Hi everyone and the WiiM Engineering Team,
I am a huge fan of the WiiM ecosystem and deeply appreciate the continuous software updates. I am writing to propose a crucial feature for the upcoming WiiM Amp Ultra to significantly expand its usability: a Zero or Ultra-Low Latency mode (2-3ms target) for the Analog Line-In.
Currently, when routing an analog signal into a digital amplifier's Line-In, there is often a noticeable audio delay. I understand this is due to the mandatory ADC conversion, internal multi-room sync buffers, and the DSP processing chain before reaching the DAC and amplification stage.
While this latency is perfectly fine for casual music listening, it completely breaks the experience for two major use cases:
To make the WiiM Amp Ultra the ultimate all-in-one hub, I kindly request the engineering team to consider adding a "Low Latency Line-In" toggle via a firmware update, utilizing one of the following approaches:
Option 1: True Analog Bypass (Direct Mode) - 0ms Latency
If the hardware architecture permits, route the analog Line-In directly to the amp IC, completely bypassing the ADC/DSP/DAC loop.
If a pure physical analog bypass is impossible due to hardware design, please introduce a mode that strips the digital processing down to the absolute bare minimum. A standard ADC $\rightarrow$ IIR Filter $\rightarrow$ DAC round-trip takes less than 3ms. To achieve this:
I’d love to hear the community’s thoughts on this, and I look forward to any insights from the WiiM development team on whether this routing is achievable!
I am a huge fan of the WiiM ecosystem and deeply appreciate the continuous software updates. I am writing to propose a crucial feature for the upcoming WiiM Amp Ultra to significantly expand its usability: a Zero or Ultra-Low Latency mode (2-3ms target) for the Analog Line-In.
Currently, when routing an analog signal into a digital amplifier's Line-In, there is often a noticeable audio delay. I understand this is due to the mandatory ADC conversion, internal multi-room sync buffers, and the DSP processing chain before reaching the DAC and amplification stage.
While this latency is perfectly fine for casual music listening, it completely breaks the experience for two major use cases:
- Gaming: Gamers connecting their PC or console to the Line-In cannot tolerate audio latency. Any noticeable delay ruins lip-sync and reaction times in fast-paced games.
- Live Performance / Home Studio: Many users want to use the WiiM Amp Ultra as a real-time audio hub, routing a microphone through an external zero-latency preamp directly into the Line-In. Even a 10ms delay causes jarring comb-filtering effects for the singer. Real-time monitoring requires latency to be strictly under 3ms.
To make the WiiM Amp Ultra the ultimate all-in-one hub, I kindly request the engineering team to consider adding a "Low Latency Line-In" toggle via a firmware update, utilizing one of the following approaches:
Option 1: True Analog Bypass (Direct Mode) - 0ms Latency
If the hardware architecture permits, route the analog Line-In directly to the amp IC, completely bypassing the ADC/DSP/DAC loop.
- Note regarding Subwoofers: In this mode, the DSP Bass Management (Crossover) would obviously be disabled. The Amp would simply send a full-range analog signal to the Sub-Out. This is perfectly fine, as users can simply use the physical Low-Pass Filter (LPF) dials built into their active subwoofers to handle the crossover themselves.
If a pure physical analog bypass is impossible due to hardware design, please introduce a mode that strips the digital processing down to the absolute bare minimum. A standard ADC $\rightarrow$ IIR Filter $\rightarrow$ DAC round-trip takes less than 3ms. To achieve this:
- Disable Multi-Room Sync Buffers: (This is usually the biggest source of delay).
- Disable Heavy/FIR DSP: Bypass Room Correction, extensive PEQ/GEQ, and any look-ahead limiters.
- Minimize ADC/DAC Buffers: Reduce internal buffers to the hardware's minimum limit.
- Keep only the essential digital Subwoofer Crossover active using simple IIR filters, which theoretically add negligible latency (well under 1ms).
I’d love to hear the community’s thoughts on this, and I look forward to any insights from the WiiM development team on whether this routing is achievable!
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