WiiM Pro Preview

Here's a rendering of what WiiM Pro will look like. We're expecting WiiM Pro to launch by early December and will be sold through Amazon.com. More info will be on our website www.wiimhome.com. Please stay tuned! In the meantime, we'd love to hear your thoughts on what you think of WiiM Pro




Tech Specs
Software

• Chromecast Audio
• AirPlay 2
• DLNA
• (Roon Ready expected late Dec or early Q1 2023) - updated
• MICless Amazon Alexa Voice Service
  (AVS) MRM (Multi-Room)
• BT A2DP Source and Sink
• Linkplay streaming services and multiroom
• Spotify Connect/TIDAL Connect/Amazon Music cast
• HD Output 24-bit/192kHz
• Bit perfect output
• True gapless playback
• 10-band EQ or 24 Preset EQs
• TI Audiophile DAC
• Frequent FW/App updates
• Mobile and PC App

Button and LED

• Capacitive touch control: Play/Pause, Volume +, Volume -, 1 x Presets
• LED: BT/WiFi/Line-in modes

Hardware

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4G/5G, BT5.1, Ethernet (100M）
• Line In RCA
• Optical In
• Line out RCA
• Digital Coaxial Out
• Optical SPDIF Out
• USB Type-C power
• 12v Trigger for AMP
• Mic for Multiroom audio auto-sync
• SBC and AAC codec

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJDY6D1W

 

[Brantome]

As in another thread I replied to earlier, I think a few terms/ concepts are being mixed up here.

1. AlexaCast is generally used to describe the “connect” type process of using the Amazon Music app as a “remote control” to direct output to an echo or compatible device like the WiiM. In this setup, the WiiM delivers a full bit perfect stream up to 24/192. You can’t AlexaCast from a Show, just from the Amazon Music app.

2. When you make a request on an echo to play music that’s not AlexaCast in the strictest meaning of the phrase. So when you ask Alexa to play music to your Wiim device either directly (e.g. “Alexa, play my good stuff playlist on WiiM-device-name“) or have an Alexa device group set up with its preferred speaker set to the WiiM and ask an echo in that device group to play music which is then redirected to the WiiM, that again will play at full bit perfect resolution up to 24/192, but AlexaCast isn’t being used in those situations.

3. If you have your echo(s) and WiiM device in an Alexa Multi Room Music group e.g. in a group called kitchen, and then you ask Alexa to play in the kitchen (or indeed use the amazon music app to AlexaCast to the kitchen), then playback is constrained to lossless 24/48. This appears to be a restriction of Alexa’s MRM groups whether WiiM devices are involved or not, although you’ll struggle to get Amazon support to admit to that or frankly even understand the question.

 

[Deleted member 925]

3. If you have your echo(s) and WiiM device in an Alexa Multi Room Music group e.g. in a group called kitchen, and then you ask Alexa to play in the kitchen (or indeed use the amazon music app to AlexaCast to the kitchen), then playback is constrained to lossless 24/48. This appears to be a restriction of Alexa’s MRM groups whether WiiM devices are involved or not, although you’ll struggle to get Amazon support to admit to that or frankly even understand the question.

This must be where my confusion was. At one point I was testing multiroom playback with both the WiiM and the built-in Show speaker and saw the downsampling. In practice though, I don't use the Show speaker at all and this allows me to "cast" from the Show to the WiiM bit perfect.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Brantome]

Yeah, prior to me putting a WiiM Pro and an Echo Studio into a multi room music group to test, I would have said that multi room playback was at the level of the least capable member of the group, so if even one device only supported HD or even UHD to 24/48, that’s what all devices in the group would play. However, despite both the Pro and the Echo Studio (supposedly) supporting up to 24/192 on their own, when put in a MRM group and played together, all you get is 24/48. So my revised conclusion is that it’s an Amazon/Alexa MRM constraint that they, for obvious reasons, won’t admit to.

Alternatively, as I read in a Wired review, maybe the Studio itself actually only supports 24/48 but I often wondered how they could determine that in a closed unit. That would take me back to my first theory. Now, if I only had two WiiM Pros to test my second theory

 

[Kman]

Re 1, see https://faq-mini.wiimhome.com/support/discussions/topics/72000779508

Re 2, the ability to use your own URL is already available under Open Network Stream. You can add these as a preset but strangely you can’t then use that preset. I’ve already raised this a bug with WiiM that I’m confident they’ll fix

Where is "Open Network Stream" in the WiiM app for playing from a custom URL? I can't find it anywhere. Also some posts mention a custom URL option within WiiM's TuneIn UI but I see no such option.

 

[Brantome]

Where is "Open Network Stream" in the WiiM app for playing from a custom URL? I can't find it anywhere. Also some posts mention a custom URL option within WiiM's TuneIn UI but I see no such option.

Under Music Services on the main Browse screen in the WiiM app - if you don’t see it, choose Manage against Music Services and check it’s toggled on there.

Re Tunein, its custom url feature was always well hidden - you’ll now find it under library in the Tunein (not WiiM) app once you’ve logged in with your account details. I don’t think it’s available from a browser. Once you link to your Tunein account in the WiiM Home app, you’ll see them under your Tunein favourites

 

[jhaider]

It appears to have been dropped from the roadmap - see here https://faq-mini.wiimhome.com/support/solutions/72000348821

However, WiiM seem to be focussing on ironing out bugs and stabilising things at the moment, so I’d next expect them to review and rationalise their roadmap(s) to address what is truly achievable in a reasonable timescale rather than having a list that is, in my opinion, trying to please too many people at the same time.

When did parametric EQ fall off the roadmap? That's one of the most audibly relevant things they could add.

 

[Brantome]

When did parametric EQ fall off the roadmap? That's one of the most audibly relevant things they could add.

It’s still there for the Mini so I think it’s a rushed edit - I can’t see then doing it for the mini and not the pro

 

[canard]

they just forgot to remove it from the list of the mini

 

[adias]

When is WiiM Pro+ release scheduled?

 

[Brantome]

When is WiiM Pro+ release scheduled?

End of the month as I recall

 

[WiiM Support]

When is WiiM Pro+ release scheduled?

Hi Adias,

The WiiM Pro Plus will be available in Amazon US, UK, DE, and CA around 8/5. We'll announce it on our website and this forum. Thank you for your interest.

 

[Witterings]

What's the Plus?

 

[onlyoneme]

A new Pro edition with better DAC / analog section.

 

[Wiimer]

Hi Adias,

The WiiM Pro Plus will be available in Amazon US, UK, DE, and CA around 8/5. We'll announce it on our website and this forum. Thank you for your interest.

Hi, Will Pro+ be sold in Japan?

 

[Brantome]

Hi, Will Pro+ be sold in Japan?

I can’t see why not - but don’t you have different/longer regulatory processes to go thru?

 

[onlyoneme]

They have their own regulatory, different than fcc or etsi.

 

[Wiimer]

I can’t see why not - but don’t you have different/longer regulatory processes to go thru?

Yes, as onlyoneme says, Japan has its own "GITEKI". Perhaps it will be winter when Japan comes.

Amazon Japan has a catalog of WiiM remote, but Linkplay does not. Because the remote has not yet been approved. For this reason, other companies are reselling it at three times the price.

 

[Witterings]

Hi, Will Pro+ be sold in Japan?

Would find out just after I've updated 3 minis to pros

 

[Brantome]

Would find out just after I've updated 3 minis to pros

Unless you need the improved DAC/ADC the Plus has, you're not missing anything - and if you got them in the Prime day sale, you're saving around $100 per unit

 

[Witterings]

Unless you need the improved DAC/ADC the Plus has, you're not missing anything - and if you got them in the Prime day sale, you're saving around $100 per unit

Certainly would have been useful for one (and possibly 2) of them depending how good DAC is and could of got rid of a stand alone DAC .... al for tidying up the number of boxes at the moment.