Meet WiiM Ultra - The Digital Hub for Your Music

[seth_success]

No AirPlay ever means my Ultra will be going back Airplay to me is the best way to do multiroom audio. Although it may not be lossless the convenience is unparalleled. What about Youtube or Sirius XM, need Airplay.

I'll probably bite the bullet and go with the DMP-A6 ME or DMP-A8

 

[satx]

Can the Ultra accept an iPad connected directly to the USB input? I’m a bit confused by what the USB can and can’t do

 

[WiiMer SJ]

No AirPlay ever means my Ultra will be going back Airplay to me is the best way to do multiroom audio. Although it may not be lossless the convenience is unparalleled. What about Youtube or Sirius XM, need Airplay.

I'll probably bite the bullet and go with the DMP-A6 ME or DMP-A8

The SiriusXM app supports Chromecast.

 

[seth_success]

The SiriusXM app supports Chromecast.

Hmm, good point. I think my Bose 900 does too. Thanks

 

[Brantome]

Can the Ultra accept an iPad connected directly to the USB input? I’m a bit confused by what the USB can and can’t do

The Ultra (and indeed Amp and Amp Pro) don’t have usb input, but you may be able to use something like this convertor to present an optical input to them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Optical-Converter-Compatible/dp/B09QFYNB7Y/

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

The Ultra (and indeed Amp and Amp Pro) don’t have usb input, but you may be able to use something like this convertor to present an optical input to them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cubilux-TOSLINK-Optical-Converter-Compatible/dp/B09QFYNB7Y/

I can’t remember, have WiiM said that the USB will never be in input, or are they looking into it?

 

[Brantome]

I can’t remember, have WiiM said that the USB will never be in input, or are they looking into it?

I would have said the former although someone on ASR said they were told they would look into it. Not sure if it’s just a matter of suitable drivers (this is usually the point where someone jumps in about a Raspberry Pi and its USB ) or whether it’s a hardware issue.

 

[Smartplug]

I would like to ask the general forum since I’m getting information from website that if you use the dac/streamer as preamp you’re loosing resolution particularly low level. Is this true on ultra?

 

[adias]

I can see why it's quite a big issue - especially for iPhone users. Specific music related apps like Soundcloud or Bandcamp don't have their own native "connect" solution like Spotify or Tidal do. For those types of apps we have to rely on Chromecast Audio or Airplay. Airplay also comes in handy to just stream the system-wide audio from any iOS device or Mac. I know it's not bit-perfect, but compared to Bluetooth it'll work much more seamless.

I am an Apple customer. I own Macs, iPads, iPhones. No I do not use Airplay as Airplay is a severely limited streaming channel. So there… there are Apple customers who do not miss Airplay.

 

[BryanLyle]

No support for Airplay will be a dealbreaker for me. The ease of use is why I want it. If the digitaltrends article is accurate, I'll be sending my ultra back.

 

[SiR]

No support for Airplay will be a dealbreaker for me. The ease of use is why I want it. If the digitaltrends article is accurate, I'll be sending my ultra back.

+ 1

After I buy, I'll send it back

 

[jed1]

If I am the only one to use WiiM at home and if I only use something other than Airplay, lack of Airplay may be OK. However, the biggest selling point for WiiM is to support variety of cast protocols and streaming apps.

The other day, I had family members visit. I offered them to play their favorite music. Only thing I told them is WiiM's name. They did not know if this is AirPlay or Chromecast device. I did not know which streaming app they used. It just worked. That's WiiM's unique and powerful capability regardless of price point. I haven't found any other streaming devices that can do this.

So, if WiiM Ultra does not support AirPlay, that's a deal breaker. Supporting both AirPlay and Chromecast caters both iOS and Android devices - everyone is happy!

PS. My use cases are; 1) AirPlay with Macbook 2) AirPlay / Chromecast with iPhones 3) Chromecast with PC.

 

[rccarguy]

My guess is Apple charge an extortionate fee for every product, plus licensing costs for airplay.

Why should I pay to a company that I refuse to buy from (apple) for features I won't use

 

[Smartplug]

If I am the only one to use WiiM at home and if I only use something other than Airplay, lack of Airplay may be OK. However, the biggest selling point for WiiM is to support variety of cast protocols and streaming apps.

The other day, I had family members visit. I offered them to play their favorite music. Only thing I told them is WiiM's name. They did not know if this is AirPlay or Chromecast device. I did not know which streaming app they used. It just worked. That's WiiM's unique and powerful capability regardless of price point. I haven't found any other streaming devices that can do this.

So, if WiiM Ultra does not support AirPlay, that's a deal breaker. Supporting both AirPlay and Chromecast caters both iOS and Android devices - everyone is happy!

PS. My use cases are; 1) AirPlay with Macbook 2) AirPlay / Chromecast with iPhones 3) Chromecast with PC.

You can get pro that has AirPlay and chromecast for less money if that’s your main priority.

 

[jed1]

You can get pro that has AirPlay and chromecast for less money if that’s your main priority.

Exactly! I have WiiM Pro Plus.

 

[joostdh]

My guess is Apple charge an extortionate fee for every product, plus licensing costs for airplay.

This is highly speculative and very illogical as other Wiim products have Airplay too. Why would it suddenly be for this product — the most premium Wiim has, with most likely the highest margins— too expensive?

 

[joostdh]

If I am the only one to use WiiM at home and if I only use something other than Airplay, lack of Airplay may be OK.

Same here. I am not the one that doesn’t know which remote controls which device. But I have a family and for them the only solution is KISS. AirPlay is a big part of that.

 

[Jls]

Same here. I am not the one that doesn’t know which remote controls which device. But I have a family and for them the only solution is KISS. AirPlay is a big part of that.

I’m afraid that’s why I have Sonos Ports. And I still don’t regret it. Yet.

Ports have coax output, in addition to line.

 

[wiffle]

Please lets see more back-and-forth posts about AirPlay.

 

[nyquist]

Not entirely sure why people are having to justify why they want a feature that was originally stated as included. For me and many others, no AirPlay is a dealbreaker and a bit of a rug-pull given the originally stated inclusion of it.

If you don’t want it, need it or care about it then cool this isn’t a problem for you. For those who did want this feature it’s a big problem and is enough for us to be unhappy.

External devices aren’t a solution; they can’t wake the device from sleep, they can’t have a properly integrated volume control and frankly it’s an unnecessary complication.

WiiM should really explain what’s going on, the press release from earlier in the year clearly stated that it was coming and has now even been edited as of 2 hours ago to hide that it initially stated that AirPlay was coming.