4 speaker question

[PADave]

Hello, I have an outdoor set-up with 4 speakers. The speakers are DefTechs and they are specified as "4-8 Ohm" and the sensitivity is 91dB. Is it advisable to use a WiiM Amp Pro or a WiiM Vibelink + streamer (like WiiM Mini) for this? I saw an unverified comment elsewhere that both amps would support 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel, but with the "4-8" ohm range I wasn't sure if that was copasetic. My hunch is that the Vibelink with the additional output power with 4 speakers connected is probably a better choice than the WiiM Amp Pro? However, I wasn't sure if there were limitations to the WiiM Mini in this situation vs a WiiM Amp Pro. Any advice appreciated.

 

[Mr Ee]

Welcome.

If you search for "ohm" by wiim support you should find a number of posts on this topic.
From those, I'd imagine wiim's position would probably be "not advisable", if only to err on the safe side.

Wiim also state that their amps have advanced heat management, which ought to mean the amps will not allow themselves to overheat if you push them too hard. Do you intend these speakers to be background music or party loud?

The wiim mini limitations come down to its reduced capabilities, such as no ethernet, no chromecast, no qobuz connect etc.

Of course, you could just get two amps

 

[PADave]

This is partially a new question as it relates to the WiiM Vibelink- the comments on speaker impedance for the Wiim Amp and Amp Pro are found at the link below. These speakers won't be driven at high volume, so I expect based on the responses that it would be OK to power the speakers I mentioned. The question is whether the Vibelink is any different.

https://forum.wiimhome.com/threads/introducing-wiim-amp-pro.4868/post-80732

 

[Mr Ee]

I'd be surprised if the vibelink's specs went much below, if at all, the 2.67 stated for the other amps, but I don't recall seeing this stated anywhere.

One additional thought on using a mini with a vibelink - the mini doesn't have trigger out and the vibelink power button is on the back. You either need to reach around there to turn it on or have bluetooth enabled on your device to turn it on from within the app.
Without a trigger, once the vibelink goes to sleep (or is turned off via the app) then it needs to be deliberately turned on in one of these two ways.
You can't turn its power off and on again (i.e. at the mains) 'cos it won't wake up when power comes back if it was asleep when the power went off.

 

[harkpabst]

I'd be surprised if the vibelink's specs went much below, if at all, the 2.67 stated for the other amps, but I don't recall seeing this stated anywhere.

Not sure if it's found in the specs, but WiiM actually did confirm the 2.67 Ω minimum load for the WiiM Vibelink Amp as well. Personally I'd rather not recommend this combination, unless one can measure the actual impedance over frequency for the speakers in question.

 

[PADave]

I'd be surprised if the vibelink's specs went much below, if at all, the 2.67 stated for the other amps, but I don't recall seeing this stated anywhere.

One additional thought on using a mini with a vibelink - the mini doesn't have trigger out and the vibelink power button is on the back. You either need to reach around there to turn it on or have bluetooth enabled on your device to turn it on from within the app.
Without a trigger, once the vibelink goes to sleep (or is turned off via the app) then it needs to be deliberately turned on in one of these two ways.
You can't turn its power off and on again (i.e. at the mains) 'cos it won't wake up when power comes back if it was asleep when the power went off.

Thanks for the heads up on the trigger, I think in that case a WiiM Pro would work. I guess the other option is to wait for the Amp Ultra...

 

[PADave]

Not sure if it's found in the specs, but WiiM actually did confirm the 2.67 Ω minimum load for the WiiM Vibelink Amp as well. Personally I'd rather not recommend this combination, unless one can measure the actual impedance over frequency for the speakers in question.

Thanks, agreed it would be borderline at 2.67 if the speakers drift to 4 ohm. Looks like we'll go with two Amps or a different brand with 8 proper speaker terminals like a marantz 6007 fed by a WiiM streamer.

 

[harkpabst]

Thanks, agreed it would be borderline at 2.67 if the speakers drift to 4 ohm. Looks like we'll go with two Amps or a different brand with 8 proper speaker terminals like a marantz 6007.

The advantage with multiple WiiM devices over a single multi-channel amp is that you don't have to route the speaker cables physically. You just place every WiiM amplifier in the "zone" where you need it and then group them by software.

If you intend to stuff everything in one big media closet anyway and already have cable ducts, that doesn't matter, of course.

 

[PADave]

The advantage with multiple WiiM devices over a single multi-channel amp is that you don't have to route the speaker cables physically. You just place every WiiM amplifier in the "zone" where you need it and then group them by software.

If you intend to stuff everythin in one big media closet anyway and already have cable ducts, that doesn't matter, of course.

When we remodeled our house, I had all the speaker cables routed to a central location in the basement, so it's no problem. My biggest questions about a separate amp are whether going from a WiiM Pro Plus using the analog outputs to an amplifier introduces more unnecessary noise in the chain or alternatively using toslink from the WiiM to the amp whether the DACs in the lower cost amps are comparable to the WiiM (probably not), and last but not least the SQ of the amps themselves vs the WiiM amp pro.

 

[dtc]

You should consider a impedance matching box. They are designed for just this situation. You connect multiple speakers and the box presents a 4 or 8 ohm load to the amp. Niles is the old standard, but Monoprice also has them. WIth or without volume controls.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_190SS4/Niles-SS-4.html

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8231

 

[Mr Ee]

@PADave
You mentioned possibly using a Pro in one post and a Pro Plus in another, and also wiim analog out vs digital out.
My opinion - if you think you'll use analog out then get a pro plus.
As for 'noise' using analog out - not in my experience.

 

[PADave]

Thanks for the responses above. I decided to get the Wiim Pro Plus and use it with analog outs with an existing older (17 yrs?) Onkyo A-9555 digital amplifier. It's not fully digital because it lacks digital inputs, but the amplifier section is digital. I tried it out and it doesn't sound bad. It has terminals for 4 speakers, and although I don't know the impedance specs for running four speakers, it sounds perfectly fine.

 

[dtc]

Thanks for the responses above. I decided to get the Wiim Pro Plus and use it with analog outs with an existing older (17 yrs?) Onkyo A-9555 digital amplifier. It's not fully digital because it lacks digital inputs, but the amplifier section is digital. I tried it out and it doesn't sound bad. It has terminals for 4 speakers, and although I don't know the impedance specs for running four speakers, it sounds perfectly fine.

That amp is rated at 4 ohms and Onkyo amps of that era usually handle 4 ohms fine and often go below that. If the speakers are truly 4 ohms you might run into problems over time. But if they are mostly 8 ohm, you are probably fine. I would monitor the temperature of the chassis and make sure it does not get to hot

 

[PADave]

Thanks, as long as the amp doesn't catch fire, I'm ok if it gets ruined, it's 17+ yrs old. Also, it has been doing the same duty previously with a Sonos Connect for 14 yrs with the same speakers.