Listening impressions with the WiiM Ultra compared to the WiiM pro+ and compared to other streamers

[adias]

Why this chromecast is different from other wiim? Is this a better version?

You will have to ask that to WiiM. What I know is that it is some new version now called Google Cast 2.0 or CastLite.

 

[Jorge Martín]

The dac on pro using its analog wasn’t sound good. Lack the precision and finesse. It would be nice if wiim just release a straight streamer with just optical, coax and usb out. Why? Many of us own dac and prefer to use our own.

Do you mean just pro or pro plus??. I own a pro plus and it sounds open and beliavable through rca output, but it is obvious that it will depend of fundamental things like your speakers and your amp. Greetings

 

[Smartplug]

Do you mean just pro or pro plus??. I own a pro plus and it sounds open, real through rca output, but it is obvious that it depends of fundamental things, your speakers and your amp.

I stated pro. The pro plus has improved dac.

 

[Smartplug]

I have 3 akm, 3 ess and multibit. I like how ess presents its music. The rest of these dacs are in garage collecting dust.

 

[SteveLaB]

I use a separate 3rd party DAC. Can anyone confirm that the streamer portion of the Pro and the Pro+ are the same or is there a better streamer in one of the models?

 

[Mr Ee]

I use a separate 3rd party DAC. Can anyone confirm that the streamer portion of the Pro and the Pro+ are the same or is there a better streamer in one of the models?

I know your question is pro vs pro plus, but this is what wiim said about ultra compared to pro plus.
"The digital output is transparent, comparable to the Pro Plus but with improved jitter performance."

For me, using a pro and an ultra into an external dac via optical or coax, I really can't tell them apart.
Your dac itself is quite likely key here.

 

[Vignus]

Ultra DAC souns pretty good to me, better then the Node but slightly worse then any Cambridge streamers.
However, I still prefer my external DAC sound

 

[Witterings]

Ultra DAC souns pretty good to me, better then the Node but slightly worse then any Cambridge streamers.
However, I still prefer my external DAC sound

What external DAC are you using?

 

[steadyshot]

This tells you that features consumed mostly the budget of ultra .

In my opinion the clock inside the ultra should be at least on par with this smsl po100pro device

 

[harkpabst]

In my opinion the clock inside the ultra should be at least on par with this smsl po100pro device

Yeah. Now all that's missing is the proof it isn't.

 

[onlyoneme]

"External reclocker"? Jeeeeez...

 

[Witterings]

"External reclocker"? Jeeeeez...

If there was any mileage in it, most decent DACs would have USB in anyway making "the promoted" product completely obsolete as the DAC's clock would probably be superior to a £65 ChiFi product.

 

[alpha_zulu]

But the sound is so airy, even without Bach.

 

[onlyoneme]

In my opinion the clock inside the ultra should be at least on par with this smsl po100pro device

Why do you think that WiiM clock is worse?

 

[Witterings]

Why do you think that WiiM clock is worse?

I don't think he was saying he thought it was worse ....

the ultra should be at least on par

In other words at least as good.

 

[Burnside]

I don't think he was saying he thought it was worse ....


In other words at least as good.

It’s nitpicking, but in the context of the video and the entire post, the insinuation is that it isn’t on par. But I’m sure he’ll elucidate…

 

[onlyoneme]

I don't think he was saying he thought it was worse ....


In other words at least as good.

My understanding is that he thinks that WiiM clock is not as good as PO100Pro clock. It should be at least on par, but it is not.
That's why he refers to the movie about using the PO100Pro in conjunction with the WiiM.

 

[onlyoneme]

It’s nitpicking, but in the context of the video and the entire post, the insinuation is that it isn’t on par. But I’m sure he’ll elucidate…

You should be my English to English translator

 

[steadyshot]

Why do you think that WiiM clock is worse?

The reviewer in the video suggests that it gets a cleaner sound from using the usb to spdif converter than using straight the spdif outs to his dac. The reviewer in general is supportive of wiim. The device used is cheap (smsl). I do not see any devious motive on behalf of the reviewer to claim this. Therefore if he bothered posting a video claiming that the digital output using this thing is perceptibly cleaner it is an indication that the 60usd device may have a better quality clock. Otherwise the reclocking would have introduced negative or neutral effects to the sound.

 

[pieterv1]

The reviewer in the video suggests that it gets a cleaner sound from using the usb to spdif converter than using straight the spdif outs to his dac. The reviewer in general is supportive of wiim. The device used is cheap (smsl). I do not see any devious motive on behalf of the reviewer to claim this. Therefore if he bothered posting a video claiming that the digital output using this thing is perceptibly cleaner it is an indication that the 60usd device may have a better quality clock. Otherwise the reclocking would have introduced negative or neutral effects to the sound.

"neutral effects" is a bit self-contradictory

Anyways, we can't base ourselves on one YouTuber's subjective findings, without any measurements. More often than not, things perceived like "air", "openness", "texture" are distortions in the high frequency domain.