WiiM Vibelink Amp Review

[amirm]

analog input processing adc and same dac as the wiim amp pro?

Measurements imply that input is not digitized. They would only have to do that if they were going to apply processing to it which this unit doesn't do.

 

[morillon]

Measurements imply that input is not digitized. They would only have to do that if they were going to apply processing to it which this unit doesn't do.

""imply""?

 

[shuppatsu]

Objectively this deserves a “Great” but my heart says “Fine.” Somewhat a victim of the ridiculous value that the Wiim Amp and Pro represent. In exchange for ~2dB extra headroom, you get USB, Ethernet, a plethora of wireless streaming options, a great app, a great remote, PEQ/room correction, etc. Plus some money in your pocket. Though perhaps these prices reflect the upcoming tariffs, so maybe that’s not fair.

 

[El Cheapo]

Objectively this deserves a “Great” but my heart says “Fine.” Somewhat a victim of the ridiculous value that the Wiim Amp and Pro represent. In exchange for ~2dB extra headroom, you get USB, Ethernet, a plethora of wireless streaming options, a great app, a great remote, PEQ/room correction, etc. Plus some money in your pocket. Though perhaps these prices reflect the upcoming tariffs, so maybe that’s not fair.

Also no HDMI Arc here compared to Amp Pro.

 

[Thomas Savage]

Thanks for this review Amirm , seems like it was a bit of a headache but you got there.

WiiM are putting out some great products, I find the line up a bit confusing but I'm easily confused .

Iv got one of their streamers and it's worth noting their customer service is superb , very responsive and helpful. Overall the whole experience of owning a WiiM product has been excellent. Not always the case regardless of one's budget!

 

[kyuu]

Objectively this deserves a “Great” but my heart says “Fine.” Somewhat a victim of the ridiculous value that the Wiim Amp and Pro represent. In exchange for ~2dB extra headroom, you get USB, Ethernet, a plethora of wireless streaming options, a great app, a great remote, PEQ/room correction, etc. Plus some money in your pocket. Though perhaps these prices reflect the upcoming tariffs, so maybe that’s not fair.

You're not wrong. If it were me, it'd be the Amp/Amp Pro all day long (and in fact I own an Amp). However, this product is plainly for those who have a separate streamer/DAC and want to continue using it and need an amp to go with it. I assume they have data that shows this is a market worth getting into.

 

[amirm]

""imply""?

The smooth roll off in frequency response indicates either no digitization or very high sample rate digitization. I am telling you that it is likely the former. If you want to know for sure, go ask the company. Don't demand that we tell you. We don't work for them and there are no published specs.

 

[Rednaxela]

Or maybe not that perfect, for 600 eur you can get NC122MP-based amp with DAC (with USB in)

This is a good point.

For anyone (like me) wondering:

AUDIOPHONICS DA-S125NC Class D Integrated Amplifier NCore NC122MP DAC ES9038Q2M Bluetooth 2x125W 4 Ohm 32bit 768kHz DSD256 - Audiophonics

Versatile and powerful, we offer you with DA-S125NC a real integrated amplifier to which you can add speakers to enjoy your music in the best possible way...

www.audiophonics.fr

 

[JSmith]

Or maybe not that perfect, for 600 eur you can get NC122MP-based amp with DAC (with USB in)

Yep... but then no analog in on the Audiophonics integrated in comparison.


JSmith

 

[daniboun]

Classic approach : Its seems to me that the amp probably uses two mono tpa3251 or two tpa3255 in PBTL with PFFB combined with Cirus logic DAC or entry level ESS chip...
This makes it drive lower impedances in a better way and giving a bit more power. The 3251 BTW has a better THD figure than the TPA3255.

 

[audioje]

Really not sure about the purpose of this one... A good dac+amp but not sure why Wiim made this... if it is meant to be paired with Ultra, why inlcuding dac? Why poor analog input? Perhaps for a mini user? I would just get a wiim amp pro instead of this...

 

[OfficialChill]

Objectively this deserves a “Great” but my heart says “Fine.” Somewhat a victim of the ridiculous value that the Wiim Amp and Pro represent. In exchange for ~2dB extra headroom, you get USB, Ethernet, a plethora of wireless streaming options, a great app, a great remote, PEQ/room correction, etc. Plus some money in your pocket. Though perhaps these prices reflect the upcoming tariffs, so maybe that’s not fair.

This reflects my thoughts as well. Struggling to see why this product exists when the WiiM Amp Pro exists

You must really want that WiiM Ultra screen to not go for the Amp Pro

 

[JoetheLion]

Power on/Off Output Level (pop)?

 

[Mnyb]

If you look at the measurement the analog in is not "bad" amir had a ground issue it the peak in 60Hz and some other hum components are an indication of this otherwise this looks similar enough to the digital input ?

Edit: in other words the analog in is better than measured due to amirs setup.
Edit2: don't look at a single number ..

A companion amp to one of their lower tier streamers toslink with the mini or WiiM-Pro, possibly analog in with the WiiM-Pro+ . The ultra is probably deserves an amp with XLR input WiiM does not seem to have such a product yet ?

For the ultra one could hope WiiM develop some mono blocks in metal enclosures with a bit more power

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks for another review, always appreciated.

Seems a decent Amp, I like the neat form factor and layout. Enough power.

What I find strange is that to get better performance you need to use the internal DAC. Good with the WiiM mini, or Pro but less of a good idea with the Pro Plus or Ultra (they have better DACs)
It would work well with a CD transport, but that's an odd combination.

I realise that the performance with analogue input is probably fine, but it's not exciting.

Nice looking Amp though.

 

[amirm]

Power on/Off Output Level (pop)?

Sorry, forgot to run that test...

 

[Berwhale]

For those complaining about the lack of networking and other features, I suspect the primary purpose of Wiim coming out with this amp is that it's a size & appearance match for the Ultra. (The current Amp & Amp Pro models are smaller and don't visually pair well with the Ultra, plus contain features that duplicate those on the Ultra.) Pair the Vibelink with the Ultra and you have all the features and controls you need to select and play music. The only question for me is whether I'm willing to spend an estimated $400 to having an amp that visually matches my Ultra. The Aiyima A70 I have currently sounds great and I have no expectation that the Vibelink would sound any better.

Indeed...

From: https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/ster...rst-integrated-amp-with-no-streaming-elements

 

[martijn86]

I get that the performance is great, especially for the price (Thanks Wiim!) but the odd behaviours spook me a bit.

 

[morillon]

WiiM Amp Pro Streaming Stereo Amplifier Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the WiiM Amp Pro networked streaming stereo class D amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $379. The package is minimalistic in nature and matches the "non-pro" version of the amplifier. The volume indicator is that set of LEDs...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[harkpabst]

The ultra is probably deserves an amp with XLR input WiiM does not seem to have such a product yet ?

For the ultra one could hope WiiM develop some mono blocks in metal enclosures with a bit more power

This amp is definitely intended for the Ultra, too. Otherwise they wouldn't have chosen the exact same form factor.

I expect the DAC to be on par with the Ultra, so basically there would be both options.