WiiM Vibelink Amp Review

[Deleted member 72219]

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

I wouldn’t push that setting into + range due to risk of clipping.

-Ed

 

[Michou]

The WiiM VibeLink Amp is missing a few key features that would make it a more complete, useful, and practical amplifier:

• HDMI ARC – For seamless TV audio integration.
• Subwoofer Output – To properly handle low frequencies with an active subwoofer.
• Remote Volume Control – For effortless adjustments from anywhere.

Right now, VibeLink lacks all three, making it feel like an unfinished product rather than a polished, fully developed amplifier. Hopefully, a future upgraded model will finally get it right.

 

[Ivy Mike]

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.

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-Ed

What is that blue thing above the nixie clock? Looks like a mini spectrum analyzer?

 

[Deleted member 72219]

What is that blue thing above the nixie clock? Looks like a mini spectrum analyzer?

That’s exactly what that is, a small spectrum analyzer.

-Ed

 

[harkpabst]

The WiiM VibeLink Amp is missing a few key features that would make it a more complete, useful, and practical amplifier:

• HDMI ARC – For seamless TV audio integration.
• Subwoofer Output – To properly handle low frequencies with an active subwoofer.
• Remote Volume Control – For effortless adjustments from anywhere.

Right now, VibeLink lacks all three, making it feel like an unfinished product rather than a polished, fully developed amplifier. Hopefully, a future upgraded model will finally get it right.

It's a finished power amplifier. Simple as that.

Did you notice that streaming is missing? App support is missing? What good is a subwoofer output that cannot be configured? Missing balance control and no mono switch? Missing phono input? Missing USB input?

If you need HDMI ARC, subwoofer output and remote volume control, then WiiM already have three products to chose from:

• WiiM Amp – Most cost efficient.
• WiiM Amp Pro – Better DAC and PFFB power section.
• WiiM Ultra plus WiiM Vibelink Amp – Best they have to offer.

If you can do without HDMI ARC and subwoofer output, there are even more options, of course. The Vibelink Amp doesn't compete with their other amps, it complements their streamers.

 

[Mort]

It does feel like Wiim wants us to buy more than one product. Attach a pro to your ultra attached to your vibelink

 

[harkpabst]

It does feel like Wiim wants us to buy more than one product. Attach a pro to your ultra attached to your vibelink

I'd love to get that joke .. but admittedly I don't.

 

[audioje]

I didn't like it at first but now I like it at $299. Wiim will work on firmware update to address some issues and it can be controlled by wiim home app through ble. It would be great for those chromcast dongle users beyond wiim mini!

 

[Ivy Mike]

That’s exactly what that is, a small spectrum analyzer.

-Ed

 

[Deleted member 72219]

It’s a pain in the butt to setup because the WiiM Ultra only allows one output at a time. I had to use the WiiM’s USB output to feed a DDC (Douk U2 Pro), which splits the digital output, sending one (optical) to a really cheap DAC I bought on Amazon which generated the analog signal to feed the spectrum analyzer. The coax output from the DDC then goes to my DSPeaker Anti-Mode X2D, which provides bass management and (far superior to the WiiM’s) room correction. Finally I remember the crappy analog output stage of the old Anti-Mode 2.0 as-tested here on ASR, so that’s why I picked the X2D and not the X2, so I feed digital output from the Anti-Mode to the VibeLink.

The spectrum analyzer itself is from SCH-Remote, specifically the EVOR04-slim and the matching 3D-printed case, which cost me like $105.

-Ed

 

[Ivy Mike]

It’s a pain in the butt to setup because the WiiM Ultra only allows one output at a time. I had to use the WiiM’s USB output to feed a DDC (Douk U2 Pro), which splits the digital output, sending one (optical) to a really cheap DAC I bought on Amazon which generated the analog signal to feed the spectrum analyzer. The coax output from the DDC then goes to my DSPeaker Anti-Mode X2D, which provides bass management and (far superior to the WiiM’s) room correction. Finally I remember the crappy analog output stage of the old Anti-Mode 2.0 as-tested here on ASR, so that’s why I picked the X2D and not the X2, so I feed digital output from the Anti-Mode to the VibeLink.

The spectrum analyzer itself is from SCH-Remote, specifically the EVOR04-slim and the matching 3D-printed case, which cost me like $105.

-Ed

Thanks for explaining. Looked this up and found my way back to ASR for the review.

 

[yoyoc]

I would rather use the Ultra as the master volume with a remote control rather than having to walk across the room to change the volume on the Vibelink

The thing is, if you use the Ultra's digital volume, the digital stream would not be bit perfect.

 

[Brian Hall]

The WiiM VibeLink Amp is missing a few key features that would make it a more complete, useful, and practical amplifier:

• HDMI ARC – For seamless TV audio integration.
• Subwoofer Output – To properly handle low frequencies with an active subwoofer.
• Remote Volume Control – For effortless adjustments from anywhere.

Right now, VibeLink lacks all three, making it feel like an unfinished product rather than a polished, fully developed amplifier. Hopefully, a future upgraded model will finally get it right.

I agree. Also points off for no USB C input.

 

[harkpabst]

The thing is, if you use the Ultra's digital volume, the digital stream would not be bit perfect.

If you use room correction or EQ in general, the stream is no longer bit perfect. If you use pre-gain to adjust different sources, the stream is no longer bit perfect. If you use a sub with the Ultra, the stream is no longer bit perfect.

Personally, I couldn't care less.

 

[Sokel]

If you use room correction or EQ in general, the stream is no longer bit perfect. If you use pre-gain to adjust different sources, the stream is no longer bit perfect. If you use a sub with the Ultra, the stream is no longer bit perfect.

Personally, I couldn't care less.

Bit-perfect is the least of the worries when using EQ down low.
The elephant in the room is the quantization noise, same as the Bluesound, Topping, etc and miniDSP (the later did apply a partial fix though) .

 

[telemike]

The thing is, if you use the Ultra's digital volume, the digital stream would not be bit perfect.

I'm currently using the Ultra as a preamp into two Fosi V3 monoblocks. If I want bit perfect I could get the Fosi analog preamp

 

[harkpabst]

Bit-perfect is the least of the worries when using EQ down low.
The elephant in the room is the quantization noise, same as the Bluesound, Topping, etc and miniDSP (the later did apply a partial fix though) .

Help me out, don't just give me the buzz words, English is not my first language: What is "EQ down low"? Low in level? Low in frequency?

Quantization noise (quite trivially) occurs whenever a signal is sampled and it increases whenever we give up resolution during processing.

 

[Sokel]

Help me out, don't just give me the buzz words, English is not my first language: What is "EQ down low"? Low in level? Low in frequency?

Quantization noise (quite trivially) occurs whenever a signal is sampled and it increases whenever we give up resolution during processing.

Low in frequency.
In case you don't follow what's happening here's some threads to start:

DSP Measurements and Rising Noise Floor

In several threads related to DSP platforms I've seen requests for measurements with filters engaged. I thought it unlikely that implementing filters in a DSP would have measurable effect on noise / distortion other than the obvious change in the fundamental, however @Sokel recently mentioned...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Bluesound Node N132 Streamer review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the 2024 Bluesound Node N132 . I purchased mine new from a reseller. Price was around 500€. Note that this is the 2024 model. You may find the previous model (2021) much cheaper. Amir reviewed this one here. The Bluesound Node combines a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

(Unofficial) Topping D50 III DAC review and measurements

Here is a review and measurements of the recent Topping D50 III DAC The D50 III is a small DAC. From above, it looks like a square of approx 13x13cm . I purchased it new from Audiophonics for around 230€ (pre-release discount included). This is one of the cheapest DACs with balanced and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

The paper posted at this post also explains a lot about it:

Bluesound Node N132 Streamer review

Had a look around and the fact that the performance with low filters engaged worsens even more as sample rate goes higher looks to be indicative not of software issues alone, but simple horsepower. Alsa guys says that similar issues (but not as heavy) appear when mitigating configurations from a...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[yoyoc]

Having tried the Vibelink with the Ultra and other sources its seems like the Vibelink has low gain input as the sound level seems low comapared to other amplifiers I have.

For example, I have a 40 watts per channel Creek integrated amplifier, which at a lower volume setting matches or surpases the Vibelink output level.

I have noticed the same low gain in Wiim's Amp.

 

[Zek]

It's not a question of gain, but of the different input sensitivities of these amplifiers.