What products you'd like to see WiiM produce?

[Achim2026]

My answer was more general, a DAP is build as mobile device and has its benefits there. Nothing to do with WiiM. The market in every price range seems already saturated, by FiiO for example. I do not see WiiM jumping in.

 

[Burnside]

Are you the real Achim? Welcome back—where have you been?

I didn't think so - same format of name, but no other clues that it's our old friend...

 

[QuarryHunslet]

I didn't think so - same format of name, but no other clues that it's our old friend...

I was also wondering.

 

[Burnside]

I was also wondering.

Nothing at all in the posts to make me consider it beyond the similarity in name. Last time I spoke to him he's happily taking life easy and enjoying his Linn MDSM/5 with nary a WiiM in sight, but does occasionally read the posts here - he joked about the routine "raise a ticket via the more/feedback section" that I/we often quote

 

[Achim2026]

I am innocent, the name was given me before I could intervene. In some other forums I know are self introducing threads, did not found such here. Anyway, my mother wanted a Joachim, as a child I and my friends thought this too long and a quite common short nick where I grew up is Achim. Her birthday is on 26th of July and that is the saint's day for Joachim. But this must be enough secrets for now.

 

[Burnside]

I am innocent, the name was given me before I could intervene. In some other forums I know are self introducing threads, did not found such here. Anyway, my mother wanted a Joachim, as a child I and my friends thought this too long and a quite common short nick where I grew up is Achim. Her birthday is on 26th of July and that is the saint's day for Joachim. But this must be enough secrets for now.

Unless your mother was Scottish and you have a store of idioms she would say, you're not the "original" Achim who frequented this forum for a few years under various "Achimxxxx" monikers

 

[Achim2026]

No, my idioms are hessisch all over, but that is too hard to write.

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

What’s the difference between a smartphone and a DAP?

Good question. I have a DAP for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my phone is an iPhone - these devices are notoriously tricky to store and play locally stored content which is your own. Secondly, the iPhone infrastructure makes it tricky to use additional apps like those offering PEQ. In both cases, not impossible, but there are issues. I also don't have to pay a small fortune more for an iPhone with large amounts of extra storage.

My DAP works for me as I have both my own music files and my streaming service on one device. That's a very useful position to be in. Also, if I'm half way through Dark Side of the Moon, I don't get interrupted by calls, texts and WhatsApps. Finally, my DAP gives me the option of Bluetooth, single ended, or balanced outputs.

 

[iPat]

I would buy right away a supreme edition of PRO PLUS, no screen necessary as all our devices iOS , Mac OS , ATV, show great interfaces, the software / OS of WiiM is possibly the best and makes changing to competitor not attractive. The Wiim Supreme bridge or streamer (with DAC for larger appeal) could have just next level power supply, Toslink board optimised/isolated with best chipset, super USB input with Xmos316 or better, galvanised again. Like a T8 eversolo but without the screen/android challenges or like a PRIMARE NP5 bridge but with WiiM super OS. Sober stylised exterior, solid and functional, like Hegel, Primare etc and all the quality focus inside on components that push the audio outputs just a nudge higher up keeping the WiiM OS reliability

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I would buy right away a supreme edition of PRO PLUS, no screen necessary as all our devices iOS , Mac OS , ATV, show great interfaces, the software / OS of WiiM is possibly the best and makes changing to competitor not attractive. The Wiim Supreme bridge or streamer (with DAC for larger appeal) could have just next level power supply, Toslink board optimised/isolated with best chipset, super USB input with Xmos316 or better, galvanised again. Like a T8 eversolo but without the screen/android challenges or like a PRIMARE NP5 bridge but with WiiM super OS. Sober stylised exterior, solid and functional, like Hegel, Primare etc and all the quality focus inside on components that push the audio outputs just a nudge higher up keeping the WiiM OS reliability

We keep seeing these comments about an upgraded power supply. I genuinely don't get it. Are people not aware?

The Pro Plus and Ultra have been tested and measured, and there is absolutely no power supply-related noise or distortion within the range of human audibility.

For clarity, I do NOT want any future WiiM to be more expensive because it includes a 'better' power supply (or anything) which has absolutely no improvement in usability or sound quality. A complete waste of money, and the most ridiculous thing any manufacturer could do - more expensive for no benefit.

Fortunately, this does not appear to be how WiiM work. They give excellent quality with great value for money.

 

[Wiimer]

Good question. I have a DAP for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my phone is an iPhone - these devices are notoriously tricky to store and play locally stored content which is your own. Secondly, the iPhone infrastructure makes it tricky to use additional apps like those offering PEQ. In both cases, not impossible, but there are issues. I also don't have to pay a small fortune more for an iPhone with large amounts of extra storage.

My DAP works for me as I have both my own music files and my streaming service on one device. That's a very useful position to be in. Also, if I'm half way through Dark Side of the Moon, I don't get interrupted by calls, texts and WhatsApps. Finally, my DAP gives me the option of Bluetooth, single ended, or balanced outputs.

WiiM DAP will be a LINUX OS, right?
So, do you control it using the WiiM app on your phone?

 

[Wiimer]

I am innocent, the name was given me before I could intervene. In some other forums I know are self introducing threads, did not found such here. Anyway, my mother wanted a Joachim, as a child I and my friends thought this too long and a quite common short nick where I grew up is Achim. Her birthday is on 26th of July and that is the saint's day for Joachim. But this must be enough secrets for now.

Sorry for the trouble caused by my misunderstanding. Please continue to enjoy the forum.

 

[Achim2026]

No reason, you seem not to be the only one. Hi Wiimer, I am Achim

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

WiiM DAP will be a LINUX OS, right?
So, do you control it using the WiiM app on your phone?

No idea, I'm afraid. Just offering the reasons I have a DAP.

By the way, most DAPs are Android.

I will say, a WiiM DAP would appear to be quite different to anything else they've done. They started with a streamer (Mini). Went for better streamers (Pro, Pro Plus, Ultra), added amplification (Amp, Amp Pro, Amp Ultra), provided a wireless sub, stuck the streamer and amp in a smart speaker (Sound/Lite). A WiiM DAP would be something completely 'other' with little, if anything to do with current WiiM products.

I suppose the only way it could fit into the current WiiM infrastructure is if you could stream content stored on your WiiM Ultra USB drive over the internet.

 

[taube Taube]

We keep seeing these comments about an upgraded power supply. I genuinely don't get it. Are people not aware?

The Pro Plus and Ultra have been tested and measured, and there is absolutely no power supply-related noise or distortion within the range of human audibility.

For clarity, I do NOT want any future WiiM to be more expensive because it includes a 'better' power supply (or anything) which has absolutely no improvement in usability or sound quality. A complete waste of money, and the most ridiculous thing any manufacturer could do - more expensive for no benefit.

Fortunately, this does not appear to be how WiiM work. They give excellent quality with great value for money.

You don't have to pay for future consoles at all, because no matter what improvements you make, the measurements won't show any improvement in sound. There is no reason to buy them.

 

[canard]

You don't have to pay for future consoles at all, because no matter what improvements you make, the measurements won't show any improvement in sound. There is no reason to buy them.

That's called a "mantra"...
the famous "asr mantra"...
;-)

 

[EddNog]

WiiM DAP will be a LINUX OS, right?
So, do you control it using the WiiM app on your phone?

The DAP can be designed with either one of two software approaches:
1) based on Android, but the WiiM Home App controls the DAP directly via touchscreen (essentially like any other DAP using its own native music app, such as HiByMusic on a HiBy R4).
2) LinkPlay develop a version of the OS in the WiiM Ultra to run on a larger vertical display with the complete feature set of the phone/tablet app as the interface of the WiiM DAP itself.

The point of the DAP would the same sort of usage as the old iPods, so higher performance DAC and headphone amp integrated within than smartphones have (specifically the amp stage, something with the power to drive even moderately power hungry planar magnetic headphones), offering both, 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced (which can put out 4X the power of the single-ended output) outputs. It would have a micro SD slot for one’s personal library and then a WiFi radio to take advantage of either your phone’s hotspot or any other available WiFi. A Bluetooth radio with at least AptX Adaptive and AptX Lossless support if not also LDAC and/or LHDC.

The point is to have that same WiiM listening experience you have at home, but when you’re on the go.

My other suggestions about the added value functionality were to have a calibrated mic integrated for when you ARE at home to improve the functionality of your home WiiM devices’ RoomFit and sub calibration workflows. Additionally, since DAPs have physical buttons for Play/Pause/Skip/Repeat/Return and Volume Up/Down, it should be able to sync to your home WiiM device and act as a remote for the home devices when on the shared network. The big advantage here is that, unlike the normal remotes, which are synced via Bluetooth to the specific device/streamer that it belongs to, the DAP would work over WiFi so you can control whichever WiiM device you choose from any room in the house with WiFi, an especially useful thing to have if you don’t want to have to seek out the remote, want to control playback in a different room, and don’t want to have to open/unlock the screen and open an app.

Smartphones don’t have headphone jacks anymore, but not everyone wants to use wireless crap. A good quality DAC/amp integrated already makes any DAP better than a smartphone without headphone jacks for serious listeners. WiiM potentially can make the best UI on the market for a DAP, and the integration with the rest of the ecosystem would be icing on the cake.

-Ed

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

You don't have to pay for future consoles at all, because no matter what improvements you make, the measurements won't show any improvement in sound. There is no reason to buy them.

But that's not really logical at all, is it.

Look back through this thread, and you'll find a whole host of features people would like to see on a new WiiM streamer which won't make it better sound quality per se. A bigger screen. The ability to output over HDMI. Dual sub outs. A better ADC stage (now that would improve sound quality). More ins (especially digital coax). Balanced outputs.

If WiiM were to build a new streamer with lots of new features like these, I'd be in the market for one. But that new streamer would be more expensive. I certainly wouldn't want extra expense on top of that, when it brought no advantage whatsoever.

 

[EddNog]

But that's not really logical at all, is it.

Look back through this thread, and you'll find a whole host of features people would like to see on a new WiiM streamer which won't make it better sound quality per se. A bigger screen. The ability to output over HDMI. Dual sub outs. A better ADC stage (now that would improve sound quality). More ins (especially digital coax). Balanced outputs.

If WiiM were to build a new streamer with lots of new features like these, I'd be in the market for one. But that new streamer would be more expensive. I certainly wouldn't want extra expense on top of that, when it brought no advantage whatsoever.

I agree with you on most of your points, but saying dual sub outs don't improve sound is a stretch. Adding a second sub can significantly enhance the quality of your system's sound.

This is coming from a guy running only a single sub.

-Ed

 

[Steve Woodhouse]

I agree with you on most of your points, but saying dual sub outs don't improve sound is a stretch. Adding a second sub can significantly enhance the quality of your system's sound.

This is coming from a guy running only a single sub.

-Ed

Yes, I absolutely see what you mean. My general point was that the sound quality of the Ultra as is cannot be bettered - it's transparent to the digital source. Adding a second sub is like adding better speakers - it's the speakers which are the sound quality upgrade, and the WiiM in itself wouldn't sound better, it'd just enable you to use (and dial in) a second sub, and that sub would be the difference. Importantly, it'd also cost very little indeed to add.