I am sure they are quietly observing, studying, evaluating...


Peace.

 

[Mikig]

Ummmmm.

There’s the Wiim app with room correction and 10 channel peq.

Like the sound qualify of two Fosi monos, plus a mini DSP.

exactly, but I'm talking about all these products. most of these devices measure well, then each of them has its own features.
The consumer will then choose based on needs.
there is no doubt though that depending on what you are looking for, if you fish in the basket of those brands you always end up standing...

 

[Mort]

It's a fine device. I don't think it was needed in the lineup.

How many more customers are they going to serve with this vs the regular amp? The design and production resources should have gone elsewhere, no?

Make a remote subwoofer device!

 

[Power Pop 23]

P.S. Yes, I have the Ultra version as well. Hope to test that soon.

@amirm,

Consider assessing the performance of the 'Automatic Room Correction' feature when the WiiM Ultra streamer is measured.

thank you

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[Petevid]

It's a fine device. I don't think it was needed in the lineup.

How many more customers are they going to serve with this vs the regular amp? The design and production resources should have gone elsewhere, no?

Make a remote subwoofer device!

I think that's an interesting point and in addition this Amp Pro lacks Apple Airplay, so not not enough for me to upgrade from the Wiim Amp to this.

 

[Burnside]

I think that's an interesting point and in addition this Amp Pro lacks Apple Airplay, so not not enough for me to upgrade from the Wiim Amp to this.

This might help

AirConnect: Send audio to UPnP/Sonos/Chromecast players using AirPlay

Didn't quite know which subforum to post this in, so general thoughts it is... AirConnect is a package developed by philippe44 who is pretty well known in LMS circles for his 'bridge' plugins which allow the transfer of audio between different protocols. This particular bridge allows UPnP...

forum.wiimhome.com

 

[capslock]

I think that's an interesting point and in addition this Amp Pro lacks Apple Airplay, so not not enough for me to upgrade from the Wiim Amp to this.

Well, it certainly tickles me. I looked at the original Amp and liked the ARC, the EQ and the sub out (which is sorely missing in the Pro Plus) but was underwhelmed by the amp performance which is like any other TPA amp without PFF. They seem to have added PFF and now perform similar to Fosi and 3Epoint with PFF, which is good, even if Topping have taken PFF quite a bit further.

Airplay, to my knowledge, is plain BT without any of the near-lossless codecs so rather worthless anyway.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Hi

For many years, the term Chi-Fi was derogatory...
Is it now with the avalanche of sensibly priced (lowly?)superior performance, high functionality gears these companies are churning incessantly?
In this specific case: So much power and convenience for so little money ...
Wait until these people start making AVRs...
...

... And Loudspeakers.

Peace.

WiiM isn’t “Chi-Fi.” Rather, it’s a brand of Linkplay Technologies, a U.S. company based in Silicon Valley.

 

[WalterW]

some companies just do their homework and deliver.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Ummmmm.

There’s the Wiim app with room correction and 10 channel peq.

Like the sound qualify of two Fosi monos, plus a mini DSP.

And the sub out and bass management.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Thanks for this review, Amir. It looks like you got first crack at it too inasmuch as it was first available for sale just yesterday. Shows has much gravitas you and this publication have earned. Bravo!

As for this little guy, wow! What a great and complete package it is. As long as you're playing in a smaller room, I think it could easily handle the Kef LS 50 Metas, R3 Metas, Revel F106s, Asci C6B's, Ascend Sierra's, and probably a host of other high end bookshelf speakers, and perhaps more than a few smaller floor standers as well. And there's provision for a sub as well, along with EQ capability. Just stupid great value with performance levels on a par with Purifi Amplifiers. Great way for someone to stretch for their dream speakers and still get everything they want in the electronics.

And it really looks great. Anyone with a MacMini will swear it's using the same case. Just make sure to order the Mac in "space grey".

 

[vert]

A question... I need to change my amp in the near future as I need more power, at least 60 W. That makes the WiiM amp Pro an option, but a Yamaha A-S501 is not all that more expensive, with long term ownership in mind. Technically though, is the Yamaha still the better amp, or are we at a turning point, on the verge of a takeover of class D amps, which will make traditional amps irrelevant?
I have to say the large size of the Yamaha was a turn off for a while, but now the idea of buying an amp that's built to last a long time, almost as an investment, is appealing. Functionality is irrelevant, as I already have a WiiM streamer that works perfectly and I can use with the Yamaha.

 

[ehabheikal]

The sharp increase of distortion with frequency ruins this for me. Still good amp for starter speakers.