Meet WiiM Ultra - The Digital Hub for Your Music

[Deleted member 1420]

I hope @Steve Woodhouse will enlighten us

 

[mlsstl]

I find it amazing what people expect from a $329 product. And, then no matter what the manufacturer includes, you have a certain percentage of customers wanting still more, and then another group ticked off because things they don't want were included.

The only way a manufacturer of an electronics product in this price point can justify making the unit at all (i.e., be profitable) is to sell a LOT of them. In other words, this is a mass-market device. The buyers that want a customized, high-end product will have to spend a lot more. Those who are annoyed by the inclusion of features they don't want will either have to look elsewhere or learn to live with it.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

MSK?

Sorry, bloody auto correct.

I’ve corrected it.

 

[hash70]

I find it amazing what people expect from a $329 product. And, then no matter what the manufacturer includes, you have a certain percentage of customers wanting still more, and then another group ticked off because things they don't want were included.

The only way a manufacturer of an electronics product in this price point can justify making the unit at all (i.e., be profitable) is to sell a LOT of them. In other words, this is a mass-market device. The buyers that want a customized, high-end product will have to spend a lot more. Those who are annoyed by the inclusion of features they don't want will either have to look elsewhere or learn to live with it.

Ive also read alot posts like that,I can't think of another streamer at this price point that has builtin eq/room correction,great app ect,the truth is wiim has spoiled everyone and there expecting more and more

 

[Mr Ee]

I guessed the Aussie price, A$600, (well, A$599) but I would not have guessed the timeline - end of July according to a couple of places.
Seems the sellers need to update / be sent updated blurb though...
(Hint: Queen Grimhilde.)

 

[marinescu.c.andrei@gmail.]

Hi WiiM Community!

Meet the WiiM Ultra – the centerpiece of your audio setup that's here to make your music experience better than ever. With top-notch components and a user-friendly design, it's not just a music streamer – it's your go-to for bringing high-quality sound into your home. Whether you've got powered speakers, amps, turntables, TVs, headphones, AV receivers, subwoofers, smart speakers, Bluetooth speakers and more, it's ready to go with Hi-Res streaming, room correction, and easy integration with your smart home gadgets and more.

View attachment 7028View attachment 7029

WiiM Ultra will be available for $329 in Q3 2024, first on Amazon and selected retailers in the US and later internationally. We'll make a formal announcement when it is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Please see below for the full specs of the WiiM Ultra. We hope you'll love this new product!

Highlights

• Premium 32-bit/384kHz ES9038 Q2M SABRE DAC, and high fidelity headphone amplifier TPA6120A2
• Latest Wi-Fi 6E and BT 5.3 with two antennas offering rock-solid Bluetooth or Wi-Fi audio streaming
• Elegant aluminum case with 3.5” vibrant touchscreen display covered with glass
• Built-in room correction takes precise acoustic measurements of your room, creating customized corrections for your speaker and subwoofer.
• Stream Hi-Res music with the bit-perfect digital output or high-fidelity analog audio (SNR>120dB, THD+N<0.00018%)
• Versatile streaming options including Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast Audio (CastLite), Alexa built-in, DLNA, Roon (in cert), and Squeezelite, and all streaming services currently in the WiiM Home App.
• Gapless playback of Hi-Res music up to 24-bit/192 kHz using USB, SPDIF, Coax, Line, and Headphone output.

Tech Specs

• Audio input
  • Bring your TV audio, recorder player, CD player, or another audio source into the digital world via either analog (RCA, Phono) or digital (Optical, HDMI ARC) port, up to 24-bit/192 kHz
• Audio output
  • Through either analog (RCA, Headphone) or digital (Coax, Optical, USB) for connecting an amplifier or speaker
  • Wireless to another BT or DLNA receiver
  • Up to 192 kHz/ 24-bit, varying sample rate, and bit depth based on the audio source without resampling via Line out, Headphone, USB Coax, and Optical SPDIF
  • Line out
    • Maximum output: 2.1V RMS
    • SNR: 121 dB (A-wt)
    • THD+N (1 kHz): 0.00018% (-115 dB) for 44.1k to 192k
    • FR curve: +/- 0.05 dB
• EQ
  • Tailor your audio experience with versatile and independent EQ settings for each input source – HDMI, Optical, Line, Phono, BT, or Network.
  • Access a robust suite of sound customization options, including 24 preset EQ settings, a 10-band graphic EQ, and an 10-band parametric EQ for precise sound adjustments.
• Subwoofer output
  • Comprehensive bass management.
  • Adjustable crossover frequency, level, phase, and latency.
• 12 V Trigger
  • Automatically turns on your stereo receiver or amplifier
• Connectivity and power
  • 100-240V AC input.
  • Wi-Fi 6E, 802.11 b/g/n/ax 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz triple bands.
  • Bluetooth 5.3 with BLE and BT LE Audio, supports both A2DP receiver and transmitter, AVRCP, HID, works with the WiiM voice remote.
  • Ethernet, 10M/100 Mbps.
• USB Host for Storage – Access personal media library and use it as a media server for other WiiM and DLNA devices
• Glass-covered 3.5” vibrant touchscreen display:
  • Displays App widgets, large album pictures, playback control, playing queue, presets, EQ, audio input and output, and device settings
  • Guides users through the Out-of-Box Experience and firmware updates
  • Provides feedback when there’s a change in the play mode
  • Allows users to customize the wallpaper and display the time and date during standby mode
• Physical
  • Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 2.9 inches (205 x 205 x 73 mm)
  • Weight: 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg)
  • LED: 4 Color RGBW LED indicates the device status
  • LCD touch screen: 3.5”
  • Volume knob: Adjust volume and play/pause button with glass cover.

If you have any questions about WiiM Ultra please post it in the spreadsheet link below:
Questions about WiiM Ultra

Unfortunately the lack of IR sensor it's a deal breaker for me. My amplifier has an IR remote with learning capabilities.

 

[Deleted member 1420]

 

[QuarryHunslet]

Unfortunately the lack of IR sensor it's a deal breaker for me. My amplifier has an IR remote with learning capabilities.

Are you not capable of using more than one remote control?

The fact that your amplifier has an IR remote with learning capabilities, doesn't mean that you have to use it.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

Unfortunately the lack of IR sensor it's a deal breaker for me. My amplifier has an IR remote with learning capabilities.

I have not once used the remote for my WiiM.
All control is from the WiiM app or connected service.
Unless you plan to control volume from the WiiM, which you shouldn't, or to skip tracks, which is better done from the app or service, you won't need it.
The WiiM remote is also a voice remote which your amp remote won't replace.

 

[pieterv1]

Unfortunately the lack of IR sensor it's a deal breaker for me. My amplifier has an IR remote with learning capabilities.

You'll probably find yourself barely needing the included remote since most of the time you'll be using your phone to control playback. HDMI CEC should enable your TV to control the volume as well.

+ I'm glad they moved on from IR to Bluetooth

 

[mfwalker1]

I'm excited by the Ultra and will, I think buy one on release.
I've yet to see how the menu functions however:

A firmware request, (if not already implemented) or for a future update?

1. Can the menu be structured so that unused inputs can be hidden?
   Not every-one will use all the inputs, so being able to remove unused inputs from the menu (and restore if neccessary) would be great.
   I'm not going to use the HDMI ARC connector for instance.
2. Similarly, being able to rename the inputs would also be advantageous. So the analoge input could be renamed "Tape" or whatever.
   Even if it's from a predefined list (although free text would be better).
   The optical input could be renamed "CD" etc. etc.

 

[Brantome]

I'm excited by the Ultra and will, I think buy one on release.
I've yet to see how the menu functions however:

A firmware request, (if not already implemented) or for a future update?

1. Can the menu be structured so that unused inputs can be hidden?
   Not every-one will use all the inputs, so being able to remove unused inouts from the menu (and restore if neccessary) would be great.
   I'm not going to use the HDMI ARC connector for instance.
2. Similarly, being able to rename the inputs would also be advantageous. So the analoge input could be renamed "Tape" or whatever.
   Even if it's from a predefined list (although free text would be better).
   The optical input could be renamed "CD" etc. etc.

1. There aren't that many tbh that I would use such a feature and I wouldn't expect it to do that straight out of the box
2. IIRC, the Amp can do that already, so I'd expect the Ultra will too

 

[harkpabst]

Can the menu be structured so that unused inputs can be hidden?
Not every-one will use all the inputs, so being able to remove unused inputs from the menu (and restore if neccessary) would be great.
I'm not going to use the HDMI ARC connector for instance.

Honestly, I wouldn't care about the on-screen menu or input selection through the WiiM Home app. But the ability to disable inputs could be useful for remote users.

 

[Jls]

Honestly, I wouldn't care about the on-screen menu or input selection through the WiiM Home app. But the ability to disable inputs could be useful for remote users.

I’m curious about automatic switching. I’m hoping that firing up my TV or phono will cause the input to switch. This works well with my Sonos Port. I have a cheap preamp that switches between TV and phono. I’m hoping to replace this with the Ultra. I have been searching for three years for an affordable app controlled preamp.

The additional features on the Ultra are gravy. It may be unrealistic, but it would be nice if the Ultra would switch to the TV, then the Port switch to the Ultra. I don’t need this, but there are non-techies in the house.

Sonos could have saved me a lot of grief by selling an Ultra Port, but that’s not going to happen.

 

[antlestxp]

I hope they offer a version with a solid color. Not a fan of the black face. I'm hoping it looks better in person.

 

[Smartplug]

I’m going to guess that a balanced version will be along at some point.

You can always use a DAC with balanced outs. Which, if you’re very keen on the works of balanced connectors, you probably already have.

No hifi company will release a one and only product that has all bell and whistle known to mankind otherwise there won’t be any future product replacing the existing device. As consumer, we like to see new release here and there with incremental upgrade.

 

[pieterv1]

I’m curious about automatic switching. I’m hoping that firing up my TV or phono will cause the input to switch. This works well with my Sonos Port. I have a cheap preamp that switches between TV and phono. I’m hoping to replace this with the Ultra. I have been searching for three years for an affordable app controlled preamp.

The additional features on the Ultra are gravy. It may be unrealistic, but it would be nice if the Ultra would switch to the TV, then the Port switch to the Ultra. I don’t need this, but there are non-techies in the house.

Sonos could have saved me a lot of grief by selling an Ultra Port, but that’s not going to happen.

It supports HDMI CEC for exactly doing this with the TV: power cycling & volume control.

I believe the WiiM Pro already supports Auto-sensing for its analog and digital inputs so the feature will probably find its way to the Ultra as well.

How to use Line-In or SPDIF-In audio

Overview The WiiM Pro and Mini feature audio input ports such as Aux-In, Line-In, and SPDIF-In. These ports enable you to connect devices like CD players, TVs, or turntables to your WiiM audio system for playback. Notably, the optical input s...

faq.wiimhome.com

 

[slartibartfast]

It supports HDMI CEC for exactly doing this with the TV: power cycling & volume control.

I believe the WiiM Pro already supports input sensing for its analog and digital inputs so the feature will probably find its way to the Ultra as well.

Does it work reliably though? It doesn't on the Amp.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I hope they offer a version with a solid color. Not a fan of the black face. I'm hoping it looks better in person.

I’m the opposite. I think the black front looks far superior to the Amp.

 

[pieterv1]

Does it work reliably though? It doesn't on the Amp.

Can't comment on this, but I read earlier today that there's an update in the works for HDMI CEC stability/compatibility.

ARC problem

Recently, I have been using WIIM AMP in Korea. But there's a problem. ARC is not working. The PCM is set on the TV. Automatic detection from WIIM, Reboot, initialization done. The application connects to LPCM. And if you adjust the volume with the remote control of Apple TV The volume moves on...

forum.wiimhome.com