WiiM Amp Ultra Streaming Amplifier Review

[TNT]

How do you all find the operation of the unit? Easy to use? Responsive?

//

 

[Bleib]

How do you all find the operation of the unit? Easy to use? Responsive?

//

Very easy, although the first setup takes a bit time, although it isn't exactly AVR setup time.
The remote could be a more responsive, it's the only thing I'm not quite happy about (other than lack of inputs)

 

[ADanalog]

Digital is Digital .. Interesting question

So , the observation I have is very weird :

1) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ ==> WiiM Ultra (as the streamer) , output to USB ==> DAC with Volume control ==> Power Amp
2) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ, using its own USB output ==> DAC with Volume control (not change in volume) ==> Power Amp

To balance the volume between the two - I need to increase the DAC Volume by 12db .

Now.. if "Digital is Digital" , somehow the two Digital outputs are not the same ?

(before you ask, yes - I set the "volume" on the WiiM to be fixed and 100%)


Anyone got an explanation ?

Thanks

 

[antcollinet]

Digital is Digital .. Interesting question

So , the observation I have is very weird :

1) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ ==> WiiM Ultra (as the streamer) , output to USB ==> DAC with Volume control ==> Power Amp
2) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ, using its own USB output ==> DAC with Volume control (not change in volume) ==> Power Amp

To balance the volume between the two - I need to increase the DAC Volume by 12db .

Now.. if "Digital is Digital" , somehow the two Digital outputs are not the same ?

(before you ask, yes - I set the "volume" on the WiiM to be fixed and 100%)


Anyone got an explanation ?

Thanks

How are you connecting tablet to Wiim in the first case.


Regardless the wiim is doing something to change the volume - or the tablet volume control is behaving differently in the two instances.

Have you checked:
Volume limit settings in wiim (not volume - volume limit)
Have you checked tablet volume setting is set to max in the two setups (it might change without you touching it)


Digitial is digital - but digital devices tend to have lots of behaviours, hidden settings, drivers etc that can influence volume.

 

[somebodyelse]

Digital is Digital .. Interesting question

It's a generalisation, and as usual used without any of the qualifiers that narrow down the situation where they're applicable. The qualifiers for a digital interconnect would include:

1. manufacturer didn't screw up the implementation
2. same signal processing applied everywhere
3. within the limits of the interconnect, such as:
   • (UAC2 over high speed USB can handle higher sample rates and bit depths than S/PDIF or Toslink)
   • cable is within spec

1) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ ==> WiiM Ultra (as the streamer) , output to USB ==> DAC with Volume control ==> Power Amp
2) Apple Tablet : Streaming QUBOZ, using its own USB output ==> DAC with Volume control (not change in volume) ==> Power Amp

To balance the volume between the two - I need to increase the DAC Volume by 12db .

Now.. if "Digital is Digital" , somehow the two Digital outputs are not the same ?

(before you ask, yes - I set the "volume" on the WiiM to be fixed and 100%)


Anyone got an explanation ?

I'd go with 2 - the processing is different. Whether that's in the WiiM or the tablet would take more investigation. Both the WiiM's per-input volume setting and the tablet's streaming path are possibilities for the volume. The WiiM also has other per-input settings to be careful with when comparing.

 

[ADanalog]

Hi Somebodyelse & Antcollinet

​

I will go again over all the settings to see if I did not leave any configuration that I missed .
Will update later - thanks

Thanks

 

[john61ct]

"Digital is digital" has no useful meaning.

Plenty of functionalities are implemented poorly in all kinds of gear.

It's only when implementations striving for accurate transparent fidelity achieve that past the point of human audibility

that devices should start "sounding the same"

ironically, precise level matching is what is required prior to starting testing for that

 

[ADanalog]

Hi

was able to run the test :
On the WiiM: all preamp disabled / All Equalizer = Disabled / Volumed limitation (fixed) when non fixed (MAX = 100%)

" How are you connecting tablet to Wiim in the first case." => WiiM is connected to the ethernet, pulling the song from Quboz Streaming App (Qobuz Connect) , or when testing the Spotify - from Spotify .

IPAD: streaming out - on USB output (USBc to USB adapter in place)

Connection between the Wiim to the DAC , and IPAD to the DAC ==> The same Cable physical cable.

I can confirm - Volume difference is there, and the same level as reported before .

If Digital is [not the same], are we not in the category of "Not All Streamers sounds the same ?", and I am left to wonder if more is not lost on the way on the signal processing side of the digital information .

This could be an interesting test for any streamer review.

Thanks

 

[Ruediger]

I would test that with a local file whos volume and replaygain info is actually under control.

 

[RandomEar]

Replay Gain on iOS device

Is replay gain supported when playing music from an iOS device music library?

forum.wiimhome.com

 

[ADanalog]

Hi ,
Not sure how this is going to play out: at best it will prove that the Quboz App implementation on the Wiim is different from the Appl IOS.

I know that a lot of people are using Roon , but with service like Qobuz / Tidal / or these days Spotify - all lossless, "identical to the source" , should have been a no brainer.

 

[antcollinet]

Hi

was able to run the test :
On the WiiM: all preamp disabled / All Equalizer = Disabled / Volumed limitation (fixed) when non fixed (MAX = 100%)

" How are you connecting tablet to Wiim in the first case." => WiiM is connected to the ethernet, pulling the song from Quboz Streaming App (Qobuz Connect) , or when testing the Spotify - from Spotify .

IPAD: streaming out - on USB output (USBc to USB adapter in place)

Connection between the Wiim to the DAC , and IPAD to the DAC ==> The same Cable physical cable.

I can confirm - Volume difference is there, and the same level as reported before .

If Digital is [not the same], are we not in the category of "Not All Streamers sounds the same ?", and I am left to wonder if more is not lost on the way on the signal processing side of the digital information .

This could be an interesting test for any streamer review.

Thanks

So now you likely have differences between the apps on the Wiim and the Tablet. Just another area of complexity to manage.

But things are really simple. If you are experiencing a volume difference, it is because something - somewhere is changing the volume between the file and the DAC (or the different playback systems are actually serving different files.)

There is nothing magical or weird going on.

 

[ADanalog]

I totally agree .. There is no magic in signal processing.

ASR was a major fore in changing how DAC / Amps / Preamp perceived, analyzed and evaluated (at least by many of the forum member, me included), and I face a lack of toolset (at least for now), how to judge streaming / room -correction, while it is all staying in the DSP side of things.

Just something to think about