WiiM Vibelink Amp Review

[DazST]

So forget about the Wiim marketing department's info... you have the necessary info here... "by comparisons"
(but you can ask them for their measurement conditions...proof of these etc. ....)

("les promesses n engagent que ceux qui les ecoutent " ;-) )

As far as I'm aware, WiiM don't have a known history of exaggerating the power of their amps, so I don't understand why they would do so with the vibelink. I'm hoping it is either a measurement issue in the test, or something that I am misunderstanding because to be blunt, if this isn't a genuine 100w/8ohm amp then I won't be getting one. They are going to be $599 here in AU and the value proposition just won't be there compared to other, more powerful amps in that price range.

 

[morillon]

As far as I'm aware, WiiM don't have a known history of exaggerating the power of their amps, so I don't understand why they would do so with the vibelink. I'm hoping it is either a measurement issue in the test, or something that I am misunderstanding because to be blunt, if this isn't a genuine 100w/8ohm amp then I won't be getting one. They are going to be $599 here in AU and the value proposition just won't be there compared to other, more powerful amps in that price range.

Do you have very low output speakers?
(I think you're on the wrong track with Watt "in first". I invite you to read the relevant prose of Dominikz in the thread that was pointed out to you.)

 

[kyuu]

But I am interested in watts, particularly if it measures well below official output. For someone like me who already has a wiim ultra paired with a lowish-powered amp, but who is considering 'upgrading' to a vibelink, the extra claimed power matters quite a lot to the decision. WiiM is also making a big deal of the extra power in its marketing, so I'm keen to know if it's a valid and reliable claim. Particularly given we don't have other reviews to consider as yet either.

The issue is that Wiim doesn't specify under what conditions that 100W @ 8 Ohms is reached (at least from what I've seen). The way Amir rates an amp is by taking the power produced at the "knee", where THD+N starts to shoot up after the typical slow decline as power increases. That's kind of his thing, and I believe there are roughly zero manufacturers who rate their amplifiers' power that way. A common way to rate power is by taking the power producted at 1% THD+N, which on the chart would be the -40dB line if I'm not mistaken. If we take a look:

I've drawn a green line at the -40dB mark and an orange one at the 100W mark. We can see that the Vibelink pretty much intersects where those lines meet, so I'm guessing that's exactly how Wiim rated the Vibelink's power.

 

[DazST]

Do you have very low output speakers?

I have Q Acoustics 3030i plus a 12" powered sub.

 

[morillon]

88db 25/75wmax ;-)
I will first observe the impedance curve of your speakers...

"good quest"

 

[DazST]

The issue is that Wiim doesn't specify under what conditions that 100W @ 8 Ohms is reached (at least from what I've seen). The way Amir rates an amp is by taking the power produced at the "knee", where THD+N starts to shoot up after the typical slow decline as power increases. That's kind of his thing, and I believe there are roughly zero manufacturers who rate their amplifiers' power that way. A common way to rate power is by taking the power producted at 1% THD+N, which on the chart would be the -40dB line if I'm not mistaken. If we take a look:

View attachment 439381

I've drawn a green line at the -40dB mark and an orange one at the 100W mark. We can see that the Vibelink pretty much intersects where those lines meet, so I'm guessing that's exactly how Wiim rated the Vibelink's power.

Thanks, that's certainly a helpful explanation for someone like me who is still very new to all these measurements.
What I still don't get though is why Amir's tests of previous WiiM amps appear to show power output much more in line with WiiMs stated claims. Which makes me think that either:
- the testing parameters changed between say the amp pro and vibelink (which appears to be doubful)
- there is some anomaly in the testing at 8ohm, or the interpretation of the data as reported (possible and should be easy for Amir to clarify)
- or WiiM have for some reason started to exaggerate the output power by using the 100w figure in their marketing which is only achievable at higher distortion levels?

 

[DazST]

88db 25/75wmax ;-)
I will first observe the impedance curve of your speakers...

"good quest"

The recommended max wattage of my speakers isn't really the issue here though so I'm not sure why you've focused on that. You're also making an assumption that I wouldn't be interested in upgrading my speakers within the time frame of using the vibelink.

 

[kyuu]

Thanks, that's certainly a helpful explanation someone like me who is still very new to all these measurements.
What I still don't get though is why Amir's tests of previous WiiM amps appear to show power output much more in line with WiiMs stated claims. Which makes me think that either:
- the testing parameters changed between say the amp pro and vibelink (which appears to be doubful)
- there is some anomaly in the testing at 8ohm, or the interpretation of the data as reported (possible and should be easy for Amir to clarify)
- or WiiM have for some reason started to exaggerate the output power by using the 100w figure in their marketing which is only achievable at higher distortion levels?

Looking at the reviews of the Wiim Amp and Amp Pro, it seems like those have limiters that prevent the amp from going into clipping, so they will limit power long before it reaches 1% distortion. The Vibelink does not appear to have this, which makes sense since it is a much more basic (or "pure", if you prefer) device. It's just an amp (with a DAC for digital inputs). 1% distortion is not likely to be audible, particularly on the dynamic peaks where your speakers might actually pull that much power. And your speakers will likely be contributing a lot more distortion on those peaks anyway.

 

[telemike]

I do wish Amir had done tests with the RCA input and not just TOSLINK

 

[yoyoc]

Received my Vibelink about 2 hours ago.

 

[Deleted member 72219]

Just got my VibeLink hooked up. Initial observation (because I have to re-level my sub to match the speakers) is that the total gain of the VibeLink is WAY less than the total gain of SMSL D400 Pro plus SMSL PA200 (pair in bridged mono mode). Had to turn my sub way down.

-Ed

 

[yoyoc]

Just got my VibeLink hooked up. Initial observation (because I have to re-level my sub to match the speakers) is that the total gain of the VibeLink is WAY less than the total gain of SMSL D400 Pro plus SMSL PA200 (pair in bridged mono mode). Had to turn my sub way down.

-Ed

I would say you might be correct.

 

[Deleted member 72219]

Everything sounds as good as Amir’s testing indicates. Since I high-pass filter my speakers, power is more than sufficient here. Really loving the sound! Media rack’s a whole lot less cluttered now too. Once I level matched the sub again, I was able to, “get back,” some of the lost gain by adjusting the volume on the Anti-Mode. With the previous setup, I had the Anti-Mode set to -15 volume as a sort of safety just in case something went awry and the WiiM went to max volume (in a house with two cats and 7- and 5-year-old boys, you never know who or what might touch the remote or volume dial!). After level re-matching the sub and speakers, I dialed the volume up a little on the Anti-Mode to make up for the lost gain at the amp level.

-Ed

 

[Audionaut]

SMSL PA200 (pair in bridged mono mode)

Have you replaced the two SMSL PA 200s with the WiiM Vibelink?

 

[EyeADR]

I have the Wiim Pro Plus as a streamer, connected to a Pro-Ject Stereo Box DS3 driving a pair of Duevel Planets on my living room (big, lot of windows, not the best acoustic room, but omnidirectional speakers work great here).

As I need to replace my 70s vintage Sansui amp (35w) on my attic (paired with Dali Zensor 7), I'm considering getting the Pro-Ject there and maybe add this WiiM Vibelink to the living room (WiiM Pro Plus and Duevel Planets).

Or just getting an Apollon to drive my Dalis.

What do you think?

 

[harkpabst]

Received my Vibelink about 2 hours ago.View attachment 440264View attachment 440265

The side firing woofers did look strange on the Dynaudios at first glance.

Nice setup.

I have the Wiim Pro Plus as a streamer, connected to a Pro-Ject Stereo Box DS3 driving a pair of Duevel Planets on my living room (big, lot of windows, not the best acoustic room, but omnidirectional speakers work great here).

As I need to replace my 70s vintage Sansui amp (35w) on my attic (paired with Dali Zensor 7), I'm considering getting the Pro-Ject there and maybe add this WiiM Vibelink to the living room (WiiM Pro Plus and Duevel Planets).

Or just getting an Apollon to drive my Dalis.

What do you think?

In the first place, don't think of the WiiM Vibelink Amp as a replacement for an integrated amplifier. No remote control, no phono input, one analog Input only ...

It should be a perfect match for the WiiM Ultra, though.

 

[EyeADR]

It should be a perfect match for the WiiM Ultra, though.

Yes, the idea is to keep the WiiM Pro Plus (streamer, remote control) with this WiiM Vibelink Amp.

The other option is to keep the WiiM Pro Plus with the Pro-Ject amp as it is right now. And find something else of my other equipment (Dalis, Streamer, etc).

 

[JeremyFife]

Yes, the idea is to keep the WiiM Pro Plus (streamer, remote control) with this WiiM Vibelink Amp.

The other option is to keep the WiiM Pro Plus with the Pro-Ject amp as it is right now. And find something else of my other equipment (Dalis, Streamer, etc).

Perhaps this time it makes more sense to move away from WiiM: the Pro Plus has a very good DAC, so all you need is a power amp (the vibelink's DAC is redundant). A cheaper Fosi / 3E or similar should do what you want nicely.

 

[harkpabst]

Personally, I would.bit consider any of the Fosi amps, tbh.

The A5/A7 family of amps are excellent, of course, if you don't mind the external power brick.

 

[yoyoc]

Everything sounds as good as Amir’s testing indicates. Since I high-pass filter my speakers, power is more than sufficient here. Really loving the sound! Media rack’s a whole lot less cluttered now too. Once I level matched the sub again, I was able to, “get back,” some of the lost gain by adjusting the volume on the Anti-Mode. With the previous setup, I had the Anti-Mode set to -15 volume as a sort of safety just in case something went awry and the WiiM went to max volume (in a house with two cats and 7- and 5-year-old boys, you never know who or what might touch the remote or volume dial!). After level re-matching the sub and speakers, I dialed the volume up a little on the Anti-Mode to make up for the lost gain at the amp level.

View attachment 440289

View attachment 440290

View attachment 440291

View attachment 440292

-Ed

The Wiim Ultra has gain adjustment for each input.....