WiiM Amp Streaming Amplifier Review

[staticV3]

Sounds like Wiim is the bottleneck in the chain?

Do not believe everything you read on the Internet.

Especially unsubstantiated statements on sound quality from a sighted, uncontrolled sound comparison.

@sucramhabib could've set the Cyrus 1dB louder by accident and that would already explain their preference towards it, without there being any difference in sound quality.

Proper, controlled A/B tests that remove bias from the equation and provide actual, meaningful data on sound quality are tedious to set up, almost no one bothers.

If statements on sound quality differences between two Amps/DACs/Cables/etc aren't accompanied by a detailed description of the test setup, number of trials, confidence intervals, then they're next to useless.

 

[Marss72]

Do not believe everything you read on the Internet.

Especially unsubstantiated statements on sound quality from a sighted, uncontrolled sound comparison.

@sucramhabib could've set the Cyrus 1dB louder by accident and that would already explain their preference towards it, without there being any difference in sound quality.

Proper, controlled A/B tests that remove bias from the equation and provide actual, meaningful data on sound quality are tedious to set up, almost no one bothers.

I understand what you are saying but i do recognise the Wiim amp sounding lean, having lack of fullness and weight. The highs not being (that) smooth and the overall presentation was not that immersive.

 

[staticV3]

I understand what you are saying but i do recognise the Wiim amp sounding lean, having lack of fullness and weight. The highs not being (that) smooth and the overall presentation was not that immersive.

In a sighted, uncontrolled comparison, sure.

Repeat that test blind and with properly matched levels, and most likely you won't be able to tell them apart.

 

[Marss72]

In a sighted, uncontrolled comparison, sure.

Repeat that test blind and with properly matched levels, and most likely you won't be able to tell them apart.

You mean comparing the Cyrus? If so, i can't judge on that.

 

[staticV3]

You mean comparing the Cyrus? If so, i can't judge on that.

Compared to whatever other Amp the WiiM sounded "lean, having lack of fullness and weight. The highs not being (that) smooth and the overall presentation was not that immersive."

 

[Marss72]

Compared to whatever other Amp the WiiM sounded "lean, having lack of fullness and weight. The highs not being (that) smooth and the overall presentation was not that immersive."

I don't agree on that. I don't even need a A/B comparison to hear the difference between the Wiim Amp and my NAD C700 in my setup or a Bluesound Powernode (Edge) for that matter. I know how my NAD C700 sounds like in my setup and listened to it for a while before i swapped the C700 with the Wiim Amp. For me it was sort of day and night difference.

 

[staticV3]

I don't agree on that. I don't even need a A/B comparison to hear the difference between the Wiim Amp and my NAD C700

 

[Marss72]

View attachment 372257

Is this sarcasme?

 

[staticV3]

Is this sarcasme?

It's my reaction to the golden eared audiophile who doesn't need no silly controls to hear the oh so obvious difference in sound quality.

He's special, not like the rest of us

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Once more with feeling.

Matrix HiFi --> Blind testing high end full equipments

 

[Talisman]

I don't agree on that. I don't even need a A/B comparison to hear the difference between the Wiim Amp and my NAD C700 in my setup or a Bluesound Powernode (Edge) for that matter. I know how my NAD C700 sounds like in my setup and listened to it for a while before i swapped the C700 with the Wiim Amp. For me it was sort of day and night difference.

It is very boring for us to read certain things from new members again and again. If you think the nad is better, keep the nad, it seems so simple, but please don't insist with this "day and night" story, we know that's not the case.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

He's special, not like the rest of us

Hey, I want to be different, like everyone else.

 

[GGroch]

It is very boring for us to read certain things from new members again and again. If you think the nad is better, keep the nad, it seems so simple, but please don't insist with this "day and night" story, we know that's not the case.

Or rather, the "day and night" story totally is the case because no blind A/B comparison was done. Posters like this think we do not believe they hear a huge difference. We do believe them, we dissagree as to why they hear it.

Do not believe everything you read on the Internet.

And perhaps be skeptical of listeners who report one amp sounds more "confident" than another.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Being nice for a moment, as we all should.

Most of us believe that you do indeed hear a difference, but that this is caused by unconscious bias. This is not a slight on you, it makes you the same as all of us, and every other human being on the planet.

 

[Petevid]

Setting up a blind test comparison is a huge faff.

This is totally non scientific but something I have noticed in the past when I have changed components and have noticed a 'night and day' difference is then, having lived with this supposedly better 'day' combination for a few weeks/months, in changing back to the 'night' set up and expecting a degradation in sound quality, the degradation hasn't been there. At this point the systems sound the same and night equals day, maybe because expectation bias is less of a factor at this point? I don't know.

 

[Marss72]

Okay, endless discussion then. I don't feel like getting into a yes/no story. I'm just responding to an opinion/statement and sharing my thoughts. It's not that I want to prove myself right or anything, but I know what I've heard and what the differences are. It's not rocket science for me, at least. Just wanted to share that.

 

[Marss72]

It is very boring for us to read certain things from new members again and again. If you think the nad is better, keep the nad, it seems so simple, but please don't insist with this "day and night" story, we know that's not the case.

I don't insist anything. It's just what I've observed. I can't do anything about the fact that you find it boring.

 

[Petevid]

I don't insist anything. It's just what I've observed. I can't do anything about the fact that you find it boring.

If you weren't aware before, you must be now, that you have entered what is a very objective hi-fi forum where subjective opinions count for little and measured scientific evidence counts for everything. It can take a bit of getting used to for the uninitiated but do stick around and read the review section especially and perhaps things will become clearer. We can measure distortion, frequency response and channel separation but not how night or how day a product is or how many veils it might lift.

 

[Marss72]

If you weren't aware before, you must be now, that you have entered what is a very objective hi-fi forum where subjective opinions count for little and measured scientific evidence counts for everything. It can take a bit of getting used to for the uninitiated but do stick around and read the review section especially and perhaps things will become clearer. We can measure distortion, frequency response and channel separation but not how night or how day a product is or how many veils it might lift.

Ok got it. Only measurements and scientific proof

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I think many of us are in awe at the greatest mystery of our times.

Yes, we can measure noise, dynamic range, and distortion. Yes we can hear those up to a point in the measurements and not beyond.

Is there something else beyond those? As all good, open-minded people, we’re here to be persuaded, and if someone comes up with the evidence, then yes we’ll definitely want to look at that. Until that time, we’ll go with what we know to be proven.

But here’s the mystery. Apparently, according to the claims of audiophiles, there is indeed something else. Don’t ask them what it is, because they’ll just mumble something about ‘transients’, but won’t explain further.

But this magic other thing, it has astonishing properties. It can’t be measured. In proper controlled tests it can’t be identified. Only the high-end audiophile manufacturers know what it is. They’re not telling us what it is, or offering up any evidence.

And it absolutely, definitely costs an awful lot of money.