WiiM Amp Ultra Streaming Amplifier

[daniboun]

USB audio input with a usb-A? What cable do you use for that? Or is it for memory sticks?

I quote :
"The USB-A port allows playback of music files stored on a USB flash drive or external hard drive. This USB port can also be used as an output for connecting an external DAC."

 

[trevor_bartram]

Hopefully Wiim will add a good FM tuner & headphone socket in the future & make this into a NAD/Denon/Marantz killer.

 

[respice finem]

Nice, but why no headphone amp?

 

[Limopard]

If only it had a headphone out - it would be perfect.

 

[GWolfman]

First of all YES! But I have a Wiim Ultra streamer. And the room correction only corrects overall tonality and even that isn't always good. I highly recommend people to get a supported measurement microphone and use REW to develop the EQ. First correct all the room modes, overwrite a Wiim Room Correction with those values and then correct the overall tonality and set that as an EQ. This allows you to set different target responses as EQ's and the room modes will be corrected no matter what.
I should someday make a full write-up of how I did my room correction because I'm really happy with it and I think everyone deserves the result that I'm getting.

Let me know when you do. I’d be interested.

 

[Power Pop 23]

I believe the USB-A jack on the back panel of the WiiM Ultra Amp can be set in the WiiM Home app to be a source for a DAC/Headphone amplifier.

 

[GGroch]

Hopefully Wiim will add a good FM tuner & headphone socket in the future & make this into a NAD/Denon/Marantz killer.

Considering the recent sale of the Denon/Marantz brands for 1/3 of what they sold for in 2022, and that NAD's hottest products seem to parrot the WiiM, it appears traditional components are doing a fine job dying with out assistance.

My WiiM Ultra Streamer has a HP jack and I have used it on a few occasion. Half the time its to plug in a more better Bluetooth transmitter than that inside the Ultra.

 

[BillG]

Makes sense.
Another approach is to obtain, as you say, a microphone with a calibration file and perform a Room Fit correction up to about 350Hz and apply the Spinorama PEQ (if available) related to your speaker by combining it with the Room fit correction previously performed.

That is the method I used, with the settings attached, after some well-planned speaker positioning.

Just an FYI: Room Correction and the independent EQs are summed on the Amp Ultra. If it helps to visualize it, think of them as stacked, with RC applied first, then the independent. With the independent in this instance being the Spin corrected EQ that I manually entered.

Regarding the Multiple Measurements (Beta) option that is enabled, I made 8 individual corrections prior to testing it. The former essentially matched the latter, so it obviously didn't degrade the performance of the sweeps.

 

[Petrushka]

I did the room fix a months or so ago, and over time have removed all corrections except for the one at 62 Hz.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Nice. Hopefully they make AVRs in the future

Parent company of WiiM is LinkPlay Technologies, of which AVRs are not a specialty. Rather, they are an OEM/ODM of streaming platforms. So, I doubt it.

 

[Billy Budapest]

they will likely not. AVR is a niche market for new player, especially with complexity of licensing

Right. If LinkPlay doesn’t have the licensing framework in place for the multitude of audio, video, and surround codecs needed for an AVR, I doubt they will go down this costly road to branch out into a very competitive arena that is outside their wheelhouse.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

A 100 db SINAD, DAC, Streamer, 100 wpc amp, sub out, room correction, and Apple design aesthetics, all for $529! A pretty amazing value. Pair this with any quality bookshelf from Ascend, ASCI, KEF, or Revel and Wiim's Sub Pro, and you'll have something nearly full range for $2500-3000 most audiophiles could have only dreamed of as recently as two years ago. And it will look good in your living room. If I were starting over, I would have to give very serious consideration to building my system around this unit, it's that impressive.

Great review, Amir.

 

[morillon]

A 100 db SINAD, DAC, Streamer, 100 wpc amp, sub out, room correction, and Apple design aesthetics, all for $529! A pretty amazing value. Pair this with any quality bookshelf from Ascend, ASCI, KEF, or Revel and Wiim's Sub Pro, and you'll have something nearly full range for $2500-3000 most audiophiles could have only dreamed of as recently as two years ago. And it will look good in your living room. If I were starting over, I would have to give very serious consideration to building my system around this unit, it's that impressive.

Great review, Amir.

The Ultra, more complete, and with amplification solutions other than those offered by Wiim "tp3255", also remains an interesting option.

 

[Mort]

I want one and I don't need it.

 

[delta76]

I want one and I don't need it.

Repeat after me, I don't want a new amp, I don't want a new amp
Or a streamer if that works for you.

Amazon will quite often have WiiM at 20% discount so if you need (but not urgently) one be patient

 

[delta76]

Right. If LinkPlay doesn’t have the licensing framework in place for the multitude of audio, video, and surround codecs needed for an AVR, I doubt they will go down this costly road to branch out into a very competitive arena that is outside their wheelhouse.

Yeah I would hope them to focus on their core competency. Only enter AVR market if they are confident it will not bankrupt themselves. R&D cost for AVR is very significant and the market is pretty much saturated.
I would love to see a 9.2 channel avr from them with very good sinad at around $1200-$1500, but that is wishful thinking

 

[M.C. Logan]

Good for what it is, will never float my boat as it lacks enough analogue inputs, has a spurious HDMI ARC, and no pre-outs with which to bi-amp. Also got to worry about integrating streaming, what's the longevity likely to be?, rather have a dedicated streamer that can be swapped out if there are streaming platform changes which the vendor doesn't keep up with, e.g. "connect" services, Roon and alternatives etc.. I'll stick with separates.

 

[amarsicola]

@amirm this price/performance ratio for an all-in-one system deserves a video

 

[techguypaul]

I still don’t understand the why Wiim doesn’t included a USB PC input on any of their products. Would make for a killer desktop solution. Yes I know you could get a USB to digital adapter but it’s not as seamless and doesn’t support all formats. Further whats the use case for a USB output on a unit with a competent DAC, pre-amp and amplifier?

 

[mdunjic]

Looks like this is the only flaw @amirm spotted - can anyone owning this device comment on it?
I'm owning two WiiM streamers and founds the app to be working fine.

For me app works fine, but occasionally it loses the previously added device. I just disconnect ipad or iphone from wifi and reconnect after 10sec … then no problem