The WiiM AMP revisited
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
- This episode is brought to you by the PSB Imagine series:
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🎥 Camera: John Darko / Olaf von Voss
🎬 Editor: John Darko
🌈 Colour: Olaf von Voss
🕺🏻 Motion GFX: John Darko
💰 Ad segment: Jana Dagdagan
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0:00 Intro
1:18 Bare essentials
2:33 What about the WiiM Pro, Pro Plus?
3:20 It’s a $100 amplifier
4:31 What about Arylic B50?
5:03 What about A/V receivers?
6:09 What about the WiiM Mini?
7:08 What about the Sonos AMP?
8:34 Twisting with the KEF LS50 Meta
9:17 A €1000 hi-fi system for 2024
👉 As seen in this video...
WiiM AMP
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WiiM AMP review
📖 darko.audio/2023/11/wiim-amp-...
WiiM Pro Plus
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WiiM Pro
🛒 amzn.to/4bWEkxZ
WiiM Mini
🛒 amzn.to/49FqmiC
Arylic B50
🛒 amzn.to/434JRi8
Denon AVR-S660H
🛒 amzn.to/48JTjse
Sony STR-DH190
🛒 amzn.to/48EuNIX
Yamaha R-S202
🛒 amzn.to/3wxn0PO
Onkyo TX-8220
🛒 amzn.to/49VnSfI
Sonos AMP
🛒 amzn.to/49WietB
Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 S2
🛒 amzn.to/3P4lnQ9
Streaming platform by Roon
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Cables and power products by AudioQuest
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Hi-fi furniture and speaker stands by Solid Steel
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Room treatment by Vicoustic
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Darko.Audio may earn a small commission from items purchased via affiliate links, which are indicated with a '🛒'.
#spotify #wiim #hifi
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When your review came out I had just got an SMSL A300. I was to return and get WiiM AMP in January. All I can say is WOW. For the price Wiim knocked it out of the park. Even have my record player connected and it totally rocks. I love how small it is and how well everything works. Software is excellent. Now I know I'm dreaming but WiimM please make a 5.1 or 7.2 AV Receiver/ AMP.
What excites me about the WiiM amp is how the competition will respond.
^^this !
Even If it’s not exactly for me, a rising tide lifts all vessels ..
We all know Sonos will respond with a lawsuit
Can’t wait to see how Sonos in particular reacts; several YTers have been rumour mongering for months now that 2024 is likely to see some major upgraded / new models.
Ola!
Be good if it doesn't have musicast brick WXC function
I love my Wiim amp. The folks at Wiim are very responsive to suggestions. And, are constantly working to improve things. I can’t wait for what they come up with next!
I have loved seeing fully featured release notes and updates for both the unit and the app. So rarely have I seen a product continue to improve post purchase at the speed and consistency as the WiiM amp. Also fully agree the convenience factor of all the different streaming protocols has been revolutionary 🥰
I recommended the wiim amp to a friend just starting out looking at a $1000 system. We paired it with the Klipsch RM 50's. Very pleased with the results.
From the very happy owner of a WiiM amp. It’s been my daily driver system for about two months now. Only listen to the big rig when I have company over. My setup is the WiiM paired with refurbished 40 year old Baby Advents, and a subwoofer from my discarded/retired Bose Lifestyle 28. All connects to an android TV. I removed the Bose amp and tossed it, installed a 60watt plate amplifier. I really liked the WiiM with the Baby Advents, I freaking love this rig with the subwoofer added. It kicks like a Clydesdale. I stream Tidal, Spotify and CZcams high resolution audio. The benefit of the subwoofer is clean crisp bass which I limited the lows to 40 mhz. I could go lower.🎉❤. The Advents didn’t go below 60mhz.
I got mine last week. Had an issue second day, support answered in 6 hours and rolled me to a previous version which fixed the issue. If they keep at it, this will be a success for sure!
It's almost as if you'd buy it on a Wiim.
This thing really is a fantastic product. Good “go back”. I’ve had many ask the same questions. I’ll point them to this video.
Today we gave this Wiim amp some serious listening. It is absolutely amazing. But shines with easy to drive speakers.
I think this opens up the doors for a lot of people at this price point, get this and some nice second hand speakers and you are in business for not a lot of money.
I can’t see that anyone would be disappointed with what this unit has to offer. It punches well above its weight!
For my living room where my wife couldn't stand a large system, I went with a Bluesound Powernode, I got it for $499 on a deal from BH Photo. I also borrowed a Wiim Amp from a friends garage system and A/Bed it. The Bluesound was a noticeable upgrade, but for 700 extra dollars retail, and 200 extra on sale it should be. They drove my KEF R3 Meta bookshelfs like a boss, the Wiim felt a little muddier bass, and the soundstage wasnt as good. Worth the extra money to me, but I'm not very price sensitive though I do love a good deal.
What I really want is to stick a NAD M33 in that room, but the wife won't cosign that 😂.
I have had a pair of Bowers & Wilkins bookshelf speakers for the past 20 years (always connected to cheap/low quality amplifier). I just connected them to my new WiiM AMP and I am totally blown away. I am streaming Apple music to the WiiM AMP and the sound quality is way beyond my expectations. I was considering upgrading my speakers, but so far the results with the WiiM AMP are so outstanding I don't think I need to.
Exactly the same for me 👍🏻👍🏻
The Wiim amp has beaten my initial expectations. I love it. The folks at Wiim are great too. I look forward to the next iteration of the Wiim Amp. I bet it will be fantastic.
I propose a comparison between the Wiim Amp, which costs 369 euros, and the combination of the SMSL AO300 and Wiim Mini, totaling 367 euros (260€ for the SMSL AO300 and 107€ for the Wiim Mini).
I have the WiiM amp in my study. I'm completely satisfied with it. It's so easy to stream various apps from my iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Starting a stream also starts the WiiM and when the album is over, the WiiM shuts off--I don't have to get up to turn the WiiM on or off.
Ola! Thanks for the package recco at the end. I love that part of it (this combination works well together, etc.)
With my Wii Pro+ I running a Fosi V3 amp. It's in a small room. I also am using a Hsu sub woofer in this setup.
How does that dac compare to the smsl su1?
At that price it's an absolute banger with the feature set it has, I think it has set a standard & price point for other manufacturers to beat.
Appreciate the bloopers and the entertainment!
Got my WiiM Amp a week ago and I absolutely love it in my secondary setup!
Its a great product for getting new people into replaying music at a half decent quality.
For many this will be enough but for some it will be the door to higher quality replay.
Amazing timing! I was just watching your review of the Wiim amp last night and almost pulled the trigger but was left with a few questions. You just answered all of them! But now you have me wondering what the new potential contender is. You tease! 😂
The B50 is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Glad I stumbled upon this video just now
Olá John - first time I found your channel - its brilliant! Learning lots!
Ola! Thanks for the updated review, John.
Ola! Nice job as ever, enjoyed the bloopers too!
Ola! excellent point of view John. Thanks for the great content.
Thanks for the second look and informational talk. Ola!
I am considering the WiiM Amp but I already have the WiiM Pro Plus, so also considering a Fosi ZA3 Amp about $149 US depending. It has a little more power than the WiiM amp and seems by all reports well made, and yes this gets us over $300 total but still cheap for a streamer, a decent dac in the pro plus and a comparable amp to the WiiM Amp. I may go that route thoug i do like the 1 box solution of the WiiM amp.
Originally bought to go with my TV, the WiiM Amp unexpectedly has become my favourite squeezebox. LMS on a raspberry + iPeng a great combo with the WiiM amp.
The Wiim Amp has a new firmware update, and is officially roon certified ready.
Ola!
Great distilling of the various value propositions.
The fosi audio BT20A amp is a cracking buy 2 channel , rca line in, and can be used as pre amp , no hdmi
Ola! fabulous video! terrific commentary.
The outtakes are great - impressed you don’t potty mouth swear when that happens, when I screw up I sound like an old angry bloke down the pub who’s had a particularly bad day!
I got the WIIM AMP combined with the Triangle BOREA BR03, which has a sensitivity of 90db. It sounds awfully good for the money and in my living room that is fairly small, there's really no need for a subwoofer (also the building is built in the 70s, so a subwoofer would probably have me evicted anyways). I needed both the streaming capabilites and the HDMI ARC in, so it was kind of a no-brainer for a budget HiFi system. Cheers Mr. Darko, thanks for another cool video!
Loved this!!! More budget system equipment reviews!!!!
If you have more content for bloopers include them please haha, makes my day.😂
Olá! Damn I wished you would do more of these revisited Videos. Just a really great format especially in the landscape of all those initial reviewers that have to get their videos out of the door asap after or even before the official release! Also: I'm currently using the Wiim with a pair of Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 (not the S2) - they're using the same Drivers and are A LOT cheaper than the S2s, take out the drivers, give them a rough scrubbing and throw some matte paint of your choice on there and you might get away with a 500 bucks pairing that looks and sounds wonderful! (excluding cables that is)
thanks again for that great video!
Ola’. Great stuff! Thank you
Great video John. It's great to hear the 'audio management' detail. Lots to learn. Not least - how to connect banana connects😊
Love your content. Keep it up
The Fosi Audio BT20A Pro amp sounds great and has more power for $90 Amazon. That is an amp option. Cheers!
The rsl ia255.1 amplifier comes to mind for $110. Another great video John.
Hola, and great video, as always!
Ola! Nice revisit John!
Cant wait for the contender in the €1000 combo bracket!
This is fun! Thanks!!
Olá, de Lisboa! Looking forward to your future €1000 system video.
I've just bought an ESCAPE M1 AIR Hi Res streaming dac and it outputs to my Chord Chordette set up. Works like a dream.
On the squeezelite with an AVR comment, I set up LMS based your advice John, and it has an excellent DLNA plugin by Phillipe that turned my two AVR's into squeezelite clients. LMS is phenomenal, btw. Thank you so much for recommending that as I was ignoring it thinking it was an old forgotten project
And if I may ask for advice, would introducing a WiiM (mini or Pro??) make sense for me if I want to improve my streaming experience over LMS? And would getting an external Topping DAC make more sense for me if I wanted to improve upon the Marantz AVR's internal DAC (I think Marantz use an ESS chip internally - which gives me great sound fwiw)?
Re the outakes at the end...thanks for being human, John.
You do great work
Hola, excelente, productos calidad precio. Es bueno saber que en esta época el buen sonido se ha "democratizado ".
Ola! I'm intrigued by the Wiim Amp Pro + and am attracted to the streaming comprehensiveness too. It just seems like a fun audio device, fun being something that is missing in more serious streamers, dacs and amplifiers.
I am currently using the Arylic BP50 - which is an HDMI ARC preamp that cost around $100. It also has a subwoofer output with built-in crossover. I have it paired with a pair of Swan OS10 powered speakers, but one could also use a power amp along with a set of passive speakers. It also has an optical output volume control, so one could also add their own DAC into the system for a further upgrade. I am not sure if this is a better sounding set up than the Wiim amp, I have not heard the Wiim, but it sounds pretty good to me and I like the flexibility of adding my own DAC and amplifier.
Ola! Based on several of your wonderful videos, got a WiiM Amp and set it up with KEF LS50Metas and KC62 Sub. Works quite well - I'm up at 70-90% volume. Also have a Sonos Amp hooked up to KEF R3 Metas and a KC62 Sub. Thrilled with both and definitely appreciate the cost of the WiiM Amp!
John I really enjoyed this revisit of the Wiim amp. I have a Wiim Pro.
Wiim pro
SMSL Su-1
Fosi Audio BT 20A Pro I got for $80 USD.
It’s amazing we live in a time where you can get an incredibly good hi-fi set up for under $1000. But as a guy that buys used equipment I can tell you my $2500 set up with an old rotel amplifier some LRS plus speakers and a smoking dac with a lot of settings I’m happy. As an older audio file it’s amazing what technology has done. I really enjoy your reviews. You have a rational and entertaining way of explaining this.
What old Rotel have you got?
@@franknelissen8041 980bx
Olá. Looking forward to hearing about the upcoming competitor!
My alternative to the WIIM amp plus speakers would be the WIIM Pro coaxed to the Vanatoo T1E Plus active speakers, having 2 x 100W amps to the "woofers" plus 2 x 20W to the tweeters and includes a sub-out terminal. The cost of that combo is USD800 presently.
Ola
Nice follow up. This is a very keenly priced amp.
ola john i luv the wiim amp unit thanks for the reviews
thank you for mentioning Chromecast. its so overlooked and highly used.
I’ve just setup the Denon CEOL with a pair of KEF LS50 Meta’s. The denon surely is a good alternative.
It sounds spectacular
The Wiim Pro Plus and the Fosi Audio ZA3 w/ 48v power supply is $348 combined. Also you can upgrade the OpAmps on the Fosi. But there is no HDMI, as on the Wiim Amp. But you can add a better DAC in future on the Pro or Pro Plus which you can't on the Wiim Amp. Really hard decision.
I really like the idea of the WIIM AMP. I already have a WIIM Mini for two years and I became kind of a Loxjie Fan in the last years, rocking their small D10 and A10, Dac and AMP with my WIIM. I just upgraded to their new A40 AMP and D40 DAC: The A40 AMP is 240€ in germany, has HDMI ARC, COAX and Optical in, as well as Phono and RCA inputs and a SUB out. Sadly no SUB Management. The Loxjie plus the WIIM Mini is 30€ more than the WIIM AMP. Maybe that would be a contender!
Interesting versatility from the Wiim amp
Great points🙏🙏🙏
lol must be frustrating making them.. at times
Hi, have you tried the Volumio Integro? A comparison between these new streamer amplifiers would be nice
Ola! Good follow up. One question. Can wiim amp work with KEF LSX speakers? I am trying to find something better than the KEF app and a volume knob ... i miss that so with all the app controlled systems. Thank you!
And this video judges it purely on running it as a single system. The networking ability of the WIIM is amazing, just add a WIIM Pro, pro plus or WIIM Amp to any room and the whole building is streaming the same source from room to room seamlessly. Nobody does streaming like WIIM for the $$$.
Love this video
Ola! Love this Channel!
What sub would you recommend with the Wiim Amp and Project Speaker Box combo?
Crazy value for the money. I’d buy the same package for 5 times more if it had Hypex level amplification. So something like NAD does in recent masters series but without the screen and lower price.
I wish there would be a way to bypass its dac and being able to use my external dac while streaming from the wiim amp
Let me try this again. Thanks for the follow up, and thanks for not breaking the bank with this recommendation. Thanks to your entertaining and very thoughful reviews I own the Denafrips terminator dac, and more recently the Monitor Audio 100 7G in Heritage Green. They both sound very, very good, and I have zero regrets. Perspective is what's needed especially after all the slings, and arrows from the so called "experts."
Olá John. Been using a Wiim amp for a couple of months now in my home office. It's easy in use, works flawless and sounds great considering its price. And it looks good 😊
Olá Great video!! Hard to beat in terms of all out streaming capability and all-in-one value. For people not interested in 2nd hand or do not want an AVR this is a terrific option.
I wish I saw this amp a year and a half ago when buying a setup for my TV, it would've been perfect. I ended up getting powered speakers with optical-in instead.
So hard to beat the value provided by any WiiM products... Sometimes, good enough is good enough.... Well done John.
I got a wiim amp just because its so cheap did not really have a use for it, but ultimately its replaced a pair of M2 meridians, A gustard dac and Node. Connected to pair of naim nSats and a rel sub.
About amplifier, what about the Aiyima A07 MAX? Sells for around 100$, with the biggest power supply.
Thanks for the informative video, Mr Darko! I bought a pair of kef ls50 metas and am wondering if I should get the wiim amp or say a hegel h90 (second hand). Both have 2x 60W output but is it the same? What would you prefer?
Tne wiim would be underpowered. The Metas like a bit of power. The know the wiim is 60w a channel but it is a chip amp. Crutchfield carries it, they have an excellent return policy.
The hegel will most likely have better sound quality, but you won't have much streaming capability, no sub out, etc.
Could you tell us how this system compares to your previous £1000 kick ass system (Rotel amp with Dali Spektor speakers and Topping streamer). Same budget but sound comparison??
Greetings from near Berlin.
I got the Wiim amp with the LS 50 Meta and I'm very happy with it. The HPF was the main reason. I just can't find anything comparable that can do that even at twice the price.
I notice its low power though. At my max listening levels there's very little headroom. But that just means I'm looking forward to the Wiim amp pro or whatever will come next.
Space was also a consideration! And a physical volume knob.
Hi John, if you don't have a smartphone, the Echo Link plus DAC of your choice & Fire tablet for control & display works great.
Do you think I can use the wiim amp with the daline Oberon 5 that has 88db of sensitivity? Thanks
Bought a WIIM Amp month ago to replace an ancient Denon AVR2808 and REALLY happy with it. Funfact; PLEX integration is also coming soon to the WIIM streaming suite 🤩
support sub?
Hola Darko, como estás? gran video!
It's all the amp I need.
My biggest problem with the wiim amp, is that it seems like everyone is valuing its streaming power over the actual quality of amplification being had.
I think all of the wiim streamers are excellent value and very good all around products, but the amplifier section leaves much to be desired. A denon 670/660 for not very much more money, gives more power, room correction, and similar, although not the same streaming options.
I feel like darko was way overvaluing streaming and connectivity options when reviewing an amplifier that would struggle to drive even moderately power hungry speakers to decent levels with any sort of dynamic music.
For a desktop system and near field listening, I think the wiim amp is perfect, but for any other application, for a little more money, there are so many better options that still offer things like airplay, chromecast and Spotify/tidal connect.
These range from entry level Cambridge audio integrated amplifiers with separate streamers, to a lot of entry level denon recievers.
There are a lot of (good) options available for amps built around the same chipset and at around $100, maybe less even. Fosi Audio V3, Aiyima a07 max are some of the most well regarded. If tweeked i'm sure they can sound even better. Smsl and sister companys also have some good options. If you wait for some sale season (there are several) you can get these even cheaper or other options may arise. Lets see what the upcoming wiim ultra brings to the table!
Hooking mine up today.
Ola!! I love your reviews.
How do you connect wired headphones, what would connect to the WiiM to allow that?
How far away is the wiim amp from the marantz stereo 70's? I have seen the marantz used for around 600 euro and would like to know your thoughts. Thanks
Ola! Your analysis is correct, but forgive me. After watching the original video I did buy the WiiM Pro Plus and a $65 second hand receiver. Yeah no HDMI - ARC, but very happy with the results/budget. Love the App and equalizers. Now I want a pair of Focal Chora 826's to go with it.
"Olá" greetings from Panamá John.