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WiiM Ultra

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...
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.
 
Abdo said:
clarify one thing for me, I don't use Airplay, either 1 or 2. But would this type of Roon support give life to Airplay 2 on the Wiim Ultra? Thanks
Click to expand...
It indicates that apple might start licensing ap2.

One key thing about AirPlay 2 is that the music source (and control) is always an Apple product. You can't get AirPlay 2 on an Android device.
Click to expand...

www.whathifi.com

What is AirPlay 2? How it works, and what speakers and devices support it

Apple's take on wireless multi-room audio lets you easily stream content from iOS devices to AirPlay 2-compatible TVs and products
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com
 
Last edited:
terryforsythe said:
Estou muito, muito impressionado com o apoio do WiiM. Eles estão monitorando os fóruns, coletando feedback e implementando mudanças. Muito impressionante!
Click to expand...
I can't say the same, I've been waiting for 4 days to be able to post questions on their forum... this is disappointing... and there's no one to talk to to resolve it:
Imagem 1.jpg
 
Abdo said:
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.
Click to expand...
I have Apple Music because of Siri and how it is implemented into products like the HomePod which we use nearly every day in the kitchen and bedroom when we are casually listening to music. It is also implemented into CarPlay with Siri (which both the wife and I use). The ease of use, the lyrics on the Apple TV (my wife is Polish, so she loves seeing the lyrics), and the price when bundled with other services we use is what keeps us using Apple Music.

I used Qobuz for a year or two (during Covid when I was home all the time), but mainly implemented it in with Audirvana and DLNA. My issue with Roon was its lack of DLNA support. I admit, I haven't looked at it lately, but on top of the fee for Roon and the devices I would need to buy to use Hi Res around the house, it just didn't make sense for the way we listen to music. Also, tying my music listening to another computer meant that I had to have that computer booted up and ready to go at all times. Just another layer I got tired of dealing with when I had Audirvana (still use it on occasion for local files). Nothing is worse than laying in bed and wanted to hear some music and realizing you forgot to reboot your computer after a 2 second power outage.

I do agree that Apple Music is not the best option for Wiim or for streaming because of Airplay's limits. Airplay is limited to 24/48 on Airplay 1 and compressed audio using an Airplay 2 app and an Airplay 2 receiver. It is one reason I wanted the Ultra because it is in arms length of my chair in my office and I can use the iPad to stream music to a topping DAC which is fed into the Ultra via a preamp (switcher). The upside to Airplay, though, is that with a Mac it works with all audio (not just music). Airplay 2 is very easy to use for multi-room audio with any source on the iOS device, as well. So, the shortfall is there for anyone using any audio app on an iPhone...not just Apple Music. I have a direct feed from my computer into the Wiim Ultra, so it doesn't affect my current use.

Personally, I also pay for Amazon Music. It actually IMO has the worst interface of all audio apps I have used....though, Tidal didn't work for me, either. However, I use AllMusic Guide to get the information I want on albums when I want to dig deeper. Roon is actually overkill for my needs, but I do think it offers the best use of metadata on the market if that is needed for how one listens to music. Apple Music's algorythims combined with All Music give me plenty of music options and Amazon gives me Hi Res streaming and voice control with the Wiim devices I have around the home. Perfectly happy without needing a computer involved in my audio.
 
uofmtiger said:
I have Apple Music because of Siri and how it is implemented into products like the HomePod which we use nearly every day in the kitchen and bedroom when we are casually listening to music. It is also implemented into CarPlay with Siri (which both the wife and I use). The ease of use, the lyrics on the Apple TV (my wife is Polish, so she loves seeing the lyrics), and the price when bundled with other services we use is what keeps us using Apple Music.

I used Qobuz for a year or two (during Covid when I was home all the time), but mainly implemented it in with Audirvana and DLNA. My issue with Roon was its lack of DLNA support. I admit, I haven't looked at it lately, but on top of the fee for Roon and the devices I would need to buy to use Hi Res around the house, it just didn't make sense for the way we listen to music. Also, tying my music listening to another computer meant that I had to have that computer booted up and ready to go at all times. Just another layer I got tired of dealing with when I had Audirvana (still use it on occasion for local files). Nothing is worse than laying in bed and wanted to hear some music and realizing you forgot to reboot your computer after a 2 second power outage.

I do agree that Apple Music is not the best option for Wiim or for streaming because of Airplay's limits. Airplay is limited to 24/48 on Airplay 1 and compressed audio using an Airplay 2 app and an Airplay 2 receiver. It is one reason I wanted the Ultra because it is in arms length of my chair in my office and I can use the iPad to stream music to a topping DAC which is fed into the Ultra via a preamp (switcher). The upside to Airplay, though, is that with a Mac it works with all audio (not just music). Airplay 2 is very easy to use for multi-room audio with any source on the iOS device, as well. So, the shortfall is there for anyone using any audio app on an iPhone...not just Apple Music. I have a direct feed from my computer into the Wiim Ultra, so it doesn't affect my current use.

Personally, I also pay for Amazon Music. It actually IMO has the worst interface of all audio apps I have used....though, Tidal didn't work for me, either. However, I use AllMusic Guide to get the information I want on albums when I want to dig deeper. Roon is actually overkill for my needs, but I do think it offers the best use of metadata on the market if that is needed for how one listens to music. Apple Music's algorythims combined with All Music give me plenty of music options and Amazon gives me Hi Res streaming and voice control with the Wiim devices I have around the home. Perfectly happy without needing a computer involved in my audio.
Click to expand...
I understand all your points and the way you are using it makes sense.
It is always very complex when we give opinions about services, as it is linked to many factors and devices that we have and how we listen at home, in the car... bedroom... etc.
Thank you for taking the time to explain your point of view.
 
I have a Wiim Ultra and a Synology NAS.
I can see the folders through the Wiim App, but I have to navigate folder by folder.
Can anyone explain to me if it's possible to view the albums directly in the app? When I load the music, it plays on the Wiim, and the album cover appears on the Wiim screen. But I believe that to navigate through the albums I would have to install something on the Synology. Would it be DSAudio? I haven't installed it. Or would it be something else? Thanks.
 
Abdo said:
I have a Wiim Ultra and a Synology NAS.
I can see the folders through the Wiim App, but I have to navigate folder by folder.
Can anyone explain to me if it's possible to view the albums directly in the app? When I load the music, it plays on the Wiim, and the album cover appears on the Wiim screen. But I believe that to navigate through the albums I would have to install something on the Synology. Would it be DSAudio? I haven't installed it. Or would it be something else? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I dont know if this helps, but I have DS Audio installed and get this when I pull up the Music folder on the NAS inside the Wiim app.
 

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Abdo said:
just published what we are talking about..

darko.audio

WiiM’s Pro Plus confirms that Apple AirPlay 2 isn’t always lossless | Darko.Audio

The WiiM Home app pulls the covers back on AirPlay 2 streams and their bitrates.
darko.audio darko.audio
Click to expand...
Interesting, I didn't know that was available in the Wiim app. He doesn't mention Amazon Music, but I checked and it is sending the lossless audio stream. As he mentioned, Apple Music is being converted. Apple Music is using Airplay 2 to solve the drop out issues some had and to make sure they have the bandwidth for multi-room audio.
 
Abdo said:
clarify one thing for me, I don't use Airplay, either 1 or 2. But would this type of Roon support give life to Airplay 2 on the Wiim Ultra? Thanks
Click to expand...

If the CPU in the Ultra is powerful enough, it is theoretically possible. It would take a significant amount of effort by the WiiM developers. Roon worked on their version for a long time.

It would likely be possible for WiiM to implement AirPlay 1, which would satisfy most people. There is at least one open source AirPlay 1 implementations available.
 
uofmtiger said:
Interesting, I didn't know that was available in the Wiim app. He doesn't mention Amazon Music, but I checked and it is sending the lossless audio stream. As he mentioned, Apple Music is being converted. Apple Music is using Airplay 2 to solve the drop out issues some had and to make sure they have the bandwidth for multi-room audio.
Click to expand...

IIRC AirPlay 2 is adaptive based on network bandwidth; so Darko's results may not be universal.

While I certainly prefer lossless, most people would have difficulty telling lossless from 256 kbps AAC compression in a blind test. In fact, 256 kbps AAC is generally considered to be better than 320 kbps MP3 which most people can't tell from CD quality. I'll personally stick with lossless Tidal just the same.
 
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