Emlin
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Ah. My sincerest apologies. I forgot that I was using a hub.
I'm really very sorry for that.
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WiiM Ultra
- Thread starter MKR
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I'm really very sorry for that.
I am personally talking about USB access to the DAC. It’s not a huge feature that is at all esoteric. I don’t care if it’s USB or USB-C. I would like to see the next version work with computers, iPads, or iPhones via USB.
Wiim has added a lot of features with each new version, so I think it’s just a matter of time before they add it to a version down the road. No, I am not crying about it. I have DACs laying around, so just go through the analog inputs. iPad to Topping D10, Mac Mini through Hi Dizs DAC, and both go through a preamp along with a Sony radio and a turntable. The RCA input on the Ultra is very useful for my use, so happy they put those in there.
I get you, but it’s just another feature that would drive up price. When in all reality most streaming options exist within the unit itself, so they probably don’t feel like adding even another $50 to the cost of the unit would worth while for a feature they don’t think would drive enough sales.
Also, if I had to guess I would say that AirPlay and chromcast was their answer to some of that. But they lost out on the AirPlay so that created a problem.
But you’re right. The next version will probably have that feature… and AirPlay lol
I think USB would have been a nice trade off for one of the digital outputs. More people use computers/ipads/iphones/ than need 3 separate digital outputs. That isn’t a typical consumer need at all.
The issue with Airplay2 ( even if it had it) is that it’s lossy (with AirPlay 2 apps like Apple Music). USB input would allow hi res with Apple Music.
As we said, it will be in a future version. Honestly, if the thing got into the over $400 range ( I would pay $50 for USB in, though), I probably would have skipped it, so I am fine with the trade offs. Just seems like USB to DAC would be the one thing that would have made it ideal in a desktop setup.
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5onderling
Member
Okay. I returned the WiiM Ultra about a week ago due to the problems. Some other user on the WiiM forum has gotten a response from WiiM support now that states that the WiiM Ultra does not touch the signal with the digital outputs in any way and so the exact signal from the TV gets send to the Genelec's and the problem lies in their DAC or processing or something. Which I can pretty much confirm since I had the same issue when having the speakers basically directly connected to the TV's optical out, just with a optical to coaxial converter. Some more details in the thread on the WiiM forum here: https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/dropouts-on-coaxial-output-with-arc-input.4971/
Pearljam5000
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Is there a DAC/streamer that's better than the Ultra at about the same price?
staticV3
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I don't think there is, if you don't mind the lack of AirPlay support.
Better at what exactly? The Bluesound Node 2021 is at that price level since there's a new one released.
REK2575
Active Member
The Node's DAC isn't competitive with the WiiM Ultra's -- https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/bluesound-node-review-streamer.25578/
I don’t see them in the same market. No LCD screen is more in line with other Wiim devices.
I just received the Ultra yesterday. I previously have had experience with the Heos Link 2, Bluesound node 2i, Wiim mini, Wiim pro and Naim ( last three still in use) I mainly bought the Ultra for bass management duties so the Ultra is in my main system ( stereo, audio only).
What I immediately liked is that with the app you can increase/ decrease the bass output from + to - 15 db without altering some eq/peq or (worse) standing up.
What I still don't like about the user interface start screen is that as a preamp first thing you want to do is select the source like on the screen. Naim does a better job at that. Open app, select device, select source, which you can rename, or your radio preset all one click away on the home screen.
And in the device menu of the Wiim app you have to scroll down for the most used audio options. Rename device is on top, eq, sub on/off etc is way down and audio output is at 11. Or do people want to set it and forget it?
What I immediately liked is that with the app you can increase/ decrease the bass output from + to - 15 db without altering some eq/peq or (worse) standing up.
What I still don't like about the user interface start screen is that as a preamp first thing you want to do is select the source like on the screen. Naim does a better job at that. Open app, select device, select source, which you can rename, or your radio preset all one click away on the home screen.
And in the device menu of the Wiim app you have to scroll down for the most used audio options. Rename device is on top, eq, sub on/off etc is way down and audio output is at 11. Or do people want to set it and forget it?
Rambling on, I connected the cd player (through toslink) to the Ultra and (through coax) to my pre- amp. Sub still connected to the sub out of the Ultra so now I can control the volume of the main speakers with the pre amp remote and seperately the volume of the sub with the remote of the Ultra. That's svs territory! Haha. Defeating the eq of the mains ofcourse but that's OK for now.
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10 / 15 / 2024
What's New:
5.2.632547 (In Progress)
Release date:10 / 15 / 2024
What's New:
- Chromecast Enhancements: Added bit-perfect playback support and reduced pop noise on Chromecast Audio.
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- USB Output Enhancement: Added support for multiple USB soundcards.
- USB Indexing Enhancement: Supports m3u and m3u8 playlist formats. See this article for details.
- Screen Enhancements:
- Corrected metadata display issues for custom radio stations caused by special characters.
- Corrected the default VU meter value when no content is playing.
- Addressed various other screen issues for a smoother and more reliable experience.
- Playback Enhancements:
- Fixed an issue where playback could not resume after Wi-Fi reconnection.
- Fixed an issue preventing Audible Books from playing through Alexa.
- HDMI Input Issue: Resolved an occasional no sound issue.
- Alarm Time Fix: Corrected rare incorrect alarm issue.
- Sync Audio Fix: Fixed an occasional error for Sync Audio.
- General Enhancements: Various performance improvements and bug fixes to enhance overall operation.
My Ultra should be here today. What is the general consensus about using the room correction? I have an iPhone so no problem there. Do you generally just let it do it's thing and then tweak? Which of the supplied target curves do you use?
That's what I did -- let the Ultra RC run its course several times, each from a slightly different spot in the general area where I listen. Then went in and made some manual adjustments which primarily consisted of backing off a bit on the dB level of correction that RC made. I certainly won't claim perfection, but it did make a nice improvement.
The other thing I did was use the "save" feature where you can assign your own unique name to a correction. I now have "drapes open" and "drapes closed" as saved presets along with one for particularly sibilant material. Lots of options with being able to save particular curves -- for example, you could do your own "loudness" curve for low-volume listening. The possibilities are endless.
I just used the RC as is and found out that the auto room correction opens up the sound stage. As if other frequencies clutter the room when prevelant. Nice to play with for sure.
Got the WIIM today. Set it up did some quick room correction and so far am very impressed. Listened with the built in DAC for a bit but then switched back to my external, not because it was quantifiable better, but i just like that sound a bit more subjectively.
The one issue I'm having is that I have a USB thumb drive with all my music on it that i plugged into the USB port and it's not recognized at all. It worked perfectly with my Raspberry Pi running Volumio, but I'm thinking maybe the WIIM needs it to formatted in a specific way to work? Any ideas?
The one issue I'm having is that I have a USB thumb drive with all my music on it that i plugged into the USB port and it's not recognized at all. It worked perfectly with my Raspberry Pi running Volumio, but I'm thinking maybe the WIIM needs it to formatted in a specific way to work? Any ideas?
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