Generic Affiliate Links: Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner Best Buy: howl.me/ck2IPpcOp1h Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh Parts-Express: parts-express.sjv.io/Y9zoEB Newegg: howl.me/ck2IQg52L5b Samsung: howl.me/ck2IQ5qe16w Target: howl.me/ck2IRDNsIqn Thomann: www.thomann.de/de/index.html?offid=1&affid=2577 Emotiva: shorturl.at/pBEU9 Monoprice: bit.ly/3yAY6NH Arendal Sound: arendalsound.com/store/?refer=hardisj Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn't matter if it's a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!
A Wiim Ultra, a pair of Fosi V3 monos and some Elac DBR62s and you've got a world of music on a system that punches way above it's pricetag. We've really never had it so good.
Thanks Erin. Finally some useful information on practical application of features. My main interest in the Ultra is the room correction, bass management high & low filters for crossover, and the eq functionality. 👍🏼🎶😎
Strongly agree it would be awesome if we could have a bit of overlap on the LP/HP sub out settings. I’ve also found that using this as a pre-amp going directly into my power amp (IOTAVX PA40) that I much prefer the sound using Line Level Out @ 1 Vrms. I don’t know if this is distortion related or just because my amp has so much headroom for my speakers (BR03s). Great review and I personally love my WiiM Ultra.
I’ll buy one of these eventually, and I’ll be sure to use your affiliate link! I got a second pair of primus 363s for 50$ used and they measure just as flat as the brand new pair I bought a month ago. My home theater AND wallet are super happy. Thanks dude!
Or you could buy a WiiM Mini and feed it into the Ultra. LOL. There's always a way if people really want to do something. But I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Airplay 2. It defaults to lossy .aac at 320Kbps. Not even as good as LDAC Bluetooth. Is it just a "convenience feature" for those with iPhones?
I just bought the WiiM Ultra last week and it greatly improves my SVS Prime Wireless and I like the Separate Sub out because I like the crossover lower than 80hz. I also like having the ARC. It's a really good product. The music streaming through Amazon Hi Res is good. Way better than going through the DTS Play Fi app or my tvs app.
Erin thanks for the review. lol about the chocolate sound description. Stereo equipment has become like wine when I was in California. It’s a playful little wine with notes of vanilla and almonds and hints of licorice. Appreciate you just share how it sounds and measures. Rock on!
I have a Yamaha AV Amp with a built in streamer, currently running off a USB stick with my FLAC files. If I bought one of these, moved the USB stick to it, then connected back to my AMP over coax/optical do you think it would do a better job than the AMP's built in streamer?
@@FlorentinDan-bc1yv Do you select "USB Output" in the WiiM's setting menu? This is obviously important for many potential buyers, so if this WiiM does in fact have this functionality, @ErinsAudioCorner should "Pin" a "Revision Comment" stating such in the comments section and Video Description. Thanks for testing this. 👍
Thanks for very informative review. I would like to hear why you disliked the room correction and would love to see a video showing your technique and gear required to do it yourself.
Really all you would need is the free RoomEQ Wizard (REW) software and a decent $100-$200 USB measurement mic (miniDSP UMIK-1 or UMIK-2 with a Calibration File, for example).
Icon will start shipping in November. You'll have to wait a few months. It will make mincemeat out of the Ultra. It is aimed at Eversolo and Cambridge.
I mean the latest version of YPAO was supposedly pretty good (according to @Audioholics). One thing I never liked was Audyssey with its overemphasized rears especially if Audyssey Volume was enabled (and random simulated BBC dip).
Hi Erin. I watched a few of your videos to understand what monitors I need for my purposes, but I'm still having trouble making a final choice. I only play at home with backing tracks. I have a fairly expensive Tone King Imperial MKII amp with a guitar cabinet, and I love its sounds, especially the slightly distorted bluesy sound. But the problem is that such a change in the guitar sound practically destroys the sound of the backing tracks, and vice versa - using only a clean guitar sound makes owning such an amp pointless. What monitors could you recommend (without using guitar cab) so that I can get an undistorted sound of the backing tracks and, at the same time, so that my favorite bluesy sound comes through these monitors, as close as possible to the sound I hear from the guitar cabinet? For example, I really love your review of the Kali IN-5. Thank you in advance.
Would really appreciate a written review on the website. I can't really follow or compare these kinds of dac/streamer devices without reading. Thanks for your review erin!
Thanks for the review! I actually didn't know it didn't have airplay. It would be really simple to use this as a DAC for your computer. There are plenty of cheap USB sound cards with optical out.
I just bought one today. My main reason for buying it is to wake me up in the morning (hopefully it works fine as an alarm) and the streaming and PEQ features. I’m hoping the EQ is pre-digital output…not a big deal if it isn’t though. Wouldn’t make sense for it not to be. I will probably sent the audio out multiple outputs at the same time, so I hope it supports that and different EQ’s on different outputs.
Erin, good sir. Do you know of any company that uses silk dome tweeters and paper cone drivers that also measures to be very linear? I just tried a dynaudio contour 30 and the silk dome tweeter is amazing. I’m looking for something like that but with paper cone drivers because I think it’ll sound more natural.
Erin new subscriber my friend. Keep up the great fair honest reviews. If you ever get a chance try to get ahold of some JBL S3100 baby Everest speakers to review and some Dali oberon 9. They went on sale almost everywhere.
100th comment =) Im happy you don't fluff in your review style. It's very welcomed and preferred. Wiim has been doing a great job .. I wonder if their success will mean maybe bringing a higher tier? ... Do you think they have any need to offer something in a higher tier for any reason?
Hi Erin, thx for your reviews.. i have one question regarding the wiim ultra. What are the channel separation/cross talk values as it doesn't show in the user manual.. txh a bunch
have you tried watching a movie through it? I have/had the Wiim amp, and had some crazy synchronicity issues. This might have been my tv, but i couldn't get the voices to match up with the video. My tv settings allowed some delay in one direction, but not an advance (??) in the other. anyway, it worked fine for basic 2 channel music, just didn't do double duty as a soundbar replacement. (not why i bought it, but thought it would be a perk).
When you used it in mixed duty with the TV, did you set it to automatically switch sources when eARC was in use? How fast and reliable was the switching? I ask because I am using a Wiim Pro to drive my two channel system in mixed use with the TV. My system uses separate components and the DAC doesn't have a remote. So I rely on automatic switching to keep things simple for my GF. The optical input automatic switching has gotten faster and more reliable with firmware updates. But can still be slow and/or gets confused and doesn't work every now and then. If the Ultra would pass through eARC right away, every time, no questions asked, that would be solid grounds for me to consider an upgrade. As it is, I'm running an optical splitter and have a second DAC in the system.. In case the Wiim doesn't cooperate, my GF can hit input 1 on the preamp and get TV sound basically no matter what. This isn't an ideal solution. 😅 Thanks for the review!
If I connect this $329 streamer to an external DAC via USB so I am using the better clock chip in the external DAC, how would it compare to doing the same with a far more expensive streamer such as a Innuos Pulse Mini (about ~$1440 USD) or a Lumin U2? Would I hear a difference, and why?
Assuming DAC remains the same, do different streamers sound different? Does a Wiim ultra sound different vs Wiim original vs Bluesound vs Ifi Zen Stream etc… when using same connections (let’s say optical out).
I'm currently running my home theatre/Hi-Fi off a PC with Equalizer APO, because I couldn't find any affordable pre-amps/processors with a full suite of PEQ. I thought this could have been the answer, but it seems there's no 3rd PEQ for a sub, nor delay setting? Still it's great to see a company take steps toward offering a full correction suite in a hi-fi/HT product at an affordable price, it's silly how much you have to pay to get one, when a cheap PC can do it (or even some soundbars and subwoofers, but only for themselves)
@ErinsAudioCorner I'm considering picking one of these up in the near future (using your affiliate links, of course) to pair with the Kali Audio IN-8v2 active monitors I'm using in my casual listening bedroom setup. Seems like the combination would make for a decently performing "HiFi on a budget" system. In addition, quite a few commenters here that own the WiiM Ultra are saying that it can be set to use the USB connection to feed digital audio to an outboard USB DAC, so you may want to re-confirm and post an addendum as a pinned comment + statement in the video description.
Always love your reviews, keep on the great and objective job! People follow you exactly for that! I know that it should be hard not to fall for the grace and $ of some gear manufacturers for some "pushed up" reviews. I felt that in some other reviewers... congrats for continuing being real!
Can it act as a digital volume control ? I'd like a device that can act as a digital only preamp with a volume rotary button for a set of speakers with coax in.
Great review of an almost perfect product. It's missing surround sound decoding, so you're stuck with a stereo downmix (left, right, center & surrounds mixed together). Surround sound decoding should be simple to do in this age of fast processors. This is a common problem with streamers & stereo receivers with HDMI (& optical) inputs. AV receivers provide surround sound decoding & are often a better bet.
Interesting that you used $1500 mono block amplifiers. Are you saying that there are benefits, beyond being able to drive them louder, to more expensive power amps? Why would you use them over the Aiyima or Fosi Audio?
@@c0mbat15 Erin wanted to own and use amplifiers that were BOTH impedance load agnostic AND which had plenty of power on tap in order to power and drive any potential pair of loudspeakers that he might get in for review. The March Audio amps accomplish both, in addition to measuring well, being well-built, receive heaps of positive subjective reviews, and are from a reputable company with excellent after-sales support.
Why does my Wiim Pro Plus sound better when using Tidal via AirPlay compared to using Tidal through the Wiim Home App? This issue is making me hesitate on purchasing the Wiim Ultra, even though I appreciate the improved connectivity it offers
All three of my WiiM pucks have died at about 18 months of use. None of them were used daily. In contacting the company, they said it’s only a one year warranty, and they offered me a 10% discount on new purchases. I’m pretty bothered by that, because they seem to be trying hard to go up in category, but the dependability of their products is not inspiring confidence.
Even the cheapest chi-fi now posts the kind of numbers that many manufacturers could only dream of 15 years ago. I remember buying a Behringer DAC/amp from a store that sold pro audio and muso gear (guitar amps etc) and it was atrocious. I'm not just talking poor compared to better gear - it sounded like the music was being piped through a tin can. I know Darko and others have said it, but we really are living in the golden age of affordable audio.
The ultra is really cool. I have two criticisms. One is that the HDMI arc does not work well with active HDMI cables and these are cables that have never failed on any other ARC device. The second criticism is at the RCA jacks are a little weak, unfortunately my sub out was damaged when removing an RCA cable that for whatever reason got a little tight and now I’ll have to swap out my unit.
Generally, this is epic when one considers what it offers from the original Sonos streamers. For most people i ecpect that this will be an endgame item. Indeed i would tell anybody asking me to buy into the WIIM units, unless they can get Sonos stuff super cheap 2nd hand.
Hi Love that you and your channel has grown as a content curator .I have been debating on getting a stand alone streamer instead of using my tv or computer.* Have a ok DACs .In not sure it would make mutch defence .what's your take on it .
It would be so very interesting what this would do feeding a Starkrimson. I am very curious about the statement that some believe a pre-amp has a good amount of influence on the sound quality. I don't know if it's wise to consider such things. I am incredibly curious about what GanFET amplification sounds like.
I hope WiiM will release an upgrade version with balanced outputs, since Bluesound is releasing the "NODE ICON" with XLR 🤘 Thanks Erin for the review! 😎
@@leecooper8589 yes it's almost 3x the price (330$ vs 1000$). My comment was about a feature that WiiM could add to get even more customers (like Erin and me).
I didn’t know that it doesn’t have Airplay. Deal breaker for me. Ideally, it would have native Apple Music support, but we know that will never happen. This explains the lower price point, no licensing for Apple.
Hate is a strong word. 😛 Do you own this WiiM? Just use standard RCA cables, not needlessly bulky, heavy, excessively tight-fitting, oversized RCA interconnects that are prone to damage even better quality PCB-mounted RCA jacks. You'll be fine, unless for some weird reason you are constantly removing and reconnecting your RCA interconnects all the time? 🤷♂
I have the Pro Plus and this Ultra. I can't really tell the difference in the sound from one to another. I like them both though. They do a lot more than what I need them to do in my system. I just love to purchase new tech, sometimes. lol. Pioneer SX-1080 Receiver Rega P3 50th TT Elac Solano BS283 speakers Elac Varro RS500-SB sub
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Woah, the asymmetric PEQ is super important for me, you're the only reviewer that mentioned it, thanks!
I just got it yesterday to Wiim Pro with firmware update. Pretty much oven-fresh feature.
Finally a product i can afford. Thanks Erin! Still saving my money for those KEF Blade speakers. Only $27,000 more to go.
A Wiim Ultra, a pair of Fosi V3 monos and some Elac DBR62s and you've got a world of music on a system that punches way above it's pricetag. We've really never had it so good.
Thanks Erin. Finally some useful information on practical application of features. My main interest in the Ultra is the room correction, bass management high & low filters for crossover, and the eq functionality. 👍🏼🎶😎
Liked for “chocolatey midbass”
All the chocolatey midbass.
Wait I thought it was “chocolatey bottom end” for the double entendre. 😂
with hints of espresso lol
@@ErinsAudioCorner What about the "Chocolatey midrange" opening up? You can't forget about that, not to mention "Acoustic mass"...;).
Loving my Wiim Ultra, used your amazon affiliate link a couple weeks ago :)
Great to hear!
Can it output to an external DAC via USB?
No
@@wegardfjeld3789really?
@@wegardfjeld3789 others say it can? Have you tested it?
“Chocolatey midbass” for a second I thought I was watching a CheapAudioMan video 😂. Just kidding Randy, I love both of y’all’s videos.
oh wait till u realize what the difference between chocolatey and buttery is..
@@Eron55555 😂
Just got one last week…very versatile device, does everything I need perfectly. SQ as good as anything else.
"Flat as a board"
Almost every decent response curve would look flat on a FR graph with 50dB major steps :-).
Strongly agree it would be awesome if we could have a bit of overlap on the LP/HP sub out settings.
I’ve also found that using this as a pre-amp going directly into my power amp (IOTAVX PA40) that I much prefer the sound using Line Level Out @ 1 Vrms. I don’t know if this is distortion related or just because my amp has so much headroom for my speakers (BR03s).
Great review and I personally love my WiiM Ultra.
Your little bit of subjectivity combined with your solid knowledge base is exactly what people are looking for.
Erin, your reviews rock. I love the honesty & candor!!
It has been more than 10 days with no new speaker reviews on the KEF channel...is it normal?
I’ll buy one of these eventually, and I’ll be sure to use your affiliate link! I got a second pair of primus 363s for 50$ used and they measure just as flat as the brand new pair I bought a month ago. My home theater AND wallet are super happy. Thanks dude!
You can work around the Airplay restrictions with the Belkin Airplay 2 adapter, you can feed it's optical out into the WiiM
Or you could buy a WiiM Mini and feed it into the Ultra. LOL. There's always a way if people really want to do something. But I'm not sure I understand the appeal of Airplay 2. It defaults to lossy .aac at 320Kbps. Not even as good as LDAC Bluetooth. Is it just a "convenience feature" for those with iPhones?
I just bought the WiiM Ultra last week and it greatly improves my SVS Prime Wireless and I like the Separate Sub out because I like the crossover lower than 80hz. I also like having the ARC. It's a really good product. The music streaming through Amazon Hi Res is good. Way better than going through the DTS Play Fi app or my tvs app.
Hi Erin, can you review a speaker from the Paradigm Premier line? No one with a Klippel has measured any of that series yet. Thanks!
8:09 I do run the Wiim Pro Parametric EQ (digital domain) to my DAC and onto my headphone amp …a very useful feature!
Erin thanks for the review. lol about the chocolate sound description. Stereo equipment has become like wine when I was in California. It’s a playful little wine with notes of vanilla and almonds and hints of licorice. Appreciate you just share how it sounds and measures. Rock on!
Would be nice if they could add a more premium streamer (only) to the range with a nicer (not plastic) case 🙏
I have a Yamaha AV Amp with a built in streamer, currently running off a USB stick with my FLAC files. If I bought one of these, moved the USB stick to it, then connected back to my AMP over coax/optical do you think it would do a better job than the AMP's built in streamer?
Good time to buy a streamer. So many options at different price ranges. Can't go wrong.
Chocolatey mid bass. 😌
Connecting this to my rz50 onkyo for stereo music listening do you think because of the better fav I would gain better quality sound ?!
Are there any power and/or impedance specs on the internal headphone amp?
Can you point me in the right direction for room correction instead of using the built in on this streamer?
I just ordered a WiiM Ultra to do exactly what you were doing. I plan to use it as a preamp and streamer.
The USB port also works for USB output. 😊
Does it work for an external USB dac?
@@unewbyes it does, i connected wiim ultra to minidsp flex through usb and it worked as expected
@@FlorentinDan-bc1yv
Do you select "USB Output" in the WiiM's setting menu?
This is obviously important for many potential buyers, so if this WiiM does in fact have this functionality, @ErinsAudioCorner should "Pin" a "Revision Comment" stating such in the comments section and Video Description.
Thanks for testing this. 👍
What can you do with this?
@@mrgringo7289 I output to a Raspberry Pi running CamillaDSP and camilladsp-setrate. It works great!
I run mine with a Marantz mm9000 amp into Klipsch RSW-12 dual and Klipsch rp-600m ii
Thanks for very informative review.
I would like to hear why you disliked the room correction and would love to see a video showing your technique and gear required to do it yourself.
Really all you would need is the free RoomEQ Wizard (REW) software and a decent $100-$200 USB measurement mic (miniDSP UMIK-1 or UMIK-2 with a Calibration File, for example).
Does this unit remember the last selected streamed source after power off or do you have to select a streaming source after every power cycle?
It auto detects wherever a signal is coming in and it will also remember. Since it is a computer it has storage.
Now waiting for the Node Icon review and comparison with Ultra.
Icon will start shipping in November. You'll have to wait a few months. It will make mincemeat out of the Ultra. It is aimed at Eversolo and Cambridge.
@@D1N02no it won't make mince meat... Ffs it is just a streamer
@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah IKR, and isn't the Icon about the price of 4 Ultra's??? lol.
How's the room correction? Is it at least better than YPAO?
I mean the latest version of YPAO was supposedly pretty good (according to @Audioholics). One thing I never liked was Audyssey with its overemphasized rears especially if Audyssey Volume was enabled (and random simulated BBC dip).
Hi Erin. I watched a few of your videos to understand what monitors I need for my purposes, but I'm still having trouble making a final choice. I only play at home with backing tracks. I have a fairly expensive Tone King Imperial MKII amp with a guitar cabinet, and I love its sounds, especially the slightly distorted bluesy sound. But the problem is that such a change in the guitar sound practically destroys the sound of the backing tracks, and vice versa - using only a clean guitar sound makes owning such an amp pointless. What monitors could you recommend (without using guitar cab) so that I can get an undistorted sound of the backing tracks and, at the same time, so that my favorite bluesy sound comes through these monitors, as close as possible to the sound I hear from the guitar cabinet? For example, I really love your review of the Kali IN-5. Thank you in advance.
I guess if I can ever convince myself that I need a streamer I'd get that one.
Would really appreciate a written review on the website. I can't really follow or compare these kinds of dac/streamer devices without reading. Thanks for your review erin!
Thanks for the review! I actually didn't know it didn't have airplay. It would be really simple to use this as a DAC for your computer. There are plenty of cheap USB sound cards with optical out.
I just bought one today. My main reason for buying it is to wake me up in the morning (hopefully it works fine as an alarm) and the streaming and PEQ features. I’m hoping the EQ is pre-digital output…not a big deal if it isn’t though. Wouldn’t make sense for it not to be. I will probably sent the audio out multiple outputs at the same time, so I hope it supports that and different EQ’s on different outputs.
Hello, im new to audio, can I hook up one fosi audio ZA3 to run two speakers for a desktop setup?
yes
Question: can it be used as MP3 library through an external HDD or SSD? And can it be used as a separate player plugged to an integrated amp?
Erin, good sir. Do you know of any company that uses silk dome tweeters and paper cone drivers that also measures to be very linear? I just tried a dynaudio contour 30 and the silk dome tweeter is amazing. I’m looking for something like that but with paper cone drivers because I think it’ll sound more natural.
Erin new subscriber my friend. Keep up the great fair honest reviews. If you ever get a chance try to get ahold of some JBL S3100 baby Everest speakers to review and some Dali oberon 9. They went on sale almost everywhere.
100th comment =)
Im happy you don't fluff in your review style. It's very welcomed and preferred.
Wiim has been doing a great job .. I wonder if their success will mean maybe bringing a higher tier?
... Do you think they have any need to offer something in a higher tier for any reason?
Hi Erin, thx for your reviews.. i have one question regarding the wiim ultra. What are the channel separation/cross talk values as it doesn't show in the user manual.. txh a bunch
have you tried watching a movie through it? I have/had the Wiim amp, and had some crazy synchronicity issues. This might have been my tv, but i couldn't get the voices to match up with the video. My tv settings allowed some delay in one direction, but not an advance (??) in the other. anyway, it worked fine for basic 2 channel music, just didn't do double duty as a soundbar replacement. (not why i bought it, but thought it would be a perk).
If you stream an ALAC album do you know if it plays in track order or in alphabetical order?
When you used it in mixed duty with the TV, did you set it to automatically switch sources when eARC was in use? How fast and reliable was the switching?
I ask because I am using a Wiim Pro to drive my two channel system in mixed use with the TV. My system uses separate components and the DAC doesn't have a remote. So I rely on automatic switching to keep things simple for my GF. The optical input automatic switching has gotten faster and more reliable with firmware updates. But can still be slow and/or gets confused and doesn't work every now and then. If the Ultra would pass through eARC right away, every time, no questions asked, that would be solid grounds for me to consider an upgrade.
As it is, I'm running an optical splitter and have a second DAC in the system.. In case the Wiim doesn't cooperate, my GF can hit input 1 on the preamp and get TV sound basically no matter what. This isn't an ideal solution. 😅
Thanks for the review!
If I connect this $329 streamer to an external DAC via USB so I am using the better clock chip in the external DAC, how would it compare to doing the same with a far more expensive streamer such as a Innuos Pulse Mini (about ~$1440 USD) or a Lumin U2? Would I hear a difference, and why?
Well done. Appreciate your take here.
Assuming DAC remains the same, do different streamers sound different? Does a Wiim ultra sound different vs Wiim original vs Bluesound vs Ifi Zen Stream etc… when using same connections (let’s say optical out).
I'm currently running my home theatre/Hi-Fi off a PC with Equalizer APO, because I couldn't find any affordable pre-amps/processors with a full suite of PEQ.
I thought this could have been the answer, but it seems there's no 3rd PEQ for a sub, nor delay setting? Still it's great to see a company take steps toward offering a full correction suite in a hi-fi/HT product at an affordable price, it's silly how much you have to pay to get one, when a cheap PC can do it (or even some soundbars and subwoofers, but only for themselves)
I bought one and find myself rarely using. I love old setup streaming from my pc to 55inc tv through dac to amp.
Great channel. You remind me of Jeremy from "Red Means Recording".
Can it output to an external DAC via USB?
Yes
So I can run a tv through my wiim essentially using it as s pre amp and use a class AB amp?
Yup
Subjectively, you are the best reviewerI have ever watched online
@ErinsAudioCorner
I'm considering picking one of these up in the near future (using your affiliate links, of course) to pair with the Kali Audio IN-8v2 active monitors I'm using in my casual listening bedroom setup. Seems like the combination would make for a decently performing "HiFi on a budget" system.
In addition, quite a few commenters here that own the WiiM Ultra are saying that it can be set to use the USB connection to feed digital audio to an outboard USB DAC, so you may want to re-confirm and post an addendum as a pinned comment + statement in the video description.
Always love your reviews, keep on the great and objective job! People follow you exactly for that!
I know that it should be hard not to fall for the grace and $ of some gear manufacturers for some "pushed up" reviews. I felt that in some other reviewers... congrats for continuing being real!
I appreciate that!
I wish they had balanced outputs as well then yes by all means it would be a steal.
uhm what at that price point is doing what the Wiim Ultra is doing without hiccups?
Can it act as a digital volume control ? I'd like a device that can act as a digital only preamp with a volume rotary button for a set of speakers with coax in.
Second that. I currently use a miniDSP but it upsamples everything to 96k.
I'm demoing one right now. I was able to try it as a digital preamp. Room correction worked on digital outs as well.
@@NosEL34 Interesting, can you stream Deezer HiFi? Cast loseless streams? Thanks
I'm happy its transfer function is flat on a 50 dB/div scale :) It even looks DC-coupled.
If you were running analog from your MacBook into the WiiM then you’re not using the DAC in the WiiM?
Great review of an almost perfect product. It's missing surround sound decoding, so you're stuck with a stereo downmix (left, right, center & surrounds mixed together). Surround sound decoding should be simple to do in this age of fast processors. This is a common problem with streamers & stereo receivers with HDMI (& optical) inputs. AV receivers provide surround sound decoding & are often a better bet.
Great review, thank you so much!!
Interesting that you used $1500 mono block amplifiers. Are you saying that there are benefits, beyond being able to drive them louder, to more expensive power amps? Why would you use them over the Aiyima or Fosi Audio?
they're better implemented so load dependency isn't a worry on those monoblocks as it is with Aiyima and Fosi stuff he's already reviewed
@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah But Fosi Audio have dealt with that with the V3 Mono using PFFB? So...?
@@c0mbat15
Erin wanted to own and use amplifiers that were BOTH impedance load agnostic AND which had plenty of power on tap in order to power and drive any potential pair of loudspeakers that he might get in for review.
The March Audio amps accomplish both, in addition to measuring well, being well-built, receive heaps of positive subjective reviews, and are from a reputable company with excellent after-sales support.
@@bbfoto7248 both of your answers make sense so thanks for taking the time to reply. I was being slightly facetious 😊
Dynamics, bass response and detail. They don't "run out of gas".
he did not mention that these units can be used with other devices for multi-room (SONOS type) audio. with full multi-zone app control
Do you mean that you connect your Apple TV from TV hdmi-arc output to WiiM Ultra?
Call me crazy but I’d GUESS most people looking for Asymeyrical Sub Slopes aren’t going to be using a 300$ streamer
@ErinsAudioCorner: I thought the "spectrum analyzer" mode on the display was eye-candy only. It repeats a varying pattern in a loop?
It seems like it does.
Anybody can tell me how to set the UV meter on the front screen please?!
Is It possible to do review for Genelec 8050b or G Five model? Im looking for those and would love to see a review from you?
Did you test the phono preamp? I'm curious about how good it is
How does pudding sound?
Damn, but except for the nasty teeth, you nailed Chris at S/A in the opening few seconds. I’m here for the ride 😂
Why does my Wiim Pro Plus sound better when using Tidal via AirPlay compared to using Tidal through the Wiim Home App? This issue is making me hesitate on purchasing the Wiim Ultra, even though I appreciate the improved connectivity it offers
All three of my WiiM pucks have died at about 18 months of use. None of them were used daily. In contacting the company, they said it’s only a one year warranty, and they offered me a 10% discount on new purchases. I’m pretty bothered by that, because they seem to be trying hard to go up in category, but the dependability of their products is not inspiring confidence.
What ? There's no Bologna in sound description ?? I hear it has a first name, and deserves application :)
Anyone try the Wiim Ultra with actives... Kali, Genelec, Kef or other.
Even the cheapest chi-fi now posts the kind of numbers that many manufacturers could only dream of 15 years ago. I remember buying a Behringer DAC/amp from a store that sold pro audio and muso gear (guitar amps etc) and it was atrocious. I'm not just talking poor compared to better gear - it sounded like the music was being piped through a tin can. I know Darko and others have said it, but we really are living in the golden age of affordable audio.
I love anything chocolatey
how would one hook this up to the klipsch 9s and make use of its eq vs the klipsches?
Analog "AUX" input or Digital Toslink Optical Input on the Klipsch 9s from the respective outputs on the WiiM.
Will you be reviewing the march audio amps?
Does this have independent PEQ for the sub out?
The ultra is really cool. I have two criticisms. One is that the HDMI arc does not work well with active HDMI cables and these are cables that have never failed on any other ARC device. The second criticism is at the RCA jacks are a little weak, unfortunately my sub out was damaged when removing an RCA cable that for whatever reason got a little tight and now I’ll have to swap out my unit.
Generally, this is epic when one considers what it offers from the original Sonos streamers. For most people i ecpect that this will be an endgame item. Indeed i would tell anybody asking me to buy into the WIIM units, unless they can get Sonos stuff super cheap 2nd hand.
Hi Love that you and your channel has grown as a content curator .I have been debating on getting a stand alone streamer instead of using my tv or computer.* Have a ok DACs .In not sure it would make mutch defence .what's your take on it .
Is that white or brown chocolate? Or nut and raisin?
“Where are the bodies Garth?”
So is this an amplifier or a pre-amp? You mention it as powering an amplifier?
How about using it to directly drive speakers?
Preamp. No built-in power amplifier for speakers. They also sell a WiiM Amp.
@@bbfoto7248 OK I'm going to wait for the revised version of the WiiM Amp then.
It would be so very interesting what this would do feeding a Starkrimson. I am very curious about the statement that some believe a pre-amp has a good amount of influence on the sound quality.
I don't know if it's wise to consider such things.
I am incredibly curious about what GanFET amplification sounds like.
Question, what is a good amp for the Wiim Ultra? I want speaker and sub. Thanks
What speakers do you have?
@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah ik building from scratch
@@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah need a good cheap amp that will drive speaker and a sub.
What’s your budget? For speakers and sub.
@@ErinsAudioCorner i dont know yet, but i am looking for a beginners setup. Will be playing hi res audio via Tidel.
Nice review like always👏👍
Thank you 🤗
Another great review.
I hope WiiM will release an upgrade version with balanced outputs, since Bluesound is releasing the "NODE ICON" with XLR 🤘
Thanks Erin for the review! 😎
The ICON is also going to be not far off 3 times the price of the Ultra isn't it?
@@leecooper8589 yes it's almost 3x the price (330$ vs 1000$).
My comment was about a feature that WiiM could add to get even more customers (like Erin and me).
I didn’t know that it doesn’t have Airplay. Deal breaker for me. Ideally, it would have native Apple Music support, but we know that will never happen. This explains the lower price point, no licensing for Apple.
I can’t believe it doesn’t support Apple AirPlay! The pro does. I was ready to buy, until I found this out.
You'd expect Ultra to have everything..right
@@Hirnlego999 RIGHT!?!? Bluesound just announced the Node Nano for $299, AND it supports Apple AirPlay! That might just be the upgrade for me.
What is the use case for Airplay 2?
Hey E. Dizzle😊
I hate the back of it. It feels so cheap and it might break when plugging in RCA's.
Hate is a strong word. 😛 Do you own this WiiM?
Just use standard RCA cables, not needlessly bulky, heavy, excessively tight-fitting, oversized RCA interconnects that are prone to damage even better quality PCB-mounted RCA jacks. You'll be fine, unless for some weird reason you are constantly removing and reconnecting your RCA interconnects all the time? 🤷♂
I have the Pro Plus and this Ultra. I can't really tell the difference in the sound from one to another. I like them both though. They do a lot more than what I need them to do in my system. I just love to purchase new tech, sometimes. lol.
Pioneer SX-1080 Receiver
Rega P3 50th TT
Elac Solano BS283 speakers
Elac Varro RS500-SB sub