24bit toslink out to DAC broken. Wiim fixed it for me!.

[beadlesabout]

I find it slow skipping tracks too. Just using Spotify Connect it’s at least 4x slower than my ancient Bluesound Node 2i. Give it a few requests in quick succession and that really causes it to grind to a halt.

Lots of suggestion on this forum about not complaining and using the feedback feature, but my experience of that is you just get a template response saying sorry or thank you.

Maybe others have had better luck, I’m not sure.

 

[Zphvrq]

1) Why is the device so so slow. I'm connected by ethernet, it takes up to 10 seconds to change track streaming from Amazon music. sometimes it stops when you change track. Sometimes it pauses and resumes the original track.
2) The Alexa voice control doesn't work. Sometimes pressing the mic button doesn't work, sometimes it registers but doesn't change, sometimes it changes to the wrong song, sometimes it just pauses the music. Most times it goes quiet and just resumes the song it was playing.
3) You can't play local files from the Screen - one of main reasons I bought device - idiotic design decision.
4) Terrible design to ask for a confirmation to change source, after you clicked the input button, and then the source, and it asks you to confirm change of source. What do they think will happen if this extra needless step is absent. Explosion? Madness.
5) The screen should have a home button on all screens. It's totally random which ones have it and which don't why don't the music player screens have a button to go home?
6) The link between amazon music and the device is furstratingly slow, it may be same issue as 1). I press play on amazon music and have the wiim as the output device - the song shows as playing on the phone, gets up to 20 seconds before it starts on the ultra, and the timings are out of sync. Press pause on the phone - wiim takes 5 seconds to pause, then phone time elaped goes back to match wiim.
7) It regularly misses the beginning of tracks due to the crazy lag.

Some other bugs I found but forgot in my frustration. The voice control one really is absurd though. The Wiim pro was perfect in this regard.

I am not having the problems described but I also am not integrating with Amazon music as I've never had good luck even when I use my Sonos devices. Sounds like you were having good luck with the pro just not with the ultra. I also don't talk to any of my devices I'm old school and just use an app. So you've probably introduced some new ideas that I should start trying so I can help test as well.

Thanks so much for your detailed recount of your challenges and making it remain pleasant and professional I was very helpful to all of us trying to help the ultra be a success as a user community.

Jeff

 

[jed1]

The unit may be a lemon. If I were you, I would try another unit.

 

[Wiimer]

I find it slow skipping tracks too. Just using Spotify Connect it’s at least 4x slower than my ancient Bluesound Node 2i. Give it a few requests in quick succession and that really causes it to grind to a halt.

Lots of suggestion on this forum about not complaining and using the feedback feature, but my experience of that is you just get a template response saying sorry or thank you.

Maybe others have had better luck, I’m not sure.

My Ultra is fine with Spotify connect. Track skipping takes less than a second.


View attachment 1000000876.mp4

If you have Spotify latency on your device, suspect a network issue first, sometimes a reinstallation of the Spotify app can help. Also try rebooting your Ultra device, router, or phone.

In the network status of the WiiM app, turning off the following items may solve the problem.

DNS servers
IPv6

The reason many members suggest feedback from the WiiM app is that it sends your device logs to support team. Here is primarily a user community and the support team does not always read your posts.

 

[Longfellow78]

OP, sounds like the typical symptoms of poor WiFi, either weak signal or interference.

It happens with WiFi and ethernet though.

 

[Longfellow78]

I find it slow skipping tracks too. Just using Spotify Connect it’s at least 4x slower than my ancient Bluesound Node 2i. Give it a few requests in quick succession and that really causes it to grind to a halt.

Lots of suggestion on this forum about not complaining and using the feedback feature, but my experience of that is you just get a template response saying sorry or thank you.

Maybe others have had better luck, I’m not sure.

Thanks. I did use the feedback feature now. Seems some people are havinf no issues. Very weird.

 

[Longfellow78]

My Ultra is fine with Spotify connect. Track skipping takes less than a second.


View attachment 9951

If you have Spotify latency on your device, suspect a network issue first, sometimes a reinstallation of the Spotify app can help. Also try rebooting your Ultra device, router, or phone.

In the network status of the WiiM app, turning off the following items may solve the problem.

DNS servers
IPv6

The reason many members suggest feedback from the WiiM app is that it sends your device logs to support team. Here is primarily a user community and the support team does not always read your posts.

I'm using amazon not Spotify but thanks I will try your suggestions.

 

[Longfellow78]

Slight update: there have been some improvements, but not toally. This morning there was a new firmware available which I updated to. I also set up another wifi point 2 feet away from the unit and conducted a factory reset. I also switched around the toslink cables I was using - The Wiim one from my Wiim to dac/amp, and my old one from my pc to the Wiim. Not sure which of these helped.

The track switching speed is much improved (with a caveat) the Alexa voice activation now works also (with said caveat).
So it now seems to function as I would expect 75% of the time, but for the other 25% it still has the very slow amazon track switching, where the screen freezes, the phone shows the track playing, but no sound. It never starts.

I'm also freaked out that I asked it to play something and it started playing spotify........... I don't have spotify installed on my phone. WTF?

 

[Wiimer]

I'm using amazon not Spotify but thanks I will try your suggestions.

Amazon music has a noticeable delay compared to Spotify. In my case, it takes about 5 seconds to start or skip a track. But, it is the same with my Yamaha Musiccast, so basically I believe this is an Amazon music api issue.

However, I have recently found several bugs. For example, when I play a playlist, it sometimes stops after 10 tracks. It is still unconfirmed if this is a WiiM specific issue, but I have sent a ticket.

In my opinion, Amazon music has a lot of bugs anyway.

 

[Burnside]

I'm also freaked out that I asked it to play something and it started playing spotify........... I don't have spotify installed on my phone. WTF?

If you’re asking Alexa, you don’t need the Spotify app on your phone, it’s playing from the Alexa cloud service. You must have Spotify (even the free version) linked to your Alexa account. It’s not unknown for Alexa to do this when it can’t find what it heard you ask for in your default music service (if indeed you have set a default). It’s an Alexa glitch that WiiM have no control over.

 

[Longfellow78]

If you’re asking Alexa, you don’t need the Spotify app on your phone, it’s playing from the Alexa cloud service. You must have Spotify (even the free version) linked to your Alexa account. It’s not unknown for Alexa to do this when it can’t find what it heard you ask for in your default music service (if indeed you have set a default). It’s an Alexa glitch that WiiM have no control over.

Ah ok that makes sense. I do have my old spotify account linked to my alexa I never thought of that.

 

[Longfellow78]

Amazon music has a noticeable delay compared to Spotify. In my case, it takes about 5 seconds to start or skip a track. But, it is the same with my Yamaha Musiccast, so basically I believe this is an Amazon music api issue.

However, I have recently found several bugs. For example, when I play a playlist, it sometimes stops after 10 tracks. It is still unconfirmed if this is a WiiM specific issue, but I have sent a ticket.

In my opinion, Amazon music has a lot of bugs anyway.

Thanks. However my Wiim Pro I was using until yesterday was lightning fast. I think that the Wi-fi antenna in the Ultra must be awful as I was the same distance from the router as with the pro, but my signal changes from ok to weak and I think this was a part of the problem. Unfortunately the new wifi point I set up next to it, if I use it as a mesh and set it up as the same name as the rest of the house it screws up again, I need a separate name, which means I can't access my music server which is on the other network. Starting to regret this purchase. I only bought it for the screen, the looks, and ability to play usb files directly, which I still can't work out how to do yet.

 

[Wiimer]

I'm also freaked out that I asked it to play something and it started playing spotify........... I don't have spotify installed on my phone. WTF?

If Amazon music and Spotify are registered as Alexa's music services, Alexa will optionally use either service to play music.

If you want to use only Amazon music with voice control, please go to the "Music / Podcasts" section in the Alexa app settings and make sure Spotify is registered there. There you can register or delete your preferred service.

Edit; Actually, I think disabling the Spotify skill will solve the problem.

 

[Burnside]

…ability to play usb files directly, which I still can't work out how to do yet.

See this faq entry for the Amp - the Ultra is pretty much the same. I think from a previous response recently from WiiM here in the forum suggests that the Ultra’s USB port delivers more power but you may still find with an external drive that you need to supply more power as I do on my Amp with a y-cable and usb charger.

Using USB Disks with the WiiM Amp

Transform your living space into an immersive concert hall by connecting a USB stick to your WiiM Amp. To achieve the best performance and ensure compatibility, it's crucial to know which USB disk types and power specifications are supported by t...

faq.wiimhome.com

 

[Wiimer]

Thanks. However my Wiim Pro I was using until yesterday was lightning fast. I think that the Wi-fi antenna in the Ultra must be awful as I was the same distance from the router as with the pro, but my signal changes from ok to weak and I think this was a part of the problem. Unfortunately the new wifi point I set up next to it, if I use it as a mesh and set it up as the same name as the rest of the house it screws up again, I need a separate name, which means I can't access my music server which is on the other network. Starting to regret this purchase. I only bought it for the screen, the looks, and ability to play usb files directly, which I still can't work out how to do yet.

If you temporarily connect the Ultra with a LAN cable, does that solve many problems?

 

[Longfellow78]

If Amazon music and Spotify are registered as Alexa's music services, Alexa will optionally use either service to play music.

If you want to use only Amazon music with voice control, please go to the "Music / Podcasts" section in the Alexa app settings and make sure Spotify is registered there. There you can register or delete your preferred service.

Edit; Actually, I think disabling the Spotify skill will solve the problem.

Thanks I disabled spotify in my alexa.

 

[Longfellow78]

If you temporarily connect the Ultra with a LAN cable, does that solve many problems?

No it was the same. I wonder if the firmware update from 5th August helped. Still getting lag between amazon and the device.
Also album art not showing in the Wiim app despite showing on Alexa and on the Wiim screen.

 

[Longfellow78]

See this faq entry for the Amp - the Ultra is pretty much the same. I think from a previous response recently from WiiM here in the forum suggests that the Ultra’s USB port delivers more power but you may still find with an external drive that you need to supply more power as I do on my Amp with a y-cable and usb charger.

Using USB Disks with the WiiM Amp

Transform your living space into an immersive concert hall by connecting a USB stick to your WiiM Amp. To achieve the best performance and ensure compatibility, it's crucial to know which USB disk types and power specifications are supported by t...

faq.wiimhome.com

Thanks I got this working. Annoying you need to select the source on the phone and can't do it from the screen though.

 

[beadlesabout]

Just to follow up on my slow Spotify issue, it's 100% resolved as of the new firmware update released this morning.

 

[Wiimer]

No it was the same. I wonder if the firmware update from 5th August helped. Still getting lag between amazon and the device.
Also album art not showing in the Wiim app despite showing on Alexa and on the Wiim screen.

What happens when I playback on Ultra from Amazon app using AlexaCast?

This is my Amazon Music playback screen.
The album art is displayed correctly on playback from the WiiM app, and with AlexaCast as well. This could be a problem specific to your device or network.

Please make sure you have the latest version of the WiiM app installed on your phone. If the latest app is installed, try deleting the app cache and reinstalling it.

[Played on WiiM app]


Played on AM APP (Alexa Cast )]