New DAC after Wiim

[GVW]

Hello all,

At the moment running WiiM Ultra via USB to s Schiit Mimir, then XLR out to my tube amp…

Although adding the Mimir did add some extra SQ in terms of sound stage and clearity , I do believe there is also a little more harshness to it leading sometimes to fatigue….( depending on music style /recording…
Thinking about to change to a more expensive DAC to get it all lifted higher.. Looking into Denafrips, Gustard, PS Audio Singxer…

Anyone have experience with connecting any of the above devices to a WiiM Ultra ?

 

[duffers0]

Did you try digital out via optical or coax also? I found (for whatever reason) the USB out on the Wiim to my DAC was the most fatiguing and sharp / bright of the 3 digital out options.

 

[GVW]

Did you try digital out via optical or coax also? I found (for whatever reason) the USB out on the Wiim to my DAC was the most fatiguing and sharp / bright of the 3 digital out options.

That would mean the DAC in the Wiim Ultra is being used then.. And not the DAC in the Schiit Mimir.

 

[QuarryHunslet]

That would mean the DAC in the Wiim Ultra is being used then.. And not the DAC in the Schiit Mimir.

No, it wouldn't be using the Ultra DAC, unless you use the analogue Line Output.

 

[Aquaman]

Hello all,

At the moment running WiiM Ultra via USB to s Schiit Mimir, then XLR out to my tube amp…

Although adding the Mimir did add some extra SQ in terms of sound stage and clearity , I do believe there is also a little more harshness to it leading sometimes to fatigue….( depending on music style /recording…
Thinking about to change to a more expensive DAC to get it all lifted higher.. Looking into Denafrips, Gustard, PS Audio Singxer…

Anyone have experience with connecting any of the above devices to a WiiM Ultra ?

Purely for the DAC any external device is useless. The DAC in the Ultra is as good as it gets. Anything else is Youtube induced imagination.

 

[hgo58]

Did you try digital out via optical or coax also? I found (for whatever reason) the USB out on the Wiim to my DAC was the most fatiguing and sharp / bright of the 3 digital out options.

It's exactly the same audio data on all digital outputs. So if there is any difference in SQ then it will have to be the clocking. The USB uses the external DAC clock, while the SPDIF (optical/coax) uses the WiiM clock (if not re-clocked by the external DAC).

Maybe the external DAC have a lesser precise clock than the WiiM resulting in more jitter? Jitter may cause the sound to have more harshness in the high frequencies, for those that can actually hear it.

For a better external DAC you will need a very good clock and the option to re-clock the SPDIF signal. The WiiM Ultra do already have a pretty good clock and DAC, so a cheap external DAC is usually just a downgrade from using the WiiM DAC directly.

 

[dangermouse]

Purely for the DAC any external device is useless. The DAC in the Ultra is as good as it gets. Anything else is Youtube induced imagination.

A somewhat controversial point of view, but one that I now tend to agree with.

Then again, I'm afraid that I don't possess Golden Ears. However, "you pays your money..." etc.

 

[Valentino]

There's always the possibility to skip the Mimir, use the Ultra analog output, play with the many filters available in the Ultra's DAC:

Seven DAC Digital Filter Types

In this tutorial, we’ll introduce the seven types of DAC digital filters offered by the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC on the WiiM Ultra. The premium 32-bit/384kHz ESS ES9038Q2M DAC delivers exceptional audio clarity, featuring a THD+N of -116dB and an SNR of...

faq.wiimhome.com

 

[MartinB]

FWIW, to my elderly ears, I found the Wiim Ultra sounded better over optical out into my Arcam Avr550 than via line out. This could well be because the Arcam has been ‘diraced’ by the dealer on installation so is tailored to my room. Using line out, of course, meant that the Dirac sound profile wasn’t available. I think one would need to use a very high end separate dac to improve the sq.

 

[Valentino]

I can imagine that. Tonality is the most importantly sound parameter.

 

[574stereo]

Whenever I’ve done comparisons, the Ultra’s built in DAC beats everything I’ve compared it to.

Even preferred it over an RME ADI-2, as crazy as that sounds. It may be because I’m using the Ultra as a volume control too and the 32bit DAC gives me greater dynamic range…

 

[Mr Ee]

Whenever I’ve done comparisons, the Ultra’s built in DAC beats everything I’ve compared it to.

Even preferred it over an RME ADI-2, as crazy as that sounds. It may be because I’m using the Ultra as a volume control too and the 32bit DAC gives me greater dynamic range…

The rme dac apparently uses 42 bit TotalMix technology for volume control.
No, I don't know what that means, but it sounds impressive
For simplicity I still use the wiim for volume control though.

 

[574stereo]

The rme dac apparently uses 42 bit TotalMix technology for volume control.
No, I don't know what that means, but it sounds impressive
For simplicity I still use the wiim for volume control though.

The TotalMix mixing engine (which I use professionally every day) is a 42 bit integer mix engine - an unusual choice as most other platforms use floating point once you go above 24 bit.

The actual output of the RME is still 24 bit however. Very wide dynamic range and a really amazing sounding DAC it has to be said, but the Ultra is actually a little better again I think.

 

[Staffy2]

Hello all,

At the moment running WiiM Ultra via USB to s Schiit Mimir, then XLR out to my tube amp…

Although adding the Mimir did add some extra SQ in terms of sound stage and clearity , I do believe there is also a little more harshness to it leading sometimes to fatigue….( depending on music style /recording…
Thinking about to change to a more expensive DAC to get it all lifted higher.. Looking into Denafrips, Gustard, PS Audio Singxer…

Anyone have experience with connecting any of the above devices to a WiiM Ultra ?

Hi I had a Mimir demo over Christmas and thought it sounded really good

 

[Staffy2]

I’ve put an SMSL P100 Pro into usb on ultra then optical from SMSL into optical on amp and I’ve noticed an improvement

 

[HansD-NL]

I’ve put an SMSL P100 Pro into usb on ultra then optical from SMSL into optical on amp and I’ve noticed an improvement

Impossible to notice/hear any change, it is something the Youtube charlatans are telling.

 

[Staffy2]

Impossible to notice/hear any change, it is something the Youtube charlatans are telling.

Honestly I’ve an and b it checking and I instantly heard the music was cleaner . Apparently it reduces jitter clean the ultras clocking which gives the improvements. If it didn’t improve it I would have returned it. Watch cheap,audio man on YouTube and others

 

[Aquaman]

Watch cheap,audio man on YouTube and others

Certainly …. not!!!!

 

[Burnside]

Honestly I’ve an and b it checking and I instantly heard the music was cleaner . Apparently it reduces jitter clean the ultras clocking which gives the improvements. If it didn’t improve it I would have returned it. Watch cheap,audio man on YouTube and others

Sorry, CAM doesn’t have many fans here in the forum

As many have said, the jitter levels on the Ultra are already way below audible levels and would be handled anyway by any modern DAC. If you are hearing a difference then fine, but it’s likely down to expectation bias or mismatched levels. Either way, enjoy the music

 

[Horsey]

The TotalMix mixing engine (which I use professionally every day) is a 42 bit integer mix engine - an unusual choice as most other platforms use floating point once you go above 24 bit.

The actual output of the RME is still 24 bit however. Very wide dynamic range and a really amazing sounding DAC it has to be said, but the Ultra is actually a little better again I think.

Would guess that's the opposite case as the RME when used as a preamp would apply better audio execution than on the WiiM Ultra.

Yes, I own the RME. It's simply outstanding on all inputs.