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WiiM Ultra
- Thread starter MKR
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There is an Amp Pro in the works, but no Amp Ultra has been announced - although it does seem like a logical move to put a screen on the Amp.
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There is always a better one next year
Pearljam5000
Master Contributor
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Should I buy the Ultra now or wait for the new Ultra Pro ?
Best wait for the Ultra Pro Plus
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I wonder if you will ever be able to make a decision on your own and finally buy something....
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If you have a quality DAC the Wiim mini does everything you need for $90.
The features they are adding are really unneeded.
The Wiim amp is OK. But you can easily use a better quality amp with the Wiim mini.
The Wiim Pro Plus is nice but if you have a quality DAC like the RME ADI-2 you're still going to use it's loudness feature, balanced outs and such so you end up using the plus with optical out just like the mini.
The Wiim Ultra will give you a screen but those using Audirvana on MBP don't need it anyway...
Bottom line - New Wiim models raise price for solutions that can be done better with a separate DAC and amp.
The Wiim mini is the best value and actually all you need for streaming.
The features they are adding are really unneeded.
The Wiim amp is OK. But you can easily use a better quality amp with the Wiim mini.
The Wiim Pro Plus is nice but if you have a quality DAC like the RME ADI-2 you're still going to use it's loudness feature, balanced outs and such so you end up using the plus with optical out just like the mini.
The Wiim Ultra will give you a screen but those using Audirvana on MBP don't need it anyway...
Bottom line - New Wiim models raise price for solutions that can be done better with a separate DAC and amp.
The Wiim mini is the best value and actually all you need for streaming.
holbob
Senior Member
holbob
Senior Member
If you have a quality DAC the Wiim mini does everything you need for $90.
The features they are adding are really unneeded.
The Wiim amp is OK. But you can easily use a better quality amp with the Wiim mini.
The Wiim Pro Plus is nice but if you have a quality DAC like the RME ADI-2 you're still going to use it's loudness feature, balanced outs and such so you end up using the plus with optical out just like the mini.
The Wiim Ultra will give you a screen but those using Audirvana on MBP don't need it anyway...
Bottom line - New Wiim models raise price for solutions that can be done better with a separate DAC and amp.
The Wiim mini is the best value and actually all you need for streaming.
Except there is massive demand for a screen. Oh, and for peq as well. I will sell my Nvidia Shield and Minidsp Flex if the Ultra stacks up and make a little bit back.
This may come as a big shock to you - but your needs and wants are not everybody else's needs and wants.
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Wiim mini comes with a screen it's called the phone or iPad. Much easier to use than getting up to push buttons on a streamer screen. My Flex is fine but without the RME ADI-2 loudness function it's not my primary DAC for music. Once you have been spoiled with RME remote software it's hard to go back to a normal DAC - even the Flex.
The Wiim Amp is more than just a mini with a power amp though, it has more comprehensive inputs outputs and a sub out with bass management. If you can find a separate dac/pre/power amp with those features for less than the Wiim amp I'd be astounded.If you have a quality DAC the Wiim mini does everything you need for $90.
The features they are adding are really unneeded.
The Wiim amp is OK. But you can easily use a better quality amp with the Wiim mini.
The Wiim Pro Plus is nice but if you have a quality DAC like the RME ADI-2 you're still going to use it's loudness feature, balanced outs and such so you end up using the plus with optical out just like the mini.
The Wiim Ultra will give you a screen but those using Audirvana on MBP don't need it anyway...
Bottom line - New Wiim models raise price for solutions that can be done better with a separate DAC and amp.
The Wiim mini is the best value and actually all you need for streaming.
Wiim Pro Plus is very difficult to beat, value-wise as well, if you don't already have a DAC. It won't compare favourably to a Pro and ADI-2, but that combo is roughly 5 times the price of a Pro Plus. Add a separate DAC to a Pro for less than the roughly £70 difference between it and the Pro Plus and you wouldn't be getting anything better.
I am personally planning on replacing a Pro and separate DAC with the Ultra because of the screen, HDMI arc and sub out. These are features which add value for me and I think the Ultra looks fantastic as well.
The “Non Plus Ultra”
I emailed them and it looks like they’ve amended it and removed the higher quality codecs
I’m sure I read somewhere that someone asked them at the Munich Show and were told something like that might be in the pipeline but no projected date nor price were given, so I guess you might take that info with a pinch of salt.
Thank you very much for clarifing.
See here for recent info: https://www.blog.wiimhome.com/post/unveiling-wiim-ultra-the-digital-hub-for-your-music It looks like a very interesting product, with apparently a subwoofer output with HP/LP filters, some acoustic measurement/room equalization and even a MM input for the vinyl romantics.
I though that most people around here think that there wouldn't be an audible difference between the DAC in the Pro Plus and ore expensive DACs like the ADI-2 or many others?
The ADI-2 has a myriad of features not found on most DACs. The loudness feature seems to be very well thought of. By the same token the Pro Plus has features the ADI-2 doesn't, so it depends on your needs I suppose.
Without EQ/loudness etc they would sound exactly same.
The EQ on the Pro Plus is actually pretty nice after 20 years without any tone controls or EQ on anything (blame that on Naim)! EQ make total sense given room nodes, etc and I find it adds quite a bit.
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