WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[Romario]

Ah, I thought he was talking about my first sentence, “USB is only output”. I was happy to hope that can be reversed to a USB input or output but this can only be done in USB 3 devices I remember. Am I wrong?

Input as well. One can connect a hard drive or stick in the USB.

Edit: but I don't know if you can use it as an usb dac

 

[Miguelón]

Input as well. One can connect a hard drive or stick in the USB.

Edit: but I don't know if you can use it as an usb dac

Oups, I forgot it! Thanks for remember it. I’m sure that doesn’t works as an usb DAC, and wont be neither.

 

[Burnside]

Input as well. One can connect a hard drive or stick in the USB.

Edit: but I don't know if you can use it as an usb dac

Not input in the sense of usb audio input, but as usb media support. If you describe it as usb in it’s easily misconstrued as usb audio input, whereas usb media support is much clearer. Nor can you use the Ultra as a USB DAC - it’s for connecting to an external USB DAC, not to act as one.

 

[antcollinet]

Noisy 48Khz in the test, first post.

If you read further, you find the noise is out of band - ie above 20kHz, and hence inaudible. And that is even if you could hear 0.004% (-88dB) THN+N in the first place. Hint: not in real world listening.

Toslink will be fine.

 

[antcollinet]

Theoretically, would I be better off switching to 1Vrms output and shifting the volume control up further towards maximum?

Assuming the 1V/2V selection is an analogue gain setting in the output stage, then theoretically, you are better using the 1V setting and increasing the digital volume control by 6dB to compensate.

In reality - as you've found - this will be inaudible in real world listening conditions. You defintately want to leave the power amp on it's lowest gain setting though.

 

[Miguelón]

Assuming the 1V/2V selection is an analogue gain setting in the output stage, then theoretically, you are better using the 1V setting and increasing the digital volume control by 6dB to compensate.

In reality - as you've found - this will be inaudible in real world listening conditions. You defintately want to leave the power amp on it's lowest gain setting though.

I tried all combinations and didn’t find any other better than by default.

I have the impression the different voltages are digitally produced by signal attenuation, since WiiM explained that dedicate 8 bits to volume regulation. With steps going 3 by 3 from 0 to 100 they have enough data to cover all combinations.

This coincides with organization of voltage outputs in multiples of 500 mV (0.5, 1 and 2V) and of 200 mV (0.2, and 0.4 V) because multiple repeated volume values and will be cheaper to implement


POST EDITING: I said a nonsense, I tried volume 37 at 2V and is lower than volume 74 at 1V. It surely is not a linear scale but logarithmic

 

[Romario]

Assuming the 1V/2V selection is an analogue gain setting in the output stage, then theoretically, you are better using the 1V setting and increasing the digital volume control by 6dB to compensate.

In reality - as you've found - this will be inaudible in real world listening conditions. You defintately want to leave the power amp on it's lowest gain setting though.

Because of your post I tried it so thank you. However, I have a subwoofer connected...you can imagine that this setting is not transferred to the sub out. I can compensate for the sub seperately offcourse.

 

[Pearljam5000]

The high end version of the "WiiM Ultra"

 

[somebodyelse]

The high end version of the "WiiM Ultra"

I suppose it makes sense for a market where unnecessary size, weight and expense are a virtue. It falls a long way short on functionality, but at least it has balanced outputs, and some may have a use for the CD/SACD player.

 

[dtaylo1066]

The Wadax is such a good buy that I purchased 3 of them, one each for my office, bedroom and TV room. I am not sure it really meets the standard for my main listening room, and won't know until I have more listening time under my belt and the units have had more break in time. I am always a bit leery of budget audiophile components, hence my hesitancy with the Wadax.

 

[Pearljam5000]

The Wadax is such a good buy that I purchased 3 of them, one each for my office, bedroom and TV room. I am not sure it really meets the standard for my main listening room, and won't know until I have more listening time under my belt and the units have had more break in time. I am always a bit leery of budget audiophile components, hence my hesitancy with the Wadax.

That's actually their entry level
Their top of the line :

 

[dtaylo1066]

Hey, so do you want a digital audio stack, or would you rather buy a townhome to live in? I'll take audio any day. Housing is far overrated.

 

[Mort]

Warranty is twice as long as a Wiim too.

 

[mlsstl]

Warranty is twice as long as a Wiim too.

However, at the price shown above for the Wadax, you could buy over 1,100 Ultras for backup....

 

[Mort]

However, at the price shown above for the Wadax, you could buy over 1,100 Ultras for backup....

Your storage unit costs are going to add up.

 

[mlsstl]

Your storage unit costs are going to add up.

I guess one could split the difference -- buy only 500 Ultras and save the difference for long-term storage. That'd be a pretty nice storage unit, though!

 

[dtaylo1066]

However, at the price shown above for the Wadax, you could buy over 1,100 Ultras for backup....

Kind of puts it in perspective. For the fun of it, I sometimes look at companies' 10Ks and CEO salaries. Now a good CEO is well worth some coin, especially if it is tied to performance incentives, but when you are paying a CEO $50 million, I used to say, "Well, you could hire 50 folks to work the C-suite at $1 million each." Capitalism and consumerism have some quirks.

No matter how much money I had, or if the Wadax came with dancing girls, a hot tub and my choice of 1,000 CDs, I would find it offensive and an insult to mankind to spend that much money on an audio component.

 

[dtaylo1066]

I guess one could split the difference -- but only 500 Ultras and save the difference for long-term storage. That'd be a pretty nice storage unit, though!

You're just being Ultra conservative.

 

[Lefty9]

I have an issue with the hdmi arc , the volume level compared to audio in, is quite a bit lower. Not exactly sure how much lower but I would guess something like 10db or even more.Output is from the Hdmi arc of a Sony Bravia 1080p 55inch , older model . Anyone else had this issue ?

 

[Mort]

hdmi arc , the volume level compared to audio in, is quite a bit lower. Not exactly sure how much lower but I would guess something like 10db or even more.Output is from the Hdmi arc of a Sony Bravia

Yes specifically with a Sony Bravia on both AVRs and Wiim. I have to boost that input. I've posted about it elsewhere.