looks great! but honestly why do we even need this? what we really want is to ensure that this features E"ARC" technology, and by that, I do mean, not just ARC. The WiiM Pro Plus is great and there are not many affordable or competitive options with similar performance to it. But I think that all it can really do is play music via streaming and this looks the same to me. It doesn't look any different. as far as phono input and ground go...that's already on the amp most people are using anyways whether it's the WiiM amp (idk if it has ground or phono) or something else like an AVR. Without "EARC" which has lip sync correction built in and is mostly lossless from what I understand, this still is kind of unusable for a lot of things involving a tv or video setup. Not many people really want to mess around with the manual delay slider adjustments on the WiiM app. Not that it's only WiiM that's not tackling this void in the market because it's literally everybody. It's basically every single desktop dac/streamer manufacturer and even high end "stereo" amplifier manufacturers, Marantz and denon stereo amps usually just have ARC. ARC is also somewhat of a lossy transmission and limited format capability from what I understand as well. Defeating the purpose of a high quality dac chip like in the WiiM Pro Plus and the forthcoming WiiM Ultra. I think Bluesound has some EARC units...but they have horrible implementation of DAC I think at least according to quantifiable measurements that I have seen and that are easily available to find online. and they seem like a half-effort. not really a wiim competitor in my eyes. but WiiM has a chance to stand out here. save costs on the phono and leave that for the amp whether it's a wiim amp or something else would be my advice. and make sure to implement EARC that way lossless transmission from tv or other video source. Nobody feels like fiddling with the delay slider especially when basically all tvs are smart tvs today anyways. and even from native app to native app a lot of times the delay in transmitting via optical or whatever Spdif can vary even with the same source (tv). I think a lot of great things are added here on this Ultra. i give credit where credit is due. but really my only main critique of the wiim pro plus was that it was strictly music streaming only. its one shortfall was lack of EARC. display is cool and nice on Ultra and saves confusion and questions from people wondering what that little black device is as far as Pro Plus goes. but i believe in form follows function most of the time and generally i couldn't care less what other people think most of the time. display can be omitted in my opinion or at least maybe not in this product but a pro plus direct successor and addition of earc would be great. wifi 6e, great good technology. but I think the E in 6E is kind of more gimmicky even outside of the audio realm. such a short traveling distance I think and even 4k hdr videos do fine with basically just about most normal wifi 6 stuff. and audio streaming wifi 6E really might not be entirely necessary...maybe for me at least, im not running computers or gaming or really doing much other than my tv or phone in my household. but good effort towards futureproofing here considering other people's needs. my router is just standard wifi 6. bluetooth 5.3, that's great, once again great to see more of the newer technology here. But once again this thing is really for streaming with internet like ethernet or wifi to utilize the great dac chip or dac design or implementation here or in the pro plus or whatever. but with great lengths going towards bluetooth might as well just have APTX HD APTX Lossless sony lossless Ldac or whatever else all of those fancy new codecs are for. but maybe wiim has put in this new communications chip as far as wifi bt etc. to communicate easily with other ultra devices etc and figure out room correction and syncing up with them latency, delay-wise etc. but for my two cents heck maybe even go with a wifi 7 chip and really futureproof it.
moral of the story please keep
1. all the same wiim app functionality and streaming services. specifically amazon music which I personally happen to like
2. good and downright and flat out really amazing audio quality just like in the pro plus
3. value - offers quality and performance and features and more...of units roughly ten times the price in many ways
and please incorporate/add
1. HDMI EARC with lip-sync capability for usage with video across a wide variety of platforms and content like even for some who might have a 4k UHD blu ray player (but that's not me, even I got rid of mine) - but this would make usage with tv a lot less painful and more realistic - with wide format capability and good lossless transmission
2. i'm greedy so i'll even go on and say an even better dac
maybe like an ES9039MPro or at least and ES9039Q2M (kind of almost the same as ES9038q2m not much difference 9038q2m is still really good and almost identical and i trust wiim will again do an amazing implementation of this one on the ultra as always) or the AKM 4499EQ which is kind of convoluted and screwy two chip design from it seems like to me.
but either my main bug, the thing im really concerned about is the earc. i trust wiim will still do everything great with this ultra, just like they always do, in regards to dac implementation, good support, im easily able to use the interface on the app. good streaming services including amazon music hd supported etc. but earc would be ideal for lossless transmission from video sources so need for low quality soundbar or high quality expensive soundbar, could just use high quality stereo and high quality stereo amp for music and tv. with no latency adjustments that i would always have to make on the fly. granted my avr has earc but i would much prefer to use the higher quality dac in a wiim product, and without earc like in the wiim pro plus even the spdif is kind of almost rendered functionally useless.
dont need phono turntable input. dont need fancy handy dandy display i would rather save my money. but i do need earc, and i do need a good old fashioned high quality dac like the 4493seq in pro plus or 9038q2m in this ultra and possibly even a higher quality dac for a greedy dude like me
im a terrible typer so please forgive me, but i appreciate the wiim company and they've got a good product line and they're always on the bleeding edge of hifi audio. but give me a little bit more of what im asking for and a little less of what i'm not asking for please and you'll have lots of happy campers i promise you, and they will be more than just me. you'll find happy campers and happy buyers from elsewhere online too i promise you that. sorry for my ranting. and i'll be legitimately impressed by anyone who makes it all the way through reading all of that!
i hope you all have a good day and i appreciate you and I thank you for your time!
Edit : a couple hours later...once last thing I forgot to add. I think a 200mv output setting in the app would be nice or even with the WiiM Pro Plus to match up with some amplifiers really well and their rated input sensitivity just to make sure people aren't blowing their speakers. and be able to set it and forget it as far as the volume output goes on the wiim amp and from there people can just use their amplifier to control and finely taper the volume which might be easier for some people then occasionally picking up their phone to change the volume while they already have their playlist or album or something like that going. - thanks!
docs.google.com
