Wiim Amp + Wiim Pro Plus

[spcedog]

Hello all, I’ve spent a lot of time reading through the posts here and am overall loving Wiims products. I purchased a Wiim Amp after my 15 year old Onkyo A-9555 started having input selection problems.

I went with the Wiim Amp because I had previously purchased a Wiim Pro Plus to stream output from my cd transport to my other speakers which have airplay and was very impressed. It also replaced my old airport express for airplay from iphone and my smsl su-1 dac connected to my amp. My Wiim amp is connected to a pair of EPOS ELS-3 bookshelf speakers.

I’m having an interesting experience now trying to stream my vinyl records on my new system.

I have a Technics SL-1300 ->Rega Fono MiniA2D phono preamp->USB out to Airchord Stream on iphone-> to Wiim amp

vs

Technics SL-1300 ->Rega Fono MiniA2D->line out to wiim pro plus for airplay streaming to wiim amp.

When I stream the usb output from the preamp to the Wiim amp, It sounds loud, full, good, amazing with nice separation! When I use the regular line out of the rega to the pro plus to airplay stream or even straight to the wiim amp line in, it sounds flattened and lower volume. Which wasn’t the case when it was hooked up directly to my old amp.

Any suggestions to get the wiim line in stream to sound as good as the streamed usb pre amp output from the rega?

Thanks so much!

 

[Mr Ee]

Which wasn’t the case when it was hooked up directly to my old amp.

Using the Fono rca out?
It seems the common denominator in your description is the fono rca output.

 

[spcedog]

Using the Fono rca out?
It seems the common denominator in your description is the fono rca output.

Yeah but that same fono mini rca output sounded great on my old receiver.

 

[harkpabst]

When I use the regular line out of the rega to the pro plus to airplay stream or even straight to the wiim amp line in, it sounds flattened and lower volume.

Most probably the problem is really just the latter, lower volume.

As long as you can compensate for that by turning up the volume, you're good to go. There's no degredation of sound quality just because the amp's volume is set to 80 or 90 or even 100%. Quite the contrary, as the Amp features a digital volume control. There is no danger of driving the Amp into distortion or clipping, the input signal is just too weak.

However, if you cannot reach the desired volume levels at all, the only solution is a different phono-pre with higher gain (or an additional "line booster", which surely isn't that desirable).

The DJ Art II or the Shiit Mani 2 have been named before. Neither comes with a USB out, though.

 

[spcedog]

Most probably the problem is really just the latter, lower volume.

As long as you can compensate for that by turning up the volume, you're good to go. There's no degredation of sound quality just because the amp's volume is set to 80 or 90 or even 100%. Quite the contrary, as the Amp features a digital volume control. There is no danger of driving the Amp into distortion or clipping, the input signal is just too weak.

However, if you cannot reach the desired volume levels at all, the only solution is a different phono-pre with higher gain (or an additional "line booster", which surely isn't that desirable.

The DJ Art II or the Shiit Mani 2 have been named before. Neither comes with a USB out, though.

Yeah the USB out was what i used to use for streaming vinyl and i wanted the wiim pro plus to be able to do it ideally. It was a good excuse to pick up the new iFi Zen Phono 3 I’ll report back with how it works with a higher gain.

I have to admit it does feel sort of strange to have all my gear streamed now, but it’s so cool to also start my record player and have it just instantly start streaming to the whole house.

If I have the wiim pro plus that has the turntable also line out to the wiim amp if i want to use the wired output, would that degrade the signal?

 

[harkpabst]

If I have the wiim pro plus that has the turntable also line out to the wiim amp if i want to use the wired output, would that degrade the signal?

Well ... I don't understand that plan. WiiM Pro Plus and WiiM Amp? In one room? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

[spcedog]

The wiim pro plus streams all the sources to multiple outs including the wiim amp, homepods, and another klipsch airplay speaker i have. The amp is just an amp for the speakers in the room. if i use the wiim amp to play it can’t stream at the same time.

 

[cooky560]

You can stream from any input on the wiim pro (or plus) to multiple devices by creating a group. But I don't see why you'd have a pro-plus and an amp in the same room.

 

[spcedog]

Because it’s the amp in the room where all my sources are? And you can’t stream while using speaker out… am i missing something about how wiim amp could work? Like I could have it simultaneously airplay to homepods, etc and have it play to speakers at the same time?

 

[harkpabst]

Because it’s the amp in the room where all my sources are? And you can’t stream while using speaker out… am i missing something about how wiim amp could work? Like I could have it simultaneously airplay to homepods, etc and have it play to speakers at the same time?

You can only activate one output at a time, that's true.

You can group different WiiM devices in the WiiM Home App and all of them can play in synch at the same time. This usually makes sense with one WiiM box per room. The WiiM Amp can then play through the connected passive speakers while e.g. the Pro Plus could stream to your AirPlay enabled speakers.

There's no (obvious) reason the WiiM Pro Plus should sit in the same room as the WiiM Amp, even less the Pro Plus feeding the Amp, supposing the AirPlay speakers are not in the same room.

 

[spcedog]

You can only activate one output at a time, that's true.

You can group different WiiM devices in the WiiM Home App and all of them can play in synch at the same time. This usually makes sense with one WiiM box per room. The WiiM Amp can then play through the connected passive speakers while e.g. the Pro Plus could stream to your AirPlay enabled speakers.

There's no (obvious) reason the WiiM Pro Plus should sit in the same room as the WiiM Amp, even less the Pro Plus feeding the Amp, supposing the AirPlay speakers are not in the same room.

Well the reason is it’s where my sources are and where there is ethernet connected in my tiny nyc apartment. But as I expand into a new living space I’m going to split them up i’m sure. So i can wire the sources to the amp and play to it through grouping to the pro plus that will then play out through airplay to the other speakers. Good to know! Thank you!

 

[harkpabst]

So i can wire the sources to the amp and play to it through grouping to the pro plus that will then play out through airplay to the other speakers.

Yes, that's the idea behind WiiM's multi-room support.

 

[spcedog]

Yes, that's the idea behind WiiM's multi-room support.

Well the good news is ifi zen phono 3 is producing great loud output and sounds good! But, I just tried it out in the method you suggest above and there’s a significant delay of a few seconds when airplaying out to speakers from the wiim pro plus in a group with the wiiim amp.

So the only way that works is airplaying from the wiim pro plus to wiim amp + other airplay speaker (although one of those is an airplay 1 klipsch g-17 and it doesn’t work in a group or on its own, though i can airplay to it from my iphone with no issues.

gonna keep plugging away.

 

[spcedog]

But at max volume it still pales in comparison to air played digital tracks so in conclusion i would not recommend wiim to stream line in phono, or wiim amp to play line in phono.

 

[cc_rider]

 

[spcedog]

Okay I found with the zen phono 3 set to mc high (48 db) feeding into the wiim pro plus and then airplayed, sounds amazing. You have to set the line in sampling to 24/48 otherwise something strange things happen with pops and clicks . I can highly recommend this setup now with these changes. Everything sounds way better than the old onkyo receiver i had now.

I’m wondering if the new ultra or amp pro will improve the line in.

I do think I have to file a ticket because i do have to restart the wiim amp every time airplay disconnects for a while to allow it to become an airplay target again. Like every time.