WiiM Mini Review (Streamer)

[gwing]

I've repeated this before but in my case it doesn't work. If I set limit to 75% it goes just as loud as when the limit it set to 99% or disabled alltogether. I mean the actual percieved volume, not just the numbers or slider in the app. I believe it has something to do with the phone somehow forcing AVC (absolute volume control) it is an ~8yo Huawei.

But thanks for your reply!

Distinguishing between 75% and 100% undistorted output volumes may not be that distinguishable, it is after all only a 33% drop in volume and you would only experience that at absolute max 100% signal which would be rare. If your music source was only at 80% signal in the first place you would never hear that 75% limit being applied. Perhaps you could reduce the limit to say 5% and then play something approaching a 0db source, that should clear up pretty quickly whether it is doing anything or not.

 

[staticV3]

Distinguishing between 75% and 100% undistorted output volumes may not be that distinguishable, it is after all only a 33% drop in volume and you would only experience that at absolute max 100% signal which would be rare. If your music source was only at 80% signal in the first place you would never hear that 75% limit being applied. Perhaps you could reduce the limit to say 5% and then play something approaching a 0db source, that should clear up pretty quickly whether it is doing anything or not.

Setting the volume limit to 75% will reduce volume by 8dB completely regardless of the amplitude of the signal that's being streamed to the WiiM.

 

[gwing]

Setting the volume limit to 75% will reduce volume by 8dB completely regardless of the amplitude of the signal that's being streamed to the WiiM.

Bit of a misname then, perhaps should be 'volume reduction' rather than 'volume limit' then.

How do you get 8db? I was reading a 75% volume limit would set the limit at 75% of max which would be down just 1.25 db by my calculations. Now if it reduced by 75% down to just 25% that would I think come to a 6db reduction but that would be a really strange interpretation of what 75% volume limit means.

 

[staticV3]

How do you get 8db?

By measuring:

Guide for Managing Volume and Headroom on the WiiM Mini (Measurements)

This is a small excursion into volume and EQ headroom on the WiiM Mini (and by extension, likely other WiiM products). WiiM Mini Firmware: 4.6.805929 WiiM Home Version: 3.5.1 For all tests, I used a -1dBFS Measurement Sweep, exported from REW and played back directly via the WiiM Home App...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Bit of a misname then, perhaps should be 'volume reduction' rather than 'volume limit' then.

THe WiiM has its own internal volume control independent of any streaming settings. It can only be controlled by the WiiM Remote/WiiM Home App/WiiM hardware controls.

The Volume Limit function sets a limit of how high this internal volume can go.

Setting this to 75% means the WiiM's output can never go above -8dBFS via Toslink, or 0.8Vrms via Aux, no matter how you're streaming or what volume you set elsewhere.

I think Volume Limit is an apt description.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Now I got it working, thanks for help everyone!

I had to reboot the Mini twice and in between of those reboots, I rebooted the old phone I use to control the Wiim. Now the max vol % stays where I put it and the whole volume scale is remapped so that max vol is in fact 75% and there`s no more danger of signal clipping.

 

[jareinertson]

Now I got it working, thanks for help everyone!

I had to reboot the Mini twice and in between of those reboots, I rebooted the old phone I use to control the Wiim. Now the max vol % stays where I put it and the whole volume scale is remapped so that max vol is in fact 75% and there`s no more danger of signal clipping.

Great news. Happy listening.

 

[Rewind]

Who can afford Roon these days?

 

[kyuu]

Who can afford Roon these days?

Not sure what brought this on, but a lot of people? I can afford it, I just don't find it to have value commensurate to its pricing.

 

[Rewind]

Not sure what brought this on, but a lot of people? I can afford it, I just don't find it to have value commensurate to its pricing.

«Personally I can't recommend the WiiM Mini due to lack of support for Roon player.» -AmirM in post #1

Times are tough. I can barely afford spotify, but it is still the most economic way. Having music on a server would require petabytes, so the server would be more expensive than the rent money to be allowed to use the Roon player.

 

[Power Pop 23]

«Personally I can't recommend the WiiM Mini due to lack of support for Roon player.» -AmirM in post #1

Times are tough. I can barely afford spotify, but it is still the most economic way. Having music on a server would require petabytes, so the server would be more expensive than the rent money to be allowed to use the Roon player.

It is my impression that many ASR members - who do not use Roon - recognize why Amir cannot personally recommend the WiiM Mini streamer - for the reason he outlined - and they are happily using the WiiM Mini streamer.

 

[Rewind]

«If you use the App and Toslink output, you basically have a transparent wireless link to your stereo. Connect it to your favorite DAC and your performance will only be limited by the rest of your system.» AmirM in post #1

This can’t be the entire truth. Wiim Mini will always be the master clock and has no way of improving the clock, other then hoping that the external dac is good at re-clocking the incoming signal.

The Wiim Ultra on the other hand, can output via USB and then the external DAC can be the master clock.

The biggest weakness of Wiim streamers, besides the crappy internal dac, is the crappy internal clock.

In the following youtube link the Cheapaudiophileman saw a big improvement using an external dac with the Wiim Ultra just by using a $60 DDC:

Not sure why he had to do that if he was using an external dac. Maybe he was too cheap with the dac. I better watch it again!

 

[antcollinet]

This can’t be the entire truth. Wiim Mini will always be the master clock and has no way of improving the clock, other then hoping that the external dac is good at re-clocking the incoming signal.

Doesn't matter. Modern dacs are easily capable of rejecting incoming clock jitter to well below audible levels. Clock jitter in home audio hasn't been anything to worry about for decades - if it ever was.

Amir's statement is 100% correct. The toslink output from a Wiim mini is way beyond 100% transparent. As shown by the measurements.

The biggest weakness of Wiim streamers, besides the crappy internal dac, is the crappy internal clock.

Do you have any objective evidence, showing audible effects to back this statement up?

Not sure why he had to do that if he was using an external dac.

He didn't. You'll note he carried out no measurements. Just the usual Cheap Audio Man sighted listening impressions delivering precisely zero evidence: Nothing of value at all.

 

[pablolie]

«If you use the App and Toslink output, you basically have a transparent wireless link to your stereo. Connect it to your favorite DAC and your performance will only be limited by the rest of your system.» AmirM in post #1

This can’t be the entire truth. Wiim Mini will always be the master clock and has no way of improving the clock, other then hoping that the external dac is good at re-clocking the incoming signal.

The Wiim Ultra on the other hand, can output via USB and then the external DAC can be the master clock.

The biggest weakness of Wiim streamers, besides the crappy internal dac, is the crappy internal clock.

In the following youtube link the Cheapaudiophileman saw a big improvement using an external dac with the Wiim Ultra just by using a $60 DDC:

Not sure why he had to do that if he was using an external dac. Maybe he was too cheap with the dac. I better watch it again!

Yet another silly audiophile myth with the clock. It's utterly nonsensical these days.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

Not sure what brought this on, but a lot of people? I can afford it, I just don't find it to have value commensurate to its pricing.

I gave it the two week trial. It has a fairly nice UI, but featurewise, for me, it offers nothing more than allmusic.com, which is $16/YEAR. The reviews and bios are from the same source, the recommendations are great, etc. I don't want or need Roon's mullti-room, which the WiiM devices can do just fine (but I also don't have any use for). The PEQ really belongs in the last part of the chain, the DAC, so that ALL sources can use it equally. My RME DAC handles this just fine. I have no need for playing local files, as Qobuz has virtually everything I listen to. My chrome plugin allows me to tell my WiiM Mini what to play directly from Qobuz in the allmusic.com UI, without even the need for Qobuz Connect.

 

[Limopard]

«If you use the App and Toslink output, you basically have a transparent wireless link to your stereo. Connect it to your favorite DAC and your performance will only be limited by the rest of your system.» AmirM in post #1

This can’t be the entire truth. Wiim Mini will always be the master clock and has no way of improving the clock, other then hoping that the external dac is good at re-clocking the incoming signal.

The Wiim Ultra on the other hand, can output via USB and then the external DAC can be the master clock.

The biggest weakness of Wiim streamers, besides the crappy internal dac, is the crappy internal clock.

In the following youtube link the Cheapaudiophileman saw a big improvement using an external dac with the Wiim Ultra just by using a $60 DDC:

Not sure why he had to do that if he was using an external dac. Maybe he was too cheap with the dac. I better watch it again!

Wiim Amp Ultra via USB out

-some faint clicks
-sometimes truncated track starts
-less comfortable, two independent volume controls
-when connection to the amp fails, loud blaring speakers and the wrath of the sleeping wife

Wiim mini via Toslink

-none of the above

I couldn't care less about any theoretical clock issues.