Remember to switch from 16bit 48kHz to 24bit 96kHz output when using the Ultra as a dac !

[Musician]

Its important to , in the WiiM meny select 24 bit 96 kHz ( the default toslink output resolution is 16 bit 48 kHz ) .
Theres a bug ( or was? ) that makes the ultra used as a dac sounding worse than it should when 16bit/48 is selected.
Amirs review at ASR shows this with 16bit 48kHz selected in the WiiM meny showing much worse measurement result than a ”real” 16 bit resolution should provide.
This goes away completely when selecting 24bit 96 kHz in the WiiM meny.
According to Amirm, there are some kind of noise shaping going on .

WiiM Ultra Streamer Preamp Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the WiiM Ultra network streamer, DAC, phono stage and preamplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $329. Physical attribute are modern and attractive enough. Alas, I can't say the same thing about the graphical interface. Icons seem...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Wiimer]

Its important to , in the WiiM meny select 24 bit 96 kHz ( the default toslink input resolution is 16 bit 48 kHz ) .

Are you confusing output resolution with input resolution?

 

[Musician]

Are you confusing output resolution with input resolution?

Sorry, youre right. Its the output resolution on the WiiM meny that should be set at 24bit 96Khz.
I have corrected it

 

[Wiimer]

Sorry, youre right. Its the output resolution on the WiiM meny that should be set at 24bit 96Khz.

Yes, and I believe you posted the DAC measurements. Sorry if I'm wrong.

To be honest I'm not sure either - Is Amirm talking about the sample rate of the source (48/96kHz) for this measurement?

 

[Musician]

Yes, and I believe you posted the DAC measurements. Sorry if I'm wrong.

To be honest I'm not sure either - Is Amirm talking about the sample rate of the source (48/96kHz) for this measurement?

As I understand it , the 16 bit 48kHz resolution setting is not perfect when using the toslink input and the inbuilt dac of the Ultra.
There is noise in the signal , and that noise apparently goes away by using the 24bit 96kHz setting in the WiiM app.

 

[Wiimer]

As I understand it , the 16 bit 48kHz resolution setting is not perfect when using the toslink input and the inbuilt dac of the Ultra.
There is noise in the signal , and that noise apparently goes away by using the 24bit 96kHz setting in the WiiM app.

But how can the sample rate of the Toslink input be changed?
I don't think the WiiM app can do that.

I believe there are only three things you can do with the WiiM app.

- Toslink output resolution
- Fixed Toslink output resolution
- Line in Resolution


In this case, "Toslink in > analogue out", so there is no point in changing the Toslink output resolution to 96 kHz

 

[Burnside]

Yeah, I’m confused too. Is this suggesting that no matter what input source you use, the optical output resolution should be set at 24/96 if you’re using that? Also, if you use the optical output, you wouldn’t be using the Ultra as a DAC as per the post title.

 

[Musician]

Yeah, I’m confused too. Is this suggesting that no matter what input source you use, the optical output resolution should be set at 24/96 if you’re using that? Also, if you use the optical output, you wouldn’t be using the Ultra as a DAC as per the post title.

If you are using the toslink output from a CD player into the Ultra, or a television toslink output and use the Ultra as a dac , you have some issues with the default setting 16/48 . The sinad according to Amirm is only about -85 dB if you look at the graph.

If you select 24/96 this issue goes away ( also seen in the graph .

I would guess that hdmi input on the ultra may have the same issue as toslink input.
But Amirm hasn’t tested that so no evidence of this.

 

[Mr Ee]

I'm with @Burnside here; totally confused!
How does the optical output setting affect the digital input / analog output?
We've seen some time ago in posts here that the 16 bit setting in the 'Line-In Input Resolution" for the ADC is a poor choice, and iiirc that is the default value and general concensus (with proof?) was 24 / 96 was the 'best'.

 

[Burnside]

If you are using the toslink output from a CD player into the Ultra, or a television toslink output and use the Ultra as a dac , you have some issues with the default setting 16/48 . The sinad according to Amirm is only about -85 dB if you look at the graph.

If you select 24/96 this issue goes away ( also seen in the graph .

I would guess that hdmi input on the ultra may have the same issue as toslink input.
But Amirm hasn’t tested that so no evidence of this.

What “default setting”? How do I select 24/96 for toslink input?

 

[hgo58]

What “default setting”? How do I select 24/96 for toslink input?

Of course not possible. The resolution is defined by the incoming signal. And that is what the WiiM DAC will use also.

You can set the sampling resolution for the line input (analog) and for the digital output (coax, optical).

There may or may not be some issue with a optical input of 16/48 but it cannot be changed.

I just think the OP misunderstood the setup?

 

[slartibartfast]

What “default setting”? How do I select 24/96 for toslink input?

I don't know how Amir produced that 48kHz wideband distortion graph but it seems to me that he is changing the source sampling rate, nothing to do with any settings on the Ultra.