New Wiim Amp Ultra Setup and Powered Speakers

[sjh76]

I just bought a Wiim Amp Ultra to power my CD player, Pro-ject Carbon turntable (w/external phono stage), and enjoy streaming services in my new apartment. I haven't had a nice setup in a while due to lack of space and was looking forward to putting this together.

I dug my speakers out of storage that I haven't seen in almost 10 years to connect them up and realized.... I couldn't. They are Swans M200s - not fancy, but I have had them for a long time back when I used them for mixing and mastering music, and I love the sound. But it didn't occur to me - until I got everything out and started wiring it up - that they were active and therefore cannot be connected to the Amp Ultra. I am super bummed and trying to get some advice before I make my next move.

A few other notes before I ask my question:
- I think I have a good ear but probably not as discerning as I think I am! But I am a musician who loves good sound.
- I don't really want to spend more money if I can help it, as the price of the Amp Ultra was already a bit of a stretch, and I am not sure of how much decent passive speakers are these days, so the route of buying passive speakers to hook up to the Amp Ultra isn't a super appealing option - UNLESS it's a HUGE boost in quality, etc.

That said - should I return the Amp Ultra and just get the Ultra (which, from everything I've read, I could just plug the Swans into)? If so, will I lose anything major in terms of functionality / sound quality?
Is the quality of the Amp Ultra enough of a leap to justify purchasing a pair of passive speakers to pair with it?

Admittedly, I am not super savvy with stereo systems so I'm unclear of the trade-offs, if any, of powered speakers vs passive w/amp scenarios.

Appreciate any support or info anyone might have.

Thanks!

 

[Aquaman]

I just bought a Wiim Amp Ultra to power my CD player, Pro-ject Carbon turntable (w/external phono stage), and enjoy streaming services in my new apartment. I haven't had a nice setup in a while due to lack of space and was looking forward to putting this together.

I dug my speakers out of storage that I haven't seen in almost 10 years to connect them up and realized.... I couldn't. They are Swans M200s - not fancy, but I have had them for a long time back when I used them for mixing and mastering music, and I love the sound. But it didn't occur to me - until I got everything out and started wiring it up - that they were active and therefore cannot be connected to the Amp Ultra. I am super bummed and trying to get some advice before I make my next move.

A few other notes before I ask my question:
- I think I have a good ear but probably not as discerning as I think I am! But I am a musician who loves good sound.
- I don't really want to spend more money if I can help it, as the price of the Amp Ultra was already a bit of a stretch, and I am not sure of how much decent passive speakers are these days, so the route of buying passive speakers to hook up to the Amp Ultra isn't a super appealing option - UNLESS it's a HUGE boost in quality, etc.

That said - should I return the Amp Ultra and just get the Ultra (which, from everything I've read, I could just plug the Swans into)? If so, will I lose anything major in terms of functionality / sound quality?
Is the quality of the Amp Ultra enough of a leap to justify purchasing a pair of passive speakers to pair with it?

Admittedly, I am not super savvy with stereo systems so I'm unclear of the trade-offs, if any, of powered speakers vs passive w/amp scenarios.

Appreciate any support or info anyone might have.

Thanks!

If you‘re happy with your current actives your best choice is to swap the Amp Ultra with the Ultra.
You won‘t loose anything in terms of functionality.
There are lots of cheap passive speakers around. But I wouldn‘t have them for a main system in a million years.

 

[d6jg]

The Swan 200s aren't exactly top end active speakers. I'd keep the Amp Ultra, buy some secondhand passive speakers that you can afford for now - even if they are in the £$50 range. Sell the Swan's, use the proceeds and save up for some decent speakers.

 

[dominikz]

I just bought a Wiim Amp Ultra to power my CD player, Pro-ject Carbon turntable (w/external phono stage), and enjoy streaming services in my new apartment. I haven't had a nice setup in a while due to lack of space and was looking forward to putting this together.

I dug my speakers out of storage that I haven't seen in almost 10 years to connect them up and realized.... I couldn't. They are Swans M200s - not fancy, but I have had them for a long time back when I used them for mixing and mastering music, and I love the sound. But it didn't occur to me - until I got everything out and started wiring it up - that they were active and therefore cannot be connected to the Amp Ultra. I am super bummed and trying to get some advice before I make my next move.

A few other notes before I ask my question:
- I think I have a good ear but probably not as discerning as I think I am! But I am a musician who loves good sound.
- I don't really want to spend more money if I can help it, as the price of the Amp Ultra was already a bit of a stretch, and I am not sure of how much decent passive speakers are these days, so the route of buying passive speakers to hook up to the Amp Ultra isn't a super appealing option - UNLESS it's a HUGE boost in quality, etc.

That said - should I return the Amp Ultra and just get the Ultra (which, from everything I've read, I could just plug the Swans into)? If so, will I lose anything major in terms of functionality / sound quality?
Is the quality of the Amp Ultra enough of a leap to justify purchasing a pair of passive speakers to pair with it?

Admittedly, I am not super savvy with stereo systems so I'm unclear of the trade-offs, if any, of powered speakers vs passive w/amp scenarios.

Appreciate any support or info anyone might have.

Thanks!

If you have powered speakers you are happy with, the cheapest route is to return the Amp Ultra and get the Ultra instead.

Ultra actually has a few extra features compared to Amp Ultra (headphone amp output, digital coax and optical outputs, phono input).

You should be able to connect the WiiM Ultra to your Swan M200 without any issue, you'll even have to choose between a few different ways to do it (RCA analogue, optical digital or coax digital connection).

EDIT: In case you decide to keep the Amp Ultra and buy passive speakers to go with it, note that you can find well-performing models at different budgets on the EAC leaderboard. Just be sure to check if the model is passive or powered.