WiiM Amp Streaming Amplifier Review

[dominikz]

I think a refurb Wiim Mini plus a V3 is a very good perf/price setup that would be great for some situations. But there is vast functional difference between that combo and a Wiim Amp, not just "an input/output or two". Although the amplifiers are arguably same/similar, consider the functional differences:

- Amp has a much better DAC than the Mini; this would probably be reflected in perf chart if the Mini+V3 were tested as an integrated signal path
- Amp (and Pro/Pro+) will get 8-channel PEQ and room EQ firmware update this year, but not Mini
- Amp has sub-out and Mini does not
- Amp has an integrated UPnP server function for USB thumb drives, Mini does not
- Amp supports Chromecast and Mini does not
- Amp supports HDMI ARC and Mini does not
- Amp has wired ethernet and Mini does not
- Amp ships with a remote, Mini does not

And with WiiM Mini + Fosi V3 combo you have no integrated way to turn both devices on/off.
Also, more cable clutter...

After years of tinkering with audio systems of varying levels of complexity I can absolutely see the appeal of an all-in-one, easy to use approach of WiiM Amp.

 

[Inertiaman]

After years of tinkering with audio systems of varying levels of complexity I can absolutely see the appeal of an all-in-one, easy to use approach of WiiM Amp.

Exactly. It stuns me that some folks dismiss this product as a "gimmick" or a "toy" or "disposable lifestyle garbage", all of which I've seen in reviews and comments. Yes, this amplifier doesn't perform at SOTA audiophile levels. I think that's a fair reason for some folks to pass on it for their particular system/use/taste. But its hardly a justification to dismiss it as "poor". The amplifier objectively outperforms a long list of products that have less functionality and/or cost much more. It can deliver SPL well above my typical listening levels through all the speakers I've tried, without so much as a hint of audible (to me) distortion. That's more than I can say about many amps I've owned.

But the amount of functionality and the relative ease of utilizing that functionality is what puts it over the top. Given the extreme versatility + performance approaching diminishing returns, the range of demographic that this amp can serve well is HUGE in my opinion.

Unless this thing proves unreliable in the longterm, its as good an audio product as I've ever seen.

 

[Stiffmeister]

What if I connect my tv via optical to this amp. Is it then possible to change volume through the remote of the tv?

 

[Inertiaman]

What if I connect my tv via optical to this amp. Is it then possible to change volume through the remote of the tv?

No. You need to connect via HDMI ARC if you want the TV remote to natively control the Amp volume.

 

[Matt_Holland]

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.

Really?
Could you share screen shots as this is not what I see in my app.
The sub high pass is independent from the PEQs. There is no high pass option in the PEWs, only peaking and high/low shelf.

 

[Matt_Holland]

Sorry this is off topic somewhat, but I wonder if the Wiim amp sets Wiim up to create a logical upgrade path for customers when you factor in the Wiim Ultra coming later this year and if Wiim decides to launch a power amp in the future to match the Ultra.

Such a power amp could still be TI chip based but max out the performance with load independence and a no compromise power supply design. The upgrade path could even continue if such an amp was bridgeable (and still able to drive 4ohm) for higher power output.

The Ultra will need a trigger out for sure.

 

[mikessi]

Why is anyone comparing this all-in-one amp to separates, high end or otherwise? It's a modern convenient budget product that can get ordinary folks into a pretty good quality of music playback at home. Even $1000 would be enough for a great simple streaming system that can connect seamlessly to your TV for better audio. I recommend it these days to any & all tight budget music-loving friends. Nothing competes with it anywhere near the price: Not old used gear & certainly not anything new.

 

[Funnyjelo]

That's the graphic EQ select PEQ mode ?

I haven't mucked around with this yet. But it's there.

 

[Mnyb]

I haven't mucked around with this yet. But it's there.

Yep 4 PEQ .

 

[Inertiaman]

Really?
Could you share screen shots as this is not what I see in my app.
The sub high pass is independent from the PEQs. There is no high pass option in the PEWs, only peaking and high/low shelf.

Sorry, I was half-correct and/or confusing in my language.

Making sub active does cause a default high pass on the mains, which cannot (currently) be turned off if sub-out is enabled.
One could augment/adjust that highpass with a low-shelf filter: negative dB if you want additional low filtering for the mains, positive dB if you want less filtering. (ie, a negative gain low shelf filter *is* a high pass filter).

I'll concede that creating the ideal low-shelf setting to perfectly cancel the highpass filter would be tedious. Much better if Wiim can add a highpass on/off selection as part of the subout settings page. It would be a trivial software effort. Given their responsiveness to similar functional requests (per source volume control for example) it certainly wouldn't surprise me if Wiim would happily add this if they see user requests in their forums.

 

[Mikig]

Why anyone is comparing this all-in-one amp to separates, high end or otherwise? It's a modern convenient budget product that can get ordinary folks into a pretty good quality of music playback at home. Even $1000 would be enough for a great simple streaming system that can connect seamlessly to your TV for better audio. I recommend it these days to any & all tight budget music-loving friends. Nothing competes with it anywhere near the price: Not old used gear & certainly not anything new.

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.

 

[lordhumungous]

The college student spending $668 on a stereo is someone I would have liked to be friends with in school.

Fortunately my college roomate's father owned a stereo shop and we had new equipment every couple of months at zero cost!

 

[morillon]

as a reminder.. the pec was announced in 10 bands (4 for mini) for January 2023 we have been talking about it since fall 22 (see June) and arrived in fall 2023 on mini and the pro in 4 bands (1*)

 

[neRok]

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.

Can you set a delay or phase shift anywhere?

 

[markalot63]

Thanks for the review. I voted great because I own one and am very happy with how it works for my small room. My old AB amplifier heated the room up so much I could not enjoy the music, and this one sounds just fine. I don't think it's fair to judge this product for anything more than it is, convenience and competence in a small package for a decent price. As a 60 year old just getting back into "hifi" I think this product is a miracle compared to legacy gear.

If only it had VU meters.

 

[harkpabst]

Significant load-dependence due to lack of PFFB (high output impedance / low damping factor)

Slight correction: insignificant load dependency.

If i read the other treads correctly you migth need good quality output coils for good PFFB implementation .

No, it's the other way around. With PFFB you could either improve performance with good quality coils or get away with lesser quality coils, reaching similar levels of performance.

Hence the solution is known and documented why not use it ?

Implementing PFFB means losing gain, which you might have to compensate for with an additional gain stage, introducing further imperfections. It's not as easy as just spending some additional cents on parts and PCB real estate.

What's that? A third-order Linkwitz–Riley crossover??

No, it's very obviously LR4.

But many cheap chip amps behave nicely. For example this one-->

This is one distinct amplifier module, not "many cheap chip amps". How many TPA3255 bases amplifier designs can you name implementing PFFB? The TI white paper dates back from September 2017. How many companies did pick up the concept since then? There is a reason for that, or rather more than one. But well, other commenters had similar thought about this.

and significantly improve THD!

Unless the extra gain stage adds the same amount of THD again.

Can you set a delay or phase shift anywhere?

Nope, not yet at least (apart from the 180° polarity switch that each and every sub will provide, anyway).

Adding a delay setting of some sort would be great. Some are also asking for independent crossover frequencies for high and low pass, but I think that the delay setting would be much more useful in 99% of all real world use cases.

 

[amirm]

Amir, could you kindly share the PCB version of the original problematic amp? Or at least the approx. timeframe that you received it?

Looking in my inbox, the original sample was shipped on December 14th. The new sample on January 15th.

 

[Jeromeof]

Looking in my inbox, the original sample was shipped on December 14th. The new sample on January 15th.

There is an URL you can access on your network if the WiiM Amp is still on the network:

https://[IP_ADDRESS_OF_WIIMAMP]/httpapi.asp?command=getStatusEx


You get a JSON response with lots of information:

 

[Funnyjelo]

You sure you did not use Airplay with Roon?

I have an android. I have the Roon app and it just finds the source.

 

[Triliza]

I am very glad that the ASR crowd, Amir included, can appreciate what value low budget products like this one can offer. It's obvious that products like this are not the end game dream of anyone on the hobby out there, but they can be the foundation for a decent system for a lot of people that have to work around a low budget, for whatever reasons.

It shows that some care was given during the design of this products to maximize its functionality on the asking price, that alone is commendable.