Meet WiiM Ultra - The Digital Hub for Your Music

[Brantome]

Can anybody confirm that the WiiM Ultra supports AirPlay? It’s my primary use case and is a deal killer if it does not. On the Amazon page I saw this which has me confused “NOTE: This device is incompatible with AirPlay and cannot function as an AirPlay receiver.”

Best submitting a ticket to WiiM via the settings/feedback section and getting a definitive answer from them.

 

[WiiM Team]

Can anybody confirm that the WiiM Ultra supports AirPlay? It’s my primary use case and is a deal killer if it does not. On the Amazon page I saw this which has me confused “NOTE: This device is incompatible with AirPlay and cannot function as an AirPlay receiver.”

HI @DeadBob27 Airplay certification is still pending, and while we don't have a definitive timeline, we chose not to delay the launch of the WiiM Ultra. If you primarily use Airplay to stream music, we recommend waiting until it's certified or looking at other WiiM products certified for Airplay.

On our Amazon listing, we wanted to be upfront so that buyers know at the moment of purchase, WiiM Ultra does not have Airplay.

We've also added this note to post #1 of this thread.

Best regards,
WiiM Team

 

[gvera]

Strange -- just checked the Crutchfield site right now and it still shows July 5th in bold print right above the price.

UPDATE -- the above was from 3:15 PM CST this afternoon. Just checked again and they are now showing an expected date of 8/10/24. Always a pity when the original release date turns out to be a no-go.

I've checked with Cruchfield, 7/5 is still valid for the preorders placed with that espected release date. 8/10 is for new preorders

 

[mlsstl]

I've checked with Cruchfield, 7/5 is still valid for the preorders placed with that espected release date. 8/10 is for new preorders

Thanks. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next week or so.

 

[Bill Mac]

The below was posted in an earlier Ultra thread by WiiM support...

The USB port on this device supports dual functionality: it can be used for USB storage as an input or as a USB audio output. For simultaneous use of both functions, you can connect a USB hub.

Was thinking about this and was trying to figure out how one could have an input signal (from a USB hard drive) as well as an output signal (to an external DAC). I get the concept of a "hub" but with only one USB port (one cable) how could there possibly be an input signal and an output signal simultaneously to the same USB port/cable?

 

[Jls]

The below was posted in an earlier Ultra thread by WiiM support...

The USB port on this device supports dual functionality: it can be used for USB storage as an input or as a USB audio output. For simultaneous use of both functions, you can connect a USB hub.

Was thinking about this and was trying to figure out how one could have an input signal (from a USB hard drive) as well as an output signal (to an external DAC). I get the concept of a "hub" but with only one USB port (one cable) how could there possibly be an input signal and an output signal simultaneously to the same USB port/cable?

You can do this on any computer. Don’t know how it works.

 

[Brantome]

The below was posted in an earlier Ultra thread by WiiM support...

The USB port on this device supports dual functionality: it can be used for USB storage as an input or as a USB audio output. For simultaneous use of both functions, you can connect a USB hub.

Was thinking about this and was trying to figure out how one could have an input signal (from a USB hard drive) as well as an output signal (to an external DAC). I get the concept of a "hub" but with only one USB port (one cable) how could there possibly be an input signal and an output signal simultaneously to the same USB port/cable?

It works, as I think I posted earlier. I have the beta and am able to play tracks from a connected SSD drive (powered with a y splitter cable) into the usb input on my amp with no issue.

 

[bherren]

The below was posted in an earlier Ultra thread by WiiM support...

The USB port on this device supports dual functionality: it can be used for USB storage as an input or as a USB audio output. For simultaneous use of both functions, you can connect a USB hub.

Was thinking about this and was trying to figure out how one could have an input signal (from a USB hard drive) as well as an output signal (to an external DAC). I get the concept of a "hub" but with only one USB port (one cable) how could there possibly be an input signal and an output signal simultaneously to the same USB port/cable?

Yes. The same way your computer can have a USB hub in one port that has both USB speakers and a camera for example.

USB devices can always have data flowing both ways. What does matter however is wether the port is a host or a device port. Since the WiiM is a host port, it can have a hub and devices such as storage devices, DACs, etc... As long as it has drivers for them and WiiM software stack can handle them. Since WiiM uses Linux a lot of that is already coming for free with the Linux Kernel.

This is also why the WiiM can't act as a USB audio interface for a PC. That would require it to be a device and not a host.

 

[Bill Mac]

It works, as I think I posted earlier. I have the beta and am able to play tracks from a connected SSD drive (powered with a y splitter cable) into the usb input on my amp with no issue.

Yes. The same way your computer can have a USB hub in one port that has both USB speakers and a camera for example.

USB devices can always have data flowing both ways. What does matter however is wether the port is a host or a device port. Since the WiiM is a host port, it can have a hub and devices such as storage devices, DACs, etc... As long as it has drivers for them and WiiM software stack can handle them. Since WiiM uses Linux a lot of that is already coming for free with the Linux Kernel.

This is also why the WiiM can't act as a USB audio interface for a PC. That would require it to be a device and not a host.

Thank you both for the very informative posts!

 

[Imsjry]

Talking about USB hubs, surely using one could degrade sound quality if using in between a DAC, no?

 

[pieterv1]

Talking about USB hubs, surely using one could degrade sound quality if using in between a DAC, no?

No... except for possibly a bit of extra electrical noise on the ports when shared with other devices like hdd's.

Any decent DAC will be able to isolate this.

 

[s3igell]

Hi Brantome, Team

The WiiM Ultra will soon support DSD file playback from USB or SAMBA share folders. We plan to release the Beta test software in July. Stay tuned for more updates!

Supporting DSD only for New/Beta Features?? What about DSD support for DLNA/UPnP?? Other brands have been able to do so for years!! My Syno NAS has had the capability for about a decade...

 

[DeadBob27]

HI @DeadBob27 Airplay certification is still pending, and while we don't have a definitive timeline, we chose not to delay the launch of the WiiM Ultra. If you primarily use Airplay to stream music, we recommend waiting until it's certified or looking at other WiiM products certified for Airplay.

On our Amazon listing, we wanted to be upfront so that buyers know at the moment of purchase, WiiM Ultra does not have Airplay.

We've also added this note to post #1 of this thread.

Best regards,
WiiM Team

Thank you for the honesty! Hopefully it can be added sooner rather than later

 

[MrMan]

Excuse my ignorance but why do other WiiM devices have airplay certification and the Ultra may not ?

 

[slartibartfast]

Excuse my ignorance but why do other WiiM devices have airplay certification and the Ultra may not ?

Because it is new

 

[pieterv1]

Excuse my ignorance but why do other WiiM devices have airplay certification and the Ultra may not ?

The Airplay feature is definitely coming. It's just undergoing approval/testing. They don't want to postpone the release of the product for a feature which can easily be added through a software update. See WiiM's comment above

 

[FreakyKiwi]

Supporting DSD only for New/Beta Features?? What about DSD support for DLNA/UPnP?? Other brands have been able to do so for years!! My Syno NAS has had the capability for about a decade...

Your NAS is a server, the WiiM is a player/renderer. What are you currently using as a player?

 

[Jls]

Your NAS is a server, the WiiM is a player/renderer. What are you currently using as a player?

DSD is going to be transcoded at some point in the play process, so it would make sense to batch transcode the files on the server.

 

[FreakyKiwi]

DSD is going to be transcoded at some point in the play process, so it would make sense to batch transcode the files on the server.

I don't disagree that this is an acceptable solution, batch or play time conversion, but I'm confused why s3igell is comparing a feature his server has.
I don't know if the "syn"ology NAS can transcode, serve, or play DSD files

I personally use LMS to handle DSD transcoding, although my DAC could otherwise decode them if the WiiM handled them accordingly.

 

[s3igell]

I don't disagree that this is an acceptable solution, batch or play time conversion, but I'm confused why s3igell is comparing a feature his server has.
I don't know if the "syn"ology NAS can transcode, serve, or play DSD files

I personally use LMS to handle DSD transcoding, although my DAC could otherwise decode them if the WiiM handled them accordingly.

Not true. The AKM and ESS DACs which WiiM has chosen for the Pro Plus, Amp, Ultra have direct DSD Play capabilities; as do numerous other DACs (standalone or as components of Audio Equipment). There is no need / benefit to having a Server component Transcode DSD when that end-consumer DAC can directly receive and play the original DSD Audio.
The question is whether WiiM devices need to Transcode DSD to PCM in order to perform DSP (EQ/Volume), especially in a Transport-only role.