WiiM Mini Streamer

[mediocrebutarrogant]

Hi,

I bought a WiiM Mini Streamer for 99EUR.
Connected by optical TOSLINK to an optical splitter. One output of the splitter goes into a Topping E30 DAC and then to a headphone amp. The other output of the splitter goes into an optical input of my AV receiver.

There has been a firmware update a few days ago with the new features:
- bitperfect TOSLINK output. So the sampling rate/depth is identical to the source. Up to 192kHz 24Bit
- switch for fixed volume, so no influence from the streamer (no DSP processing etc)

I am using it with Amazon Music and Spotify.
From my understanding the optical out should now send the original music signal to the DAC without having any influence on the music quality.

Is there any chance that a (very much) more expensive streamer can have any advantage in audio quality? Or only snakeoil?
Just speaking about digital out, not the DAC inside the streamer.

Cheers
Mario

I bought WiiM mini and sorry it’s not as good as hooking up your laptop over usb to a proper dac

 

[Merifon]

. Also over optical to e50 I can only get 24 bit 96 KHz and not 192 which e50 is capable of

Strange, with SMSL 100mkII I gone up to 192khz with Qobuz.
Now switched to Tidal hi-fi for some reasons and still not tested the new DO100 but 44.1.
I'll do some testing at holidays end

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

Strange, with SMSL 100mkII I gone up to 192khz with Qobuz.
Now switched to Tidal hi-fi for some reasons and still not tested the new DO100 but 44.1.
I'll do some testing at holidays end

Try playing the test tone for 192 24 from WiiM home app

 

[Merifon]

I bought WiiM mini and sorry it’s not as good as hooking up your laptop over usb to a proper dac

I have some doubts about the fact that a good dac with good clock management could be so different. However, everything can be, for example the fact that the connection fails to reach 192, may indicate that some problem exists.

 

[Merifon]

Try playing the test tone for 192 24 from WiiM home app

Do you have some local files at 192 to test? Someone on this thread already reported impossibility to reach 192, just one person if I remind well and unknown if the issue was on dac or on wiim.

 

[Atanasi]

Do you have some local files at 192 to test?

The app has an internal test sample when you set the quality at Audio Settings.
I had to try a couple of times to get the test sample to play, having Wiim Mini connected to RME ADI-2 DAC. First time there was no signal, but going back to the format selection view and trying again it worked. This issue did not depend on 192/24, it happened with every format.

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

Do you have some local files at 192 to test?

I haven’t tried yet but over usb e50 going to 384 etc on tidal but without Mqa rendering this unfortunately won’t match up till they allow e50 to do second unfold

 

[JimmyMac]

I haven’t tried yet but over usb e50 going to 384 etc on tidal but without Mqa rendering this unfortunately won’t match up till they allow e50 to do second unfold

I have no problem getting the full MQA unfold, using optical out to my Gustard X18 dac. I'm using Tidal Connect.

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

I am not saying it’s not good , WiiM is quite good and features are awesome but at this point sound quality can be described as ok at best for a tidal user

 

[Merifon]

The app has an internal test sample when you set the quality at Audio Settings. I had to try a couple of times to get the test sample to play, having Wiim Mini connected to RME ADI-2 DAC.

I don't remember any problem on set-up phase, anyway it should easy to find some song at 192 and do an effective tive "road test".
Maybe they have some quality check issue. For exemple the first wiim I get, had a broken toslink flap and even it worked, I preferred to do a return.

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

I have no problem getting the full MQA unfold, using optical out to my Gustard X18 dac. I'm using Tidal Connect.

How you doing it if they haven’t released Mqa pass through yet

 

[JimmyMac]

How you doing it if they haven’t released Mqa pass through yet

I believe it's always allowed pass through, as long as your DAC can accept MQA data through the optical. Not all MQA-capable dacs can do MQA through optical. I believe WIIM is working on an enhancement that will perform the first unfold (but not 100% sure on that). That would allow non-MQA dacs to at least get hi-res Tidal data through the optical out. Someone please correct me if any of this is wrong!

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

I believe it's always allowed pass through, as long as your DAC can accept MQA data through the optical. Not all MQA-capable dacs can do MQA through optical. I believe WIIM is working on an enhancement that will perform the first unfold (but not 100% sure on that). That would allow non-MQA dacs to at least get hi-res Tidal data through the optical out. Someone please correct me if any of this is wrong!

E50 can accept MQA for second unfold, with first unfold happening on tidal app but on optical tidal connect implementation on WiiM does not allow MQA streaming as of now , so really not sure how you are doing any of it

 

[JimmyMac]

E50 can accept MQA for second unfold, with first unfold happening on tidal app but on optical tidal connect implementation on WiiM does not allow MQA streaming as of now , so really not sure how you are doing any of it

Maybe the Topping E50 can't do Tidal MQA through the optical input? Gustard X18 definitely can, based on my experience so far. I guess there aren't that many MQA dacs that can do MQA through optical and coax inputs, like the X18.

Found this on the Wiim website Roadmap page:

"Updates to be
released by 8/31

New Features:

• Gapless playback for Amazon Music Ultra HD on WiiM Home App
• Release WiiM Home App for PC and macOS
• EQ to set 10-band audio EQ (Android)
• TIDAL Master MQA (Beta) "

For the 8/31 release, I'm not sure if that means the Mini will now do the full unfold, and send to analog outputs. Or, do the first unfold and send over optical.
But either way, I'm currently getting the full unfold on my X18 dac, through optical from the WiiM Mini.

J Mac

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

I don't remember any problem on set-up phase, anyway it should easy to find some song at 192 and do an effective tive "road test".
Maybe they have some quality check issue. For exemple the first wiim I get, had a broken toslink flap and even it worked, I preferred to do a return.

I did get it work with local file but not over tidal thanks for your suggestion!

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

For the 8/31 release, I'm not sure if that means the Mini will now do the full unfold, and send to analog outputs. Or, do the first unfold and send over optical.
But either way, I'm currently getting the full unfold on my X18 dac, through optical from the WiiM Mini.

J Mac

How are you streaming Tidal to WiiM, what you are saying isn't technically possible as per wiim's own documentation

 

[Smartplug]

I have no problem getting the full MQA unfold, using optical out to my Gustard X18 dac. I'm using Tidal Connect.

What version of firmware do you have?

 

[Music1969]

Compared to full MQA unfold on my topping e50 over usb using pass through Mqa ,to optical from WiiM mini is a downgrade at this point in time. till they support mqa pass through which still does not work. Also over optical to e50 I can only get 24 bit 96 KHz and not 192 which e50 is capable of ,so a bit underwhelming but ok for the convenience of tidal connect. In all ok but not as awesome as e50 over usb that’s not possible with WiiM over optical my 2cw but I might say equal to volumio usb with tidal connect on raspi4b

WiiM Mini does 'pass through' MQA already.

The problem isn't the WiiM Mini - it is as I described many pages back.

See here: #1,357

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

WiiM Mini does 'pass through' MQA already.

The problem isn't the WiiM Mini - it is as I described many pages back.

See here: #1,357

Ok but tidal app does first unfold even then on optical it doesn’t do second unfold and WiiM themselves have said no Mqa pass through yet on tidal connect so I am sure we are missing something here

 

[mediocrebutarrogant]

Ok but tidal app does first unfold even then on optical it doesn’t do second unfold and WiiM themselves have said no Mqa pass through yet on tidal connect so I am sure we are missing something here

WiiM Mini does 'pass through' MQA already.

The problem isn't the WiiM Mini - it is as I described many pages back.

See here: #1,357

Also on WiiM home tidal it does first unfold so they are not passing through for second unfold