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WiiM Ultra

Petrushka said:
It’s almost too good to be true. I still have LPs I want to convert, and it has multiple digital outputs.
Click to expand...
It's a very capable device and still it's getting better and better. Even if it was just a simple pre-amp with PEQ and the marvelous subwoofer integration it was a steal. Independent 10 band PEQ for left and right is coming in August and will make it even better.
 
But if you are using it in a bedroom system which is just going to to output to an amp and some bookshelf speakers (as the OP stated), you probably don't need all the extra input and outputs so the regular Wiim Amp is probably sufficient.

The only caveat is that you could do better on the amplification section but depending on how you critically you listen to your secondary system, that may not be a huge drawback. Personally in a bedroom setting, I'd probably sacrifice a bit of sound quality for a more compact system with fewer cords. The lack of display might be a feature rather than a bug in this situation.

harkpabst said:
WiiM Amp Pro vs. WiiM Ultra:
  • No optical output
  • No coax output
  • No phono input
  • No line output (in case you wanted to use a different power amp later on)
  • No display, and finally, as @Petrushka stated:
  • Not yet available with no official release date
If you don't need any of the missing features and don't have to buy right now it might be worth the wait.
:)

Edit:
WiiM Amp vs. WiiM Amp Pro:
  • Missing Post Filter Feedback, thus a little load dependency
  • Inferior DAC
  • Older networking/Bluetooth hardware stack
Click to expand...
 
rgruber said:
But if you are using it in a bedroom system which is just going to to output to an amp and some bookshelf speakers (as the OP stated), you probably don't need all the extra input and outputs so the regular Wiim Amp is probably sufficient.

The only caveat is that you could do better on the amplification section but depending on how you critically you listen to your secondary system, that may not be a huge drawback. Personally in a bedroom setting, I'd probably sacrifice a bit of sound quality for a more compact system with fewer cords. The lack of display might be a feature rather than a bug in this situation.
Click to expand...
OP was referring to something completely different in post #1. ;)

That other user you've been quoting didn't say anything useful about what inputs and outputs he/she might or might not need for a bedroom system so I just presented a collection of the facts. :) No rating, no recommendation, just facts. Bedroom turntables are OK, if you want one. Fully or semi automatic ones are probably the preferred choice. ;)
 
amper42 said:
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.
Click to expand...
Is this an established fact? Sources? The Airport Express is audibly tranparent and has no problem delivering 16 bit 44.1 kHz resolution, so why should it be like that?
 
WalterW said:
Is this an established fact? Sources? The Airport Express is audibly tranparent and has no problem delivering 16 bit 44.1 kHz resolution, so why should it be like that?
Click to expand...
AirPlay 2 can be lossless, but not streaming from iPhones and iPads. This is always lossy AAC. AirPlay 2 brought multi-room, but did so at the cost of fidelity.

You should find a bunch of articles and videos describing the different use cases in more detail with one single Google search.
 
harkpabst said:
AirPlay 2 can be lossless, but not streaming from iPhones and iPads. This is always lossy AAC. AirPlay 2 brought multi-room, but did so at the cost of fidelity.

You should find a bunch of articles and videos describing the different use cases in more detail with one single Google search.
Click to expand...
Ok, found an article by questionable Darko. In most cases it is lossless, even with an iPhone, since I am using Qobuz. So no need to worry for me. Only when all three, app, sender and receiver are using Airplay2, it's lossy, and even this lossiness is better than the standard 320kbps mp3, so 99% of the time nobody would hear a difference.
 
Last edited:
harkpabst said:
AirPlay 2 can be lossless, but not streaming from iPhones and iPads. This is always lossy AAC. AirPlay 2 brought multi-room, but did so at the cost of fidelity.

You should find a bunch of articles and videos describing the different use cases in more detail with one single Google search.
Click to expand...
What else streams airplay?
 
WalterW said:
Ok, found an article by questionable Darko. In most cases it is lossless, even with an iPhone, since I am using Qobuz. So no need to worry for me.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I was a bit hasty and wrote from the top of my head, so the result was oversimplified or in other words: wrong.

Anyway, the truth is: As long as either the music app or the endpoint is not capable of AirPlay 2 you can have lossless (but not necessarily bit perfect) transmission.

audiophilestyle.com

Apple Music Lossless Mess Part 2: AirPlay

Earlier this month I dug into Apple Music's Lossless and Hi-Res offerings, running several bit perfect rests on the audio output of my Macs and iOS devices. The results were less than stellar (link). This week I dug into Apple Music lossless over AirPlay. One would think that the results would be...
audiophilestyle.com audiophilestyle.com

Petrushka said:
What else streams airplay?
Click to expand...
MacOS devices, in addition to the above list.
 
My WiiM Ultra arrived today. FYI, it does not work with camilladsp-setrate. But, USB support just came out in the last couple of days. Hopefully they will continue working on the drivers. I hope it is resolved within my return window. Otherwise, this unit is going back.
 
Audiophonics showing incoming 'restock' between 1st and 8th August for our (very) patient European members!!
 
I've had the WiiM Ultra now for about 3 days so I'm still in discovery mode. I'm using it as a streamer only and currently comparing its internal DAC to my Denon AVR DAC. There are audible differences between them but I'm not sure which one I prefer. It was a tossup between the two until WiiM released their last Ultra update and improved the line-out audio. I'm leaning towards defaulting to the WiiM's DAC. There are presets and even options in the play view to switch outputs between optical and line-out so I just need to decide a default and switch when preferable. The WiiMs software on the other hand is far superior to HEOS. That was a large driver for purchasing the unit. HEOS is utter garbage and very limited for compatible streaming sources. I use Qobuz and HEOS doesn't offer it as an option. If I need to use AirPlay 2 I can just connect to the Denon for that. Very happy overall with the Ultra. Great price and fantastic value for what it offers.
 
uofmtiger said:
It works natively with Apple Music on Apple devices. The Wiim doesn’t have an Apple Music app. Last I checked, Apple Music was the 2nd largest music service, so it is a big deal to many to not have AirPlay on a modern streaming device.

AirPlay 2 allows for the device to be used in multiroom Audio at the Control Center level, as well… with all music apps.

AirPlay 1 would be my choice even if I lost multiroom audio from the control center because it would allow for lossless. I wonder if Wiim has looked into AirPlay 1 certification? There are other streamers out there still using AirPlay 1.

As I mentioned, if you can link two Wiim devices, it’s a back door to resolving the issue wirelessly.
Click to expand...
On a quick Google it's in 6th place (USA) but I can see if you have Apple Music as a sole music provider the slight towards any device that doesn't will probably not appeal to you. (do they have a proprietary digital audio coding?) Maybe the next thing out will? The Wiim Supreme Deluxe Ultra. I almost feel bad for you guys. True Lies.
 
Jkdjedi said:
On a quick Google it's in 6th place (USA) but I can see if you have Apple Music as a sole music provider the slight towards any device that doesn't will probably not appeal to you. (do they have a proprietary digital audio coding?) Maybe the next thing out will? The Wiim Supreme Deluxe Ultra. I almost feel bad for you guys. True Lies.
Click to expand...
We may not be taking about the same thing when it comes to paid music streaming services. I was referring to the info below:

Worldwide
www.midiaresearch.com

Music subscriber market shares Q2 2021

MIDiA’s annual music subscriber market shares report is now available here (see below for more details of the report). Here are some of the key findings. The global base of music subscribers continues to grow strongly with 523.
www.midiaresearch.com www.midiaresearch.com

USA
www.phonearena.com

Apple Music is the second biggest subscription music service in the US, Spotify still in the lead

Apple Music had 32.6 million subscribers in the United States in February 2023, which wasn’t enough to take the lead from Spotify.
www.phonearena.com www.phonearena.com
I don’t believe Apple or Amazon give user counts these days, so it’s speculation at this point.
 
Quantity does not mean quality.
I have been using Apple products for over 20 years, but I refuse to use this horrendous thing that is Apple Music.
But there are people who like it, many people are complacent, which is why the Apple system is closed, and people end up subscribing without even understanding what they are doing.
Services like Tidal and Qbouz are for people who understand the subject, they will never be high-volume services.
But they are quality services. Just like Roon, after I discovered Roon, I hardly ever leave it.
I tested countless services until I found it. I would like to have an alternative that is as good as Roon, but at the moment I don't see anyone.
Roon is not perfect, I have my criticisms of them, and they know that.
I hope they fix the problems we are going through, but it is still the best in my opinion.
 
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