Thanks
@amirm . My Wiim Ultra showed up a few days ago and will be the heart of my planned system.
Tidal > Wiim Ultra > Fosi V3 Mono x 2 > Magnepan 0.7s
The Magnepans arrived a few weeks ago and for testing I was running them through:
Laptop > ifi Uno > Yorkville PX1700 (rented pro audio amp - 2 x 850 watts) > Magnepans
Swapping from the ifi Uno to the Wiim Ultra has been night and day even while still using the Yorkville amp.
Pros:
-Sounds great compared to what I was using
-Streaming Tidal with my phone as a remote
-Wiim Remote for power and volume
-Better DAC (than what I was using)
-EQ
-Room Correction (better than expected)
-Sub out
-Software
-Price
-More that I'm sure I'm forgetting
A lot of people claim smaller Magnepans benefit from a sub. I have an old Sony SA W-2500 subwoofer I plug in sometimes for 2.1 and the Wiim Ultra lets me set crossover and EQ the way I want without changing settings on the subwoofer itself, as it's already configured for my 5.1 AV receiver. I may get a RCA switcher but I may be fine using the Magnepans without a sub. Need more listening over the coming months.
The software has also been a great experience. I've only had this a few days and there have already been a few updates adding features so its good to see continuous improvements are on the way for the foreseeable future. The UI is easy to navigate and it's been a blast to play with. I wish I could use the EQ in landscape instead of forced portrait but that's okay.
I did try eARC for youtube and plex through my Roku powered TV and it was amazing to have the pre-gain volume settings on the Wiim Ultra. My default tv volume output was low so the ability to boost the eARC audio signal on the Wiim was very intersting to see and use. Switching between audio inputs and having them fairly balanced volume wise was a treat.
Cons:
-No XLR
-DAC Digital Filter Types?
-mDNS detection over the network
I wish there was more information on the DAC Digital Filter Types. I have researched this and many people say they can't hear a difference, end of story. It would be nice to have a detailed description of what each actually does.
I use a custom firewall at home where the Wiim Ultra sits on an IoT network. My phone is on a different network and doesn't have any issues seeing IoT devices except for the Wiim Ultra which sometimes takes a few tries. I recently plugged in ethernet to see if that resolves the issue.
All in all, I am entering hifi at an interesting time it seems. My 20 year old Sony system is getting a new sibling with some brand new devices (Wiim Ultra and Fosi V3 Mono's). I'm interested to see where this takes me and if I'll get the urge to upgrade this equipment in the next couple of years to get a better sound from the Magnepans?