Thank you WiiM, but mild concerns for the future

[castalla]

Streaming services will come and go. What they stream I see remaining consistent. WiiM will need to add support for future Streaming companies.

How can they support a service which doesn't yet exist?

 

[onek00lj4y]

Then don't buy one move on

 

[goodmore]

How can they support a service which doesn't yet exist?

The question is how long WiiM will support the current models. Companies like Samsung support TV firmware updates for how long? Two years! After that the Smart TV's stops being so smart. So the question is do you buy the most expensive Ultra or stick with the Mini?

 

[adias]

… So the question is do you buy the most expensive Ultra or stick with the Mini?

The Ultra sounds better.

 

[Hiphiman]

The question is how long WiiM will support the current models. Companies like Samsung support TV firmware updates for how long? Two years! After that the Smart TV's stops being so smart. So the question is do you buy the most expensive Ultra or stick with the Mini?

What you can certainly say is that there is little logic in buying an expensive streamer ($/£1K+) because the hit would be so much higher. And there are so many of these now appearing from established manufacturers.
If the highest fidelity is required then anything from WiiM linked to a high quality separate DAC would seem a financially safer long term option.

 

[slartibartfast]

What you can certainly say is that there is little logic in buying an expensive streamer ($/£1K+) because the hit would be so much higher. And there are so many of these now appearing from established manufacturers.
If the highest fidelity is required then anything from WiiM linked to a high quality separate DAC would seem a financially safer long term option.

Musical Fidelity Encores cost a small fortune and they were completely dropped by Musical Fidelity leaving a lot of irate customers, or more likely "former customers"

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Then don't buy one move on

That's a particularly pointless, mean-spirited comment, designed to bring more heat than light.

It's clearly obvious that I've already bought one, that I'm very happy indeed with it, that my concern is mild (as per thread title), and that it's probably the same for all 'smart' devices we could buy.

 

[onek00lj4y]

You need to chill then & just enjoy,nothing in this world is guaranteed!

 

[BowsAndArrows]

If I have to get latest WiiM Ultra equivalent in two years time, I don’t mind. WiiM devices are relatively cheap and objectively measure well.

seems pretty wasteful if that's the WiiM team's plan: to make planned obsolescence a major part of their business strategy...

that's why i keep suggesting that WiiM should consider other monetisation models - such as subscription fees for the software, or creating modular physical devices that can be upgraded over time (e.g. socketed SoCs or something similar). the modular hardware in particular would really shake the whole industry up and create long term customer loyalty...

many people also balk at a suggestion like paid software. but the reality is that development costs money, and if it's funded primarily by planned obsolescence of hardware products then it doesn't end up in a good situation for the consumer + the environment...

 

[Pragmatist]

 

[onek00lj4y]

That's a particularly pointless, mean-spirited comment, designed to bring more heat than light.

It's clearly obvious that I've already bought one, that I'm very happy indeed with it, that my concern is mild (as per thread title), and that it's probably the same for all 'smart' devices we could buy.

The just enjoy you're happiness with the Wiim then.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

The just enjoy you're happiness with the Wiim then.

As you’ve now replied twice to the same post, perhaps you’re the one who needs to be moving on.

 

[onek00lj4y]

As you’ve now replied twice to the same post, perhaps you’re the one who needs to be moving on.

Yes you're correct as always

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

Yes you're correct as always

So glad you’d noticed.

 

[drrw119]

Well, for the moment I'm pretty much done with getting my WiiMs set up. My PC/speaker/Ultra and Mini/Headphone Amp is all going strong, USB attached to the Ultra, accessible with the Mini too, all excellent.

On the horizon, the possibility of Minis for elsewhere in the house, and maybe an Amp/Pro under the 2nd lounge TV (with possibly yet another Mini for surround duties, as we see how that plays out), but that's all gravy.

Whilst I'm completely happy, nay ecstatic, with what I have, I do have a slight concern for the future. I've had a Sonos for quite a few years, and I've seen issues come and go. There was a point where they were pretty much saying old models would be obsolete/not updated, and there've been all sorts of shenanigans lately with the app.

Just reading the threads at these forums, it's astonishing how many bizarre little features, quirks, updates, requests, etc. there are for WiiM. You read any update page, and it's often a list of features I'd never use, many I've not even heard of. The complexity is astonishing.

It would appear that Ye Olde Dayes ™ of a source with Play, Pause, Next/Ffwd, Prev/Rwnd, Stop, an On/Off button and volume control and...well, that's it - works from when you buy it for life with no updates, well those Dayes have gone.

But the more complex a set-up is, the more it needs to be updated/supported, for when new PCs, new versions of Windows, new iPhones/iPads, versions of iOS, new routers, arrive. And the more proactive WiiM (or any company) are at bringing in new/better features and products, the less likely it is that something like the WiiM App (one app to rule all your WiMs) is going to be possible. And as new products come online, old ones become obsolete and abandoned, with no new firmware updates, and the old firmware not working with whatever else is going on in the world.

So thank you WiiM, I love my set ups. They're by far and away the best I've ever had, most advanced, most versatile, most user friendly, and best value for money systems I've had in 40 years of Hi-Fi. But please don't let them become obsolete.

I think this is a particular concern for the Wiim amplifiers. We must accept that any streaming device is likely to become obsolete eventually - whether for technological reasons, or because the cost of continuous software updates cannot be met by sales of new devices.

The Wiim Amp and Wiim Amp Pro have excellent amplifier/DAC sections, which could plausibly be used for many years in combination with future streamers (via HDMI ARC, optical or line in) - even after streamer functionality becomes limited.
HOWEVER, some core amplifier functions, such as mono/stereo/balance control, subwoofer on/off/crossover selection, and speaker/subwoofer sync are entirely dependent on the Wiim Amp: They cannot be directly controlled by the remote, and APIs for these functions have not been published.

I'd like to buy more Wiim Amp products, but at a minimum, I would like to see published APIs for core amplifier functions. That would at least give me security that even if the Wiim App is no longer available, there is a mechanism to keep using the Wiim Amp/Wiim Amp Pro as a 'dumb' amplifier.

[of course, better still would be a commitment to open-sourcing the entire platform, as Logitech did for Squeezebox, but this might be hard to guarantee]