WiiM Ultra

[mlsstl]

Can anyone please confirm the Ultra has adjustable low and high pass please?

When the subwoofer option is turned on in the WiiM app, the output to the main speakers is high-passed at the selected crossover frequency (whether line-out or digital) and the subwoofer output is low-passed at the same frequency. (You'd want to use the LFE input of your sub -- you don't want to be adding the sub's crossover on top of the Ultra's.) So, as you slide the Ultra's subwoofer crossover frequency up and down, both outputs are adjusted at once.

 

[joostdh]

The lack of AirPlay on the Ultra is disappointing as is the way it was communicated. Originally AirPlay was listed as supported and all Wiim’s other products have it too so the expectation was there.

Then on the Wiim forums the official respons changed to support coming later. Now that has changed to a definitive no Airplay for this device. All threads where it was discussed were closed without notice which comes of as a poor move. It seems WiiM caught themselves out a bit with this.

It’s a real shame. I pre-ordered the Ultra and was really looking forward to it. I’m happy with the Wiim Amp but long for a bit more amplification, besides the many other upgrades (better dac, screen, built-in phono). Like many others, I was planning to pair the Ultra with the Fosi mono amps.

Airplay is integral for my use so I’ve cancelled my pre-order. I’ve gone from “shut up and take my money” to having to consider other options.

 

[antcollinet]

I can't imagine anyone invested in apple devices is going to buy the Ultra as things stand.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

I can't imagine anyone invested in apple devices is going to buy the Ultra as things stand.

Just to reiterate, it’s not ‘Apple devices’.

I have an iPhone and use it to control my WiiM, including use of both WiiM’s and Amazon’s apps.

It’s about AirPlay.

 

[antcollinet]

Just to reiterate, it’s not ‘Apple devices’.

I have an iPhone and use it to control my WiiM, including use of both WiiM’s and Amazon’s apps.

It’s about AirPlay.

I know.

But for me as an apple device owner - I would not buy a streamer (or wifi speaker, or integrated amp with networking) that didn't support airplay. It is just too convenient for off the cuff audio from my mac, ipad or phone.

I'd certainly not buy the top of a manufacturers range (ultra) that didn't have it, where all their lower tier devices did.

 

[Owis]

They will still sell ship loads. This device isn’t marketed at people that Airplay their music, well not the vast majority anyway.

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

They will still sell ship loads. This device isn’t marketed at people that Airplay their music, well not the vast majority anyway.

The fact that room correction is only supported on iOS devices (due to the uniformity of their mics) would seem to argue differently.

I'm thinking of getting a WiiM mini to feed Airplay into the Ultra but that seems just a little ridiculous somehow.

 

[rgruber]

Because I don't use Airplay for anything?

If it has Spotify Connect, I'm good.

Everyone's use cases are different.

I can't imagine anyone invested in apple devices is going to buy the Ultra as things stand.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

ROFL. I have an iPhone, wouldn't for one minute think of using AirPlay.

 

[DannyBoyNYC]

ROFL. I have an iPhone, wouldn't for one minute think of using AirPlay.

What's wrong with Airplay? Is it not "audiophile" enough or has everyone here ponied up for a lifetime Roon sub?

 

[Petrushka]

What's wrong with Airplay? Is it not "audiophile" enough or has everyone here ponied up for a lifetime Roon sub?

I view airplay as an emergency measure. I use airplay when finding something on my phone is easier than finding it on a streaming device.

Now, I understand that AirPlay supports groups and multi-room synchronization. That’s heavy lifting, and worth having.

 

[elmoe420]

It's bizarre to me that folks are blaming WiiM and not Apple.

Apple gets mad at WiiM for making Airplay transmitting available.

Apple then roadblocks MFI certification for WiiM Ultra.

Apple designs Airplay (and other software features) in a way that requires a special hardware chip for "certification". Apple further designs this walled garden system so you cannot just include the chip and then get certified later, blocking manufacturing of certified devices until you pay to play and wait for the overlords approval.

Seriously folks, can we not see a problem with Apple here?

 

[Petrushka]

It's bizarre to me that folks are blaming WiiM and not Apple.

Apple gets mad at WiiM for making Airplay transmitting available.

Apple then roadblocks MFI certification for WiiM Ultra.

Apple designs Airplay (and other software features) in a way that requires a special hardware chip for "certification". Apple further designs this walled garden system so you cannot just include the chip and then get certified later, blocking manufacturing of certified devices until you pay to play and wait for the overlords approval.

Seriously folks, can we not see a problem with Apple here?

Can someone name some non-Apple devices that cast airplay?

I have a PC program that does it, but it wasn’t free.

 

[elmoe420]

Can someone name some non-Apple devices that cast airplay?

I have a PC program that does it, but it wasn’t free.

You now understand why Apple is currently screwing WiiM on the Ultra.

 

[Joffy1780]

It's bizarre to me that folks are blaming WiiM and not Apple.

Apple gets mad at WiiM for making Airplay transmitting available.

Apple then roadblocks MFI certification for WiiM Ultra.

Apple designs Airplay (and other software features) in a way that requires a special hardware chip for "certification". Apple further designs this walled garden system so you cannot just include the chip and then get certified later, blocking manufacturing of certified devices until you pay to play and wait for the overlords approval.

Seriously folks, can we not see a problem with Apple here?

You would think Linkplay/Wiim would be a lot more aware than us of Apple and their 'tactics'. It can't be a secret to them and obviously the decision to enable Airplay casting has backfired badly.
Wiim certainly have to take some of the responsibility.

 

[uofmtiger]

You would think Linkplay/Wiim would be a lot more aware than us of Apple and their 'tactics'. It can't be a secret to them and obviously the decision to enable Airplay casting has backfired badly.
Wiim certainly have to take some of the responsibility.

Exactly, every streamer I own, including new and old receivers have AirPlay. This issue is not Apple’s fault or responsibility. They made it sound like AirPlay was coming and that would be the expectation since it is on their cheapest Wiim device. They should have explicitly said it doesn’t have the needed chip and will never have AirPlay from the start. That being said, people can apparently send it back for a refund, so nothing has been lost… just really bad PR from a company that has had a great PR record.

That being said, I don’t use AirPlay with my Wiim devices, so I am keeping the Ultra I received yesterday and I have an iPhone. In the space, I have an AppleTV and receiver that already have AirPlay built in. I am using a direct feed into the Wiim via RCA of my iPad ( going through a topping DAC), so will have Apple Music available. I mainly use Wiim with Amazon Music, so it works for both of my purposes. I already have a Wiim Mini that I could run into the optical, but I am putting that in another space.

 

[amper42]

Apple certification is never easy and never guaranteed. They are tough to work with. When Intel took on certification for Thunderbolt it was just as bad. And to make it worse Apple would jump from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunder 3 to Thunderbolt 4 versions while many companies were still trying to get certified. This made the developer have to start over again before selling enough product to pay for the effort. Development nightmare and a cash drain that turned many off. No wonder USB 3.x was the choice of many developers instead of Thunderbolt.

 

[uofmtiger]

Apple certification is never easy and never guaranteed. They are tough to work with. When Intel took on certification for Thunderbolt it was just as bad. And to make it worse Apple would jump from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunder 3 to Thunderbolt 4 versions while many companies were still trying to get certified. This made the developer have to start over again before selling enough product to pay for the effort. Development nightmare and a cash drain that turned many off. No wonder USB 3.1 was the choice of many developers instead of Thunderbolt.

I have no knowledge of exactly how hard they are to work with. I just have tons of devices from companies (including Wiim) that could navigate the issue before releasing their product. This is why it is a Wiim issue and not an Apple issue. Even if you have to jump through hoops, it is getting done by nearly every other streamer on the market...including stand alone speakers and Airplay devices. This is a Wiim issue.

 

[amper42]

I have no knowledge of exactly how hard they are to work with. I just have tons of devices from companies (including Wiim) that could navigate the issue before releasing their product. This is why it is a Wiim issue and not an Apple issue. Even if you have to jump through hoops, it is getting done by nearly every other streamer on the market...including stand alone speakers and Airplay devices. This is a Wiim issue.

If you care about your music playback, you won't use Airplay2 just like you won't buy mp3 files. Airplay2 compresses audio without warning. There are so many better options like UPnP supported by Audirvana and other quality audio gear. Airplay2 will likely sound better than Bluetooth but if you want to be sure your music is delivered without compression you will use UPnP or a direct connection to your DAC via USB.

 

[Ralph_Cramden]

has everyone here ponied up for a lifetime Roon sub?

No, I rather like playing Tidal directly to my WiiM via the Allmusic.com website. No need for Roon or AirPlay.