Recording audio with the WiiM Ultra

[574stereo]

Hey All, only a few days in with my Ultra but I absolutely love this box. It's replaced quite a large stack of (increasingly ages) HiFi, and sounds better IMO. Very happy.


I read in the Ultra FAQ posted online a few months ago that it's possible to record audio with the Ultra. I'd like to be able to capture the phono input into a digital file (got a few LPs which aren't available in the digital world). How can this be done? Is it possible?


Thanks!

 

[Wiimer]

Hey All, only a few days in with my Ultra but I absolutely love this box. It's replaced quite a large stack of (increasingly ages) HiFi, and sounds better IMO. Very happy.


I read in the Ultra FAQ posted online a few months ago that it's possible to record audio with the Ultra. I'd like to be able to capture the phono input into a digital file (got a few LPs which aren't available in the digital world). How can this be done? Is it possible?


Thanks!

Hi,
I think you can record to your PC with such a cable.



I do not know if it is possible to record to a HDD or other device using the Ultra's USB output.
I don't have a turntable, so other members may have better suggestions.

 

[574stereo]

I used to digitise vinyl with phono splits on the output of my Musical Fidelity phono stage. A quick listening test over the weekend has shown that I think I prefer the one built into the WiiM Ultra, it's just a little more open and extended up-high. Also, I would imagine the ADC in the Ultra is very good as it sounds... great, with Analog sources.

Seems a shame to not be able to record onto a computer using the WiiM converters. Maybe an option to record onto a USB drive from the line-in + phono-in in a software update?

 

[Burnside]

TBH, I always found that FAQ answer to be ambiguous although I guess what it might be alluding to is similar to what I used a NAD PP4 for when digitizing some of my albums - that could take input from a turntable and output it via USB which was then connected to a PC running the excellent VinylStudio software to record, clean up and tag the digitized album. So, yes, it could be said the Ultra might act like the NAD PP4 and transfer the audio from its phono input and then to a PC via its USB audio out but it’s only one part of the overall picture.

 

[Burnside]

Maybe an option to record onto a USB drive from the line-in + phono-in in a software update?

That would still leave the issue that the recorded audio might need cleaned up, split into separate tracks and tagged so recording to USB media would only be a first step to doing that work on a PC as I mention above.

 

[574stereo]

I'd be fine with that, I work in Pro Tools daily. I know not everyone else does, but there are tonnes of audio editing apps for PC / Mac / iPad on the market. A lot of them are free...

 

[slartibartfast]

I'd be fine with that, I work in Pro Tools daily. I know not everyone else does, but there are tonnes of audio editing apps for PC / Mac / iPad on the market. A lot of them are free...

If you connect the USB output to your PC can you record?

 

[574stereo]

Nope, nothing happens. The WiiM doesn't show up as a device on my Mac anywhere. I don't think that's part of the functionality the USB socket can provide.

As it is able to read a hard drive, it'd be nice if there was a way of capturing onto the drive as a 24bit WAV.

 

[Burnside]

Nope, nothing happens. The WiiM doesn't show up as a device on my Mac anywhere. I don't think that's part of the functionality the USB socket can provide.

As it is able to read a hard drive, it'd be nice if there was a way of capturing onto the drive as a 24bit WAV.

Hi, I concur with your experience - when connecting my Ultra to my Windows 11 PC with a usb-a to usb-a cable (which might not be the right cable I’d be first to admit), the PC doesn’t detect the Ultra nor does the Ultra recognise the USB port is in use. So my supposition that the Ultra might be used like a NAD PP4 is mistaken which makes the FAQ response even more questionable than I first thought. Perhaps we need WiiM to clarify and expand upon their answer.

 

[d6jg]

Eventually @d6jg could answer. He seems to be quite experienced with digitalizing vinyl.

I can.
First, I would not use the USB cable referred to above it is just too basic and you will get only 16/48 from it at best.
I use a Behringer UMC204HD which is hooked up to the Tape output of my amp but any line level output will work - so downstream of the phono pre-amp whether that is an Ultra or whatever. The Behringer is capable of 24/192 but this is IMHO overkill for Vinyl rips. I digitise at 24/96.
There are cheaper bits of kit that will do the job and also vastly more expensive ones. The cheaper ones work but only produce Ok results.
As to software - VinylStudio from Alpinesoft - its about £30 but takes a ton of effort out of the equation. Yes you can achieve good results with Audacity but it will take you twice as long.

 

[d6jg]

I am going to add that it ought to be possible for WiiM to make recording to an attached USB storage device possible - it's only Alsa "arecord" after all BUT it would only be basic single track recording in whatever format they were to implement and you would then have to remove the file for splitting, editing and tagging as someone else said.

Somewhere I have a device that does just this. It is a very basic ADC in a case with some push buttons to switch between formats and a USB-A socket and runs on batteries. I thought I'd use it but never got used to the controls. The SQ was rubbish.

 

[stalefish_43]

I used to digitise vinyl with phono splits on the output of my Musical Fidelity phono stage. A quick listening test over the weekend has shown that I think I prefer the one built into the WiiM Ultra, it's just a little more open and extended up-high. Also, I would imagine the ADC in the Ultra is very good as it sounds... great, with Analog sources.

Seems a shame to not be able to record onto a computer using the WiiM converters. Maybe an option to record onto a USB drive from the line-in + phono-in in a software update?

Which Musical Fidelity phono stage were you using? I’m still testing the phono and seem to prefer it over my built in on the Yamaha AS501 integrated. I’m quite surprised tbh.

 

[574stereo]

Which Musical Fidelity phono stage were you using? I’m still testing the phono and seem to prefer it over my built in on the Yamaha AS501 integrated. I’m quite surprised tbh.

Not a particularly high-end one, it was a V90-LPS. The Musical Fidelity was a step up over some of the other boxes I'd used in the past but none of them were particularly special.

Very pleasantly surprised at how good the MM stage in the Ultra sounds.

 

[slartibartfast]

Not a particularly high-end one, it was a V90-LPS. The Musical Fidelity was a step up over some of the other boxes I'd used in the past but none of them were particularly special.

Very pleasantly surprised at how good the MM stage in the Ultra sounds.

We still don't know the capacitative loading of the phono input. Presumably that makes a difference.

 

[574stereo]

The high end is where I noticed the biggest difference, it felt more extended and airy than the MF.

FYI I'm using an Ortofon 2M Blue on a Rega deck.

 

[harkpabst]

That could be indicative of a usually (desirable) relatively low input capacitance, but WiiM didn't tell us so far.

 

[pieterv1]

Why wouldn't you just record from the optical output? The aux/phono input are already digitised anyways so you'd get the best results keeping the audio in the digital domain, I recon? That way you're skipping another round of DA & AD conversion when recording from the line output.

WiiM actually mentioned the sample rate/bit depth of the AD & DA conversion earlier on the forum. Matching these specs, you'd get "bit perfect vinyl rips" as weird as it might sound

Hifime SPDIF Optical to USB converter, record DAT/minidisc to computer

The UR23 accepts SPDIF optical sources and transfer this to USB. Suitable to record DAT tapes, minidisc or other digital source to a computer.

hifimediy.com

 

[574stereo]

Is the optical output working at all times? Fixed level out?

 

[pieterv1]

Is the optical output working at all times? Fixed level out?

I think there's already been requests to be able to run the line output and optical output simultaneously and WiiM are looking into it - so not currently. However, switching the Ultra's output from line-out to digital in the WiiM Home app seems less of a hassle to me than unplugging & reconnecting the line output to an audio interface.

Output level should be set to fixed or maximum volume indeed.

 

[d6jg]

You really need to be recording at line level not via a pre-out.

The more I consider this the more it makes no sense to attempt it using an Ultra. I am sure it is technically possible to dump a WAV file onto an attached USB stick but you would need a means to start/stop recording and what would you end up with? A bunch of unidentifiable WAVs that at minimum would need renaming somehow. You would have to detach the USB and process the files by some other means.

Which leads me to something I was investigating yesterday. Phono pre-amps with built in USB out for recording.

There are quite a few around but the vast majority are low end as far as the ADC is concerned and only capable of 16/48. Why is this? Part of it is to do with drivers (or lack of them to be precise). Devices that only operate up to 16/48 don't need drivers to operate with Windows, Linux or Mac.

Thngs like the NAD PP4 are limited to 16/48 but unlike many others the NAD does have a gain control.

I did find one Phono pre-amp that includes USB Audio Class 2 circuitry (24/192) but it isn't seemingly available in UK - https://www.korg.com/us/products/audio/ds_dac_10r/

If anyone knows of any other Hi-Res capable device then I'd be interested to know about it.

There are however plenty of "Audio Interfaces" around that will record at up to 24/192 but these are all Line Level only devices which is why I use a separate Phono pre-amp into one of these to let me record my vinyl rips or needledrops (whichever term you prefer) at 24/96.