WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[Soniclife]

No, USB doesn't show under Pre-Gain.

That's weird. It's there an enhancement request in for it?

 

[JustJones]

That's weird. It's there an enhancement request in for it?

I don't know. I guess most people stream from a server so it goes through ethernet. I connected a drive to USB so I wouldn't need to run a server but I might go back. It seems fine to me by keeping volume down a few percent.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I think you're maybe taking 'one touch' just a tad too literally.

Perhaps it's better to say it's truly user-friendly, and simple to operate. You only have to look at this Dirac-created video to see just how hugely more complicated and time-consuming it is.

You do not, you cannot use Dirac without becoming a 'Dirac specialist' (to an extent). It's the very opposite of the WiiM's plug and play versatility, and the fact that the former needs a (very non-user-friendly) interface only underlines the differences.

Compared to WiiM's set up, Dirac's is an absolute abomination, and a superb lesson on how to create an interface which will only be used by 'geeks' (no offence) rather than the general public.

You really think so? It practically guides you through the entire process step by step. As for the house curve, it’s already pre-configured, with frequency limits set on both the low and high end based on the system’s natural roll-off.

Sure, if you dive deeper and become an expert, you can fine-tune it even further -but as it stands, Dirac Live is clearly a refined and user-friendly solution.

 

[mlsstl]

Interesting watching the back & forth debate between Wiim's RC and the Dirac system -- reminds me of the debates I used to see in high school back in the 1960s between the Ford and Chevy car enthusiasts.

Frankly, I think both systems are great. I have an Ultra and Pro+ in two speaker systems and a Pro in a headphone setup. The two speaker setups used the auto RC program and the headphone setup just uses PEQ since the RC obviously doesn't help much with tuning that. The RC works great, though I backed off some of the amplitude to suit my taste. All of this for no additional cost in a unit that is already a remarkable buy even without RC. No doubt that the Dirac is probably a bit better due to its capability to average the adjustment from having the microphone in multiple spots. But, you're also spending a decent chunk of change for that extra feature. In either case, you're getting an improvement in the sound, but the level of improvement is always going to depend on whether you're in the perfect spot or not.

 

[Overseas]

It is not even a discussion about which is better, just whether both are working with the push of a button (well, for Wiim it is click - click - click).

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Interesting watching the back & forth debate between Wiim's RC and the Dirac system -- reminds me of the debates I used to see in high school back in the 1960s between the Ford and Chevy car enthusiasts.

Frankly, I think both systems are great. I have an Ultra and Pro+ in two speaker systems and a Pro in a headphone setup. The two speaker setups used the auto RC program and the headphone setup just uses PEQ since the RC obviously doesn't help much with tuning that. The RC works great, though I backed off some of the amplitude to suit my taste. All of this for no additional cost in a unit that is already a remarkable buy even without RC. No doubt that the Dirac is probably a bit better due to its capability to average the adjustment from having the microphone in multiple spots. But, you're also spending a decent chunk of change for that extra feature. In either case, you're getting an improvement in the sound, but the level of improvement is always going to depend on whether you're in the perfect spot or not.

I have always found measuring in different spots interesting.

It’s sole advantage is to ensure optimal listening over a number of seats, and yet hi-fi us a hobby which is 99% a solo pursuit.

Families may sit down and watch the Wizard of Oz together, but they tend not to sit down to listen to Dark Side of the Moon together.

 

[Overseas]

On the 'my kungfu is better' side , I look forward to try Lyngdorf Roomperfect sometime.

 

[James240]

I've used DIracLive, Audyssey, GLM. I don't like my results with Wiim mostly. That said, I put a ton of time into the others and they are costly. Wiim is ridiculously fast and cheap.

To follow up on that been trying different settings within Wiim would the distortion be happening at higher volume levels when RC is applied because of 2vrms in the line out voltage?

Or is that the standard voltage level for powered speakers (Genelec G3)

 

[Audionaut]

If you're saying that everything can improve given more time (whether Dirac, WiiM, or whoever), that's blindingly obvious.

Well, Sonos has impressively proven the opposite.
Apps, firmware and their functions do not always improve. The last announced WIIM Ultra firmware is probably also a little buggy, so it was only delivered to a few people.
The good thing is that those responsible at WIIM have so far been very committed and have mostly only delivered improvements.

 

[fbirch]

No, USB doesn't show under Pre-Gain.

Adjusting the pregain for streaming also adjusts USB pregain

 

[kyuu]

Adjusting the pregain for streaming also adjusts USB pregain

Makes sense but should probably be explicitly spelled out to prevent confusion.

 

[rgruber]

Loving the WiiM Ultra --> Aune Magic Dac --> dual mono ZA3s with Burson v7 vivid op amp upgrades. Know the op amp upgrade is subjective nonsense/snake oil around these parts but the combo is sounding as good I think I can get for a relatively modest investment and not feeling any need to upgrade anything for foreseeable future. Maybe just re-run the room correction with the boost limited (realized recently you can do this).

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Loving the WiiM Ultra --> Aune Magic Dac --> dual mono ZA3s with Burson v7 vivid op amp upgrades. Know the op amp upgrade is subjective nonsense/snake oil around these parts but the combo is sounding as good I think I can get for a relatively modest investment and not feeling any need to upgrade anything for foreseeable future. Maybe just re-run the room correction with the boost limited (realized recently you can do this).

That's because the boost limiter is a fairly recent addition for room correction configuration. Just got to love how WiiM keeps refining and refining!

 

[Somafunk]

Quick question…..

Current setup for my mates kid is Wiim Ultra into Kanto Ora active monitors, I’ve bought him the Kanto Sub8 for his birthday next week so I figure I’m best to plug the Sub into the Wiim sub out and set it up that way with the sub crossover filter set at 100Hz (recommended for Ora) then use Wiim room correction to play around for optimum performance

The other way is to use the Sub out on the back of the Primary Kanto Ora monitor into the Sub as the crossover is automatically set by the Kanto Ora at 100Hz then use the Wiim Ultra room correction to play around for optimum performance

Is there any perceived advantage/disadvantage either way?

Kanto Ora here

Kanto Sub8 here

Link to Kanto Ora manual where it explains sub output

Link to Kanto Sub8 manual

It’s a neat wee sealed sub for the money, only 12” x 12” and 9kg but fitted with hard rubber feet so I’ll remove them and use strong double sided tape to stick 4 Foculpod sorbothane hemispheres rated for 2kg each on the bottom of the sub, and I have a 12” x 12” x 1.5” slab of black marble that I’ll use with another 4 sorbothane feet rated at 5kg for the sub to sit on.

 

[kyuu]

Quick question…..

Current setup for my mates kid is Wiim Ultra into Kanto Ora active monitors, I’ve bought him the Kanto Sub8 for his birthday next week so I figure I’m best to plug the Sub into the Wiim sub out and set it up that way with the sub crossover filter set at 100Hz (recommended for Ora) then use Wiim room correction to play around for optimum performance

The other way is to use the Sub out on the back of the Primary Kanto Ora monitor into the Sub as the crossover is automatically set by the Kanto Ora at 100Hz then use the Wiim Ultra room correction to play around for optimum performance

Is there any perceived advantage/disadvantage either way?

Either way should work fine, assuming the Kanto Ora is using proper crossover filters that sum to flat (don't see any particular specification). I'm pretty sure Wiim is using proper crossover filters. Go with whichever is more convenient, I would say.

 

[Soniclife]

Quick question…..

Current setup for my mates kid is Wiim Ultra into Kanto Ora active monitors, I’ve bought him the Kanto Sub8 for his birthday next week so I figure I’m best to plug the Sub into the Wiim sub out and set it up that way with the sub crossover filter set at 100Hz (recommended for Ora) then use Wiim room correction to play around for optimum performance

The other way is to use the Sub out on the back of the Primary Kanto Ora monitor into the Sub as the crossover is automatically set by the Kanto Ora at 100Hz then use the Wiim Ultra room correction to play around for optimum performance

Is there any perceived advantage/disadvantage either way?

Kanto Ora here

Kanto Sub8 here

Link to Kanto Ora manual where it explains sub output

Link to Kanto Sub8 manual

It’s a neat wee sealed sub for the money, only 12” x 12” and 9kg but fitted with hard rubber feet so I’ll remove them and use strong double sided tape to stick 4 Foculpod sorbothane hemispheres rated for 2kg each on the bottom of the sub, and I have a 12” x 12” x 1.5” slab of black marble that I’ll use with another 4 sorbothane feet rated at 5kg for the sub to sit on.

The glib answer is try both and use the one that sounds best.

Delay and phase adjustment is likely the only difference, the speakers might have built in compensation to get this in the right ballpark, but they probably don't. The Wiim attempts to adjust this using measurements, theoretically much better, if the measurement and algorithm is great. I'm not sold on the room correction in my pro+ FWIW.

Hopefully there isn't a wrong answer.

 

[MT_bassbone]

I ran the room correction software and the parametric eq does not sound good. What am I doing wrong?

 

[mlsstl]

I ran the room correction software and the parametric eq does not sound good. What am I doing wrong?

One possibility is that you did nothing wrong but simply have a personal preference for the way your speakers sound without correction. If you've had your system for awhile now, the uncorrected sound is certainly the one you're most familiar with. Another possibility is to run the room correction again with the microphone in a different position. It only takes a minute or two to use room correction so it doesn't take a lot of time to experiment with various options. A third option is to manually back off any of the larger dB adjustments -- if RM gave a 5 or 6 dB adjustment at a particular frequency, try cutting it down to a 3 dB adjustment, then give it a listen. After you've tried the various options, go with what sounds best to you! You only have to make yourself happy.

 

[obsessive9119]

I think Amir for another incisive review.

I recently purchased a WiiM Ultra mostly to see what the stream craze is all about. In my case it was a disappointment, not with the sound quality but the music management functionality of the component and, especially, the WiiM Home app.

As for the sound, I tried two connection routes, both using access via Ethernet to my NAS-based music files

1. Coax to my Topping D90 DAC and hence my preamp;
2. RCA, i.e. utilizing the Ultra's built-in DAC, direct to my preamp.

The sound was quite satisfactory either way. The first method, however, does provided a differential output to my preamp which does not itself convert single-end signal to differential.

I qualify my functionality assessment with the fact that I do not use Roon nor a streaming service, nor do I intend to do so. I might have a use for the internet radio access that the Ultra can provide, but I must note that my favorite internet music is from CBC Music Playlists and, as far as I can see, this is inaccessible via the Ultra. What I do use is access to my NAS-based music files as implied.

As a mainly Classic music listener, a highly flexible music library browse capability is essential. Just like any streaming service I have tried from time to time, the WiiM Home app is very deficient for browsing a Classical music library. With WiiM Home one is limited to a fixed, rather restricted range of options. These happen to exclude 'Composer' which is essential to all Classic listeners I would say.

My preexisting tool for accessing my music was and is Foobar2000 running on a dedicated Windows computer. This player has the HUGE advantage of user-definable browse criteria. Thus I can define, for example, browse by Genre/Composer/Album, (my favorite), or Composer/Genre/Album or Artist/Composer/Album, etc., etc. The capability is absent from WiiM Home.

Unfortunately, for me, my conclusion is that the WiiM Ultra is a waste of money. Better for me or people with like requirements would be a (dedicated or otherwise), Windows computer. Cheap computers suitable for running Foobar2000, MediaMonkey, or the like, are available for US$ 200, cheaper than the Wiim Ultra and more functional.

How are you serving the files from your NAS? If you’re using DLNA, then what WiiM home will show is completely dependent on what the DLNA server is providing.

For example, I use minimserver and have it configured to have a custom year-of-release view, and WiiM Home displays it just fine.

I assume with foobar you’re pointing it at an SMB share and then it’s indexing the files. You’re right that WiiM Home won’t do that, but (IMO) that’s not really its job.

 

[obsessive9119]

On the room correction side, I found the inbuilt WiiM stuff pretty terrible last time I tried it (a few months ago). Running through the process multiple times would give wildly different results, and none were close to sounding as good and what I got from HouseCurve. This was with a Pro Plus, but I assume the algorithm is the same for the Ultra.