Wiim Pro or Wiim Mini+Dac

[Philipp]

@T&T
Could we please not blow up this thread by discussing your precious cable AGAIN?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ble-for-that-matter.36546/page-3#post-1415054

 

[Philipp]

Dear @T&T

Could you please stop now, it is totally off topic.

There is alway another funny, bitter, sarcastic, … comment to come up with, but such thing always kills the thread for sure.

You could open your own thread, where you could present your expertise about those cables.
Perhaps other members want happily comment on the topic.

Could that be a solution for you?

 

[VintageFlanker]

for years I thought that cables don't make a difference.

Such a typical cablophile argument.
"I was skeptical, yet I heard night and day difference!". Did "your wife also heard the difference from the other room"?

Joke aside: you won't convince anyone here with such BS subjectivist write-ups. Seems pretty clear that you don't have a clue what ASR is all about. We are discussing facts, not fairy tales. Subjective impressions are also welcomed, assuming they're stated as such and not meant to be absolute, particularly when extraordinary & ridiculous claims are made (like saying that a glass toslink wire is sounding better, which is complete nonsense)...
Two choices you have is either learn or go to other places to discuss uncontrolled listening anecdotes with other cable believers.

Cheers.

 

[Astoneroad]

Such a typical cablophile argument.
"I was skeptical, yet I heard night and day difference!". Did "your wife also heard the difference from the other room"?

Joke aside: you won't convince anyone here with such BS subjectivist write-ups. Seems pretty clear that you don't have a clue what ASR is all about. We are discussing facts, not fairy tales. Subjective impressions are also welcomed, assuming they're stated as such and not meant to be absolute, particularly when extraordinary & ridiculous claims are made (like saying that a glass toslink wire is sounding better, which is complete nonsense)...
Two choices you have is either learn or go to other places to discuss uncontrolled listening anecdotes with other cable believers.

Cheers.

Your "Straight no Chaser" replies never cease to educate & entertain.

 

[Philipp]

Ignore-list it is!
Aaaaah, thread clean again, at least for me.
Maybe moderation cleans up for people who want to read ON TOPIC!

 

[BDWoody]

As long as you keep engaging this discussion I will stay and replay

No you won't. If that's all you've got, you're done in this thread.

 

[Klonatans]

I have a Wiim Mini streaming Qobuz and Tidal via SMSL DO100 DAC as the analogue output of Wiim Mini is garbage. The combination works just fine, the Legacy Player app with some reservations is basically ok, however if I needed a relatively low cost streaming solution now, I'd seriously consider the new Cambridge Audio MXN10. It's a bit more expensive than Wiim Mini and SMSL DO100 together, but I prefer the StreamMagic app, one of the best in the market. And there's a reportedly decent DAC inside the MXN10, so no extra device necessary.

 

[Jack Harrison]

I have a Wiim Mini streaming Qobuz and Tidal via SMSL DO100 DAC as the analogue output of Wiim Mini is garbage. The combination works just fine, the Legacy Player app with some reservations is basically ok, however if I needed a relatively low cost streaming solution now, I'd seriously consider the new Cambridge Audio MXN10. It's a bit more expensive than Wiim Mini and SMSL DO100 together, but I prefer the StreamMagic app, one of the best in the market. And there's a reportedly decent DAC inside the MXN10, so no extra device necessary.

There‘s a significant difference in price between the Wiim Mini plus a budget Topping or SMSL dac vs the MXN10 which costs around £450. It also seems less capable, with no analogue in and also it seems being unable to play Amazon UHD. Probably it would cost twice as much?
My Wiim Mini is outputting to an old Cambridge Audio DacMagic which I would be very happy to upgrade to a newer DAC if it would make an audible difference.
I’m not sure it’s fair to describe the analogue output of the Wiim Mini as garbage? It doesn’t measure at all well in comparison with one of the many good and cheap DACs Amir has measured but aren’t most of it’s faults well below the level of most people‘s hearing and pale into insignificance compared to what even the very best loudspeakers and rooms do to the actual sound of an actual system? Happy to be given the reasons why I’m wrong. I come on here to learn, lol.

 

[morillon]

there is a fundamental contradiction...
I also think that the audio part is really more than disappointing on the analog wiim .. the pro just cleaner and more balanced (and even below the old, and yet equally modest, chromecast audio)
but ok, to decide whether you hear it or not, etc.
wide debate...

but what's on..
it is that it becomes quite ridiculous to make references to hd , ultra hd , in the discussions concerning them on the ana outputs," the suitability of the dac at 192k etc", when you know that it does not even meet the specifications of 44k/16 in audio ouput.
for mp3 aac etc..ok ..coherent...
;-)

 

[Klonatans]

There‘s a significant difference in price between the Wiim Mini plus a budget Topping or SMSL dac vs the MXN10 which costs around £450. It also seems less capable, with no analogue in and also it seems being unable to play Amazon UHD. Probably it would cost twice as much?
My Wiim Mini is outputting to an old Cambridge Audio DacMagic which I would be very happy to upgrade to a newer DAC if it would make an audible difference.
I’m not sure it’s fair to describe the analogue output of the Wiim Mini as garbage? It doesn’t measure at all well in comparison with one of the many good and cheap DACs Amir has measured but aren’t most of it’s faults well below the level of most people‘s hearing and pale into insignificance compared to what even the very best loudspeakers and rooms do to the actual sound of an actual system? Happy to be given the reasons why I’m wrong. I come on here to learn, lol.

You are right about Amazon Music, it's not supported on Cambridge Audio streamers, my CXN2 can play from Tidal and Qobuz only. So the MXN10 is definitely a no-go for you. As to the higher price, Richer Sounds sometimes have ridiculously good offers well below RRP.

Before SMSL I used exactly the same Cambridge Audio DacMagic as you have. To be honest, I could not hear any improvement in sound quality after the upgrade, despite SMSL DO100 measuring significantly much better.

 

[lewisrassel]

We do not know your taste in sound, also not clear your comparisons with 'lots' of stuff. Showbox jiofi.local.html tplinklogin Bluesound Node was measured and evaluated on this forum.

 

[NwAvGuy]

Wow a Moderator would post some lame comment like that?

I spent hours testing and system matching. The WiiM mini is ok for $80 but does not compare to other streamers in sound quality - that is a fact.

I will not waste any more time on this as you likely will just delete the post anyway.

Thanks for being lame.

I agree there is some irony that a moderator is blatantly trolling you...it's a bad look for the forum. At Reddit the moderator account is separate from the personal account and that's a better look.
I don't believe that subjective impressions have been banned from this forum...they do of course trigger some objectivists....so some people will add a disclaimer in CAPS that their thread or comment is SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.

 

[Philipp]

I agree there is some irony that a moderator is blatantly trolling you...

I think that its a matter of personal taste. For my taste, it is good when moderation brings non-scientific debates to a quick end, its ASR, not „I bought over-priced equipment and that gives me expertise“, IBOPEATGME so to say.

 

[Jack Harrison]

I agree there is some irony that a moderator is blatantly trolling you...it's a bad look for the forum. At Reddit the moderator account is separate from the personal account and that's a better look.
I don't believe that subjective impressions have been banned from this forum...they do of course trigger some objectivists....so some people will add a disclaimer in CAPS that their thread or comment is SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.

To be honest I quite often come here to get a shot of fresh oxygenated air after stumbling into one of the countless hijacked threads on other forums which assert that a very expensive power lead, cat6, or optical cable, just for instance is going to resolve the problems when someone is seeking advice about their booming bass, muddy mids and shrill highs.

 

[Leonid Khachaturov]

I have compared the following two configurations:

Matrix X-SPDIF 2 via AES/EBU to Mark Levinson 360S
WiiM Mini via optical to the same DAC

The latter is noticeably worse sounding. I know I should probably compare apples to apples (use optical in both cases) but I haven't bothered yet.

Alright, I figured it out. I am now powering the Mini using a dedicated power supply rather than the laptop's USB port and it now sounds identical to the Matrix. The power supply I am using is a UGREEN Nexode 65W GaN Charger. This tweak was mentioned on a Russian forum I read once in a while and I thought I'd try it out because unlike other suggested tweaks (LPS! Glass Toslink!) this one was just 40 Euros and has other uses besides audiophile obsessiveness. And hey, it really works!

 

[morillon]

this overpowering ugreen (1A is enough for a mini) has been observed and compared with other transformers on the noise side?
;-)
(https://lygte-info.dk/info/ChargerIndex UK.html see in wiim community forum)

 

[nacdale]

So if I am using a Mini or the PRO as a wi-fi streamer in pass through to my AV Processor (AVM70-8k). There should be no measurable difference as my DAC is doing the work.

Does that sound right?

 

[NewbieAudiophileExpert]

So let me get this straight, the only advantage that the WiiM Pro has over the Mini is that it has an ethernet port, chromecast, and also a PEQ, where as the Mini only has a GEQ?

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Personally I would say it also depends on your amplifier as to how to match the dac and mini. For example I have the mini and rigged it up to my Denon PMA800NE directly via optical. The Denon has the Burr Brown PM5141 or at least I think so going on what is inside the PMA600NE but if anything it won’t be a lower chip than the BB PM5141. Now here’s the thing, the BB dac in the Denon, is imo, very good. A well rounded sound, full, detailed and balanced. The Mini has the BB PM5121 which could be one or two tiers lower than the Denon chip but they compliment each other during playback very well indeed and the Wiim Mini connected via QED optical directly into the Denon PMA800NE sounds excellent! No issues there at all.
Ok, now an exterior DAC, namely an Topping E50. I plugged the Mini into the Topping E50 and then analogue connection (RCA) to the PM800NE amp. The result was a mixed bag. I found the E50 less forgiving, slightly colder and or more hard in its delivery from the Mini through the Denon PM800NE, very revealing overall exposing shoddy recording which is great for critical listening but can be a little discomforting to the listener.
So I concluded at least for my setup that even the Topping E30 just might be a better budget choice (or the MK2 version) due to the AKM chipset which a more rounded sound than the ESS chipset used in the E50. Personally I would love the Topping E70v for this job but it’s way out of my budget but the AKM chipset will compliment the Mini very well. The iFi Zen v2 dac would also be a very good choice but lacks the optical input unless you buy the higher model which is over twice the price.
But yes, I believe any dac with AKM or Burr Brown chipsets would be better for the Wiim Mini, especially if you are using more detailed or brighter amplifier and want a more forgiving smoother sound. The ESS chipset might be a better choice for warmer amps like the Denon PMA600NE or something from Arcam etc but the balance for either should be an real point of consideration if you want to bring a degree of equilibrium to your over all sound

 

[kevinsullivan]

Hi. Can the Wiim Pro power a USB DAC, namely a Scarlett 4i4 via USB out from the Wiim?