Wiim announce WiiM Amp Ultra

[qirex]

It‘s interesting you say that. Compared to my TDAI 2170 it has noticably less power. That‘s on Dali Epicon 2 speakers.

Not surprising, the 1120 is 60WPC (8 ohms) vs. 170 watts from your 2170, and the Wiim sits in the middle at 100.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

Not surprising, the 1120 is 60WPC (8 ohms) vs. 170 watts from your 2170, and the Wiim sits in the middle at 100.

Not quite. The 2170 is rated at 170w into 4 ohms, while the WiiM is speced at 200w into 4 ohms. The Dalis are 4 ohm speakers with a very linear impedance curve. For me this just goes to show that numbers aren‘t everything.

 

[Eric Natural]

still waiting for this manufacturer to get a deal done w/Apple and firmware up airplay2 . . .

 

[Deleted member 89782]

still waiting for this manufacturer to get a deal done w/Apple and firmware up airplay2 . . .

What is this with Airplay? Why is it such a big deal? If you need to play directly from a mobile device one might just as well use Bluetooth. None of it is lossless anyway. If I want that I use wifi.

 

[kyuu]

What is this with Airplay? Why is it such a big deal? If you need to play directly from a mobile device one might just as well use Bluetooth. None of it is lossless anyway. If I want that I use wifi.

Dunno. Apple people seem really attached to it in a way that defies explanation from those outside that ecosystem, where there are plenty of other ways to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

Dunno. Apple people seem really attached to it in a way that defies explanation from those outside that ecosystem, where there are plenty of other ways to accomplish the same thing.

Airplay is just as obsolete as ALAC. Propriatary BS in my eyes.

PS: I use iPhones and iPads.

 

[BillG]

There has been some confusion and disappointment around the Net about the perceived power output of the Amp Ultra due to the (pre)-gain levels being overlooked. For example, I diagnosed it the other day with someone who'd actually returned theirs and is now going to purchase another.

When I first powered mine up, I found it to be quieter than another streaming integrated amplifier that I own; then I remembered to check the pre-gain levels and felt a bit silly about overlooking them.

 

[kyuu]

Yep. HDMI in particular can have a lower signal level than people expect and needs additional gain.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

There has been some confusion and disappointment around the Net about the perceived power output of the Amp Ultra due to the (pre)-gain levels being overlooked. For example, I diagnosed it the other day with someone who'd actually returned theirs and is now going to purchase another.

When I first powered mine up, I found it to be quieter than another streaming integrated amplifier that I own; then I remembered to check the pre-gain levels and felt a bit silly about overlooking them.

Mine are all at 0db, just as with the Lyngdorf which offers up to +20db. So what‘s the moral?

 

[BillG]

So what‘s the moral?

What kind of question is that?! Haha! If gain doesn't mean anything to you, we'll just leave it at that.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

What kind of question is that?! Haha! If gain doesn't mean anything to you, we'll just leave it at that.

All you showed us ie your gain settings. And they‘re even in the + range. Of course you can raise the volume that way, but so can any other device like a Lyngdorf. Ceteris paribus the WiiM IS more quite than a TDAI 2170 despite its higher power rating.

 

[qirex]

Not quite. The 2170 is rated at 170w into 4 ohms, while the WiiM is speced at 200w into 4 ohms. The Dalis are 4 ohm speakers with a very linear impedance curve. For me this just goes to show that numbers aren‘t everything.

I'm not sure why you're so hung up on an amp that's like 15% the price of one you're replacing not being powerful enough. Watts aren't watts and I don't know enough about their architecture to know how that scales to 8 ohms. I'd expect a four thousand dollar/euro integrated to be more powerful than one that's so much smaller and cheaper.

Dunno. Apple people seem really attached to it in a way that defies explanation from those outside that ecosystem, where there are plenty of other ways to accomplish the same thing.

People like Airplay because it's convenient and if you have an Apple device you can just cast to and group with other Airplay stuff. The difference between very well encoded AAC and lossless isn't that important if one of your friends just wants to play a song from their phone. It definitely sounds better than Bluetooth, since on Apple devices they both use AAC and the Airplay version is higher bitrate. Also, smart speakers and amps have been around long enough that someone getting a Wiim amp probably has other devices in their home already, and compatibility with existing gear is a selling point. I'm never buying any non-Roon-Ready gear again. I decided it wasn't a make or break thing for the Amp Ultra since I have an Apple TV connected to it, it would just be a nice to have and the fact that some Wiim products support it and some don't is confusing. I'd definitely lean towards blaming Apple, and I'd guess it's some trusted computing/DRM thing, that and/or they just want a crapload of license fees.

 

[BillG]

All you showed us ie your gain settings. And they‘re even in the + range. Of course you can raise the volume that way, but so can any other device like a Lyngdorf. Ceteris paribus the WiiM IS more quite than a TDAI 2170 despite its higher power rating.

You've already admitted in a previous post that you don't understand all the tech stuff, and I have no interest in examining and comparing the gain sensitivities and structures of both amps.

If the information I posted is of no use to you, I suggest that you ignore it. I will also ignore your question as I have other, more useful things to do with my time...

 

[john61ct]

Likely Volts or Amps played more of a rôle than the combined power spec

 

[Tom22]

I am all Apple, even Roon Server runs on a Mac mini M1. However thanks to Roon I don‘t miss Airplay 2 at all. If lack of it reduces complexity and cost of the Amp Ultra, that‘s great! Same goes (at least in my use case) for the lack of headphone out and phono in.

So for me the Amp Ultra is an ideal package, because it is reduced where I personally don‘t need it, but offers for example RoomFit. As I mentioned, you can easily import the calibration file of the UMM-6 (and the like). Connected to an iPad mini running the Wiim app, you can obtain great and precise results. I never really got into REW, so RoomFit seems a comfortable alternative…

 

[WideEyedToad]

I just ordered one!

 

[qirex]

Has anyone seen this for sale in the US outside of Amazon? I feel like they're sending all their inventory there.

 

[kyuu]

Other Wiim products I can find elsewhere, but the Wiim Amp Ultra does seem to be largely impossible to find outside of Amazon asides from the occasional ebay listing.

 

[Deleted member 89782]

Has anyone seen this for sale in the US outside of Amazon? I feel like they're sending all their inventory there.

Freely available from regular dealers here in Germany.

 

[qirex]

Freely available from regular dealers here in Germany.

That makes sense, given that Germany is not part of the United States. I waited almost a month to order mine seeing if it would show up at Crutchfield, Best Buy, Gramophone or my local dealer but none of those places even bothered with a "coming soon" page on their sites so I held my nose and did it.