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Wiim Ultra or Bluesound Nano Node......or should I just spend the money on the Eversolo DMP A6 Gen 2?

MT_bassbone

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Title pretty much says it all. I have been testing out the Wiim Ultra for about 3 weeks with various amps/external DACs. I generally like the Wiim Ultra, but everyone once in a while, especially with the internal DAC, it seems unrefined. So I have ordered a Bluesound Nano Node to check it out. Now I am wondering if I should just spend the money to get the Eversolo DMP A6 Gen 2. Anyone have any experience with all three devices?
 
external DAC
Why? Wiim Ultra is also a DAC... no need for an external one and using the analog in;

1737350148538.png

it seems unrefined
Based on what exactly?

1737350062497.png





JSmith
 
Why? Wiim Ultra is also a DAC... no need for an external one and using the analog in;

View attachment 422494

Based on what exactly?

View attachment 422493




JSmith
Yes, I was experimenting with a DAC with the AKM 4499EX chip. It seems like the ESS ES3038Q2M can get a bit spicy at times. At least for my taste.
 
What does that even mean? :p

C'mon... this is ASR.


JSmith
Fair enough. I feel the upper frequencies are bright compared to the DAC with the AKM 4499EX chip. Even with the external DAC, I feel like some tracks have an ever so slight smearing quality. I've adjusted the EQ and used the room correction feature. I didn't care for the room correction outcome so I turned it off.
 
Fair enough. I feel the upper frequencies are bright compared to the DAC with the AKM 4499EX chip. Even with the external DAC, I feel like some tracks have an ever so slight smearing quality. I've adjusted the EQ and used the room correction feature. I didn't care for the room correction outcome so I turned it off.

I promise you if you were to compare without knowing which was which you will not be able to tell them apart (assuming processing/EQ is off or identically applied.)
 
I promise you if you were to compare without knowing which was which you will not be able to tell them apart (assuming processing/EQ is off or identically applied.)
I appreciate the sentiment, but this is what is great about this hobby. I felt I heard a difference. Your results may vary from mine and that is ok.
 
I felt I heard a difference.
In a level-matched, controlled test, or just sighted?

If the latter, then yes. Every result will vary from yours as everyone has different, and differently pronounced, biases.

Remove these biases and you will get actually valuable data, and a much more honest impression of sound characteristics.
 
Exactly this hardly anyone realises the importance of unsighted comparison and it will certainly never be discussed by the hifi ‘industry’.
Keith
 
I appreciate the sentiment, but this is what is great about this hobby. I felt I heard a difference. Your results may vary from mine and that is ok.
It is a great hobby. It's your choice too, you spend your money where you want and that's cool.

The advantage of a site like this though is the evidence it gives you access to, and the people who can help you understand the evidence and the various challenges we face as sighted humans.

No issues if you want an Eversolo, they seem to be pretty good - nice kit. If you don't recognise that that choice is based on "I want" and has very little (if anything) to do with sound quality then you are at risk of having a permanently open wallet because nothing will ever satisfy.

A WiiM ultra, with it's internal DAC, will sound as good as anything else you can buy. It doesn't have all the features you might want, and you might just like the idea of something else. Those are two perfectly good reasons to replace the WiiM, sound quality isn't one.

Your choice though, no issue with that
 
If it’s a bit spicy, try using the PEQ to tone down the HF.

There can be some ground loops with the RCA connection but you should be able to tune the sound to your preference. You may find the default digital filter to be against your preference.

The Bluesound Node Nano has pretty poor measured performance (stereo.de) whereas the basic Node is better. The Node Icon is being tested by Amir.
 
The Bluesound Node Nano has pretty poor measured performance (stereo.de) whereas the basic Node is better. The Node Icon is being tested by Amir.
Can you point me toward the data or article?
 
Can you point me toward the data or article?

About a third of the way down, you have to accept a cookie, which will show you a table which has some measurements.

Left is the n132 and right is the nano. Only numbers are SNR (rauschabstand) and distortion (klirrfactor)

1737510798526.png



The WiiM Pro Plus has much better SNR but was not as clean for distortion

1737510994600.png


The WiiM Pro Plus was tested by Amir, with 114 dB at 0 dBFS distortion and 117 dB SNR.

So the Node N132 beats the WiiM Pro Plus for distortion but has worse SNR. The Node Icon claims to have better SNR than the N132…
 
The WiiM Pro Plus was tested by Amir, with 114 dB at 0 dBFS distortion and 117 dB SNR.

So the Node N132 beats the WiiM Pro Plus for distortion but has worse SNR. The Node Icon claims to have better SNR than the N132…
FWIW, on the WiiM forum the Pro Plus was tested with -127dB THD @-9dBFS, 1kHz (Link):
1697448887626.png

That's 0.0000447%
 
FWIW, on the WiiM forum the Pro Plus was tested with -127dB THD @-9dBFS, 1kHz (Link):
View attachment 422919

That's 0.0000447%
You have to compare like-to-like.

Given that the Pro Plus worse at Stereo.de compared to what Amir or the WiiM Forum gets, it would also suggest that the Node N132 will measure better than the Stereo.de article suggests.

The Gustard X-26 reports
Klirrfaktor -9dBFS/400Hz 0,0005 %

So one thing may be THD at 400 Hz instead of 1 kHz.

1737513162278.png



The other possibility is that Stereo.de is looking at a white bandwidth. The "dashboard" is 10 to 22.4 kHz whereas the graph below which matches the 0.0005% at 400Hz has a 90 kHz bandwidth.
1737513131396.png
 
You have to compare like-to-like.

Given that the Pro Plus worse at Stereo.de compared to what Amir or the WiiM Forum gets, it would also suggest that the Node N132 will measure better than the Stereo.de article suggests.

The Gustard X-26 reports
Klirrfaktor -9dBFS/400Hz 0,0005 %

So one thing may be THD at 400 Hz instead of 1 kHz.

View attachment 422923


The other possibility is that Stereo.de is looking at a white bandwidth. The "dashboard" is 10 to 22.4 kHz whereas the graph below which matches the 0.0005% at 400Hz has a 90 kHz bandwidth.
View attachment 422922
A discrepancy of this magnitude (-127dB vs -78dB measured by stereo.de) does call the accuracy of their measurements into question, IMO.

Especially since the WiiM is fairly frequency agnostic:
THD VS Frequency3.png

Bandwidth also doesn't seem super plausible here since we're looking at THD, not THD+N.

That stereo.de present their measurements as simple hand-written tables with no accompanying graphs, does not help their case.
 
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Title pretty much says it all. I have been testing out the Wiim Ultra for about 3 weeks with various amps/external DACs. I generally like the Wiim Ultra, but everyone once in a while, especially with the internal DAC, it seems unrefined. So I have ordered a Bluesound Nano Node to check it out. Now I am wondering if I should just spend the money to get the Eversolo DMP A6 Gen 2. Anyone have any experience with all three devices?
I took almost the same road. After moving for a stereo power amp based on Purifi modules I've decided to try the wiim ultra as a DAC/Streamer and a preamp for my MM-turntable.
Wiim's Ultra DAC work fine, great app, but the built in phonopre, no chance! No dynamics, no nothing. The line in was fine with an external phonopre, but not great.
I sold my Wiim, took the node nano blind with an external Preamp from pro-ject -> Great sound, specially the Streamer/DAC sounds better, more transparent, open!

After that I sold the Node Nano and move to the node icon. Great, great sound! Open, transparent and engaging (sorry asr)!.
The Bluesound app BlueOS is ok, maybe not so good as the wiim app. What I most miss here is the dlna support, I have to mount my NAS and index the files. The initial procedure can take some hours. Once the index is there it works incremental by new files.
The Eversolo could be an alternative, but the A6 has no line-in, only digital input.
Maybe you give the Node Icon a try!
 
Yes you have to pay for the A8 for analogue ‘in’.
Keith
 
I decided to keep the Wiim Ultra with a Topping PA7+ amp. Now on to speakers. LOL
 
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