WiiM Amp Ultra Streaming Amplifier Review

[PristineSound]

Computers are also disposable products, even if you accept that it must be thrown in the trash as soon as support runs out for some reason.

I use windows PC. They have a 10 year support life. When that expires, I upgrade to the next version; in another 10 years, when that ends I upgrade to the next version. I can get 30 years. If the hardware can't support it, I just upgrade the PC and my DAC and Amp is in tact.

EDIT: I forgot to mention this. When windows 11 goes EOL, I can upgrade to Windows 12. Below is how much a Windows license cost, these all are legitimate license keys you can buy. Also, when new OS' are released, the manufacturer is very keen to make sure it can still support the older hardware. I have a Lenovo laptop that is over 10 years old in the house, I have Windows 11 installed on it and it is still running very strong for light duty work.

 

[PristineSound]

While I think that support period is fine, your broader point does make me hesitant to buy these all-in-ones (for the same reason I went with passive speakers over active). I can live with one component (the streamer) becoming a brick because a company goes out of business, or stops supporting the product: I’d hate to lose my whole setup because of that.

Mind you, I now have 4 WiiMs in the house so it’s going to hurt to a degree if they fold, anyway.

I own the Neumann 120 as my desktop system. When I brought it, I have already made the expectation of a 10 year support. I hope it lasts at least 20 given how expensive they are.

But for my main system and my secondary and home theater (if that ever happens) system, I too will never buy an active speaker for the reasons you provided.

 

[harkpabst]

... and my DAC and Amp is in tact.

See you again in 30 years, using the same separate DAC and amp you picked specifically because you could upgrade them individually.

 

[Mort]

I use windows PC. They have a 10 year support life. When that expires, I upgrade to the next version; in another 10 years, when that ends I upgrade to the next version. I can get 30 years. If the hardware can't support it, I just upgrade the PC and my DAC and Amp is in tact.

That sounds horrible. Pardon the pun.

 

[dominikz]

I agree with you completely, but to play devils advocate, on this forum we consistently critique objectively poor performance, that will fall orders of magnitude below audibility thresholds, and on devices (I.E dacs) that are always followed by devices with orders of magnitude worse performance (speaker drivers), for systems that in 99.99% of rooms and listening levels, will have all audible noise+distortion masked by the ambient room noise floor.

My question about Class D vs Class A/B THD vs. Freq was not about audibility, but more on bleeding edge technical performance.

Sure.

And given the option I'd choose an amp with lower high-frequency distortion, all else being equal. It may not sound any different in practice, but I'll always pick better engineering when I can.

But I probably wouldn't be willing to pay much extra for it, and I definitely wouldn't take a device with less high-frequency distortion if it meant any compromise in functionality or convenience.

As such, I don't know of any alternatives that do better at this price.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

…But I probably wouldn't be willing to pay much extra for it, and I definitely wouldn't take a device with less high-frequency distortion if it meant any compromise in functionality or convenience.

As such, I don't know of any alternatives that do better at this price.

Or reliability, too. There’s increasing numbers of reports of problems for B100 owners in that thread.

 

[Dougey_Jones]

Nice. Hopefully they make AVRs in the future

God, seriously.

Can we get a TPA based AVR with Dirac or even just a WiiM HT Pre/Pro to start?

 

[billou5767]

Nice. Hopefully they make AVRs in the future

The WiiM Amp Pro, WiiM Amp Ultra, and WiiM Ultra support Dolby Digital Audio

Setting Up a WiiM Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound System

TABLE OF CONTENTS Learn More about WiiM Dolby 5.1 Surround System 1. Front Left, Front Right, and Subwoofer 2. Center 3. Surround Left and Surround Right Device Requirements and Typical Configurations Before You Begin Steps to Set Up a...

faq.wiimhome.com

 

[billou5767]

I use windows PC. They have a 10 year support life. When that expires, I upgrade to the next version; in another 10 years, when that ends I upgrade to the next version. I can get 30 years. If the hardware can't support it, I just upgrade the PC and my DAC and Amp is in tact.

in 10 year you have 2 window , motherboard lifespan is 5/7 year

 

[PristineSound]

See you again in 30 years, using the same separate DAC and amp you picked specifically because you could upgrade them individually.

For the things that matter and I use often, I buy the higher end stuff, so that I am not wasting money upgrading later on. I didn't grow up having much, so when I do have nice stuff, I take very good care of them, hoping they can last me as long as possible.

And since I'm closing in to 50 years old, I don't have much desire to upgrade. The only thing audio I have the desire for left in me is a home theater system, but my current home is not a fit for one, so maybe one day when I do move, I will get a system.

So hopefully the only time you will see me upgrading again is when my equipment dies.

 

[Dougey_Jones]

The WiiM Amp Pro, WiiM Amp Ultra, and WiiM Ultra support Dolby Digital Audio

Setting Up a WiiM Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound System

TABLE OF CONTENTS Learn More about WiiM Dolby 5.1 Surround System 1. Front Left, Front Right, and Subwoofer 2. Center 3. Surround Left and Surround Right Device Requirements and Typical Configurations Before You Begin Steps to Set Up a...

faq.wiimhome.com

Cool, if they already have a licensing relationship with Dolby for DD, it couldn’t be that hard to pickup the rest of the licenses and get DTS while they’re at it.

Gimme an HT pre with balanced outs, Dirac and their great software and industrial design and I’ll be the first buyer.

 

[PristineSound]

in 10 year you have 2 window , motherboard lifespan is 5/7 year

For streaming only, it will be a lot longer than that, say 7-10 years per PC? And that is the point. because I have two Oppo BDP-105D, both are over 20 years old now, still running strong.

EDIT: Here is the Oppo BDP-105D in ultra rare silver. 20+ years old, in pristine condition and still functions like new and this is after Oppo closed their doors. With any luck maybe this bad boy can last another 10 years? That silver box on the bottom shelf is a mini, fanless PC, cost < $250 from Amazon, that is the only thing that will need an upgrade when the hardware can no longer support the software. Easily another 7-8 years, likely 15 years. The Yamaha is a pure analog integrated, so nothing will need an update, unless there is a new industry standard to replace the XLR connection?

 

[PristineSound]

That sounds horrible. Pardon the pun.

Because I am keeping something for 30 years? It would indeed be terrible if I was younger and I can't upgrade with something better. But for many of us "old folks," this is no longer the case.

 

[kyuu]

Because I am keeping something for 30 years?

The notion that you're going to be using the same PC for 30 years is... doubtful. You're not going to be able to keep upgrading Windows indefinitely, eventually the hardware will no longer be supported. Then there's the fact that Windows is not the only software you have to worry about: drivers, the BIOS, etc. will have long since stopped receiving updates. And of course it's unlikely the hardware itself will last that long.

And of you're arguing that you can just replace components as they lose support or fail, that's not any different than replacing something like the Wiim if it loses support or fails.

If you like your PC setup, that's fine. You don't have to justify your setup. Bit it certainly isn't inherently better than the Wiim in the way you're trying to argue.

 

[PristineSound]

The notion that you're going to be using the same PC for 30 years is... doubtful. You're not going to be able to keep upgrading Windows indefinitely, eventually the hardware will no longer be supported. Then there's the fact that Windows is not the only software you have to worry about: drivers, the BIOS, etc. will have long since stopped receiving updates. And of course it's unlikely the hardware itself will last that long.

And of you're arguing that you can just replace components as they lose support or fail, that's not any different than replacing something like the Wiim if it loses support or fails.

If you like your PC setup, that's fine. You don't have to justify your setup. Bit it certainly isn't inherently better than the Wiim in the way you're trying to argue.

I am referring to electronics that doesn't need software updates. That's precisely why I would use a PC that doesn't have the DAC and amp built in so when the PC itself can no longer support the software, you upgrade just the PC. Look at the vintage market, how old are those equipment? And I go back to my Oppo, 20+ years running.

Of course, nothing lasts forever, but with the possibility of lasting only 4 years like this Wiim is what I called disposable.

 

[dominikz]

Or reliability, too. There’s increasing numbers of reports of problems for B100 owners in that thread.

To be honest, for me the idea of separates is unappealing altogether.

Browsing audio forums you can find lots of reports from people strugling with noises due to sample rate changes with digital streaming transports and external DACs, issues with 12V triggers to standalone amps, loud noises when powercyling components, issues caused by suboptimal analog gainstaging, issues educating other household members how to operate the audio system, etc...

All-in-one systems are more convenient, and these days can perform extremely well (as we saw here). They definitely won't fit every imaginable use-case, that’s for sure. And there's a good chance they'll become obsolete after a while - as anything SW-driven. But at least it's only one device...

Just my opinion, of course!

 

[Mort]

but with the possibility of lasting only 4 years like this Wiim is what I called disposable.

But it doesn't become disposable the day software update stop. It could work for a decade after that.

This whole 'disposable' thing is a weird flex.

 

[harkpabst]

For the things that matter and I use often, I buy the higher end stuff, so that I am not wasting money upgrading later on. I didn't grow up having much, so when I do have nice stuff, I take very good care of them, hoping they can last me as long as possible.

And since I'm closing in to 50 years old, I don't have much desire to upgrade. The only thing audio I have the desire for left in me is a home theater system, but my current home is not a fit for one, so maybe one day when I do move, I will get a system.

So hopefully the only time you will see me upgrading again is when my equipment dies.

You're totally entitled to your approach and even to your personal opinion about buying separates instead of all-in-one devices.

I can offer to inform you right here as soon as any function of my WiiM Amp Ultra dies.

Assuming it's dying before I do.

 

[SoundMagic]

Not at all. This is not an EOL date. It's a legal requirement in some countries to provide such a list an WiiM are updating it from time to time. The date provided has just been updated from December 2026 to December 2029 some months ago. This means that even the <$100 Mini introduced in 2021 will receive software security updates for more than 8 years. Most probably the date will be pushed even further at a later point in time.

Too much faith. Hope this company is not another Sonos. They have already proven their commitment in dropping Airplay (where iPhone users are 30% of the world's share) in their later models and keeping some useless squeezelite (because it's open source and free).

 

[SoundMagic]

Cool, if they already have a licensing relationship with Dolby for DD, it couldn’t be that hard to pickup the rest of the licenses and get DTS while they’re at it.

Gimme an HT pre with balanced outs, Dirac and their great software and industrial design and I’ll be the first buyer.

Take a look at the JBL line of Class D AVRs. They were selling them dirt cheap this holiday.