WiiM Pro Streamer Review

[Nopiano]

Internal DAC IC
TI Burr-Brown PCM5121
AKM4493SEQ

Post #2 seems to show two different DAC chips. Which is present in the tested device, or have I misunderstood the quoted spec?

Edit: I think the TI is in the Pro, but the Plus enjoys the AKM. Correct?

 

[RickS]

Ugh, what a sad blemish on an otherwise great value...

I did not need the Pro Plus but since I needed balanced outs, am using a DAC anyway. Thanks Amir!

 

[dguillor]

I think, the distortion from the dac is inaudible for majority of audio enthusiasts and is acceptable given the device’s price and feature set. Also the distortion is second order dominated, that second order spike will be very likely masked by the fundamental. I rated it with "Fine."

And, because the second order distortion is masked by the fundamental, it isn’t audible until about 1%!

 

[amper42]

Can Moode interface with the big streaming services, i.e. Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon Music (leaving out Spotify and Tidal on purpose)?

1. I use Qobuz via Audirvana on MacBook Pro and it plays through Moode/RPI DLNA interface. Development is also underway to support Qobuz Connect. Not sure when that will launch. But I really don't need it.

2. I tried Amazon via DLNA, but to my ears the music wasn't as good as Qobuz and navigation was significantly worse.

3. Spotify - moOde includes a Spotify Connect renderer, so your RPi shows up as a playback device in the official Spotify apps on phone/PC, and audio is streamed directly to the Pi.

4. Deezer - Deezer itself does not ship an official Raspberry Pi app, but there is a headless Deezer Connect client called pleezer that is integrated into moOde. In moOde you can enable pleezer, link your Deezer account, and then control playback from the Deezer app or web client, with the Pi acting like a Deezer Connect target.

From a "Regular Usage Standpoint", with moOde, I discovered I really like buying my favorite music and installing it on the attached Samsung Fit Plus. It puts all my favorite music in ONE spot and can be used without a streaming service. It even supports Hi Resolution audio up to 352kHz direct to the DAC via USB. Sounds fantastic and offers a great library interface. I now only use streaming to find new music or if I'm out on walks.

 

[HalSF]

It’s aggressively priced and “exemplary” in feature set and software implementation but its entirely adequate distortion performance earns it a “not recommended”? Can’t say that makes much sense to me.

I’d also add that a new ASR review for a product announced in November 2022 and that’s been around for three years should prominently mention how long it’s been on the market. There are 2,868 reviews of this product on Amazon U.S.!

A catch-up review like this is perfectly valid, but people shouldn’t be left to figure out its vintage on their own. In terms of the rapid roll of WiiM products this is practically ancient history.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Apparently it does have PEQ and a rich feature set. Unfortunately the ADC part is inexcusable. So basically a way to get a transparent LPCM signal from your phone, pc, tablet to your DAC. Guess you have to pay Ultra bucks to get Ultra performance.

Thank you for the review, Amir.

 

[DearSX]

I have the ultra and the Pro, thank you for this data. Selling my pro, don't even use it anymore with the Ultra.

 

[kyuu]

Anyone else having a Mandela effect moment?????????

I had to go back and look, as I thought I had seen this review before, but that was for the Pro Plus. I never realized Amir hadn't reviewed the "regular" Pro.

The Wiim firmware is constantly in FLUX and I was never able to get it to work consistently with standard DLNA connections.

Weird, I've never had any issues using UPnP/DLNA with my Wiim Amp. And of course you don't have to use the Wiim app, it's a standard UPNP renderer. You can use whatever UPNP software you want on your controller device.

 

[amper42]

Weird, I've never had any issues using UPnP/DLNA with my Wiim Amp. And of course you don't have to use the Wiim app, it's a standard UPNP renderer. You can use whatever UPNP software you want on your controller device.

I wish that were true. Audirvana consistently fails to work with Wiim firmware on the mini. It will start playing but stall when trying to move forward randomly in the track list. It stalls so much that after trying to get it to work properly for months I finally gave up and went to Moode which never had an issue. I need reliable DLNA. I never had it with Wiim unless I stayed with the Wiim app.

 

[mags65]

Wiim Pro is an unbeatable product. It’s the best and cheapest turnkey Roon-endpoint for digital out into your system. Absolutely no competition in this usecase.

 

[SuicideSquid]

The only way to use this is as bit perfect streamer to another DAC. I think of it as a better looking mini with a coax out for an extra $50.

Why?

The performance isn't state-of-the-art and falls down a bit by measured distortion, but that distortion almost certainly won't be audible, it's below -90dB. Using it with an external SOTA DAC would be purely for on-paper performance and I'd bet $1,000 that in a blind level-matched test you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the WiiM and the top-of-the-line Topping DAC.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

I think of it as a better looking mini

The Pro has individual PEQ for L/R. My Mini's don't seem to have that. My main system speaker locations are asymmetrical.

Also, the Pro allows both Room-EQ along with the std EQ slots to be active at the same time (eg house-curve). Again, my Mini's don't seem to have that functionality.

Presumably both of these omissions are due to not enough processing power on the Mini.

The Pro can often be found on sale for $99.

 

[Mojo Warrior]

Why?

The performance isn't state-of-the-art and falls down a bit by measured distortion, but that distortion almost certainly won't be audible, it's below -90dB. Using it with an external SOTA DAC would be purely for on-paper performance and I'd bet $1,000 that in a blind level-matched test you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the WiiM and the top-of-the-line Topping DAC.

While not SOTA it is certainly acceptable mid fi performance and fills that niche nicely. Not everyone has a SOTA system in their home.

 

[Subob]

I picked one of these up secondhand on Ebay a while back. It's perfect for my use case, which is primarily to play Deezer gapless, since Yamaha Musicast does not support gapless with Deezer. I get a better choice of Internet radio with the Wiim than I do with Musicast, too.

The Wiim Pro is connected to ethernet, then connected via coaxial to the Yamaha. Works for me.

 

[audioje]

Momentarily thought Wiim released their second iteration of Pro. Thanks for confirming Pro Plus is a way to go for those who use it as a streamer + dac.

 

[VintageFlanker]

@VintageFlanker reviewed it a while back here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../wiim-pro-review-measurements-streamer.42300/
Seems both of you agree on measurements (instruments do!), but not on recommendation

It was ≈ 3 years ago, and the Pro Plus wasn't a thing back then.

 

[HalSF]

While not SOTA it is certainly acceptable mid fi performance and fills that niche nicely. Not everyone has a SOTA system in their home.

Quick question about terminology: What is “mid-fi,” a parlance that I’ve seen crop up occasionally?

Most of the time it seems to be a gentle pejorative, or a characterization of flawed mediocre performance with overtones of pity. Something “acceptable” if you have low standards

 

[PJR918BMW]

What is out there to replace Chromecast Audio for bit-perfect WiFi? I’m running four of them (bought on EBay for $25-$50 each a few years ago) to handle a whole-house four x 2-channel system.

Nothing!

 

[Robbo99999]

Seems like a really useful device considering all it's connectivity options and ease of use (when I looked into it), and the measurements are OK really. I like the price, and I considered buying it just now to tidy up my living room rather than using a laptop for streaming, but I need the laptop there anyway to configure the miniDSP 4x4 when I switch profiles, so there's no point in me getting this when I can use my laptop for streaming. I think it's a great bit of kit for the price though!

 

[PJR918BMW]

I wish that were true. Audirvana consistently fails to work with Wiim firmware on the mini. It will start playing but stall when trying to move forward randomly in the track list. It stalls so much that after trying to get it to work properly for months I finally gave up and went to Moode which never had an issue. I need reliable DLNA. I never had it with Wiim unless I stayed with the Wiim app.

Think message disappeared?
Anyway... I have used wiim pro and a pro plus as dedicated dlna devices using a variety of software. Not once did they put a foot wrong. Not once..