Cons - Sound could be more entertaining ~

[vinod_david]

- Two days back published.
- "While this streaming amp isn’t for those who put sound quality first, it certainly has a place for those looking for a fuss-free audio solution." -- this is their conclusion statement. I say nonsense.
- IMO its 5 stars given its price.

 

[slartibartfast]

Typical.What Hifi review.

"Our test rooms are acoustically treated and well behaved, so the RoomFit system, which makes use of your phone/tablet’s microphone, proves a bit of a mixed bag."
A proper review would have mentioned that a calibrated microphone can be used and made the effort to use one.

"Adding an external DAC to an all-in-one electronics package like this doesn’t make sense to us."
"And there is no physical headphone output, which is a shame for those who own wired designs."
The reviewer didn't even realise that an external DAC/headphone amp can be used

"This streaming amp, like its cheaper siblings, isn’t great at communicating subtle shifts in intensity or conveying dynamic contrasts."
"It doesn’t help that rhythmic precision is also lacking,"
What does that mean?

 

[dominikz]

Sound could be more entertaining

Perhaps they could try listening to some entertaining music.

- "While this streaming amp isn’t for those who put sound quality first, it certainly has a place for those looking for a fuss-free audio solution." -- this is their conclusion statement. I say nonsense.

I agree with you!

- IMO its 5 stars given its price.

I'd say 5 stars regardless of price - assuming it fits one's I/O and power requirements.

The only (small) value I see in these kind of reviews is their perspective on included functionality and ease of use - though even that can be a mixed bag, as it still somewhat depends on the competence of the reviewer and the effort they put in.

The descriptions of "sound" are so subject to bias (not to mention vague) that I find them utterly pointless, and especially so when talking about electronics.

 

[Valentino]

In my relatively long life as a hifi enthusiast/audiophile I’ve found that the more distortion and nonlinearities I manage to remove from the electronics (these days mostly by changing boxes I admit) the less «entertaining» they sound and I hear more of what’s on the recording.

 

[dangermouse]

"This streaming amp, like its cheaper siblings, isn’t great at communicating subtle shifts in intensity or conveying dynamic contrasts."
"It doesn’t help that rhythmic precision is also lacking,"
What does that mean?

Nothing whatsoever. The usual completely meaningless 'What Hi-Fi' word salad.

 

[harkpabst]

I'm particularly keen to learn what a "subtle shifts in intensity" might be if not a shift in volume. So far my WiiM Amp Ultra has always succeeded in communicating volume changes ...

 

[castalla]

What is an entertaining sound? Pseudo-journalistic clap-trap.

 

[slartibartfast]

What is an entertaing sound? Pseudo-journalistic clap-trap.

From a writer who claims to be an Engineer as well

 

[Vignus]

What is an entertaining sound? Pseudo-journalistic clap-trap.

It means you get jokes in between songs?

 

[mrehorst]

Hey now, c'mon you guys. It's hard out there on a subjective audio reviewer! They have to find new ways to say the same things over and over but make it sound different enough that you'll read/watch the review (and the accompanying ads). This years stuff has to be better than last year's stuff or you won't keep buying new stuff. Buying new stuff is what keeps the world spinning. So shut up and buy!

I don't think any of the reviews I've seen of the Wiim products go into any detail about actually using them. Sure the amps/DACs/streamers are great, and they are "transparent" in that they reproduce the audio without adding or subtracting anything, so there's not much more to say except to talk about the UI, and they don't talk about the UI. It's a shame because the UI is one of the best things about the Wiim amps.

 

[dangermouse]

...so there's not much more to say except to talk about the UI, and they don't talk about the UI.

We must be reading different reviews. It's usually the aspect of the WiiM experience that gets most praise.

 

[Doublej]

We must be reading different reviews. It's usually the aspect of the WiiM experience that gets most praise.

Which is ironic considering that my Yamaha AVR UI is light years ahead of WiiM.

 

[HansD-NL]

Which is ironic considering that my Yamaha AVR UI is light years ahead of WiiM.

Elaborate please. Want to know/learn..

 

[taube Taube]

light years ahead

A light year is a distance. Is your Yamaha somewhere in Alpha Centauri?

 

[claudia.bailey]

Which is ironic considering that my Yamaha AVR UI is light years ahead of WiiM.

I sold my Yamaha AV receiver over a year ago. Has something amazing happened with the Yamaha UI since then? Because MusicCast was awful.

 

[dangermouse]

I don't have any personal experience of MusicCast, but any reviews I've read have described it as being clunky and buggy.

 

[claudia.bailey]

I don't have any personal experience of MusicCast, but any reviews I've read have described it as being clunky and buggy.

The UI for setting up the AV was old and clunky, and MusicCast is clunky but stable.

 

[vinod_david]

Gentle reminder - this is WhatHiFi bashing thread. Whole-hearted bashing needed, full flow. Let's not bash our dear brands like Yamaha, etc etc and their UIs. - haha.