WiiM Amp Streaming Amplifier Review

[vert]

How is it obvious this is not an ’end game ‘ product?

Exactly !

 

[flor]

I have been using this amp since the beginning of January. It replaced a heavy 200W AB amp, separate dac and separate streaming transport. I came to the conclusion that my setup was way too overpowered for our living room. The amp powers a pair of Q Acoustic bookshelf speakers.

Sounds great to my ears, tho I might try to add a sub later on.

So: great sound, one small box replacing three boxes plus cables, great app and usability overall. Five stars!

 

[Matt_Holland]

I guess you were thinking IR, instead of BT/RF? BT won't need line of sight like IR.


JSmith

The hamster hasn’t quite woken up and climbed into its wheel so I forgot that BT is RF. Although I think it’s worth stating that the Wiim Amp uses BT because it’s instantly recognisable by the majority of non technical people.

 

[JeremyFife]

undoubtedly it is a very valid, complete, comfortable and good performing product.

As far as I'm concerned, I prefer separate components, and for the 1000 euros you quote you can get an excellent system.

What pushes me towards separate components is the future possibility of improving some features of the system.

I want a better performing DAC, I'll change it. I want a better amp, I change it….and so on.

all-in ones are closed systems. However valid they are, you never have the option of an upgrade other than a complete replacement.

I get the principle, but realistically what would you upgrade? Bit perfect streamer and any DAC issues are below audible thresholds. ADC is better than you need for vinyl and there's already some subwoofer integration and PEQ.

No preamp, ADC or DAC will improve performance and you'll have to spend significantly to get a load independent amp plus DSP - so much so that it's not an upgrade so much as a whole new system.

It's not for everyone, but it's a pretty good start for a LOT of people

 

[Chrispy]

LOL gotta admit I don't think of BT as RF, but....

 

[DSJR]

The sound stage and detailed separation of musical instruments can be expanded.

In your mind maybe (we always expect an 'improvement' when we change things but as nothing often happens, we get back on the upgrade path again after a few months when boredom sets in) BUT...

I'm not an engineer so treading on shaky ground here, but 'better' op-amps often have wider bandwidth and in some cases I understand, going 'too wide' can cause oscillations at supersonic frequencies and other nasties which in this case, may just interfere with what the output chip is trying to do - this may well cause a 'change' in sound as perceived, but it's actually worse and not better (I need help here especially if I'm wrong). Nowt wrong with humble op-amps as most of our records have been mixed on desks with 'hundreds' of these in each and 20kHz is a painfully low frequency as regards even these...

 

[bcfc]

but 'better' op-amps often have wider bandwidth and in some cases I understand

But in the world has much better opams with ultra low noise, and we have more experience

 

[Kabeltrommel]

@amirm Did you notice any coilwhine from the unit? I have 3 Wiim Amps (1xV2, 2xV4) and they all have an annoying humming or whining noise. I can even hear it from 2-3m away while watching movies

 

[staticV3]

@amirm Did you notice any coilwhine from the unit? I have 3 Wiim Amps (1xV2, 2xV4) and they all have an annoying humming or whining noise. I can even hear it from 2-3m away while watching movies

Afaik, WiiM offers replacements for early Amp revisions suffering from PS hum/whine:

My WiiM Amp tests

You can see that here https://forum.wiimhome.com/attachments/1702052647805-png.3904/ Distortions are fine up to -15 dBFS, then it starts to grow rapidly. That means in most setups (at normal listening levels) the distortion of the sub out should not be audible?

forum.wiimhome.com

This was fixed with PCB_version 5.

 

[Kabeltrommel]

Afaik, WiiM offers replacements for early Amp revisions suffering from PS hum/whine:

My WiiM Amp tests

You can see that here https://forum.wiimhome.com/attachments/1702052647805-png.3904/ Distortions are fine up to -15 dBFS, then it starts to grow rapidly. That means in most setups (at normal listening levels) the distortion of the sub out should not be audible?

forum.wiimhome.com

This was fixed with PCB_version 5.

Thanks. I already asked Wiim for a replacement. Unfortunately Wiim only replaces them directly if you ordered from their amazon.com shop. Ill ask the shop I bought the units from.

 

[hashkey]

How is it obvious this is not an ’end game ‘ product?

Completely agree. Something like the WiiM amp and a nice pair of budget speakers, maybe a sub, is what I would regard as a perfectly valid endgame. It's what I have in my kitchen and my bedroom (which is where I end up listening to most of my music) and anything more than that would be overkill for me and many others. Your endgame is personal, not universal.

The nature of this hobby is that we unlearn how to enjoy gear that previously would have made us very happy, and the music that we profess to love is playing second fiddle to listening to the gear.

I've been guilty of it myself but I do occasionally try and take a step back to get some perspective.

 

[Mnyb]

OT re op-amps or any orher components .

If your not competent enough to design the whole circuit/product , you should not modify it.

Also you need the measurement equipment to verify your work.

There can be complex interactions and unforeseen consequences that could bite you

Edit:
Its not always about “better” but suitable and fit for a specific application .

 

[Petevid]

Completely agree. Something like the WiiM amp and a nice pair of budget speakers, maybe a sub, is what I would regard as a perfectly valid endgame. It's what I have in my kitchen and my bedroom (which is where I end up listening to most of my music) and anything more than that would be overkill for me and many others. Your endgame is personal, not universal.

The nature of this hobby is that we unlearn how to enjoy gear that previously would have made us very happy, and the music that we profess to love is playing second fiddle to listening to the gear.

I've been guilty of it myself but I do occasionally try and take a step back to get some perspective.

I'd be interested to know what 30-60w amp is considered to be an end game product that I can aspire to.

 

[Talisman]

I'd be interested to know what 30-60w amp is considered to be an end game product that I can aspire to.

Any that have enough power for your needs and are blindly indistinguishable to your ears from one with better measurements. You really don't need anything else

 

[beagleman]

Be careful not to confuse the concept of nominal impedance of a speaker with the impedance curve. To know the actual interactions between speakers and amplifier you need to see the actual impedance curve of those speakers more or less between 5khz and 20khz. If indeed the real load of the speakers in that range is around 4 ohms constant then the problem with those speakers will be non-existent

And factor in, actual audibility is near zero to begin with.

We are talking about, in the realm of magic capacitors etc, as far as someone just hearing this and noticing the FR is not perfectly ideal with varying impedances.

 

[voodooless]

And factor in, actual audibility is near zero to begin with.

We are talking about, in the realm of magic capacitors etc, as far as someone just hearing this and noticing the FR is not perfectly ideal with varying impedances.

No, it's really many orders of magnitude more pronounced than a "magical" capacitor. FR error is in the order of .5 to 1 dB, which can certainly be in the realm of audibility.

 

[Mnyb]

No, it's really many orders of magnitude more pronounced than a "magical" capacitor. FR error is in the order of .5 to 1 dB, which can certainly be in the realm of audibility.

yes i adjust my tone controls in 0.5 dB increments ?

It depends of Q how wide the deviation is ? a sharp small peak somewhere probably inaudible , if the whole range from 3 to 22k tilts' slightly up or down , you might hear it .

This is ofcourse depending on the speakers , sometimes there is no problem .

 

[dasdoing]

The WiiM Amp has a highpass for the main channels and lowpass for the sub. Both are configurable in the App.

See #46 or Erin's review for measurements of the adjustable high pass.

You can turn a highpass for the mains on/off with one tap of your finger in the Wiim app. The Amp implements it using one of the four PEQs. You can pick any f or Q you want, shape your highpass to your hearts content.

now that is nice

 

[voodooless]

yes i adjust my tone controls in 0.5 dB increments ?

That may be to coarse.

What I would do is measure the speaker's high-frequency response (> 1 kHz) close up, and just EQ that as flat as possible. This should take care of any load dependency and it leaves no guesswork open.

 

[Guddu]

I did not try to use voice control.

okay, thanks