WiiM Pro Streamer Review

[AndyBell]

I added one of these to my home office system a week ago. As I already had a Topping DX3 Pro+, I connected the WiiM to it by toslink and it, of course, sounds great. The DX3 connects to my active speakers vai RCA and means I can listen using headphones, if I want. The WiiM is connected to my Ethernet.

I mainly got the WiiM so I could use its room correction, which I find really good. Probably not as good as doing it manually, but I'm happy with the sound I'm getting. I've linked it to Qobuz and to Amazon Alexa and it's amazingly convenient and quieter than using my PC as the music source, as its fan was quite noisy...

For the price, despite its shortcomings DAC-wise (which don't affect me) I think it's a great little device...

 

[somebodyelse]

Should we blame Wiim for the lack of Apple support? Isn't just Apple's very closed ecosystem? Wiim wanted to keep airplay as long as I know. Anyway, I am sure Apple has something similar to Wiim though I don't pay any attention to Apple products.

We don't know enough to know who to blame, and won't because neither side will talk about it. Even if we did know everything that happened we'd probably disagree about where the blame lies - see the arguments about antitrust prosecutions around app store restrictions where there are similar issues.

 

[ShadowFiend]

IMHO product valuation should not be in absolute terms but relative terms. A DAC or DAC/HeaphoneAmp with this level of distortion should be called out, since there are competition out there with the same features. And as an EE, it is not difficult to develop DAC with good performances these days. An good electronics engineer can do that in his modest personal labs with a very reasonable development cost. That is why there is a flood of DACs with stellar performances now.

But streamer is different category. You need a high quality team not only EE but also software engineers. More importantly, they need to have deep knowledge about streaming protocol, to develop and pass test to be certified. Not to mention a big capital to set up and pay for all those certified test. It can not be done by a Topping or a SMSL's kinds of company or any individual engineer. And the price for all those features is reasonable. Four years ago, even thousand of dollar cannot get me those kinds of features in a small package like this. And I doubt companies like Topping or SMSL can provide those features without buying the Linkplay's streaming module. And Linkplay is the company behind Wiim.

Another point is why this product exist when you can get a Pro Plus version for 50$ more. Because many customer just need the streaming features and/or have better DAC already. I have both Pro and Pro Plus. Pro Plus for my desktop as a streamer/DAC and Pro for my main system, where I already have better DAC than a Pro Plus version.

 

[ErVikingo]

I’ve been using the Pro in my secondary system for years, and while its internal DAC is fine, the real value of this device — at least in my experience — is as a pure transport. Paired with a good external DAC, it performs extremely well. The software is rock‑solid, updates are frequent, and it offers something I haven’t seen consistently in other streamers: native Amazon HD integration. For many of us, that alone is a differentiator.

On the topic of measurements, I’m fully aligned with @amirm: If a device has measurable flaws, they should be pointed out — regardless of price. That’s the whole point of objective testing.

What I find interesting is how the conversation often shifts depending on which device is being discussed. Sometimes the argument is: “Device X measures better, therefore it’s objectively superior, even if the differences are inaudible.” But when a popular device measures less impressively, suddenly the narrative becomes: “The flaws are inaudible, so it doesn’t matter.”

Both positions can’t be selectively true. If we’re going to use measurements as a standard, then we should apply that standard consistently.

The nuance that often gets lost is this: “At this price point…”, That qualifier changes everything. A $200 streamer with inperfect measurements? Understandable.
A $2,000 streamer with the same issues? Now it’s fair to ask questions.

Price‑to‑performance matters. Consistency in how we evaluate gear matters even more.

So yes — call out flaws. Celebrate great measurements. But let’s also acknowledge context, intended use, and value. The Pro may not top every chart, but as a transport with excellent software and rare native Amazon HD support, it delivers exactly what many of us actually need.

 

[somebodyelse]

For those that don't understand why some of us were talking about long term app support and the documentation of the API, see the thread about the end-of-life behaviour for the Bose SoundTouch products for an example of what can happen. In summary a lot of the functionality was set to disappear when Bose initially announced the end of support for a relatively expensive product line. After customer backlash they have improved the situation somewhat, partly by documenting the API to simplify 3rd party support, and partly by keeping a bit more of the functionality in the final version of the app.

 

[MJC310]

Pairing 2 of these in small footprint setup with an SMSL-SU1 in my kids rooms (bought these refurbished from their EBay store @ $99 before Plus & Ultra) and they have been great. The app and software is terrific. The streamers update constantly. I have Ultra in main listening rooms and office and just great all around great products for the money. Feel like this company has grown a lot since they introduced the mini. I was wondering if this was something new when I read the review because it’s one of the older models.

 

[forumlurker]

Have you, or anyone here, actually tested the PEQ? This was the most important feature for me to add a streamer into my headphone audio chain.

I just bought the Pro Plus version, but the PEQ doesn't seem to have no effect on (at least) the optical out. The Graphic EQ does have an effect. (same PEQ settings as in my other setups e.g., PC or mobile headphone amp)

TV optical out -> optical in of Wiim Pro Plus (or Qobuz streaming from the Wiim App) -> optical out into optical in of Schiit DAC -> balanced out into headphone amp.

 

[Saponetto]

Currently using Pro+ and Ultra, but also had a Pro until my nephew got it to stream music on his rig with a lot of satisfaction.
If you use digital (optical, coaxial) output, of course no problem at all, and internal DAC works fine also and can be used at ease.
The 10-bands PEQ works great for me on all outputs but hey, it goes stellar if you activate Roomfit with an adequately calibrated microphone.

 

[Mort]

Wiim makes some very good products but also some real crap...

? Which is crap?

 

[bytek5]

Good review. Now I connected my DAC (Loxjie D40 PRO) to laptop instead of wiim and vocals are centered. I was looking for a fault in my system about a month now.
When I tried each speaker with spl meter they were equal, but in stereo some higher vocals were drifting to one side.
It was realy strange.

 

[elmoe420]

I wish they would just release this without the DAC for a slightly reduce price. Like others, I bought them for features like Squeezelite, ethernet, trigger out but only use the digital outputs.

 

[Subob]

Question from an old time thickie, if I may?

I see that Wiim room correction is now available on Android. If I were to use it, it would only work when listening via the Wiim, wouldn't it?

If that's the case, if it makes a big difference to my listening pleasure, all other sources are potentially going to disappoint, aren't they? I mean, DSP seems to be so revered here.

 

[Mojo Warrior]

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

Mid Fi is not SOTA

Not a pejorative. It is what most people find enjoyable and adequate for their needs and budget.

 

[AndyBell]

Question from an old time thickie, if I may?

I see that Wiim room correction is now available on Android. If I were to use it, it would only work when listening via the Wiim, wouldn't it?

If that's the case, if it makes a big difference to my listening pleasure, all other sources are potentially going to disappoint, aren't they? I mean, DSP seems to be so revered here.

The WiiM app gives you the details of the RoomFit EQ’s settings. If other sources have EQ that can replicate these then you can apply them.

I’ve done this on my PC using both JRiver Media Centre and Neutron Player. Works really well.

 

[HalSF]

Mid Fi is not SOTA

Not a pejorative. It is what most people find enjoyable and adequate for their needs and budget.

Thanks. But if “mid-fi” is not (or not always) a straight-up pejorative, it still seems far from neutral and non-condescending, like the word”adequate” itself.

The implication that SOTA and “hi-fi” are synonymous also seems questionable.

 

[Mojo Warrior]

MOST people use their audio equipment to enjoy music. Very few are obsessed with having the very latest, best measuring gear for critical listening. Many are casual listeners, some have secondary systems in their garage. This product can fill that niche. This product is not one that I would be interested in, however, others might.

 

[Mort]

Question from an old time thickie, if I may?

I see that Wiim room correction is now available on Android. If I were to use it, it would only work when listening via the Wiim, wouldn't it?

If that's the case, if it makes a big difference to my listening pleasure, all other sources are potentially going to disappoint, aren't they? I mean, DSP seems to be so revered here.

The Wiim has to be in the chain yes.

 

[CheapskateCCAOwner]

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.

The WiiM Mini doesn't support Google Cast, so Audirvana is streaming to your WiiM Mini device using LinkPlay as the DLNA renderer protocol (not Google Cast/Chromecast).

In my experience, using an external app to stream to a WiiM DLNA renderer via LinkPlay is not ideal, as I have also experienced random stalling between tracks with this configuration.

The solution is to replace the Mini with a Pro, Pro Plus or Ultra, as all of these support Google Cast/Chromecast (unlike the Mini) - be sure to enable the Google Cast Service in your Pro/Pro Plus/Ultra device and select the Google Cast/Chromecast option (not LinkPlay) when selecting the WiiM device as your DLNA renderer.

DLNA streaming to a Pro/Pro Plus/Ultra device via Google Cast/Chromecast is rock solid - you won't experience any stalling with this configuration as long as your network connection is stable and has sufficient bandwidth.

The problem I have with Google Cast/Chromecast is that it doesn't natively support gapless playback, which can be quite annoying when listening to live albums. A workaround for this can be realized if your DLNA controller app (i.e., Audirvana) implements gapless on the app side. From what I understand, Audirvana does have a setting to enable gapless universally, but I'm not sure how well this works with Google Cast/Chromecast. I use the "Hi-Fi Cast" Android app, which has a setting to implement gapless specifically for Google Cast/Chromecast, and this works fairly well.

Another problem with Google Cast/Chromecast (at least for some folks) is that it doesn't support Spotify lossless. To stream Spotify lossless to a WiiM Pro/Pro Plus/Ultra device, you have to disable Google Cast on the WiiM device. This isn't an issue with the WiiM Mini because the Mini doesn't support Google Cast, but then again external DLNA streaming to the WiiM Mini is suboptimal for the reasons described above.

I have a WiiM Pro and my solution is to enable Google Cast on the WiiM device when streaming DLNA from "Hi-Fi Cast" (and to select the Google Cast/Chromecast renderer, not the LinkPlay renderer).

When using Spotify, I disable Google Cast on the WiiM device and select Spotify Connect to connect to the WiiM device. This allows lossless streaming from Spotify; it's a clunky solution for sure, and I wish the Spotify app would allow WiiM Pro/Pro Plus/Ultra devices to have Spotify Connect and Google Cast/Chromecast enabled simultaneously. This used to be allowed (allowing you to choose between Spotify Connect and Google Cast), so it's frustrating that it's a limitation now.

 

[jdg78]

In my experience, the entire Wiim ecosystem is second to none as a streaming software platform. The app is extremely well designed, the software is reliable and frequently updated, it offers very robust EQ capabilities, and it is much less expensive than other streaming platforms like Bluesound or Sonos.

It's particularly good for creating an integrated multi-room system as you can purchase several units at a relatively low price, distribute them throughout your house, and link them all together or in customized groupings.

However, this particular model (Wiim Pro) would seem to be the ugly stepchild of the entire lineup.

If you need a single box solution, you are better off going up to the Ultra series which offers better internal DAC performance, but if you are planning to use it simply as a Toslink transport with an external DAC, I don't see any reason for getting this over the $80 Wiim mini, as they offer identical functionality and performance.

In fact, for most users, I don't really see much reason for getting anything other than a Wiim mini for use as a digital transport, unless you really, really want a touch display screen and/or remote. Otherwise, the software platform and digital capabilities are pretty much identical across the entire range.

 

[aswillman]

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.

What I did. Have it wired to my Adam D3Vs in my study for Roon. Works nicely. I have an ultra in my main setup.