WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[Haskil]

Linkplay is a systems integrator, most of these features are developed for brands they work with, then they release a low-price system under their own brand (Wiim) undercutting their own customers.. Of course it's cheaper when your competitors pay for most of the development. Is this illegal? No, and the brands made a mistake trusting Linkplay. But it's definitely a gray zone.

Then there is their agressive sales, often promising prices, features and quality that they can not meet, knowing that when a project is 75% in you can not move to a different platform and the brands are now dependent on them.

And then they hack in some features (Airplay..) without permission from service providers and sell a product, suddenly it has to be removed.. This is definitely not OK.

(Full disclosure, I work for another SI..)

What you're saying doesn't make sense. Pardon.

All those who follow the Wiim forums see live the requests for improvement of the Wiim application linked to their products implemented in the days and weeks following the request...

They therefore do not reuse studies financed by other brands who order OEMs from them in their products sold less expensively...

And apart from this Airplay story explained by Wiim on its forums, I do not see any products that have been withdrawn and even fewer products not respecting the announced performances.

 

[Miguelón]

I don’t have any doubt about the transparency of the onboard DAC but my active monitors sound better with balanced XLR connections to an external DAC.

At first time I thought that had a bad unit, but my external DAC has also RCA outputs and still doesn’t sound well.

It doesn’t seem a matter of interferences or ground loops, think is a question of the high sensitivity of my monitors (96 dB @ 1V), so both the WiiM and the Ifi Zen DAC signature have to be operated with a very low digital volume. With the TRS output and the Zen in “preamp” mode with its knob reducing output, it sounds really good. Also with the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen.

I know is a subjective impression, but if anyone think to direct plug Genelec G Three or 8030C (with a 3 pin connection cable RCA to XLR) think better in the setup WiiM Pro Plus => balanced DAC => Active monitrors.
Or at least consider it, price is more expensive but it worths. In my case both Ifi and Focusrite cannot be connected with coaxial so WiiM Ultra is the only of the WiiM family I can plug to them. Any other DAC with coaxial digital input should be fine with WiiM Pro or Pro Plus (remote is really useful) if jitter is low.

 

[pogo]

I need Deezer support, NAS support and DSP. i prefer Dirac

That's what the new Bluesound Node or Node Icon offer.

 

[Miguelón]

That's what the new Bluesound Node or Node Icon offer.

Nice device, and nice price too

 

[TimW]

That Node Icon does look nice, does anyone know how much the Dirac Live license will cost to use with it?

 

[Miguelón]

That Node Icon does look nice, does anyone know how much the Dirac Live license will cost to use with it?

Do you mean that will be an extra cost to use Dirac? For this price I thought was included… (not familiar with Dirac, semi-joking)

 

[shuppatsu]

Do you mean that will be an extra cost to use Dirac? For this price I thought was included… (not familiar with Dirac, semi-joking)

From their press kit:

State-of-the-art Room Correction: The NODE and NODE ICON are ready for Dirac Live Room Correction, an upgrade available directly from Dirac with a license purchase. Using Dirac’s app and sophisticated room correction technology, users can measure their room acoustics and eliminate standing waves, reverberations, and other unwanted distortions. A calibration kit with a high-sensitivity mic is also required and available from Bluesound with additional purchase.

 

[Miguelón]

From their press kit:

It cost about 200€ with the minidsp flex, if I remember well. I suppose the price to be similar with the Icon

 

[Chester]

Previously in this thread I had mentioned my Ultra seemed to start playing all by itself. While I haven’t solved it yet (I haven’t really tried to be fair) I have identified what is happening. When I pause my Roon stream the Ultra behaves as expected. It’s when I turn my RME DAC off, it fires back into life and continues to stream Roon. Connection used is USB. I mention in case relevant to others.

The problem solving continues…..

 

[Romario]

PEQ setting, bass output question
Device setup: subwoofer on, crossover at 80 Hz, level -4 db, Bass to main speakers = Off. Room correction on and then some preference tweaking. LP is at about 3 meters ( 10 feet), listening level 60- 70 db at LP.

Overall bass output is evenly distributed

But now the bass output is more, it feels like the sub takes control instead of the mains.

That makes me wondering:
1. Does the eq applies to the mains only?
2. Is my LP in a null or peak at < 100 Hz?
3. Do I perceive more bass because of the difference between 40 valley and boosted 100 Hz peak?
4. Can someone with the same setup reproduce my observation?

 

[Scoobz1]

It cost about 200€ with the minidsp flex, if I remember well. I suppose the price to be similar with the Icon

Is that a one-off cost ?

 

[Miguelón]

Is that a one-off cost ?

If one-off means one single payment and life license, yes.

They have different levels of service, full range access (20 to 20kHz) is around $350.

Some devices have the license paid by the manufacturer, others partially (like minidsp flex, $200 for full range).

Is why I was a little astonished to read 1100€ price of the future bluesound Icon and an extra payment for the Dirac license… wow!

 

[Miguelón]

PEQ setting, bass output question
Device setup: subwoofer on, crossover at 80 Hz, level -4 db, Bass to main speakers = Off. Room correction on and then some preference tweaking. LP is at about 3 meters ( 10 feet), listening level 60- 70 db at LP.
View attachment 401719
Overall bass output is evenly distributed
View attachment 401721
But now the bass output is more, it feels like the sub takes control instead of the mains.

That makes me wondering:
1. Does the eq applies to the mains only?
2. Is my LP in a null or peak at < 100 Hz?
3. Do I perceive more bass because of the difference between 40 valley and boosted 100 Hz peak?
4. Can someone with the same setup reproduce my observation?

I don’t understand what are you doing exactly: the first option looks good as a correrction, low shelving is not necesary as it will provide a worse bass response.

The first graph show the corrections to a 40 Hz dip, this is not good for you?

Or am I wrong, are you showing two different corrections?

Shelving filterd add ringing generally, perhaps is what you’re listening. Better use PK

 

[Romario]

I don’t understand what are you doing exactly: the first option looks good as a correrction, low shelving is not necesary as it will provide a worse bass response.

The first graph show the corrections to a 40 Hz dip, this is not good for you?

Or am I wrong, are you showing two different corrections?

Shelving filterd add ringing generally, perhaps is what you’re listening. Better use PK

Thanks, haven't considered ringing. I could live with the PK setting, no problem, but I just found it odd that the impact is that big between PK and LS ( that is indeed the only setting that is altered). Even when I lower the eq @40 Hz in LS even more, bass will be more prominent than with the PK setting. I just try to understand why.

 

[Miguelón]

Thanks, haven't considered ringing. I could live with the PK setting, no problem, but I just found it odd that the impact is that big between PK and LS ( that is indeed the only setting that is altered). Even when I lower the eq @40 Hz in LS even more, bass will be more prominent than with the PK setting. I just try to understand why.

I tried various LS filters on the WiiM also, to imitate the LS dip switch of my active monitors (not possible as the Q slope is way smoother on the monitors and limited to 0.1 on the WiiM).

The result was that you described, an increase of undesirable bass. I think is maybe ringing or some issue with the filter algorithm.

Ringing is the most probably answer, notice that whatever the position of the speakers or sub, the auto correction never attempts to low shelving, or at least I never saw it on my different trials with the WiiM RC

(Sorry, I reedited the post, In my setup I have no sub. So the issue applies also for the mains. You can disconnect the sub and try with the mains and verify that LS doesn’t improve bass, it gets “blurry”)

 

[Romario]

Good to know, thanks! But it's weird, huh? You would expect this with shelving higer up the db scale.

 

[Smitty2k1]

Let's see a new product with a true headphone amp built in for desktop use!

 

[Mort]

My wife and I love the small screen for changing input and output in the fly at our desktops.

It's much easier than most other dacs for my wife who loves good audio but dislikes managing them. We never use the remote.

They really need to add an accelerometer to the volume control on the device. That's a pain point.

Headphone is weak. I get my headphone by connecting a qudelix 5k to the USB port. One could attach a Fosi DS2 of you don't need the Q5k other features.

We attached computers with a USB to toslink.

I hooked my monitor up to a Google streamer and out to the ARC and works great.

There are other weak spots but so are all affordable multi function devices. For the price point I consider this an amazing gadget at the desktop.

 

[kingkoolkris]

Would you recommend this device when using mainly local FLAC music? I have an external HDD attached via USB3.0 to my FritzBox Fibre router which hosts my music library.
I'd like to control music search/playback via my iPhone or and Android Tablet.

 

[Miguelón]

Good to know, thanks! But it's weird, huh? You would expect this with shelving higer up the db scale.

I have another curiosity, mine is obviating the elevation on the highs, or perhaps had exhausted the 10 parameter on the lows and mids…