What products you'd like to see WiiM produce?

[WiiM Support]

Would love to see a future Ultra update include the ability to set high and low pass filters at nearly any frequency. For example, it would be great if the WiiM could be used as an active crossover for speakers that can be bi-amped.

If the sub output could be crossed over as high as say, 3000Hz, that would enable many owners to use the Ultra as an active crossover between the tweeters and woofers of their main speakers, providing an instant sound quality upgrade for many speaker systems. This would further solidify the Ultra as the ultimate Swiss Army knife of audio.

Hi Rolls59,

Let me check with our team about adding an option to set a higher crossover frequency beyond 250Hz. The underlying system already supports it, so we’ll explore making this available to you.

 

[WiiM Support]

But shouldn't you then reduce the volume limit...

The internal processing operates at 32-bit resolution, ensuring that your output's dynamic range remains unaffected. There is sufficient headroom to accommodate a small pre-gain adjustment without issues. We'd like to hear your experience though.

 

[Mr Ee]

We'd like to hear your experience though.

My amp pro is currently at "30" with 0 gain, and it's plenty loud enough in my office, almost to the point of distraction from work.

 

[Wiimer]

Hi Rolls59,

Let me check with our team about adding an option to set a higher crossover frequency beyond 250Hz. The underlying system already supports it, so we’ll explore making this available to you.

Hi,

In my opinion it will not (for @Rolls59). I believe he is requesting stereo high and low pass for bi-amping, which is not possible since the sub output is mono.

If you use 2 WiiM Ultra's to make an MRM group, you can connect the master device to the tweeter and the slave to the woofer. However, both can only apply high pass. (This is because they do not use the sub outputs.)

So you need to be able to use low-pass on the main outputs (Coax, Optical, Line, USB, Speaker).

 

[Mr Ee]

Still off topic, but wiim support started it...

I realise the main reason for pre gain is to normalise volume from different sources, but just saying the amp pro is plenty loud.
Finally got around to reorganising the home office, and replaced my rather large and heavy Marantz PM8005 with the amp pro.


Yes, that barely visible object on top of the rme is a mini.
No, it's not at all an imbalanced headphone setup

 

[slartibartfast]

Hi Team,

If you’d like to boost the volume on your WiiM Amp Pro/Amp, try setting a positive pre-gain for your input. We recommend starting with a small increase, like +3dB, and adjusting as needed. Let us know how it works for you!

I was simply stating that an amplifier with 200W @ 4 Ohms would have a maximum volume 2.2dB louder than the current WiiM Amp before clipping. Using pre-gain isn't going to change that. The point was that a 200W amp isn't much louder than a 120W amp.

 

[EddNog]

@WiiM Team

Imagine an interesting new product: Two sets of analog inputs (when I say sets, I mean each set has single-ended and also balanced), one volume attenuator that controls output synchronously BY WAY OF TWO SETS OF SYNCHRONIZED RESISTOR LADDERS (analog-domain attenuation, not digital) between the two sets of inputs, and then matched sets of outputs (again, both, single-ended and balanced). The entire device should be active, so that if you use single-ended input, it can still output a balanced, differential signal after the volume control, and on the output end there should be an option to combine L/R signals into a single signal (like an LFE output).

And even better yet, we should allow adjustable high-pass filter on the first set of in/outputs and an adjustable low-pass filter on the second set of in/outputs. Slope and frequency should both be adjustable. And of course both filters can be bypassed.

The unit should also have a single 12V trigger input and three 12V trigger outputs, and it should have a remote control that can control volume, filter slopes and filter frequencies.

Call it the WiiM Preamp without a remote and WiiM Preamp Ultra when a remote is included.

-Ed

 

[ads42]

I would love to see a Power Amp with same form factor of the Wiim Ultra.
The Vibelink seems to be an integrated amp, this extra volume pot is useless in my case and no way to use my subwoofer since the sub output is on the ultra side.

I would love to see also a CD player / ripper of same for factor as the ultra so I can ditch my Marantz CD player that is too large compare to the ultra

 

[Fralle]

A truly great Phono preamp that you could connect to the line in or optical in on your Wiim ultra. I personaly don't want to go back to listening to my physical records without room correction and according to ASR among other the Phono preamp could use some improvements. To my ears it sounds just fine really. But this way you could have some options. I think it is important that the preamp could be connected to either line in or optical since a lot of people probably are already using one or the other to something else.

 

[Mr Ee]

I would love to see a Power Amp with same form factor of the Wiim Ultra.
The Vibelink seems to be an integrated amp, this extra volume pot is useless in my case and no way to use my subwoofer since the sub output is on the ultra side.

I would love to see also a CD player / ripper of same for factor as the ultra so I can ditch my Marantz CD player that is too large compare to the ultra

You could just turn the vibelink to Max and use its analog inputs, which we are pretty confident are not digitised.
Like that it's effectively a power amp.
Although... have I considered the sub... thinking...

 

[canard]

which we are pretty confident are not digitised.

????

 

[slartibartfast]

????

If volume is not digital and there is no DSP there is no need to digitise the analog inputs.

 

[canard]

If volume is not digital and there is no DSP there is no need to digitise the analog inputs.

waiting .... ;-)
( volume not """digital"""?)

 

[hgo58]

If volume is not digital and there is no DSP there is no need to digitise the analog inputs.

It will however be a kind of digitized any way (PWM), as it's a class D amplifier.
But yes, it would be strange if the analog input went through a ADC.

I think we can assume that the Vibelink will work as a pure amplifier for the WiiM Ultra analog or digital output, as it is announced as such.

 

[EddNog]

I would love to see a Power Amp with same form factor of the Wiim Ultra.
The Vibelink seems to be an integrated amp, this extra volume pot is useless in my case and no way to use my subwoofer since the sub output is on the ultra side.

I would love to see also a CD player / ripper of same for factor as the ultra so I can ditch my Marantz CD player that is too large compare to the ultra

There is already a pure power amp in the WiiM Ultra’s form factor on the market, the IOM Ultra, which is a Hypex core (NC252MP)-based, Class-D power amplifier. Quite a few of us have purchased one already.

-Ed

 

[Fralle]

There is already a pure power amp in the WiiM Ultra’s form factor on the market, the IOM Ultra, which is a Hypex core (NC252MP)-based, Class-D power amplifier. Quite a few of us have purchased one already.

-Ed

I already own a Audiophonics version that I bought before this was released. If not I would have bought it for a cleaner looking setup. Are you happen with it. Does it get hot? Only possible to power on/off with trigger cable right?

 

[EddNog]

I already own a Audiophonics version that I bought before this was released. If not I would have bought it for a cleaner looking setup. Are you happen with it. Does it get hot? Only possible to power on/off with trigger cable right?

Yes, trigger input is mandatory. Does not work without trigger. It doesn’t get very hot. I was happy with the sound, but not happy with the power-on/-off pop, so I gave it to my dad, who never shuts his equipment off. It’s not very loud and won’t damage anything, but I found it bothersome since I power on and off my system a lot.

-Ed

 

[timoryke]

Allow more than one output at the same time. Analog out to go to a headphone amp while speakers are playing.

 

[Kblade97]

I think you nailed it on the head. But also, what’s important is the analog outputs and the digital outputs the quality of the circuit, how it’s laid out and the parts quality. The ultra is not giving me better sound than the pro, it’s cool looking definitely, but it doesn’t sound any better. I want to see a more robust output stage with better quality parts and I’m willing to pay for it. Whether it’s an amp or a streamer. Also, I don’t need a phono stage and rc in a streamer because I use an outboard phono stage and Dirac. I tried the on board phono stage in the ultra and I’m not trying to be snooty, but it’s not good at all. Room correction meh. Maybe I’m at a different point in my life and I’m willing to pay for it than say maybe a 25 to 30-year-old and I can understand that. Or maybe even somebody that’s it’s in their 40s/50’s that has children in college. But I will say I brought over a lumen (sp) transport, and used it as a transport to my dac and it absolutely annihilated the ultra, anyway I used it, it was better. How can that be? It’s only ones and zeros and everything is supposed to be bit perfect. Open up the lumen and look at the big huge power supply, all the nice high-quality caps in the analog outputs with incredible storage capabilities it sounded phenomenal the ability to drive the amplifier incredible. It made the ultra sound thin and narrow. And maybe WiiM is not trying to compete at that level with that type of product. I also think it’s absurd what the lumen transport/sreamer cost it’s absolutely freaking ridiculous. I could buy all those quality parts for half or maybe even less than what the lumen cost. But after listening to it would I buy it, yeah. If not id rather go back to playing CDs on my CD player and use my tt for music. I’m not saying the ultra is not listenable. I’m just saying there’s better out there. And what I have in my main system I’m going to buy what’s better if I’m going to stream music using Qobuz. It looks like I’ll be having to pay a lot more money for a streamer because the WiiM is not capable of doing what the lumen did in my system. I will say if I was in my 20s and these types of products were out the sound they put out gives you the ability to put a good system together for a little bit of money. Can it really compete with the big dogs no, but you’re going to pay thousands of dollars more to do that and I’m not sure WiiM is ever going to do anything like that.
Please don’t take this as a mean spirited post. I will continue to use WiiM out in my family room and out in my backyard. But in my main listening system now that I know that I can do better I will be going in that direction, but I will continue to use WiiM products for lesser situations. Again, this is not trying to be mean spirited. I’m just telling you what I heard. Do I love wiim products yes. And as I said, I will definitely continue to use them. Oh and one thing the wiim app is better than the lumens.

OK I’m going to reply to my own post. I never use the analog outputs on the Ultra. I was using a Chord dac that I’ve owned for awhile through the usb output. Decided to try the analog output of the Ultra and it sounds much better than my Chord Dac by quite a bit. More punch, vocals have more weight it just sounds right. I think the Ultra is best used through the analog output at least for me. I know there was a pole taking votes on whether using an external DAC or the internal Dac of the Ulta, and I voted the external dac sounded better. I was WRONG! I also said the Lumin streamer was better and it is using its digital outputs. But comparing the Lumin with the Ultra using the analog output on the Ultra, I’d rather save my money the Ultra is that good on the analog outputs.
I tried A1 steak sauce on my crow. It did help it go down better. But the feathers not so much well done @WiiM Team well done

 

[mlsstl]

Over the years, I've tried several standalone DACs and also several different models of streamers with built-in DACs and, frankly, the differences (if they are even there) are so subtle that it is not worth the effort and expense to use an external DAC. I find the built-in DACs on the Ultra and Pro Plus to be excellent.

Here are the three biggest variables in a stereo system for me: 1) the biggest variable of all is me -- what mood I'm in, how tired, what else is going on in my life, etc. Expensive systems don't change that. 2) Which speakers are being used and how they've been setup, combined with room acoustics. 3) The recording -- some of my favorite music was recorded in a very mediocre fashion. While sometimes you can tweak things a bit with an EQ, remixing is not possible, nor can compression, limiting and distortion be removed no matter how fancy your system. (I know some surprising things are being done with AI these days, but that's still not a consumer product for daily use.)

Based on the above, the Ultra is as good a unit as I need. Compared to past setups, it's easy to use for my wife and the room correction does more to improve my listening enjoyment than any external DAC out there, without having spent thousands. My hope is that they just continue to improve the on-the-fly queue management.