WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[mlsstl]

I thought there would be a simple way to have the USB only accessible to the Ultra. I might contact WiiM and make a request to see if it’s something they could do in a future update. Until then it looks like I’m going to have to have a separate “Daddies secret USB” stick.

I really like the feature though and it’s making me want to buy another system for the kitchen now I know I can easily access my tunes via the TV.

Maybe the solution is to submit a Feedback ticket through the Wiim app and see if they have a fix for you or would be willing to include this feature in a future release. Wiim has been more willing than any other audio equipment maker I've ever seen to make software improvements to already-sold audio equipment based on user suggestions.

 

[kyuu]

Good day to you. The answer was staring me in the face all along. Thank you!

Yes, the guest bedroom I bought the new TV for is connected via Ethernet and it still has access but I’m not worried about that. Good to know there are advanced settings to solve the issue if needs be. Thanks again.

Yeah if your wifi gear has an option for a guest network, that's the "easy mode" way of isolating devices with firewall rules.

 

[Good Vibes]

Maybe the solution is to submit a Feedback ticket through the Wiim app and see if they have a fix for you or would be willing to include this feature in a future release. Wiim has been more willing than any other audio equipment maker I've ever seen to make software improvements to already-sold audio equipment based on user suggestions.

I agree, I would rate WiiM as exceptionally good. They go above and beyond what I have experienced from any other product I have bought and they have made me become a great fan of the company. I am hoping they will release an upgraded version of the Ultra this year.

 

[pogo]

Wiim has been more willing than any other audio equipment maker I've ever seen to make software improvements to already-sold audio equipment based on user suggestions.

If Wiim adds Dirac Live, as Bluesound recently did for its terminated Nodes, Wiim is on the right track. Old BluOS devices have been getting updates for over 10 years.

 

[Heat11]

weird question, i didnt have time to go through 77 pages to source an answer

there isnt anything weird about the sub out is there? an amazon review said it didnt work with certain sources. i assume if i use amazon music via wifi or my record player with this it will push a signal to my sub.

the unit seems too good to be true, amazon music via wifi, tonal control, sub out, multiple in's including HDMI. and quality

 

[mlsstl]

weird question, i didnt have time to go through 77 pages to source an answer

there isnt anything weird about the sub out is there? an amazon review said it didnt work with certain sources. i assume if i use amazon music via wifi or my record player with this it will push a signal to my sub.

the unit seems too good to be true, amazon music via wifi, tonal control, sub out, multiple in's including HDMI. and quality

I have an Ultra and use its sub crossover/output without issue. It's actually very flexible as you can high-pass, or not, the main speakers, low-pass or send the full signal to the sub, control phase and sub volume, as well as time-sync the sub & mains. I can't imagine what problem the Amazon review user was having other than maybe misconfiguring the settings. However, there is a lot of recorded material that doesn't have much bass output so a sub doesn't do much for those songs.

 

[Overseas]

If Wiim adds Dirac Live, as Bluesound recently did for its terminated Nodes, Wiim is on the right track.

Why ? Wiim has already RC.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

If Wiim adds Dirac Live, as Bluesound recently did for its terminated Nodes, Wiim is on the right track. Old BluOS devices have been getting updates for over 10 years.

I don't think WiiM/LinkPlay want to burden themselves or their customers with the cost of Dirac licenses. They should stick to their current path of implementing their own room correction protocols.

 

[Romario]

I have an Ultra and use its sub crossover/output without issue. It's actually very flexible as you can high-pass, or not, the main speakers, low-pass or send the full signal to the sub, control phase and sub volume, as well as time-sync the sub & mains. I can't imagine what problem the Amazon review user was having other than maybe misconfiguring the settings. However, there is a lot of recorded material that doesn't have much bass output so a sub doesn't do much for those songs.

Exactly. I even use the sub out on the Ultra supporting my wiim pro (grouped with the ultra) that's configured with a different amp and speakerset for tv duties. It's not perfect measured in but hey, it can and I did, just for fun.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I don't think WiiM/LinkPlay want to burden themselves or their customers with the cost of Dirac licenses. They should stick to their current path of implementing their own room correction protocols.

Agreed.

And I strongly suspect that, pretty soon the WiiM's will be better.

They've pretty much developed their own version in a very short space of time, and gone a long way down the track to where they eventually want to be.

And let's face it, this isn't about hardware, it's about software. And the latter, once someone else has developed and released it, can be copied studied to see how it works.

 

[pogo]

And I strongly suspect that, pretty soon the WiiM's will be better.

That would be good if Dirac were to have some competition in the near future.
Currently, the full version of Dirac Live for the Node N130 costs 174$. A bargain price for what it does.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

That would be good if Dirac were to have some competition in the near future.
Currently, the full version of Dirac Live for the Node N130 costs 174$. A bargain price for what it does.

In hi-fi, there are some things which are necessarily expensive because they cost a lot to build. Whilst manufacturing techniques can become more efficient, there's not much you can do about that.

But some are expensive because it takes a room full of masterminds to write some very complex software. The chip it goes on, not so expensive.

Once that software is out there, especially these days where AI can have a look to see what it does, all the necessary expense has already been spent.

It's like if you were going to invent the Beef Wellington from scratch Now a whole fillet of beef costs a fortune, and if you needed to try 200 different recipes, cooking times, oven temperatures, etc., until you got it right, that costs a fortune. But once you've found the best recipe, you're only paying for one fillet at a time. And if your sous chef runs off to another kitchen, what can you do.

I suspect there are many companies who produce hi-fi kit where the expense is in the software have looked at Dirac, have figured out how it's done, and can make their own version without all the expensive R&D. That may seem unfair, but it's just how the world is. Once your software is out there, it's very difficult to hide how it works.

 

[Sokel]

Agreed.

And I strongly suspect that, pretty soon the WiiM's will be better.

They've pretty much developed their own version in a very short space of time, and gone a long way down the track to where they eventually want to be.

And let's face it, this isn't about hardware, it's about software. And the latter, once someone else has developed and released it, can be copied studied to see how it works.

It's hardware too.
If they want to get better they start with this:

https://firmware-developments.com/WEB/DOC/REF/ZauchaIIR_AES.pdf

(that applies to all those new companies who have the same problems)

A small part of the conclusion about the hardware part:


"In conclusion, the quality of 24 bit data at 48 and 96 kHz sample
rates can be preserved during digital filtering applications by using:
− 48 bits of data precision (24 bits of data, 8 headroom bits and
16 noise bits)
− 28 bit coefficients
− An IIR filter structure which is composed of cascaded
sections of second order Direct Form I filters that use
magnitude truncation."

 

[Overseas]

Wiim to get Dirac Live, as in: needing a laptop connected to wifi ?! Plus serious study time for using Dirac ?! Why ?

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Wiim to get Dirac Live, as in: needing a laptop connected to wifi ?! Plus serious study time for using Dirac ?! Why ?

More good reasons for them to stick with the path they’re on with their room correction and not to adopt Dirac.

 

[Overseas]

Wiim is for the masses, nontechnical enthusiasts like me.

 

[pogo]

Wiim to get Dirac Live, as in: needing a laptop connected to wifi ?! Plus serious study time for using Dirac ?! Why ?

No, it's much easier:

 

[Sokel]

More good reasons for them to stick with the path they’re on with their room correction and not to adopt Dirac.

Let's think of a hypothetical scenario here:

Let's assume you got WiiM for it's performance apart from the goodies, streaming ability, etc.
And let's assume that you want this performance across the spectrum, 20-20000Hz (not silly distortion stuff, we're talking about serious ones, like noise)

And you plug it in, you measure it and all is peachy, let's say you have a nice -96dB THD+N, enough for CD quality.
What if this nice figure got a 10-20-30dB hit the moment you choose to RC? Would that be acceptable?

And I'm not talking about manual one were God knows what people do (there's a thread today by someone who wants to apply forty (40) filters) but automatic were the principles stay put (like the importance of filter stacking, etc) .

Dirac (if you are into it) is not about seeing the hills and dips, cut and fills. It's about having the horsepower to compute, stack, etc .
Yes, it's not SOTA like Trinnof or Strorm but these include SOTA hardware too.

Instead think of RME as a bright example. A nice chip for DSP, deep knowledge of abilities and limits and you're there.

Once again, there's no free meals at audio, only acceptable (to each) compromises.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Let's think of a hypothetical scenario here:

Let's assume you got WiiM for it's performance apart from the goodies, streaming ability, etc.
And let's assume that you want this performance across the spectrum, 20-20000Hz (not silly distortion stuff, we're talking about serious ones, like noise)

And you plug it in, you measure it and all is peachy, let's say you have a nice -96dB THD+N, enough for CD quality.
What if this nice figure got a 10-20-30dB hit the moment you choose to RC? Would that be acceptable?

And I'm not talking about manual one were God knows what people do (there's a thread today by someone who wants to apply forty (40) filters) but automatic were the principles stay put (like the importance of filter stacking, etc) .

Dirac (if you are into it) is not about seeing the hills and dips, cut and fills. It's about having the horsepower to compute, stack, etc .
Yes, it's not SOTA like Trinnof or Strorm but these include SOTA hardware too.

Instead think of RME as a bright example. A nice chip for DSP, deep knowledge of abilities and limits and you're there.

Once again, there's no free meals at audio, only acceptable (to each) compromises.

I don’t disagree with you regarding the performance merit of Dirac, but from what I’ve heard about the complication of implementing Dirac correctly, it’s still a good deal more work and complication than the functionality of WiiM’s RC. Some people really just want to put the mic down, press one button (a few times), and be done with it.

You’re right about the compromises—the key thing here is, at least to me, WiiM is the choice for absolute simplicity and ease of use. Want more performance and willing to put in some extra work? Go get a Node with Dirac. Not saying the extra effort isn’t worth it as a whole, just saying that WiiMs are meant to be the absolute easy end of the user-friendliness spectrum.

If they want to cover, “all the bases,” perhaps in the future add support for Dirac, but never retire the, “free,” RC, because not everyone wants the cost or complication of a Dirac license or the implementation, and WiiM owners are likely the number one place where even Dirac seems intimidating.

Let’s not even talk about a MiniDSP and REW! That is probably the opposite end of the user-friendliness bar, with Dirac somewhere in the middle, along with Anthem Room Correction (probably easier than REW, but harder than Dirac).

 

[pogo]

Yes, it's not SOTA like Trinnof or Strorm but these include SOTA hardware too.

I think it is overlooked how performant Dirac Live can be under Bluesound. A Bluesound Node (Icon) runs its post-processing at 192kHz. A Storm currently only works with 48kHz under Dirac Live. The DAC section of the newer Nodes is also superior to the DAC section of the Storms.