New pro plus user. Early thoughts and questions.

[Nap250]

Ordered a new Wiim pro plus last week and set it up for the first time on Saturday.
To give some backbround i use an early Olive Naim system which for the past few years have used a Raspberry pi with Allo piano dac and kali reclocker as the Dac source.
It has been fantasic sound wise and replaced a Westlake modified MDAC. A true underrated giant.
Problem was as always writing cards for it when needed, just too much of a faff for me.
So decided to go the Wiim route after reading great reviews about its streaming capabilities.
Now during reading varying reviews it seemed like everyone was using an external Dac as opposed to the onboard Dac which worried me a bit.
I took that to assume the internal dac would not be up to it, especially on a fussy old Naim system.
So i planned to buy a new Dac of some sort this week.
Anyway, Saturday was unboxing day.
Have to say lovely presentation and packaging on the unit, quite reassuring.
That "plastic feel" i read about was not what i found. I think it's a well made tactile unit to be fair.
Setting up was a pleasure and a breeze.
Couldn't have gone smoother on first time of asking.
Tidal and other apps i'd use self configured themselves in the blink of an eye.
Sublime and a far cry from my tribulations with the Raspberry set ups....no swearing with this one
I used an ifi power supply on it and ran good quality Russ Andrews cables to the pre amp to give it a good start in life.

So ready for the first play.
I got my tracks up on Tidal and started listening.
First impression? Not as bad as some write ups would have me believe. It was "nice".
As i went through what i call my "safe tracks" when demo-ing the Naim "nice" became "not as good as the pi/allo".
It was lacking in depth, punch and overall separation.

So i switched off knowing unit works well and was set up ready for a new dac....just as i thought. We were going out anyway so couldn't play any more.
On Sunday i thought i'd spend an hour or two going through menus and seeing what's what, all whilst music was playing in "nice" mode
I then got to the eq settings and delved in blind.
Up popped the graphic equalizer.
Now i am no music expert and my only experience of a graphic equalizer was when i was a kid with an 8 track stereo and graphic equalizer in my old Ford Capri.
So i got stuck in.
Boom, sound came to life on first ham fisted dabble.
Another hour of experimenting and a few saved settings to compare to and sound was almost back to where my raspberry pi/allo combo was. Over the moon.
So pleased with the results i now questioned the need for a remote dac, what would one bring to the party?

After more googling i'm now learning the parametric dac is a much more powerful tool to give even more than i've achieved so far.
Problem is it's just over my head, no idea what i'm doing but would love to learn.

Why is it guys that most reviews go on about the external dac? Does nobody use eq on the existing dac?
With just basic inputs i've got depth to the music, tight bass, tingling highs and an all round night and day difference to my first listen.
My question is, if i mastered the parametric dac would it take things up a notch or am i misinerpreting what the pro plus is about?
It's just i see very few writeups singing the praises of the internal dac when fully optimised, and i wonder why
Apologies for the long post but i'd love to hear thoughts from people who've found the same with the eq feature.
Interesting and finally back into enjoying playing with hifi again for the first time in years

 

[hgo58]

The EQ is not related to a DAC.
It's the functions of the DSP.

In the WiiM this is changing the frequency spectrum for all sound inputs forwarded to the outputs. The DAC is only relevant for the analog output (RCA).

Mastering the graphical or parametric EQ either manually or as part of the automatic room correction could provide a sound the fits your taste.

Some people prefer to use an external DAC but the DAC in the WiiM is good enough for most people to my opinion.

 

[Nap250]

The EQ is not related to a DAC.
It's the functions of the DSP.

In the WiiM this is changing the frequency spectrum for all sound inputs forwarded to the outputs. The DAC is only relevant for the analog output (RCA).

Mastering the graphical or parametric EQ either manually or as part of the automatic room correction could provide a sound the fits your taste.

Some people prefer to use an external DAC but the DAC in the WiiM is good enough for most people to my opinion.

Thanks for the reply, appreciated.
Yes i understand eq is not related to the DAC but the end result can be made to sound far better than playing it as is out of the box.
With other dacs i've had, apart from a few filters you are stuck with the base sound of thr dac. Here we can alter it to sound like many different dacs.
I am indeed using rca line out to the pre amp.
Do you see that as a benefit when using eq?
Again thank you.

 

[hgo58]

Thanks for the reply, appreciated.
Yes i understand eq is not related to the DAC but the end result can be made to sound far better than playing it as is out of the box.
With other dacs i've had, apart from a few filters you are stuck with the base sound of thr dac. Here we can alter it to sound like many different dacs.
I am indeed using rca line out to the pre amp.
Do you see that as a benefit when using eq?
Again thank you.

The so called sound signature of different DACs is not exactly the same as what you get with EQ.

Use the EQ to tailor the sound to fit the room, the used DAC, the speakers and your taste.

 

[Nap250]

The so called sound signature of different DACs is not exactly the same as what you get with EQ.

Use the EQ to tailor the sound to fit the room, the used DAC, the speakers and your taste.

Thank you again for concise answer.
What is your take on the internal dac. Do you use eq to make it suit you or do you use an external dac.
I am now finding eq has raised the bar to sound on par with my last dac that had no eq program backing it.
Don't know whether that's a good thing

 

[harkpabst]

The so called sound signature of different DACs is not exactly the same as what you get with EQ.

For me, @Nap250 (wondering which Naim might be his power amp ) is the living proof that lots of what is attributed to "DAC sound signature" can actually be had by some EQ tweaks.

Thumbs up, you did the right thing adjusting the sound to how you want it to be.

 

[Nap250]

For me, @Nap250 (wondering which Naim might be his power amp ) is the living proof that lots of what is attributed to "DAC sound signature" can actually be had by some EQ tweaks.

Thumbs up, you did the right thing adjusting the sound to how you want it to be.

Many thanks for your reply and input, much appreciated
You have nailed what i was trying to say.
I've had probably 20 different dacs through my system over the years which i've owned or been fetched around by friends for blind test etc. From 25 pound units up to stuff at the £1500 mark. All as you would expect different.

On advice i tried the pi route and it just worked. Magical for sub £300.
Roll on to the Wiim. Flat as a fluke, yet a few amatuerish swipes at the Graphic eq and it sings, not far short of where i was.
Just amazed it's not spoken about more on forums and write ups as it's a trick few other manufacturers supply.
Now to learn a bit about the parametric side.
Again thank you.

 

[Claudius]

I have a Pro plus connected to a RME Adi2 DAC FS. For about a year, it was connected to a NAC62/NAP140. I bought the RME because I needed a headphone output. I tested the WiiM out to the Naim pre-amp and the difference with the RME was minimal. I recently switched to a Purifi amp and I use the RME as the pre-amp. The new amp is a better match to my speakers so I'm now a happy camper!

 

[Nap250]

I have a Pro plus connected to a RME Adi2 DAC FS. For about a year, it was connected to a NAC62/NAP140. I bought the RME because I needed a headphone output. I tested the WiiM out to the Naim pre-amp and the difference with the RME was minimal. I recently switched to a Purifi amp and I use the RME as the pre-amp. The new amp is a better match to my speakers so I'm now a happy camper!

Nice one mate thank you. Great to hear you have things sorted to your liking