WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

[HedgeHog]

It shouldn't - they're both capable of transferring unmodified audio streams, and we haven't seen any indication of bugs that would change this. That's assuming there isn't a difference in EQ or other processing. Both Roon and Wiim have a lot of EQ options which Roon can apply differently to different endpoints, and Wiim can apply differently to different inputs.

It sounds like you're not testing with the necessary controls (blind, level matched etc.) to avoid known confounding factors - so the difference could just be in your head. That's not a personal criticism - it just means you're human like the rest of us. Without controlled listening, or measurements, we won't know whether there's a real difference to investigate.

Dumb question: How does one leve-match different inputs? Isn't balanced 5v and RCA just 2v? So I just turn down (or up) the volume to the same SPL?

Anyhoo, I feel it's more than that...it's thin sounding (maybe I should grab a vid).

Also, no EQ or Sub Out is used.

 

[Alz_D]

Good Evening!

Finally completed the reading of this thread and have a question I'm hoping someone will be able to guide me with.

Santa is bringing me a Wiim Ultra (lucky me) but I already have a few bits and I'm curious as to the best way to connect everything.

Currently have a my PC connected to a Fosi K7 via USB. TV is then connected to the K7 via optical. K7 runs 900 Pro X and currently some powered speakers via RCA.

Plan is Wiim to speakers, TV connected via arc. Coax out to the K7 for headphone duties. Regards the PC, as it doesn't have optical out could I run in via USB still to the K7 and then RCA out to the RCA in on the Wiim if I want to use the speakers for the PC?

Question is - is this the optimal way to do things?

Thank you

 

[obsessive9119]

Good Evening!

Finally completed the reading of this thread and have a question I'm hoping someone will be able to guide me with.

Santa is bringing me a Wiim Ultra (lucky me) but I already have a few bits and I'm curious as to the best way to connect everything.

Currently have a my PC connected to a Fosi K7 via USB. TV is then connected to the K7 via optical. K7 runs 900 Pro X and currently some powered speakers via RCA.

Plan is Wiim to speakers, TV connected via arc. Coax out to the K7 for headphone duties. Regards the PC, as it doesn't have optical out could I run in via USB still to the K7 and then RCA out to the RCA in on the Wiim if I want to use the speakers for the PC?

Question is - is this the optimal way to do things?

Thank you

Depends what you use the PC for. If it’s just as a music source for local files, I’d not physically connect it at all and have the WiiM stream from it via SMB or DLNA.

 

[obsessive9119]

Two questions:
- Can WiiM Ultra be used without App? (I have a regular phone, not using smart devices)
- What are wired options for accessing local files - only via NAS?

FYI if you have a Mac, you can use the WiiM iOS app on it for anything you can’t set up via the physical interface.

In terms of accessing local files, they don’t have to be on a NAS - any machine you can route to (local network or otherwise) providing SMB, DLNA or running Plex should work (tho I haven’t personally tried SMB or Plex).

I use minimserver as my DLNA server but there are plenty of other options.

 

[Alz_D]

Depends what you use the PC for. If it’s just as a music source for local files, I’d not physically connect it at all and have the WiiM stream from it via SMB or DLNA.

Thanks for the reply. Gaming mostly, I'll be able to do everything else through the Wiim.

 

[obsessive9119]

Thanks for the reply. Gaming mostly, I'll be able to do everything else through the Wiim.

Are you using the TV while gaming? If so, why not have the sound go via HDMI to the TV then to the WiiM?

 

[Mort]

Plan is Wiim to speakers, TV connected via arc. Coax out to the K7 for headphone duties. Regards the PC, as it doesn't have optical out could I run in via USB still to the K7 and then RCA out to the RCA in on the Wiim if I want to use the speakers for the PC?

Yes you could but better would be a USB to optical converter. There are several mentioned in this forum. I've used Cubilux from Amazon.

 

[HedgeHog]

Ok...this is embarrassing. In setting the new input for the WiiM, I forgot to enable the bi-amping so there was no signal going to the woofers.

New owners will enjoy this device....so easy to setup. I also switched from WiFi to wired for more stable connection. It will default wired once it's connected.

 

[Chaos01]

Hi, can anyone confirm wich device works with the umik-1 for the wiim App? With my Android Phone i Had no luck, maybe with a Apple iPad? My iPhone did not Work...
Sorry of i missed the information somewhere, could Not find Something Here.
Thanks

 

[harkpabst]

With my Android Phone i Had no luck ...

What do you mean by that?

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Hi, can anyone confirm wich device works with the umik-1 for the wiim App? With my Android Phone i Had no luck, maybe with a Apple iPad? My iPhone did not Work...
Sorry of i missed the information somewhere, could Not find Something Here.
Thanks

It is odd that UMIK-1 did not work with your iPhone. It works fine with both, my iPhone and my iPad in the respective WiiM Home App.

 

[GGroch]

Hi, can anyone confirm wich device works with the umik-1 for the wiim App? With my Android Phone i Had no luck, maybe with a Apple iPad? My iPhone did not Work...
Sorry of i missed the information somewhere, could Not find Something Here.
Thanks

It works with several Android Phones I have tried in addition to my current iPad. I understand some Android phones cannot accept an external mic through usb

 

[Chaos01]

It is odd that UMIK-1 did not work with your iPhone. It works fine with both, my iPhone and my iPad in the respective WiiM Home App.

Thanks, what Version of iPhone and iPad do you have ? Also @GGroch ?
So you can use it for the roomcorrection in the wiim App and umik-1 is choosed in the room correction process?
@harkpabst with my Moto G100 i could not choose the umik-1 in the wiim App for room correction and Not in the Android properties.
So maybe a iPad ist the solution, so what Version? Dont want to buy the newest stuff only for that.

I will try other Android devices by time.

 

[GGroch]

.... with my Moto G100 i could not choose the umik-1 in the wiim App for room correction

The critical issue is whether the G100 is compatible with external USB-C microphones and Google/Gemini says it is. While Gemini is not foolproof, it does suggest some troubleshooting ideas. These include:
- Common execution error: The USB-C mic plugs into the phone, not the Wiim, plug it into the phone (! this is common?)

- Since the external microphone selection option does not appear in the Wiim App (along with the option to load the specific mikes EQ curve) until the microphone is recognized by the phone, it suggests connecting the mic 1st using a different app to test, and that the native camera ap defaults to the built in mic so you may want to test with a phone/zoom or other app. Plug and test the mic first....THEN open the Wiim app.

- My umik came with a USB A Cable so I had to find a compatible USB-C or adapter. Not all cables/adapters will work, you may need an OTG cable.

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

Thanks, what Version of iPhone and iPad do you have ? Also @GGroch ?
So you can use it for the roomcorrection in the wiim App and umik-1 is choosed in the room correction process?
@harkpabst with my Moto G100 i could not choose the umik-1 in the wiim App for room correction and Not in the Android properties.
So maybe a iPad ist the solution, so what Version? Dont want to buy the newest stuff only for that.

I will try other Android devices by time.

Worked fine with iPhones 15 Pro Max, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro for me, as well as iPad Pro M4, all with any USB-C cable that I wanted, as my UMIK-1 and all iDevices were native USB-C.

 

[Chaos01]

OK with a Motorola Edge 60 Fusion the Umik-1 worked for the Wiim App.

EDIT: does the roomfit include the Subwoofer? I remember that it only does in Stereo (1)measurement for both Channels?

 

[harkpabst]

OK with a Motorola Edge 60 Fusion the Umik-1 worked for the Wiim App.

EDIT: does the roomfit include the Subwoofer? I remember that it only does in Stereo (1)measurement for both Channels?

View attachment 499513

It's clearly a problem of the Moto G100 then.

RoomFit has it's own settings, check the gear icon in the top right of the RoomFit start page. On the settings page you can enable or disable subwoofer calibration.

 

[GGroch]

....I remember that it only does in Stereo (1)measurement for both Channels?

You can choose individual or stereo measurement.
Helpful hint for those willing to read instructions. On the Roomfit Start Page, just left of the previously mentioned gear, there is a circled Question mark icon. Clicking that opens a quite well written synopsis of the process which includes the process, parameters, what the parameters do, and where each one is selected. It was quite helpful to me.

 

[harkpabst]

One more side note (because I think it's not yet explicitly mentioned in the guide): Moving Mic Method (Beta) and Individual Channel Room Correction are mutually exclusive. You can have one or the other, but not both (as of now).

 

[GGroch]

One more side note (because I think it's not yet explicitly mentioned in the guide): Moving Mic Method (Beta) and Individual Channel Room Correction are mutually exclusive. You can have one or the other, but not both (as of now).

So, which in most cases should one choose. There are a lot of parameters to pick. I asked a smart but not infallible (non-human) friend and these were its recommendations for using the Umik-1 with a phone on Room-fit. A synopsis:

• Pointing the Umik-1 at the ceiling (and using the 90 degree calibration file) is generally superior/more consistent with this mic than pointing directly at the speakers (direct calibration file)
• Moving Mic Measurement is a significant upgrade, it analogizes the problem with single point to comb filtering in photographs, the app tries to fix tiny dips that occur just in that precise spot. Waving the ceiling pointed mic in a figure 8 pattern over your head eliminates much of this issue.
• Given the Moving Mic vs Individual L/R measurement limitations, it recommends using individual measurement in rooms that are asymmetric (ie, one speaker is in open space and the other is in a corner) or if your listening position is not centered. Moving mic may otherwise be preferable.
• Moving mic generally provides better bass accuracy, where as individual measurement may improve stereo imaging
• It also seems to prefer limiting measurements to bass/mid-bass, say 20Hz – 500Hz, particularly if you are measuring from a single spot.

Do your experiences agree with this? I know Wiim community forums is a good resource, are their sections that describe the exact benefits of specific measurement strategies? In my experience Room-fit seems to have gotten more accurate over time. Initially my results varied a lot and some sounded terrible. Now, not so much.