I want to make sure I understand multi-room audio with the Wiim

[sirket]

After seeing a lot of great reviews for Wiim devices I picked up a Wiim Ultra to test and I have to say that so far, I'm really impressed.

Since we're about to start renovating our house- one of the things my wife and I want to add is multi-room audio. Something we can put on when we're having a party, or when we're just wandering around the house cleaning up or doing other things (we'll have a nice setup for proper listening in the den as well).

With that in mind- I'd love some guidance. If anything I've written is wrong, please let me know!

It seems like if I wanted to keep it simple, I could just put a bunch of Wiim Amp Pros in the basement, run the speaker wires to them, and that would just work.

And if I wanted an "interface" like the Wiim Ultra in the living room to provide basic controls and a display- I can just put my Wiim Ultra in there and having it stream to one or more of the amps which will then output the audio to the speakers in whichever rooms I select- and can I put a second Wiim Ultra in another room and use it to control a different set of amps to output into some other rooms.

For the nicer listening setup that will be in the den- we don't want to send the audio from the Wiim Ultra over the network to a Wiim Amp Pro because we already have an excellent amp but also because Linkplay would downsample it to 48KHz, 16bit- so we're planning on putting a Wiim Ultra in there and just connecting it to our existing DAC and amp.

With that in mind- can that same Wiim Ultra also be a target for multi-room audio even though it's connected to a non-Wiim amp?

And what about using the analog inputs on the Wiim Ultra to stream to other devices- can the Ultra take in a signal via the phono stage or RCA inputs and then stream that to the Wiim Amp Pros?

Lastly, does Wiim make any sort of "linkplay only" amp? Basically an amp without any analog inputs, or even a volume knob that only acts as a Linkplay target? The sort of thing you would just stick in a rack in the basement rather than interact with directly? Obviously I can just use the Amp Pros for that, I just didn't know if there was a simpler option for a big multi-room setup.

I appreciate any help you can give me and I'm really excited to start using more of the Wiim ecosystem!

 

[Mr Ee]

I could just put a bunch of Wiim Amp Pros in the basement, run the speaker wires to them, and that would just work.

Yes.
You could group these however you like, e.g. one group for downstairs, one for upstairs, one for whole house.
You can play to different groups simultaneously (from different sources, e.g. spotify for one, tidal for another).

And if I wanted an "interface" like the Wiim Ultra....

Yes. You'd group it with whichever amps you wanted to play too.

can that same Wiim Ultra also be a target for multi-room audio even though it's connected to a non-Wiim amp

Yes, you group the wiim devices themselves, doesn't matter what they then connect to.

And what about using the analog inputs on the Wiim Ultra to stream to other devices- can the Ultra take in a signal via the phono stage or RCA inputs and then stream that to the Wiim Amp Pros?

Yes.

Lastly, does Wiim make any sort of "linkplay only" amp?

No.



You can create persistent groups in the wiim app, i.e. rather than constantly adding / removing wiims from groups depending on how you are using them at that specific time you can use pre-created groups to quickly change what devices are linked together.

Depending on your speakers, and how much independence you want per pair, you could wire two sets up to a single amp.
e.g. if two 'rooms' were always going to play the same music at the same volume then a single amp could be used.

Each wiim in a group can have its volume controlled independently, or if you change the lead device's volume then all devices change accordingly.

 

[sirket]

Awesome, I'm glad it works the way I expected it to! I guess now it's time to start buying more Wiim gear

Thanks for the answers!

 

[Mr Ee]

I guess now it's time to start buying more Wiim gear

Glad to have been your enabler
Enjoy!

 

[Doublej]

For me, simple would be a WiiM Sound speaker in each room that I wanted music.

 

[s3igell]

For me, simple would be a WiiM Sound speaker in each room that I wanted music.

But, many of us appreciate true stereo sound...

 

[s3igell]

It seems like if I wanted to keep it simple, I could just put a bunch of Wiim Amp Pros in the basement, run the speaker wires to them, and that would just work.

In this configuration, be sure to use heavier-gauge OFC Speaker Wire to minimize the Voltage Drop with the Distance.

It will also be a challenge to run appropriate lengths of 75ohm shielded coax cable for Subwoofers in each room. You'll want to do this, even if you don't initially intend anything more than a pair of ambiance speakers in a room. These don't have to be ottoman-sized wall-shakers, but can even be hidden under sofas or in-wall or ceiling-mounted - and can be configured to simply add that "little something" at the bottom end.

You might even consider wall-mounted Remote Control Holsters in the rooms - so that you can have a simple Mute / Volume Control from the Amp Pro Remote without having to whip-out your phone or tablet.

One thing you will lose in this configuration is the Automatic Multi-Room Synchronization between the WiiM units, since the Speakers won't be within built-in microphone range of the Amps feeding them.

 

[Doublej]

But, many of us appreciate true stereo sound...

Use two WiiM Sounds for a stereo pair.

 

[s3igell]

Use two WiiM Sounds for a stereo pair.

Now, you are just proposing a more expensive version of OP's Plan. And adding a lot of Configuration Confusion and Network Traffic...

 

[mpr]

And if I wanted an "interface" like the Wiim Ultra in the living room to provide basic controls and a display- I can just put my Wiim Ultra in there and having it stream to one or more of the amps which will then output the audio to the speakers in whichever rooms I select- and can I put a second Wiim Ultra in another room and use it to control a different set of amps to output into some other rooms.

Are you just looking for an interface / controls? Or in the scenario will the Ultra in the living room drive an amp as well?

If it's the former, you can skip another wiim device and just dedicate a tablet / phone / whatever as your control device. Through the WHA it can control any of your groups of speakers.