WiiM Ultra

[Dr. Noooooo]

Your UMIK-1calibration file certainly doesn't exhibit a 3 dB variation in the frequency range between 40 Hz an 4 kHz. This happens to be the default range for correction in the WiiM Home App, but you can further limit that range.

Not being able to apply the cal file is not ideal, but it's not the biggest concern with the current procedure. Using REW provides much more flexibility and power but requires a lot more knowledge.

Well, lowest bass was around 10Hz so practically meaningless, but also from around 7kHz upwards When placed in 90 degrees angle, which some recommend for better treble measurements, the 3db up to 4dB variation starts much higher. The main point was that when the calibration mic was used with the RC the results were completely different from REW. Might have something to do with the mic placement (I make my measurements next to ear in stereo in REW) but I personally would rather not use this kind of setup for equalisation measurements unless there would be significant variations in the frequency response needed to be balanced.

I'm not technical and would have a long learning curve for something like REW. I have my Ultra in a 12' x 15' room where my reclining listening position adjoins a corner on the opposite wall. What sounds good elsewhere has a very boomy bass in some frequencies near that corner. Before the WiiM room correction update I was considering stacking a couple GIK Soffit Bass Traps in that corner. Running flat correction up to 400hz sounds much better to me so far. Still need to play more music to see if that does the trick.

Depending on the music, I turn off the RC PEQ for other listening positions. Perhaps with bass traps the room would be more even and I wouldn't need to turn on/off RC.

The default RC frequency range sounded terrible to me. I'd describe it as hollow vocals and mids, and probably more problems if I had bothered to analyze it further.

There’s an excellent tutorial by Julian Krause in YouTube:

Took me around an hour to learn all the steps to get good consistent results. Umik-1 in itself costs less that $100 depending where to buy and REW nothing, one of the best investments to improve your listening experience IMO.

 

[Tenfilip]

How would that Focusrite interface allow for calibration of the microphone? Honestly, I'd be a little suspicious of that microphone. IK Multimedia might have included a fix calibration (compensating for known anomalies) into their hardware and software products, that isn't available to you when using the WiiM Home App.

Results may be better than with a smartphone's built-in mic, but I don't think it's guaranteed.

I noticed that the results - by hearing - seem much better. I assumed that the MTM microphone is linear by nature, but perhaps they compensate in software. Maybe I should ask them

 

[Brian Hall]

I just ordered another Wiim Ultra to replace the Eversolo DMP-A6 on my main system. The A6 is missing an HDMI ARC input and a sub out and really has no advantages over the Ultra except for a bigger screen.

Should I try to sell the A6 on the for sale section here or is EBay better? I've never tried selling anything on EBay.

 

[Anatols_Dad]

I just ordered another Wiim Ultra to replace the Eversolo DMP-A6 on my main system. The A6 is missing an HDMI ARC input and a sub out and really has no advantages over the Ultra except for a bigger screen.

Should I try to sell the A6 on the for sale section here or is EBay better? I've never tried selling anything on EBay.

Why not try both?

 

[Brian Hall]

Why not try both?

I guess I should.

 

[Abdo]

I guess I should.

Brian, I would test both together before selling. I don't think you'll notice a difference, but it's always good to test.
A larger screen option for the WiiM Ultra is to use an iPad... including the Mini. I think its screen is perfect for a system. I use the Ultra and an 11" iPad is great.

 

[harkpabst]

Well, lowest bass was around 10Hz so practically meaningless, but also from around 7kHz upwards When placed in 90 degrees angle, which some recommend for better treble measurements, the 3db up to 4dB variation starts much higher. The main point was that when the calibration mic was used with the RC the results were completely different from REW. Might have something to do with the mic placement (I make my measurements next to ear in stereo in REW) but I personally would rather not use this kind of setup for equalisation measurements unless there would be significant variations in the frequency response needed to be balanced.

Unless you're living in a church there is nothing to EQ at 10 Hz anyway. As long as the calibration file shows no meaningful correction (+/-0.5 dB is really perfect for these purposes) from 40 Hz to 1 kHz it's plenty good enough for room EQ even without a calibration file.

Depending on room, speakers and listening position it can be challenging to get repeatable results even with REW. Measuring in just one spot, L and R simultaneously, it's really difficult. The WiiM Home App allows to take multiple measurements in different positions, but there's no way of averaging the results. I still think that the feature can be useful as it is, if you really restrict its use to something like 40 Hz to maybe 600 to 800 Hz.

That's where room issues are really of concern. There's no point in trying to correct the speaker response up high in one go along with RC.

Personall, I'm not a fan of vertical mic alignment (90⁰) for a stereo system, even less with no cal file support. Even if the response seems smoother, the directivity is still the same. Sound reflected from the ceiling will be over-represented in the highs. In my book that's just another reason to keep the correction to lower frequencies where the mic is still pretty much omnidirectional.

 

[rgruber]

You might try selling locally on Craigslist. Don't need to deal with shipping or eBay fees.

I have no experience with sale section here but extensive experience with eBay an Craigslist.

I just ordered another Wiim Ultra to replace the Eversolo DMP-A6 on my main system. The A6 is missing an HDMI ARC input and a sub out and really has no advantages over the Ultra except for a bigger screen.

Should I try to sell the A6 on the for sale section here or is EBay better? I've never tried selling anything on EBay.

 

[Dr. Noooooo]

Has anyone noticed that the PEQ interface behaves really weirdly in L/R channels mode? I’ve been trying to save copies of previous EQ tables to modify them and when you switch between them one of the channels seems to get lost. It doesn’t sound that the information would be actually lost but from the interface it definitely does. The same happens when you switch from L/R mode to Stereo or to another input tab. Just would want to know whether anyone else is experiencing the same, or is it some kind of corruption in the memory cache. Still waiting approval to post on the Wiim Forum.

 

[CT Man]

View attachment 388412

That WiiM Ultra firmware update did not fix the Chromecast crash issue. When I use my Ultra with Roon through Chromecast I can't get through more than a few tracks before Ultra either skips to the next track in the middle of playback, or most often stops playing. When it stops playing Roon Remote briefly loses the connection and displays "Select an audio zone". Momentarily after that the Ultra endpoint reappears with playback paused. Same problem casting from the Qobuz app, so it isn't specific to Roon.

I've been successfully using Roon through the RAAT implementation on the Ultra. But I prefer Chromecast so I can cast to grouped devices, and I also like being able to quickly pause playback through Shared Controls on my Android phone when calls come in (instead of running to the Ultra or the remote while my phone rings, or opening the WiiM or Roon app).

Wiim blames this on the latest Google SDK. That doesn't build confidence that this problem will be resolved quickly. Between that and the 180 on Airplay I'd say Ultra has a botched release. Who knows what other issues are lurking? FYI their customer support response is copied below.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We apologize for the inconvenience.

This issue is related to the latest Google SDK, and we have reported it to Google for optimization. We kindly ask for your patience in the meantime. For now, you can use Roon Ready as an alternative.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

[Joffy1780]

That WiiM Ultra firmware update did not fix the Chromecast crash issue. When I use my Ultra with Roon through Chromecast I can't get through more than a few tracks before Ultra either skips to the next track in the middle of playback, or most often stops playing. When it stops playing Roon Remote briefly loses the connection and displays "Select an audio zone". Momentarily after that the Ultra endpoint reappears with playback paused. Same problem casting from the Qobuz app, so it isn't specific to Roon.

I've been successfully using Roon through the RAAT implementation on the Ultra. But I prefer Chromecast so I can cast to grouped devices, and I also like being able to quickly pause playback through Shared Controls on my Android phone when calls come in (instead of running to the Ultra or the remote while my phone rings, or opening the WiiM or Roon app).

Wiim blames this on the latest Google SDK. That doesn't build confidence that this problem will be resolved quickly. Between that and the 180 on Airplay I'd say Ultra has a botched release. Who knows what other issues are lurking? FYI their customer support response is copied below.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We apologize for the inconvenience.

This issue is related to the latest Google SDK, and we have reported it to Google for optimization. We kindly ask for your patience in the meantime. For now, you can use Roon Ready as an alternative.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If it is related to the latest Google SDK what do you expect Wiim to do, other than be honest and work with Google to fix it?

 

[CT Man]

If it is related to the latest Google SDK what do you expect Wiim to do, other than be honest and work with Google to fix it?

Test it thoroughly. Don't sell Ultra as Chromecast capable if it can't get through an album without crashing. This seems to be only an Ultra problem. It isn't happening on my WiiM Pro. Haven't heard about it happening on other brands.

 

[Joffy1780]

Test it thoroughly. Don't sell Ultra as Chromecast capable if it can't get through an album without crashing. This seems to be only an Ultra problem. It isn't happening on my WiiM Pro.

I suppose if the problems were there before they released it, but it sounds like Google have made changes and that is what has caused the issue.
Have the issues with Chromecast been present since the release or is it a recent issue?

 

[uofmtiger]

I suppose if the problems were there before they released it, but it sounds like Google have made changes and that is what has caused the issue.
Have the issues with Chromecast been present since the release or is it a recent issue?

It seems like the Chromecast implementation works with some apps and doesn’t work with others. Sending the Ultra a YouTube music signal from my phone and it is playing without problems. It could be possible that Wiim tested it and it worked.

As I mentioned before, I was unable to get Airfoil to work with it, but I thought that it may be a Mac issue because it also has break up issues when sending to my Vizio TV ( that has Chromecast built in), but it has no issues sending audio to my Google Chromecast. It’s a strange one, for sure.

 

[Tenfilip]

Has anyone noticed that the PEQ interface behaves really weirdly in L/R channels mode? I’ve been trying to save copies of previous EQ tables to modify them and when you switch between them one of the channels seems to get lost. It doesn’t sound that the information would be actually lost but from the interface it definitely does. The same happens when you switch from L/R mode to Stereo or to another input tab. Just would want to know whether anyone else is experiencing the same, or is it some kind of corruption in the memory cache. Still waiting approval to post on the Wiim Forum.

IMHO it's a network response issue, maybe it's using UDP, not sure. Likely you (and me) should check it connecting both devices using Ethernet, not WiFi.

 

[Brian Hall]

You might try selling locally on Craigslist. Don't need to deal with shipping or eBay fees.

I have no experience with sale section here but extensive experience with eBay an Craigslist.

Thanks for the reply, but I already sold it to a friend locally for $500. I told him he would be better off with the Wiim Ultra, but he wanted the bigger screen.

 

[Brian Hall]

Test it thoroughly. Don't sell Ultra as Chromecast capable if it can't get through an album without crashing. This seems to be only an Ultra problem. It isn't happening on my WiiM Pro. Haven't heard about it happening on other brands.

I have been chromecasting Youtube Music to the Ultra for the past hour with no issues. Not an album, just a long playlist, but no issues. What is crashing? The app or the Ultra?

I'm chromecasting from the Android Youtube Music app. The disadvantage of chromecast is that the album cover/what is playing is not displayed, but the music sounds good.

Before that I was trying out Bluetooth to the Ultra. No issues and it sounded great to me and also displayed the album cover and what is playing. I don't know which codec it was using. Used Youtube Music, Amazon HD, Spotify and Tidal.

I don't think I would be able to tell if I was listening to chromecast, AlexaCast, Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect, or Bluetooth from my phone.They all sound great.

Edited for a correction: Chromecast is showing the album cover and what is playing. I guess there was a delay before it updates.
Edited again: Album display/what is playing is not consistent. Shows for some, not for others.

 

[Brian Hall]

I just realized that the Wiim Ultra could actually be used as an oversized DAP. Duct tape the SSD with my CD collection and a powerbank to it, plug in some headphones and go.

I have some overalls with a front pocket big enough to hold it. Or throw it in a backpack.

Think it can give Hiby a run in the DAP market? The Ultra is actually less expensive than my DAP.

Edited to add: Can still be controlled with my phone. No need for a Qudelix.

 

[Deleted member 71304]

I'm using the USB port for an SSD drive with my ripped CD collection.

The Wiim Ultra makes it available as a UPnP source. The one on the right is my Linux music server. I guess I could retire the Linux server.


View attachment 388262

If may ask, how did you format your SSD (NTFS, FAT32,...)?
Do you have AIFF music files by any chance?
I'm asking because this is one of the main features for me to consider upgrading from the Pro Plus to the Ultra.
Cheers!

 

[antcollinet]

If may ask, how did you format your SSD (NTFS, FAT32,...)?
Do you have AIFF music files by any chance?
I'm asking because this is one of the main features for me to consider upgrading from the Pro Plus to the Ultra.
Cheers!

I thought the pro plus also had usb for a usb drive?