WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[Good Vibes]

Hi all.

Quick question, would attaching a 1m usb cable extender degrade sound quality in anyway?

 

[Saponetto]

Only if the cable is damaged.

 

[Good Vibes]

Thought as such but wanted to double check. Buying a cheap one to make it more convenient to attach and remove USB sticks. Thanks

 

[pieterv1]

Thought as such but wanted to double check. Buying a cheap one to make it more convenient to attach and remove USB sticks. Thanks

Should work perfectly! It even supports USB hubs to connect a DAC + USB storage at the same time

 

[fbirch]

Thanks for the replies. USB as a music source within the Ultra doesn't have quite the same functionality as the other inputs. There is no front panel option to select USB, only thru the app, and there is no pre-gain option for USB, unlike the other inputs. It's still a great little device with so much capability for such a small price. It's also great to see that WiiM is constantly updating it. I plan to migrate away from the AVR to a new amp at some point soon, but figured I'd play around with the Ultra on the old setup for a bit.

I learned the reason for my usb music navigation issues. If you enter the usb music library via "devices" "audio in" "usb", paging backward kicks you out of the music library altogether. If you enter the library via "browse", back paging works as expected.

 

[Good Vibes]

I learned the reason for my usb music navigation issues. If you enter the usb music library via "devices" "audio in" "usb", paging backward kicks you out of the music library altogether. If you enter the library via "browse", back paging works as expected.

I tried and don’t seem to have that issue regardless of how I access USB.

 

[RVT]

AMIRM wrote:
"Response is also variable. So not a serious headphone amplifier."

Please clarify exactly what characteristic of the headphones needs to vary?

Is it the impedance? So response is poor for high impedance headphones and better for low impedance headphones

 

[somebodyelse]

AMIRM wrote:
"Response is also variable. So not a serious headphone amplifier."

Please clarify exactly what characteristic of the headphones needs to vary?

Is it the impedance? So response is poor for high impedance headphones and better for low impedance headphones

Compare with the equivalent graph on this review:

• If the output impedance of the amp is low the straight portion (noise dominant) will be essentially the same irrespective of headphone impedance. If they spread out like with the Wiim there is significant output impedance. If the headphone impedance changes with frequency this will change the frequency response. Typically dynamic drivers have an impedance peak somewhere in the bass, and high output impedance will cause frequency response to rise at that peak. This effect will be bigger for lower impedance headphones.
• When the line starts to level off or rise a bit distortion has started to dominate the THD+N figure. For the Wiim distortion starts earlier and reaches higher with lower impedance.
• The near-vertical rise at the end indicates clipping - reaching either a voltage limit or current limit.

The Wiim behaves best with higher impedance headphones. The Space II will work well irrespective of headphone impedance.

 

[RVT]

Compare with the equivalent graph on this review:

• If the output impedance of the amp is low the straight portion (noise dominant) will be essentially the same irrespective of headphone impedance. If they spread out like with the Wiim there is significant output impedance. If the headphone impedance changes with frequency this will change the frequency response. Typically dynamic drivers have an impedance peak somewhere in the bass, and high output impedance will cause frequency response to rise at that peak. This effect will be bigger for lower impedance headphones.
• When the line starts to level off or rise a bit distortion has started to dominate the THD+N figure. For the Wiim distortion starts earlier and reaches higher with lower impedance.
• The near-vertical rise at the end indicates clipping - reaching either a voltage limit or current limit.

The Wiim behaves best with higher impedance headphones. The Space II will work well irrespective of headphone impedance.

Thank you - your reply is very clear.

Someone else posted a "workaround" for the WiiM Ultra's "less-than-serious" variable response headphone Amp. The post suggests plugging a portable dac/amp [i.e. the FiiO KA15 ] into the USB port that is on the rear of the WiiM Ultra.

Here is a link to it:
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/wiim-ultra.50897/post-2091431

Is that a good idea?

 

[antcollinet]

Thank you - your reply is very clear.

Someone else posted a "workaround" for the WiiM Ultra's "less-than-serious" variable response headphone Amp. The post suggests plugging a portable dac/amp [i.e. the FiiO KA15 ] into the USB port that is on the rear of the WiiM Ultra.

Here is a link to it:
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/wiim-ultra.50897/post-2091431

Is that a good idea?

Yes that will work fine. You could also use a headphone amp (without DAC) connected to the analogue outputs.

 

[RVT]

Yes that will work fine. You could also use a headphone amp (without DAC) connected to the analogue outputs.

Thank you very much you level of expertise is way ahead of mine.

 

[JaccoW]

There are some new updates in the playback screen and VU-meters.

Basically a VU-meter with a white background, blue blackground and black background with the option to make the needle move based on output volume or the volume of the actual track.

Not as responsive as the actual VU-meters like I have on my Akai reel-to-reel but a decent enough alternative.

 

[pieterv1]

There are some new updates in the playback screen and VU-meters.

Basically a VU-meter with a white background, blue blackground and black background with the option to make the needle move based on output volume or the volume of the actual track.

Not as responsive as the actual VU-meters like I have on my Akai reel-to-reel but a decent enough alternative.

We've had those for a month now

 

[Deleted member 72219]

We've had those for a month now

Us iOS users have had them for a month now. Android users kind of didn't.

-Ed

 

[StevenSGT98]

What would be a great feature on the Ultra would be automatic pop and click removal on the phono preamp. It should be doable

 

[fbirch]

Apologies if I missed the update, but has WiiM yet updated the firmware to allow the crossover function to send hi-pass out the optical/coax while sending lo-pass out the sub/analog output rca?

 

[Deleted member 72219]

Apologies if I missed the update, but has WiiM yet updated the firmware to allow the crossover function to send hi-pass out the optical/coax while sending lo-pass out the sub/analog output rca?

Mine has done this for as long as I’ve owned my WiiM Ultra (since last year).

-Ed

 

[fbirch]

Mine has done this for as long as I’ve owned my WiiM Ultra (since last year).

-Ed

Thanks for the reply. I must have misread an earlier post, which I interpreted as implying main/sub crossover can't be split between analog and digital outputs. It's good to know that it can!

 

[fbirch]

In case it hasn't already been mentioned in this thread, the WiiM Ultra has a menu to adjust pre-gains on all the inputs, but USB isn't listed among them. If you adjust the pre-gain for WiFi while listening to USB music, the volume goes up and down with the WiFi adjustment.

 

[rgruber]

Added two Fosi ZA3s to my WiiM Ultra over the weekend. I have the WiiM going coax optical out to a AUNE Magic DAC (with a Sparkos op amp) and then the AUNE going TRS out into the ZA3s convient TRS/XLR inputs. Sound is fantastic. Really incredible instrument separation and soundstage, powerful bass and defined highs without any fatigue. Sound quality is a step up from my previous XTZ EDGE A2-300 which was no slouch.

Hooked up a 12 volt trigger with a splitter from the WiiM to the ZA3s and works perfectly. Only tweaks I needed to do were to change the WiiMs output gain and back the ZA3s down from max as I was getting a little hiss but doing both those things got rid of it. Very impressed.