My WiiM Ultra first impressions
- Thread starter Steve Woodhouse
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slartibartfast
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So it does, it doesn't have "never" though
Unless you use the Windows beta version ...So it does, it doesn't have "never" though
Burnside
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I guess the others you’ve seen are merely mockups. Got an example?
No not to hand. I'll save and post if I come across anything.
Olympic sWiiMer
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I'll add my impressions though I don't think others may like it. First off the features & inputs/outputs on this unit are phenomenal. Truly outstanding & covered all the bases. I don't fiddle with Bluetooth or Airplay so I have no dog in that fight.
I've used Dirac on a couple different devices as well as digital & analog Minidsp's. The room correction on the Ultra is not bad. Not Dirac level but definitely good enough if you have minor room or speaker issues. Compared to measurements I take with a Umik-1 and using REW they aren't identical to what the Ultra comes up with..but the corrections can make improvements without degradation if set up properly in the Ultra.
My only issue, which is a big one, is the overall sound quality. Maybe I shouldn't say it's an issue because of its price point..but I do think it sounds like a $300 plus a streamer. The bass is big but loose. Not very transparent. I think it sounds best using my RME dac due to it being very transparent, clear, detailed. Compared to my Primare Prisma NP5 streaming transport the WiiM is lacking in every category. The Prisma is twice the price though. And no streamer I've ever had has all the features the Ultra has. I do get a pretty decent sized soundstage with the Ultra though.
So I guess maybe I'm being too critical but I think it sounds like it's price. Which is fine but the online reviews were saying otherwise. Things like how great it sounded in $10k to $50k systems. It's a good device, not "audiophile" quality lol.
The streamers I have personally owned in the budget-ish category over the last few years are the Mini, the Node, Zen stream, B&W Formation, Cambridge CXN2, MXN10, Arcam SA30, the Prisma, & a cheap Arylic. The Zen & Prisma being the best of the bunch with upgraded PS. They are also the only ones that were "transports" only.
I want to reiterate that I'm not really knocking the Ultra. This thing can literally be a great preamp obviously. Sub output, EQ/DSP, analog input, decent internal dac, volume control, etc. etc. Its remarkable what they have put into this thing. And I was surprised at its overall size..& I actually like the display screen. Just wish it sounded a little better. A little more resolution & detail. With my tube amps it's not too bad. Something like my Hypex Nilai and it's pretty sibilant. Which is usually the sign of the source having moderate power supply noise.
App has been great. I mostly use Quboz but have Amazon music as well.
That's my 2 week impressions.
I've used Dirac on a couple different devices as well as digital & analog Minidsp's. The room correction on the Ultra is not bad. Not Dirac level but definitely good enough if you have minor room or speaker issues. Compared to measurements I take with a Umik-1 and using REW they aren't identical to what the Ultra comes up with..but the corrections can make improvements without degradation if set up properly in the Ultra.
My only issue, which is a big one, is the overall sound quality. Maybe I shouldn't say it's an issue because of its price point..but I do think it sounds like a $300 plus a streamer. The bass is big but loose. Not very transparent. I think it sounds best using my RME dac due to it being very transparent, clear, detailed. Compared to my Primare Prisma NP5 streaming transport the WiiM is lacking in every category. The Prisma is twice the price though. And no streamer I've ever had has all the features the Ultra has. I do get a pretty decent sized soundstage with the Ultra though.
So I guess maybe I'm being too critical but I think it sounds like it's price. Which is fine but the online reviews were saying otherwise. Things like how great it sounded in $10k to $50k systems. It's a good device, not "audiophile" quality lol.
The streamers I have personally owned in the budget-ish category over the last few years are the Mini, the Node, Zen stream, B&W Formation, Cambridge CXN2, MXN10, Arcam SA30, the Prisma, & a cheap Arylic. The Zen & Prisma being the best of the bunch with upgraded PS. They are also the only ones that were "transports" only.
I want to reiterate that I'm not really knocking the Ultra. This thing can literally be a great preamp obviously. Sub output, EQ/DSP, analog input, decent internal dac, volume control, etc. etc. Its remarkable what they have put into this thing. And I was surprised at its overall size..& I actually like the display screen. Just wish it sounded a little better. A little more resolution & detail. With my tube amps it's not too bad. Something like my Hypex Nilai and it's pretty sibilant. Which is usually the sign of the source having moderate power supply noise.
App has been great. I mostly use Quboz but have Amazon music as well.
That's my 2 week impressions.
Great review--esp in the context of comparing to a wide array of similar units. My only quibble would be your characterization of it being a "great preamp". You can't be dissatisfied with the overall SQ but rate the "preamp" great when every single electron goes thru the DAC. If anything, analog sources should sound worse bc they're subjected to an ADC before going thru the DAC.
Olympic sWiiMer
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You are correct. I meant it could be a great preamp for the money. I should expanded on that thought. Something like a WiiM Ultra with some Fosi amps or similar.
A little over $500 bucks and one is it business with a complete system..kinda..minus speakers.
Olympic sWiiMer
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I did try it as a preamp. I felt it was better just used as a streamer. But the option is there. I did not try the analog inputs.
That's why it's such a gamechanger. Personally it's sounds as good I need, having been down the audiophile rabbit hole some time ago. An Ultra, a pair of Fosis or similar and something like the small Elac speakers and you've got a sub £1500 system that is comparable to systems costing many times more in less than a decade ago. There will always of course be folk who have the means and ambition to improve on it, but that is of course a logarithmically increasingly expensive process. For many, a system like this performs perfectly well and the gap between budget and high end has never been so small, which is something to rejoice.
No argument there but most of us have seen the tests & reviews that claim "perfection". Utterly transparent. Human hearing is incapable of discerning any difference between this and 'audiophile' $2000 DACs. It's these absolutes I have a problem with. Let's be real. Months from now (if that) there will be a new shiny box that will improve on "perfection" and we'll be encouraged to RUN--don't walk--to grab it up.
The new bluesound nodes I’m guessing
We call ourselves musicophiles.
Just enjoying music and media in as many places as often as possible.
Upgrading our amps and speakers for our MultiRoom system has greatly improved the quality of the sound. (Not looking for perfect, looking for better). I also assume we are steps above devices like ECHO as well.
Having a great piece of music playing throughout our home all synced perfectly has greatly improved our enjoyment quantity and quality.
That's our underlying goal.
I hope that helps allow any one feeling a little bad for not shooting for AUDIOPHILE perfection all the time to know there's a community of musicophiles here to accept you.
Jeff
Just enjoying music and media in as many places as often as possible.
Upgrading our amps and speakers for our MultiRoom system has greatly improved the quality of the sound. (Not looking for perfect, looking for better). I also assume we are steps above devices like ECHO as well.
Having a great piece of music playing throughout our home all synced perfectly has greatly improved our enjoyment quantity and quality.
That's our underlying goal.
I hope that helps allow any one feeling a little bad for not shooting for AUDIOPHILE perfection all the time to know there's a community of musicophiles here to accept you.
Jeff
I gave up chasing audiophile perfection probably 20 years ago. I find myself the biggest variable in my system with my mood and physical state at the moment having a major impact on what I hear. Next, the variance in recording quality comes in a close second -- some of my favorite pieces of music are often mediocre or even poor recordings -- I have no problem hearing the positioning of mics, mixing/EQ/effects, dynamic compression, limiting and so on. All of those have more impact for me than which streamer or DAC I'm using -- I've given up trying to "fix" things with the equipment I buy.
That said, I've been very pleased with the Ultra and it didn't take long to make the decision to dump my tube preamp with a multibit DAC. WiiM still has some work to do, but that is mostly with improving music management when it comes to building and editing a live queue in real time. But in the year-plus I've had some Wiim players, I have to give them credit for constantly making improvements. They are a good company.
That said, I've been very pleased with the Ultra and it didn't take long to make the decision to dump my tube preamp with a multibit DAC. WiiM still has some work to do, but that is mostly with improving music management when it comes to building and editing a live queue in real time. But in the year-plus I've had some Wiim players, I have to give them credit for constantly making improvements. They are a good company.
slartibartfast
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Exactly. Also I suspect transparency has little to do with price. After all a Raspberry Pi player can be transparent
Indeed, my own experience is that these upgrades were more than likely placebo, but if you're convinced the difference is real, well it's your cash! The only component in my system that could be improved are the speakers, because that's physics. Everything else is likely to be SoTA in a blind test.
This.
My cheap ish system is perfectly capable of revealing what the musician intended and conveying all of the emotion. Would I enjoy the music more if I spent an order of magnitude more? No I didn't, in fact I spent more time listening to the equipment and less of the music. The best system is press play and forget. Forget about making any kind of improvements to it, ultimately very few, if any system sounds like real instruments. Stick a drum kit in your lounge and it's limitations become pretty obvious.
