I’m trying to troubleshoot what appears to be a non-functional phono input on a WiiM Ultra and I want to sanity-check whether there is anything left to test before assuming a hardware fault. The turntable is a Fluance RT83 (MM cartridge, Ortofon 2M Red), connected directly to the WiiM Ultra’s phono input with properly seated RCA cables and a confirmed ground connection. The stylus is down, the platter spins, and I can hear faint acoustic sound directly from the needle at the record.
On the output side, the WiiM Ultra is connected via RCA line out directly to a Fosi ZA3 power amp, which is known-good and works perfectly with other sources. Streaming audio (Spotify, YouTube Music, etc.) plays normally through this same amp and speakers, confirming that the downstream chain is fine. USB output to an external DAC was originally connected but has since been completely unplugged and removed from the equation.
In the WiiM app, Audio Input is explicitly set to Phono In, and the Phono Stage Input Type is set to MM. The device has been factory reset. Per-source volume control has been tested both ON and OFF, and volume has been raised while Phono is the active input (both via the app and the hardware knob). Audio Output is set to Line Out (2 Vrms). There is still absolutely no sound from the speakers when Phono is selected — not low volume, not hum, not hiss, just silence.
To further isolate the issue, I tested the headphone output on the WiiM Ultra while Phono was selected. The headphone output is also completely silent. This rules out the external amplifier, RCA cables, and speakers, and suggests the phono signal is not reaching any analog output. Streaming audio continues to work normally via the same headphone jack.
At this point, I’ve ruled out cabling, grounding, cartridge type, volume settings, per-source volume, USB routing conflicts, factory reset state, and downstream amplification. The only remaining conclusion seems to be that either the phono preamp itself or the internal analog routing for phono is not functioning on this unit.
Before initiating an RMA, I wanted to ask the community whether there is any remaining firmware setting, diagnostic mode, or known behavior that could cause total silence on both line out and headphone out for Phono only, while all streaming sources continue to work normally.
On the output side, the WiiM Ultra is connected via RCA line out directly to a Fosi ZA3 power amp, which is known-good and works perfectly with other sources. Streaming audio (Spotify, YouTube Music, etc.) plays normally through this same amp and speakers, confirming that the downstream chain is fine. USB output to an external DAC was originally connected but has since been completely unplugged and removed from the equation.
In the WiiM app, Audio Input is explicitly set to Phono In, and the Phono Stage Input Type is set to MM. The device has been factory reset. Per-source volume control has been tested both ON and OFF, and volume has been raised while Phono is the active input (both via the app and the hardware knob). Audio Output is set to Line Out (2 Vrms). There is still absolutely no sound from the speakers when Phono is selected — not low volume, not hum, not hiss, just silence.
To further isolate the issue, I tested the headphone output on the WiiM Ultra while Phono was selected. The headphone output is also completely silent. This rules out the external amplifier, RCA cables, and speakers, and suggests the phono signal is not reaching any analog output. Streaming audio continues to work normally via the same headphone jack.
At this point, I’ve ruled out cabling, grounding, cartridge type, volume settings, per-source volume, USB routing conflicts, factory reset state, and downstream amplification. The only remaining conclusion seems to be that either the phono preamp itself or the internal analog routing for phono is not functioning on this unit.
Before initiating an RMA, I wanted to ask the community whether there is any remaining firmware setting, diagnostic mode, or known behavior that could cause total silence on both line out and headphone out for Phono only, while all streaming sources continue to work normally.
