Wiim Mini DAC question

[kinski]

My setup isn't anything crazy fancy. But I enjoy it and looking to get a streaming set up that can be controlled by Alexa. The Wiim seems great.

I use a completely rebuilt & modified Dynaco ST-70 and Pas-2. And a pair of Klipsch RF-5's. I would mostly be streaming Spotify.

Would an external DAC actually be heard in my setup over the internal DAC?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

 

[voodooless]

It’s unlikely that you’ll hear the difference. Maybe with sensitive speakers you could hear a bit more noise, but maybe the tube amp is already noisy?

 

[kinski]

The tube amp and preamp are surprisingly quiet. I only really hear a slight hiss if I crank the volume control way higher than I would ever set it when listening.

 

[voodooless]

You could just try it out. A decent enough DAC will be another $100 or so. But you may also stretch your budget and get the WiiM Pro Plus. It should be audibly transparent enough as well, and you have it all in one box.

 

[kinski]

Thanks for your input! I think I'll try just using the internal DAC of the Miiw, and if I'm not happy with what I'm hearing, I can always get an external DAC, like the SMSL SU-1.