Tech Tuesday: Exploring Audio Input Ports

[RyanWithWiim]

Welcome to our inaugural Tech Tuesday post! We're going to start off light with something that might not be super technical as a way of easing into the series, but we'll get more advanced in the future.

Exploring Audio Input Ports​

Today we’re exploring the audio inputs of WiiM devices. You’ll find audio input ports such as Aux-In, Line-In, HDMI ARC, and SPDIF-In on various WiiM devices, check out our chart below with a quick breakdown so you know which devices have what connections.

These versatile audio input ports enable you to connect devices like CD players, TVs, and turntables for exceptional playback. Generally, HDMI ARC and Optical connections are preferred, recommended, and designed for use with TVs, as these digital inputs contain a lot more than just right and left audio signals.

Available Ports​

1. Analog Line In: Perfect for connecting CD players, turntables, or other analog audio sources.
2. Digital Optical S/PDIF In: Ideal for linking TVs, gaming consoles or digital audio devices.
3. HDMI ARC: Seamlessly integrate WiiM devices with TVs.

You can connect devices like CD players, TVs, PCs, or turntables, for high-quality playback with approximately 50ms reduced latency.

Device	HDMI ARC	S/PDIF In (Optical)	Analog RCA In
WiiM Amp
WiiM Amp Pro
WiiM Mini			(3.5mm Line In)
WiiM Pro
WiiM Pro Plus
WiiM Ultra

Once you've got your intended audio sources connected to your WiiM devices, it's time to play.

Manually Select Audio Input​

To play audio from the connected input, manually select an audio input by following these steps:

1. Open the WiiM Home App.
2. Navigate to the Device tab.
3. Choose the device or group where you want the audio to play.
4. Navigate to the Browse tab, scroll down, and select the appropriate input option: HDMI ARC, Line In, or Optical In.

Automatically Select Audio Input using Auto-Sensing​

The auto-sensing feature allows you to automatically play audio from the connected input when a signal is detected, provided the device has been inactive for at least 15 seconds.

Enable Auto-Sensing​

To enable auto-sensing, follow these steps:

1. Open the WiiM Home App.
2. Navigate to the Device tab.
3. Tap the gear icon to access Device Settings.
4. Select Audio Input and enable Auto-Sensing (Note: This feature is disabled by default).

By enabling auto-sensing, your WiiM device will automatically switch to the active audio input, offering a seamless and convenient listening experience.

Additional Information on Auto-Sensing​

When the auto-sensing feature is enabled and it is streaming music from a Wi-Fi source, the feature will be inactive if any of the following inputs is simultaneously playing music: Aux In, Line In, Optical In, or HDMI ARC.

HDMI ARC and Optical In Ports​

Supported Audio Format and Audio Quality​

The following table shows the supported audio formats and quality for the HDMI ARC and Optical In ports on WiiM devices:

Device	Digital Ports	Supported Audio Formats	Supported Audio Quality
WiiM Amp	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Amp Pro	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM, Dolby Digital	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Pro	Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Pro Plus	Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Ultra	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM, Dolby Digital	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz

Please note that TV audio formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS are not supported.
To ensure proper sound output and compatibility with unsupported formats, set the audio format to PCM in your TV or Blu-ray player's settings.

Additional Information on HDMI ARC​

When connecting your TV to a WiiM device via an HDMI cable, ensure you use the HDMI ARC port on your TV or Blu-ray player. Other HDMI ports won’t transmit sound to the WiiM devices.

If you experience no sound, ensure that the HDMI ARC output on your TV is activated within the settings, and that the audio format is set to Passthrough or PCM. For Passthrough to work, your WiiM device will need to support the audio format that is coming from the TV.

If there are control issues between your TV and your WiiM device, verify that HDMI-CEC control is enabled on your TV. This may be called other things depending on the TV manufacturer.

If your TV lacks an HDMI ARC port, connect the Optical Out port of your TV to the Optical In port of your WiiM device.

For more information, you can check out our product articles for:
How to use audio input ports of the WiiM Ultra
How to use the optical in and out interfaces for WiiM Pro and Pro Plus
How To Use Audio Input Ports of the WiiM Amp or WiiM Amp Pro
How to use the Aux-in, Line-in, Optical-in or HDMI port

 

[jed1]

Could you add more detail about analogue audio input and ADC specs (bit depth, sampling frequency, noise, max. voltage)? I noticed multiple posts about this.

 

[WiiMer SJ]

Welcome to our inaugural Tech Tuesday post! We're going to start off light with something that might not be super technical as a way of easing into the series, but we'll get more advanced in the future.

Exploring Audio Input Ports​

Today we’re exploring the audio inputs of WiiM devices. You’ll find audio input ports such as Aux-In, Line-In, HDMI ARC, and SPDIF-In on various WiiM devices, check out our chart below with a quick breakdown so you know which devices have what connections.

These versatile audio input ports enable you to connect devices like CD players, TVs, and turntables for exceptional playback. Generally, HDMI ARC and Optical connections are preferred, recommended, and designed for use with TVs, as these digital inputs contain a lot more than just right and left audio signals.

Available Ports​

1. Analog Line In: Perfect for connecting CD players, turntables, or other analog audio sources.
2. Digital Optical S/PDIF In: Ideal for linking TVs, gaming consoles or digital audio devices.
3. HDMI ARC: Seamlessly integrate WiiM devices with TVs.

You can connect devices like CD players, TVs, PCs, or turntables, for high-quality playback with approximately 50ms reduced latency.

Device	HDMI ARC	S/PDIF In (Optical)	Analog RCA In
WiiM Amp
WiiM Amp Pro
WiiM Mini			(3.5mm Line In)
WiiM Pro
WiiM Pro Plus
WiiM Ultra

Once you've got your intended audio sources connected to your WiiM devices, it's time to play.

Manually Select Audio Input​

To play audio from the connected input, manually select an audio input by following these steps:

1. Open the WiiM Home App.
2. Navigate to the Device tab.
3. Choose the device or group where you want the audio to play.
4. Navigate to the Browse tab, scroll down, and select the appropriate input option: HDMI ARC, Line In, or Optical In.

Automatically Select Audio Input using Auto-Sensing​

The auto-sensing feature allows you to automatically play audio from the connected input when a signal is detected, provided the device has been inactive for at least 15 seconds.

Enable Auto-Sensing​

To enable auto-sensing, follow these steps:

1. Open the WiiM Home App.
2. Navigate to the Device tab.
3. Tap the gear icon to access Device Settings.
4. Select Audio Input and enable Auto-Sensing (Note: This feature is disabled by default).

By enabling auto-sensing, your WiiM device will automatically switch to the active audio input, offering a seamless and convenient listening experience.

Additional Information on Auto-Sensing​

When the auto-sensing feature is enabled and it is streaming music from a Wi-Fi source, the feature will be inactive if any of the following inputs is simultaneously playing music: Aux In, Line In, Optical In, or HDMI ARC.

HDMI ARC and Optical In Ports​

Supported Audio Format and Audio Quality​

The following table shows the supported audio formats and quality for the HDMI ARC and Optical In ports on WiiM devices:

Device	Digital Ports	Supported Audio Formats	Supported Audio Quality
WiiM Amp	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Amp Pro	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM, Dolby Digital	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Pro	Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Pro Plus	Optical In	PCM	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz
WiiM Ultra	HDMI ARC and Optical In	PCM, Dolby Digital	Up to 24-bit/192 kHz

Please note that TV audio formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS are not supported.
To ensure proper sound output and compatibility with unsupported formats, set the audio format to PCM in your TV or Blu-ray player's settings.

Additional Information on HDMI ARC​

When connecting your TV to a WiiM device via an HDMI cable, ensure you use the HDMI ARC port on your TV or Blu-ray player. Other HDMI ports won’t transmit sound to the WiiM devices.

If you experience no sound, ensure that the HDMI ARC output on your TV is activated within the settings, and that the audio format is set to Passthrough or PCM. For Passthrough to work, your WiiM device will need to support the audio format that is coming from the TV.

If there are control issues between your TV and your WiiM device, verify that HDMI-CEC control is enabled on your TV. This may be called other things depending on the TV manufacturer.

If your TV lacks an HDMI ARC port, connect the Optical Out port of your TV to the Optical In port of your WiiM device.

For more information, you can check out our product articles for:
How to use audio input ports of the WiiM Ultra
How to use the optical in and out interfaces for WiiM Pro and Pro Plus
How To Use Audio Input Ports of the WiiM Amp or WiiM Amp Pro
How to use the Aux-in, Line-in, Optical-in or HDMI port

Will there be a quiz on Friday?

 

[henninggodske]

CD is a digital source, not analog.

 

[RyanWithWiim]

CD is a digital source, not analog.

You're correct, CDs are digital media. But for our purposes here the CD would be getting played by a device such as a CD player which would then be connected to WiiM through analog RCA or 3.5mm line-out, at that point, it's an analog signal.

 

[henninggodske]

A CD certainly starts that way, but if it's leaving a CD player through the analog RCA or 3.5mm line-out, it's not really digital anymore.

No. But why use RCA? All (proper) CD players have digital output. Even my old one from 1992.

 

[RyanWithWiim]

No. But why use RCA? All (proper) CD players have digital output. Even my old one from 1992.

That's a good point, I made a few edits just to be clear. My first CD players didn't, but I had one of these badboys:

 

[onlyoneme]

How this de-noising over the digital inputs works? Afaik there is a buffering already involved so what is the role of yet another buffering?

 

[magreen]

Hi. Thanks for the post. Could you elaborate on the following please? It’s vague and ambiguous.

When the auto-sensing feature is enabled and it is streaming music from a Wi-Fi source, the feature will be inactive if any of the following inputs is simultaneously playing music: Aux In, Line In, Optical In, or HDMI ARC.

Edit: What I’d really like to know is what happens when using a line in analog source together with (before, during, after) WiFi streaming. Which one takes precedence, if auto sensing has been previously enabled on line in? I’d like to configure my device so that WiFi streaming is never interrupted and always takes precedence; but if no one is streaming over WiFi, the line in input will automatically be active. Also, is the behavior the same for the Wiim Pro and the Wiim mini? Thank you.

 

[Wiimer]

Hi. Thanks for the post. Could you elaborate on the following please? It’s vague and ambiguous.



Edit: What I’d really like to know is what happens when using a line in analog source together with (before, during, after) WiFi streaming. Which one takes precedence, if auto sensing has been previously enabled on line in? I’d like to configure my device so that WiFi streaming is never interrupted and always takes precedence; but if no one is streaming over WiFi, the line in input will automatically be active. Also, is the behavior the same for the Wiim Pro and the Wiim mini? Thank you.

In my testing, Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) streaming has the highest priority.

It switches to Wi-Fi when streaming starts, even if Line-in is playing. (Then, if Line-in continues to play, it will return to Line-in again when you stop streaming).

On the other hand, the automatic switch to Line-in only works when streaming is paused.