WiiM Amp Ultra Users Experience

[dangermouse]

Wiim does not have any streaming applications installed...

Really?

 

[slartibartfast]

Really?

I think he means you can't play any of them from the touch screen.

 

[hgo58]

Really?

Yes and no. The WiiM software architecture is different from the streamers that is Android based.

The WiiM device don't run installable applications but internal services (linux processes). These services are accessed and controlled by the WiiM Home App.

Some of it can also be controlled by the Ultra screen but not all of it. This is also true for the Windows, Mac and TV WiiM apps.

 

[kac4zor]

I didn't read in the specifications that the wiim is on Linux , I'll try to get used to it , the presets are helpful , it's a pity that only 12 , because on them you can save your playlists , notsty on how much you can already play a particular album without using your phone , or search for an artist .

 

[Burnside]

I didn't read in the specifications that the wiim is on Linux , I'll try to get used to it , the presets are helpful , it's a pity that only 12 , because on them you can save your playlists , notsty on how much you can already play a particular album without using your phone , or search for an artist .

I believe there’s been chat of increasing that number from 12 to 32 iirc…

 

[hgo58]

I didn't read in the specifications that the wiim is on Linux

It's not documented, as it doesn't matter to the end user.

It's just not a Android system running Android apps.

 

[kac4zor]

Maybe I'll get used to it , and now probably the most important difference from Eversolo - sound, power - and that's it, I have difficult speakers and Wiim handles them perfectly - I had already forgotten how good they sound, how much bass, treble and quite good midrange they have. I'm not an audiophile, but I'm a musician, I play the drums. I'll test it out and maybe I'll keep it

 

[Toshib191]

Does the Amp Ultra sound better than Amp Pro or the Vibelink?

I'm looking for the best Wiim Amp to drive the Elac DBR62 in my 25m2 room and I was wondering if the Amp Pro could be enough in regards to the sound, because I don't really need the screen and the extra power output I guess. What are your thoughts?

 

[Danny Linguini]

Does the Amp Ultra sound better than Amp Pro or the Vibelink?

I'm looking for the best Wiim Amp to drive the Elac DBR62 in my 25m2 room. Which one would you recommend?

I can’t say about the Vibelink, but to my ears the Amp Ultra sounds better than the Amp Pro and every bit worth the extra cost (I recently upgraded to the former from the latter). Better dynamics, just generally cleaner definition. I think it should drive your Elacs very nicely.

 

[dominikz]

Does the Amp Ultra sound better than Amp Pro or the Vibelink?

I'm looking for the best Wiim Amp to drive the Elac DBR62 in my 25m2 room and I was wondering if the Amp Pro could be enough in regards to the sound, because I don't really need the screen and the extra power output I guess. What are your thoughts?

When polarity- and level-matched, and when listening blind I couldn't hear any difference between the Amp Pro and Amp Ultra.
I've documented my findings in this thread. The thread even contains recordings of the output of both amps, so you can get some idea of the differences (or lack thereof) yourself.

IMHO both are really nice devices!

 

[Toshib191]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Unfortunatly they are different. I think I will have to test them myself to really find out.

 

[dominikz]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Unfortunatly they are different. I think I will have to test them myself to really find out.

Just a note that without precise level matching these two amps sound different to me as well. Small level differences can often be perceived as differences in tonality or sound quality.
In the thread I linked in my previous post you will also find clips without level matching, so you can get some feeling of the relative effect this has.

 

[Toshib191]

Just a note that without precise level matching these two amps sound different to me as well. Small level differences can often be perceived as differences in tonality or sound quality.
In the thread I linked in my previous post you will also find clips without level matching, so you can get some feeling of the relative effect this has.

Thank you. It's interesting that this could be a reason for people hearing differences between these amps.

I would go for the Amp Pro, because of it's simple, full aluminum design with no screen (and lower price is nice, too), if it really does sound the same as the Ultra.

I plan to pair a streaming amp with the Elac DBR62 and the Ascilab C6B later on and hope they will be a good match.

 

[Mr Ee]

Does the Amp Ultra sound better than Amp Pro or the Vibelink?

I'm with @Danny Linguini on this - I think the amp ultra sounds better than the amp pro, at any volume.
I feel it's quite evident in all my setups, but most strikingly with my Paradigm speakers where it truly is a massive difference.
Also, for me the vibelink sounds the same as / indistinguishable from the amp ultra as long as I use a digital input.

The one downside in both the amp ultra and the vibelink for me is their lowish gain.
But to be fair, they are both plenty loud enough in all but my main setup when playing certain tracks with a low recording level at home alone listening levels.

 

[DazST]

This is very subjective as I've not even done A/B testing, but something I've noticed is the amp ultra sounds more dynamic at lower volumes than my previous ultra/yamaha combo

 

[claudia.bailey]

I got my Wiim Amp Ultra on Friday, as I had a Wiim Ultra before, so setting it up was easy. Connecting the sub and dialling in was simple.

To be honest, I have no complaints. It runs my Klipsch speakers very easily. My fave experience is using it to watch telly as I find it far clearer and more dynamic than my Marantz Stereo 70 for this purpose.

 

[Bryan]

I got my Wiim Amp Ultra on Friday, as I had a Wiim Ultra before, so setting it up was easy. Connecting the sub and dialling in was simple.

To be honest, I have no complaints. It runs my Klipsch speakers very easily. My fave experience is using it to watch telly as I find it far clearer and more dynamic than my Marantz Stereo 70 for this purpose.

I still can't put my head around the WiiM Amp Ultra. Before WiiM, I really thought I was heading toward a more traditional separate component setup for my stereo system. Instead, for my living room I'm finding myself really satisfied with the Amp Ultra as an all-in-one pre-amp, amplifier, streamer, and DAC. I'm not sure where I go from here.

 

[QuarryHunslet]

I still can't put my head around the WiiM Amp Ultra. Before WiiM, I really thought I was heading toward a more traditional separate component setup for my stereo system. Instead, for my living room I'm finding myself really satisfied with the Amp Ultra as an all-in-one pre-amp, amplifier, streamer, and DAC. I'm not sure where I go from here.

You don't need to go anywhere if you are happy with your Amp Ultra.

 

[dangermouse]

You don't need to go anywhere if you are happy with your Amp Ultra.

Indeed. Forget about the kit. Enjoy the music.

 

[kevinj]

I've been using an Amp Ultra for about two weeks now, and I must say that it's a keeper.

I was looking for a more user friendly setup for my livingroom and first tried a Wiim Ultra, connected to my NAD C375bee amp.
It sounded really good, but I was still annoyed by the NAD's high power consumption: idle power with no music playing is more than 120 watts, playing background music is 200 watts and more.

So when the Amp Ultra became available again on Amazon, I ordered one.

The Amp Ultra comes in a nice box with a handy remote control and all accessories included, where most other brands only include a powercord nowadays.
Setup is really easy, just install the Wiim Home app on your phone or tablet, power on the Amp Ultra and go from there.

Just be adviced, the amp's sounds and instructions are really loud! I believe it was set at 50% volume...

Using TuneIn radio app is really easy to set up, including customizable presets, and my Synology NAS was immediately visible in the "Home Music Share" tab. I just created a few bookmarks for easier access, like "album artist", "album", ....

The RoomFit room correction works great and is very easy to use. I like that you can choose to use an external mic, like a Umik1, and use its calibration file. The automated setup even makes a post correction sweep so you can hear/see the actual difference.
In my room, a correction range from 40 to 400Hz works best. It takes out the low frequency boom without altering the speaker's natural voicing.

The Amp Ultra has no problem driving my 4ohm Monitor Audio RX8 speakers. For background music in my 80sqm living room, the volume dial is somewhere between 5 and 10. I've had it up to 80 at some point, but that's (very loud) party level. And it stays clean even at that kind of output.
Yes, the NAD has more headroom and reserve when playing very, very loud, but that was to be expected because that amp is a real power house.
The Wiim Amp Ultra does get warm. Even playing background music, its casing warms up a bit. Playing loud for a longer time warms it up a lot more, but never "hot to the touch", just warm. So nothing to be concerned about, the casing was designed to be the heatsink, so it does its job.

I also tried the Amp Ultra's usb out, connected to the dac in the C375bee, and that works perfectly. Just remember to set the maximum output bitrate to whatever your dac supports.

I have a little meter connected to the Amp Ultra to measure it's mains power draw. In standby, it draws 3.5 to 4 watts on a 230volt system. Playing at a moderate volume, that rises to 17 watts. Playing loud, well over 20 watts.

There are just a few things I did notice:
There is a bit of lag when using the remote. If you, for example, hold down the volume button, the volume will still rise or drop for a second or two after you released the button.

I also would like to see the music library's "recently added" to be handled differently. Now it shows a few dates and when you select one, you get a list of tracks that were added at that date. I personally would just like to see the most recently added albums. I don't care about the date I added them, just that I recently added them.


Any way, for me, the Amp Ultra is the device I was waiting for. Great build quality, extensive feature set, easy to control, powerfull and a great sound quality at a very modest price.


edited some typos.