Can the VibeLink Amp Drive the Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers?

[TonyAV]

Hi folks,
New to this forum. Looking for some advice. I’m helping a friend of mine put together an audio system which consist of the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp to drive a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers and a Caldera 12 subwoofer. He connected the TV using HDMI Arc to the Ultra, and connected the Ultra to the Vibelink using the RCA. He played music through Youtube and Spotify. The sound was very disappointing and weak not loud enough, we ussually listen at around 80-85 db (loudest) It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers. Wanted to ask if someone else has run into this problem.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Tony

Edit:
Note: should have mentioned previously that I'm helping my friend remotely which makes the troubleshooting more difficult. I helped him picking the components and setting it up by phone (FaceTime).

 

[mlsstl]

From your description of the setup, my initial thought is that the HDMI Arc isn't putting out enough voltage to the Ultra. For your next step, I'd suggest to log into Spotify directly from the Ultra (not though the TV.) Spotify is one of the streaming services directly supported by WiiM devices.

 

[Wiimer]

Hi folks,
New to this forum. Looking for some advice. I’m helping a friend of mine put together an audio system which consist of the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp to drive a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers and a Caldera 12 subwoofer. He connected the TV using HDMI Arc to the Ultra, and connected the Ultra to the Vibelink using the RCA. He played music through Youtube and Spotify. The sound was very disappointing and weak not loud enough, we ussually listen at around 80-85 db (loudest) It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers. Wanted to ask if someone else has run into this problem.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Tony

Hi
Have you tried using Spotify Connect to cast playback to Ultra?

 

[TonyAV]

From your description of the setup, my initial thought is that the HDMI Arc isn't putting out enough voltage to the Ultra. For your next step, I'd suggest to log into Spotify directly from the Ultra (not though the TV.) Spotify is one of the streaming services directly supported by WiiM devices.

Thanks for the response and suggestion. Will look into the HDMI Arc connection and will use Spotify through the Wiim apps.

 

[TonyAV]

Hi
Have you tried using Spotify Connect to cast playback to Ultra?

Will have to check with my friend. I'm helping him remotely (not the best scenario) he lives outside the US.
Thanks

 

[Wiimer]

Will have to check with my friend. I'm helping him remotely (not the best scenario) he lives outside the US.
Thanks

The WiiM home app does not support direct playback of Spotify; please open the Spotify app and connect to Ultra under "Connect devices".

 

[Deleted member 20976]

Hi folks,
New to this forum. Looking for some advice. I’m helping a friend of mine put together an audio system which consist of the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp to drive a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers and a Caldera 12 subwoofer. He connected the TV using HDMI Arc to the Ultra, and connected the Ultra to the Vibelink using the RCA. He played music through Youtube and Spotify. The sound was very disappointing and weak not loud enough, we ussually listen at around 80-85 db (loudest) It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers. Wanted to ask if someone else has run into this problem.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Tony

Edit:
Note: should have mentioned previously that I'm helping my friend remotely which makes the troubleshooting more difficult. I helped him picking the components and setting it up by phone (FaceTime).

"It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers." --> That should not be a problem if the Vibelink is in correct working order. 100watt is 100watt and having that kind of power on hand in a normal domestic setting is more than enough to play ridiculously loud connected to even low sensitivity speakers. It has to be that the input level to the Vibelink via in this case HDMI is very low and the Vibelink at 100% volume (knob) level is giving you only around 10watt RMS (wild guess)
Test with some other sources like the others suggest.

 

[Deleted member 20976]

Just to illustrate the other side of the "spectrum". I have my Wiim Pro set at fixed output (100%) connected to a DAC (optical input) which is then going to a NAD C326BEE amp. The DAC has it's output turned down -6dB and there is still more than enough gain available in the NAD amp to rattle the windows. (standard/low sensitivity speakers)

 

[Ivan]

Also try to use the digital exit from Ultra into the Vibelink.

 

[harkpabst]

Also try to use the digital exit from Ultra into the Vibelink.

Yes, definitely.

My personal recommendation is to use the optical connection. WiiM include an optical cable, no need to source anything.

 

[Burnside]

I’d also use the pre-gain on the hdmi input on the Ultra as TV output can often be lower than streaming services.

 

[dominikz]

Hi folks,
New to this forum. Looking for some advice. I’m helping a friend of mine put together an audio system which consist of the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp to drive a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers and a Caldera 12 subwoofer. He connected the TV using HDMI Arc to the Ultra, and connected the Ultra to the Vibelink using the RCA. He played music through Youtube and Spotify. The sound was very disappointing and weak not loud enough, we ussually listen at around 80-85 db (loudest) It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers. Wanted to ask if someone else has run into this problem.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Tony

Edit:
Note: should have mentioned previously that I'm helping my friend remotely which makes the troubleshooting more difficult. I helped him picking the components and setting it up by phone (FaceTime).

Vibelink Amp with two Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers should be capable of reaching about 105dB SPL peak at 2m distance.
Assuming you are listening to the typical streaming content (mastered so that the RMS average is around -14dBFS), you should be getting average levels up to 91dB SPL at 2m listening distance.

For a bit more details, please have a look at this post.

If you are getting significantly less than this it is likely an issue in gain staging - e.g. either the TV HDMI Arc out level is too low, or the WiiM Ultra configuration is sub-optimal (e.g. check pre-gain, volume limit...), the level at the WiiM Ultra to Vibelink Amp connection is not optimal, or the relative volume levels of the Ultra and Vibelink are not well adjusted.

Hope this helps!

 

[hgo58]

It is possible to use the Ultra VU meter to monitor the output gain.

 

[TonyAV]

Vibelink Amp with two Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers should be capable of reaching about 105dB SPL peak at 2m distance.
Assuming you are listening to the typical streaming content (mastered so that the RMS average is around -14dBFS), you should be getting average levels up to 91dB SPL at 2m listening distance.

For a bit more details, please have a look at this post.

If you are getting significantly less than this it is likely an issue in gain staging - e.g. either the TV HDMI Arc out level is too low, or the WiiM Ultra configuration is sub-optimal (e.g. check pre-gain, volume limit...), the level at the WiiM Ultra to Vibelink Amp connection is not optimal, or the relative volume levels of the Ultra and Vibelink are not well adjusted.

Hope this helps!

Thank you Dominikz for the detailed response and the great link you attached. Also, thanks to each of the Forum members (@Wiimer, @hgo58, @Burnside, @harkpabst, @Ivan, @HansD-NL) providing me with excellent advices and recommendations. It's very obvious that there's a lot of genuine passion of the members, and an unassuming desire to provide help. I'm waiting to hook up tonight with my friend via FaceTime tonight to try out the recommendations provided.

Cheers,
Tony
Music is best!

 

[WiiM Support]

Hi folks,
New to this forum. Looking for some advice. I’m helping a friend of mine put together an audio system which consist of the Wiim Ultra and Vibelink amp to drive a pair of Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers and a Caldera 12 subwoofer. He connected the TV using HDMI Arc to the Ultra, and connected the Ultra to the Vibelink using the RCA. He played music through Youtube and Spotify. The sound was very disappointing and weak not loud enough, we ussually listen at around 80-85 db (loudest) It felt that the Vibelink at 100W was not powerful enough to drive the Elac speakers. Wanted to ask if someone else has run into this problem.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Tony

Edit:
Note: should have mentioned previously that I'm helping my friend remotely which makes the troubleshooting more difficult. I helped him picking the components and setting it up by phone (FaceTime).

Hi TonyAV,

I recommend connecting your WiiM Ultra to the Vibelink Amp using either the optical or coaxial output. Set the Vibelink Amp’s volume knob to its maximum position, then use the WiiM Ultra to control the volume for daily use.

If the volume still feels too low even when the WiiM Ultra is turned up, it’s likely due to a low signal level from your TV. In that case, you can increase the HDMI input gain via the WiiM Home App. Try starting with a +3 dB pre-gain, then gradually adjust upward as needed until the volume feels right.

Let us know how it works out!

 

[TonyAV]

Hi TonyAV,

I recommend connecting your WiiM Ultra to the Vibelink Amp using either the optical or coaxial output. Set the Vibelink Amp’s volume knob to its maximum position, then use the WiiM Ultra to control the volume for daily use.

If the volume still feels too low even when the WiiM Ultra is turned up, it’s likely due to a low signal level from your TV. In that case, you can increase the HDMI input gain via the WiiM Home App. Try starting with a +3 dB pre-gain, then gradually adjust upward as needed until the volume feels right.

Let us know how it works out!

Thank you!
We got it to work fine last night using music streaming and analog inputs. Just couldn't get the HDMI (TV) where we wanted it. Adjusted the"pre-gain" setting exactly as you mentioned, but no luck in comparison to the other inputs. Couldn't spent to much time playing with it since we got at it very late in the evening. Will try again in the next couple of days. But, my friend is very satisfied with how it sounded.

Thanks again,
Tony
Music is the Best!

 

[harkpabst]

Will try again in the next couple of days. But, my friend is very satisfied with how it sounded.

Don't hesitate. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get it all right.

I have use a pre-gain of 6 dB (I think) with my Ultra. It really all depends on what the TV puts out over HDMI ARC.

One more hint: Have your friend check if the TV is set up to put out Dolby Digital/AC3/Bitstream or PCM/LPCM. In a 2 channel setup there is no advantage to having the TV put out Dolby Digital/AC3/Bitstream. But in my experience the level is often a lot lower than when using PCM/LPCM.

 

[TonyAV]

Don't hesitate. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get it all right.

I have use a pre-gain of 6 dB (I think) with my Ultra. It really all depends on what the TV puts out over HDMI ARC.

One more hint: Have your friend check if the TV is set up to put out Dolby Digital/AC3/Bitstream or PCM/LPCM. In a 2 channel setup there is no advantage to having the TV put out Dolby Digital/AC3/Bitstream. But in my experience the level is often a lot lower than when using PCM/LPCM.

Thanks for the tip!

Regards,
Tony
Music is the Best!

 

[LucAce]

In a 2 channel setup there is no advantage to having the TV put out Dolby Digital/AC3/Bitstream.

That's not generally correct. It depends on how the device in question handles the Dolby signal, especially if it's a multi-channel signal.

WiiM seems to be silent on Dolby decoding. At least, I haven't read anything about it yet, and my mention of the "WiiM Team" in a relevant thread was overlooked or ignored.

 

[harkpabst]

That's not generally correct. It depends on how the device in question handles the Dolby signal, especially if it's a multi-channel signal.

WiiM seems to be silent on Dolby decoding. At least, I haven't read anything about it yet, and my mention of the "WiiM Team" in a relevant thread was overlooked or ignored.

Honestly, I don't understand what is "generally not correct" according to your post.

The output level of TVs is often low with Dolby Digital enabled. That's one thing.
There is no advantage to using Dolby Digital output when it goes to a 2-channel system. That's a different thing. What do you suggest?