Tech Tuesday: Achieving Bit-Perfect Playback on Your WiiM Devices

[RyanWithWiiM]

Welcome back to another edition of Tech Tuesday! This week, we're delving into the fascinating world of bit-perfect playback on your WiiM devices. If you're an audiophile who values pristine sound quality or someone who's simply passionate about getting the most out of your music listening experience, this article is for you.

What Is Bit-Perfect Playback?​

Bit-perfect playback is a method of audio playback that ensures the digital audio data is sent to your audio device exactly as it is stored or streamed, without any alteration or processing. This means you get to experience your music exactly as the artist intended, with no loss of quality.

Why Should You Care?​

Achieving bit-perfect playback can make a significant difference in your audio experience. Whether you're using high-resolution audio files or streaming your favorite tracks, bit-perfect playback ensures that you hear every nuance, detail, and layer of your music. It's about achieving the purest, most authentic sound possible.

While this may not be necessary for background audio, it’s invaluable for those interested in critical audio listening, or those folks who want to drive their equipment to its peak potential.

Who Will Benefit from This Guide?​

This guide is perfect for anyone who:

• Values high-quality audio and wants to experience their music in its truest form.
• Owns a WiiM device and wants to optimize its performance.
• Is curious about the technical aspects of digital audio and wants to learn more about bit-perfect playback.

If any of these sound like you, then you're in the right place.

How to Set Up Bit-Perfect Playback on WiiM Devices​

Setting up bit-perfect playback on your WiiM devices is a straightforward process. Our detailed guide will walk you through each step to ensure you achieve the best possible audio quality.

You can find the full step-by-step instructions here.

Enhancing Your WiiM Audio Experience​

For additional tips on enhancing your WiiM audio experience, don't miss our previous Tech Tuesday post where we shared 8 expert tips to take your audio setup to the next level. You can check it out here.

Join us soon for another exciting Tech Tuesday topic. Happy listening!

Have any more advice or requests? Jump into the comments!

 

[Burnside]

Personally I now think pursuing bit perfect is a bit overrated - WiiM devices have been proven to be bit perfect as they don’t make any unwanted changes to the audio stream. As soon as you decide you want to make any changes to that stream by using EQ, RC, volume control etc etc because that’s of advantage to your listening, then it’s no longer “bit perfect”, but so what?

Also, I think the faq is missing keeping the audio format as stereo to maintain bit perfect status.

 

[waves]

Do all the requirements to play bit perfect also apply to dsd (.dsf)? My Wiim pro doesn't "see" the .dsf files on my computer through the Wiim home app (Windows 10) or the Android app. I assume the requirements apply to MQA files also, if anyone has them.

 

[Mr Ee]

Setting up bit-perfect playback on your WiiM devices is a straightforward process.

Straightforward? Seems to involve a lot of menu hopping and changes to me.
I remember the good old days where we simply had to enable mqa to get the (at the time) few settings reset.

 

[WiiM Team]

Straightforward? Seems to involve a lot of menu hopping and changes to me.
I remember the good old days where we simply had to enable mqa to get the (at the time) few settings reset.

Hi Mr Ee,

Currently, enabling bit-perfect playback mode is a bit complex. Next month, we will add a simple option in the WiiM Home app to allow you to easily enable bit-perfect playback.

 

[Mr Ee]

Hi Mr Ee,

Currently, enabling bit-perfect playback mode is a bit complex. Next month, we will add a simple option in the WiiM Home app to allow you to easily enable bit-perfect playback.

That was what I was alluding to!!
But then you'll have complaints that every setting is reset whereas some only want bit perfect for streaming and usb out, for example.
Good luck pleasing everyone

 

[dtc]

Do all the requirements to play bit perfect also apply to dsd (.dsf)? My Wiim pro doesn't "see" the .dsf files on my computer through the Wiim home app (Windows 10) or the Android app. I assume the requirements apply to MQA files also, if anyone has them.

Bit perfect dsd is not possible. It converts dsd to PCM.

 

[hgo58]

Hi Mr Ee,

Currently, enabling bit-perfect playback mode is a bit complex. Next month, we will add a simple option in the WiiM Home app to allow you to easily enable bit-perfect playback.

Why. Can only be a sales gimmick. Nothing is bit perfect. There will always be some manipulation on recording side, on service or device playing and in the DAC.

Do it matter? Only if done wrongly.

 

[slartibartfast]

Of course the WiiM Amp and Amp Pro can never be bit perfect unless you listen at maximum volume

 

[Valentino]

Currently, enabling bit-perfect playback mode is a bit complex. Next month, we will add a simple option in the WiiM Home app to allow you to easily enable bit-perfect playback.

I hope enabling the option will be two step with a warning saying that this may be Loud As Hell if you have set the volume control to something other than 100.
I actually miss a secondary menu in WiiM Home for settings the casual user do not have to see and should not change, like fixed volume and custom EQ/RC. The Yamaha MusicCast app has a similar function.

 

[onlyoneme]

@WiiM Team
Why disabling Optical/HDMI Audio De-noising is mandatory for bit perfect?

 

[canard]

"bit perfect"

The argument was omnipresent at the beginning of Wiim...(with developpement for the future Amazon HD ...)


It certainly looks good on the marketing side, it sells,
but there are a lot of things to sort out on the audio side, perhaps as a priority... or, as a primary function, in streaming....

 

[wiimamp user]

What are the benefits...? I often heard on a android device( i have a couble of usb dacs such as Fiio and Shanling for my smartphone) bit perfect isnt possible. At least that,s what is assume it isn,t.

So as i understand to play all bit perfect on a wiim device i have to disable EQ.. Why?
One can benefit from RC and EQ so if you want bit perfect you have to disable it...but why? And what about those benefits you are loosing?

I ask myself is bit perfect as artist intented?

 

[Burnside]

So as i understand to play all bit perfect on a wiim device i have to disable EQ.. Why?

See my comment #2 above. Bit perfect to me just means the audio stream comes out unchanged from what went in. The WiiM devices have been proven to be bit perfect but as soon as you decide you want to make any change to the stream such as EQ or even a volume change, what comes out isn’t the same as what went in. However, you may device that you prefer making those changes rather than adhering to any audiophile mantra…

 

[dtc]

Some definitions and history. This is somewhat long winded, but there seems to be some confusion about exact what bit perfect means.

Bit Perfect simply means that the input (file or stream) and the output (digital output like coax, optical, usb) are exactly the same, bit for bit. No changes are made to the data. It only applies to digital data. Any changes to the data such as equalization or room correction or noise reduction changes the bits, so the output is not bit perfect.

Technically, changing the volume destroys the bit perfect output since it changes the bits. However, it is typically done with such high precision that many people accept volume changes in what is otherwise a bit perfect path.

The reason people strive for a bit perfect path is that in the early days of computer audio those dreaded audiophiles noted that the Windows audio system often made changes to the data and there was no way to know what it did. Microsoft did this, for example, so that systems sounds could be heard when laying music. But the audiophiles wanted the data to go directly from the file to the output with WIndows interfering. Hence, bit perfect became a goal. Most audio players figured out how to get around the WIndows "Mixer" and provide bit perfect output. Eventually, Microsoft introduced WASAPI - a driver that would deliver bit perfect output and bit perfect output became the norm for most audio players.

The difference here is that the WIndows "Mixer" did unknown things to the data stream and that could not be avoided, whereas the equalization, room correction and other options like in the Wiim devices are specifically selected by the user and they should be aware that they are breaking the bit perfect stream. The user accepts that the altered data is not bit perfect but the resulting output is "better" than bit perfect output.

So, bit perfect simply means that what comes out is exactly what came in. But, the user can knowing apply changes to the data stream (like room correction) which breaks the bit perfectness, but provides advantages that the bit perfect data does not have.

One thing to be aware of with Wiim, it that any time 2 Wiim devices are synced, the data is converted to 24/48 so the data is then not bit perfect. As an aside, Sonos automatically syncs its speakers and it also converts everything to 24/48 for syncing purposes.

 

[wiimamp user]

Thanks for you,re reply @Burnside .
I have no problem making some changes to it indeed one could ask oneself what means , as the artist intended, but ok i maybe try it sometimes and will see how it sounds ..
Heres how cheapaudioman thinks about , as the artist intended,...

 

[Wiimer]

.

One thing to be aware of with Wiim, it that any time 2 Wiim devices are synced, the data is converted to 24/48 so the data is then not bit perfect. As an aside, Sonos automatically syncs its speakers and it also converts everything to 24/48 for syncing purposes.

Is this true?
I was thinking that this does not apply to streaming at least .

 

[wiimamp user]

Some definitions and history. This is somewhat long winded, but there seems to be some confusion about exact what bit perfect means.

Bit Perfect simply means that the input (file or stream) and the output (digital output like coax, optical, usb) are exactly the same, bit for bit. No changes are made to the data. It only applies to digital data. Any changes to the data such as equalization or room correction or noise reduction changes the bits, so the output is not bit perfect.

Technically, changing the volume destroys the bit perfect output since it changes the bits. However, it is typically done with such high precision that many people accept volume changes in what is otherwise a bit perfect path.

The reason people strive for a bit perfect path is that in the early days of computer audio those dreaded audiophiles noted that the Windows audio system often made changes to the data and there was no way to know what it did. Microsoft did this, for example, so that systems sounds could be heard when laying music. But the audiophiles wanted the data to go directly from the file to the output with WIndows interfering. Hence, bit perfect became a goal. Most audio players figured out how to get around the WIndows "Mixer" and provide bit perfect output. Eventually, Microsoft introduced WASAPI - a driver that would deliver bit perfect output and bit perfect output became the norm for most audio players.

The difference here is that the WIndows "Mixer" did unknown things to the data stream and that could not be avoided, whereas the equalization, room correction and other options like in the Wiim devices are specifically selected by the user and they should be aware that they are breaking the bit perfect stream. The user accepts that the altered data is not bit perfect but the resulting output is "better" than bit perfect output.

So, bit perfect simply means that what comes out is exactly what came in. But, the user can knowing apply changes to the data stream (like room correction) which breaks the bit perfectness, but provides advantages that the bit perfect data does not have.

One thing to be aware of with Wiim, it that any time 2 Wiim devices are synced, the data is converted to 24/48 so the data is then not bit perfect. As an aside, Sonos automatically syncs its speakers and it also converts everything to 24/48 for syncing purposes.

Thank you very much for this. Clears a lot to me.
I wonder what im gaining of i wont change anything? Is the recording even more pleasant of do i hear more details i didn,t hear before? I guess i wont but having said this im willing to try it. Thanks...

 

[dtc]

Is this true?
I was thinking that this does not apply to streaming at least .

That is what I have seen. I certainly know that high resolution files like 24/192 are converted to 24/48 when 2 devices are linked. I think that applies to 16/44 files as well. Certainly something to check. I know maintaining high resolution sample rates when linked has been on the roadmaps for a while.

 

[wiimamp user]

They make it all so difficult sometimes in this industry..
Bit perfect..and so on..take for instance DSD..what i often heard it seems to be so much better than PCM. But most of the customers just want to have the best quality. Ok better hardware reveals differences more.. i honestly hear difference between a cd and spotify but some dont..even on better hardware they dont? But ok some hear it some dont doesnt matter i do.

If DSD was the best there is why didn,t they record all the music from now on this way?
I know mainstream listens via bleutooth but why not offering the best for those are willing to invest in good hardware.
Its about the recording being made perfect in the first place thats where it starts and then we go to the hardware..dac,speakers.
But i guess how this industry works i guess maybe its often about time and money..