Surround speakers - can you use any Google speakers or similar?

[Schotky]

Hello

So I want to use some surround speakers on the WiiM Ultra. Can you use any Google speakers or anything similar to pair with the WiiM? Not to stream, but pair for surround as rear left and right speakers.

The only thing I've found so far is on WiiMs website to use very specific set WiiM edition of speakers which are not only unavailable atm, but pretty pricey too.

Are there any other options for the surround option that can be paired for this use?

 

[Burnside]

No, you can’t use anything but WiiM devices in their Dolby Digital 5.1 setup, but if the speakers you’re considering have physical inputs, you could do what I did and use a WiiM pro cabled into two echo plus speakers - they’re one of the few echo models with an aux input.

 

[Krabin]

Something I've considered but haven't done, so purely theoretical:

Get a ~$20 optical splitter and a ~$50 optical to 5.1 rca out. Connect the splitter to your TV's optical out and go from it to both your WiiM and the cheap 5.1 thing. Your WiiM will downmix the suround sound to stereo for your front speakers, and you can use the suround outputs from the 5.1 to your echos as surrounds. Yes, your WiiM will also be playing the suround channels in front, so this isn't real surround sound, but maybe it can kinda mimic it for cheap.

 

[Schotky]

The thing is I already have a proper 4.1 surround (I'm not interested in the center speaker) which works well, but I'm using an AVR for that which is also great, but quite old at this point and is starting to play up occasionally. That's the only reason I'm looking to change to the WiiM surround.

I want to change to a stereo amp with WiiM Ultra or just the new WiiM Amp Ultra which has an amp and just add wireless surround.

 

[Burnside]

I guess one thing to note is that WiiM surround only handles DD5.1, not atmos or other Dolby variants..