WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[pieterv1]

What's the point you're trying to make? The Ultra has a nice rubber bottom.

Doesn't mean WiiM can't go the extra mile and add some additional weight if they want to?

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I will laugh forever that they included weights inside at the year 2025 to add premium feeling.
Some VERY seasoned person in there advises them but they probably didn't expect a teardown so soon.
Embarrassing really.


View attachment 423283

It’s not something I’d get hot under the collar about and come to a forum for a rant.

 

[Sokel]

I don't mind if extra weight can be achieved with simple steel plates inside instead of a 5mm thick aluminum enclosure. As long as the device still feels rigid (which it does). That's just smart design.

Even so.Is this the best place to add weight so to fit the purpose?
The right place would be at the front,bottom end.
Nah,I'll say it again,some old fox is lurking in there.

 

[Paffi]

As far as I know they already added these weights into their WIIM Pro+ compared to the non +, which I find quite useful. The regular pro is quite easy to move - there are people out there using door stoppers on top of the device.

 

[pieterv1]

It’s not something I’d get hit under the collar about and come to a forum for a rant.

Right... And that teardown video has been out there for "only" a few months.

 

[Sokel]

It’s not something I’d get hit under the collar about and come to a forum for a rant.

View attachment 423285

Rant?What rant?
I said it in a funny tone (even if it's a little sad at the same time)

Over and out for me.

 

[rgruber]

Thanks for the detailed response. The pop might bug me.

Would love to get your subjective comparison but this being ASR, I know that's verboten and would only derail the thread.

Being this is ASR, I can tell you they all sound transparent enough that it would be hard to consistently pick them apart blind A/B.

The build quality of the IOM is absolutely tops. No question about it. It’s built like a tank! All the components are just top quality (for example the binding posts, in amazingly thick and hefty enclosure, etc.). Power was way more than sufficient for LS50 Metas. And of course aesthetically it wins by a country mile. Plus, there’s no extra power brick to deal with, and for many, that is a huge positive. Finally, it is amazingly efficient and runs no more than lukewarm. On the negatives, I can say the IOM may or may not have a limitation down the line if you ever move away from the WiiM Ultra to another streamer or source that doesn’t have a 12V trigger out, because the IOM Ultra won’t work without a 12V trigger signal, period. The power switch next to the IEC power port doesn’t force the amp on, it simply allows the amp to be triggered on by the 12V trigger. Also, the IOM sends a mild pop to the speakers when powering on or off. It’s not loud enough to do damage to the speakers, but if you frequently turn your WiiM Ultra off and on, it may be somewhat disturbing.

The V3 Monos have an audio signal-based auto-on/off that is user-defeatable, so some would consider this an advantage for overall flexibility. It doesn’t have any speaker noise when powering on or off. In terms of negatives, some would say thermal management is poor. Some components are cheap (e.g. binding posts).

ZA3 has user-defeatable 12V trigger and I think this is great. It has better thermal management than V3 Mono. The included volume dial, while not remote operable, can come in handy (for example, if running directly from an external DAC without adjustable output voltage, the built in attenuator is perfect for implementing a safety margin for incoming voltage to the amp without requiring a separate preamp). Components, like the V3 Mono, can be cheap (again, binding posts).

B100 sounds sublime, they really do—as long as you have sensitive/efficient speakers. Quality of build and components is excellent, user-defeatable 12V triggers are great. There’s still extra power bricks to deal with. Mainly the problem is low power/headroom.

-Ed

 

[darth]

I will laugh forever that they included weights inside at the year 2025 to add premium feeling.
Some VERY seasoned person in there advises them but they probably didn't expect a teardown so soon.
Embarrassing really.


View attachment 423283

That's funny

But I guess helps lower center of gravity and potential falling off for people are stacking this. My nosy dog appreciates it.

 

[JimmyMac]

Being this is ASR, I can tell you they all sound transparent enough that it would be hard to consistently pick them apart blind A/B.

The build quality of the IOM is absolutely tops. No question about it. It’s built like a tank! All the components are just top quality (for example the binding posts, in amazingly thick and hefty enclosure, etc.). Power was way more than sufficient for LS50 Metas. And of course aesthetically it wins by a country mile. Plus, there’s no extra power brick to deal with, and for many, that is a huge positive. Finally, it is amazingly efficient and runs no more than lukewarm. On the negatives, I can say the IOM may or may not have a limitation down the line if you ever move away from the WiiM Ultra to another streamer or source that doesn’t have a 12V trigger out, because the IOM Ultra won’t work without a 12V trigger signal, period. The power switch next to the IEC power port doesn’t force the amp on, it simply allows the amp to be triggered on by the 12V trigger. Also, the IOM sends a mild pop to the speakers when powering on or off. It’s not loud enough to do damage to the speakers, but if you frequently turn your WiiM Ultra off and on, it may be somewhat disturbing.

The V3 Monos have an audio signal-based auto-on/off that is user-defeatable, so some would consider this an advantage for overall flexibility. It doesn’t have any speaker noise when powering on or off. In terms of negatives, some would say thermal management is poor. Some components are cheap (e.g. binding posts).

ZA3 has user-defeatable 12V trigger and I think this is great. It has better thermal management than V3 Mono. The included volume dial, while not remote operable, can come in handy (for example, if running directly from an external DAC without adjustable output voltage, the built in attenuator is perfect for implementing a safety margin for incoming voltage to the amp without requiring a separate preamp). Components, like the V3 Mono, can be cheap (again, binding posts).

B100 sounds sublime, they really do—as long as you have sensitive/efficient speakers. Quality of build and components is excellent, user-defeatable 12V triggers are great. There’s still extra power bricks to deal with. Mainly the problem is low power/headroom.

-Ed

Hi Ed, what kind of cable do I need for the 12v trigger? Does it come with the amp?
Thanks, JMac

 

[EddNog]

Hi Ed, what kind of cable do I need for the 12v trigger? Does it come with the amp?
Thanks, JMac

The IOM Ultra includes a short 3.5mm stereo miniDIN to miniDIN cable that works fine if you’re stacking the amp with the streamer. If you want to place them farther apart, you need a longer one. I tend to use monaural 3.5mm cables, but apparently stereo will work also.

-Ed

 

[dtaylo1066]

I used the WiiM Ultra's headphone out today for the first time. The IEMs I used were the TruthEar Zero Reds. I found the listening experience quite pleasurable and I needed no more than 1/2 volume to reach very loud levels, above which I never listen.

So with the Reds the overall experience well exceeded my expectations given less than SOTA measurements by Amir.

 

[Sokel]

That's funny

But I guess helps lower center of gravity and potential falling off for people are stacking this. My nosy dog appreciates it.

That's the top you see there where the weights are,not the bottom.An added "lip" at the bottom lid (even hidden one,pointing upwards) at the front of half the weight would have the same and maybe better effect for making it rock stable.But...

 

[Audionaut]

These weights probably have a functional purpose

Yes, I think so too.
Possibly connection to the Bluetooth or / and WiFi antenna or heat dissipation.
I can't imagine anyone attaching metal plates to a hi-fi device just to increase the weight.
That makes no sense, unless you want to minimize resonances.

 

[pieterv1]

Yes, I think so too.
Possibly connection to the Bluetooth antenna or heat dissipation.
I can't imagine anyone attaching metal plates to a hi-fi device just to increase the weight.
That makes no sense

Absolutely none of that... The video shows they're not connected to anything.

It's purely for weight/structural purposes.

 

[StevenSGT98]

Absolutely none of that... The video shows they're not connected to anything.

It's purely for weight/structural purposes.

I suppose they could put a big ole transformer in there just for looks and to give it some weight lol

 

[GXAlan]

I will laugh forever that they included weights inside at the year 2025 to add premium feeling.

It works

That said, my Luxman LXV-OT10 is a bit too light such that sometimes the weight of the phono cables makes it tilt up a bit.

 

[EddNog]

Seems like it’s a good sign if people don’t have much else to complain about than extraneous weights being added to the unit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-Ed

 

[Matt_Holland]

I have not played around much with the WiiM room correction, and for $329 I think one needs to keep expectations in line. The EQ by itself seems pretty good.

I agree and you don’t need to use the room EQ feature (even though that does allow you to choose the operating bandwidth and maximum boost allowed), just use the manual filters alongside something simple like House curve is enough to improve modal issues and fine tune tonal balance.

 

[Sokel]

Seems like it’s a good sign if people don’t have much else to complain about than extraneous weights being added to the unit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-Ed

"People"? Say "Sokel" I won't take it hard
And,who's complaining?I'm just laughing by the decades old practice who found its way to 2025.

Would it be so surprising that someone shamelessly combined 1:1 Apple looks with the long time audiophile prejudices?
I don't think so.

(if you want to see what complains are like wait till I get it in my hands and test it the "Sokel" way )

 

[EddNog]

"People"? Say "Sokel" I won't take it hard
And,who's complaining?I'm just laughing by the decades old practice who found its way to 2025.

Would it be so surprising that someone shamelessly combined 1:1 Apple looks with the long time audiophile prejudices?
I don't think so.

(if you want to see what complains are like wait till I get it in my hands and test the "Sokel" way )

It so far seems to be as close to a complaint as I’ve seen. It appears that I’m not being very clear about the actual point of my statement.

-Ed