Streaming for a song – WiiM’s wee winners

The team at WiiM, it’s fair to assume, has decided that smaller is better and the best things come in small packages. Or at least, that small is what the people want.

Coincidentally, driven by that persistent audiophile urge for upgrades, a few months back I found myself on the hunt for an improved streaming solution.

Enter WiiM – a name that initially left me scratching my head, as you might be doing right now. It didn’t take much reading for me to realise that WiiM was making significant waves in the audio streaming sphere, despite only having two products, The Mini and the Pro.

Thanks to Tony Chandler at Sound Group, I had the privilege of getting hands-on experience with some of their latest offerings – the WiiM Pro+ and WiiM Amp

The Devices

Upon receiving both units, my first impression was the size of the packaging. Could these possibly be the units I’ve been eagerly awaiting? The WiiM Amp, housed in the larger box, was just slightly larger than a shoebox, while its counterpart, the WiiM Pro+, was tiny in comparison, resembling the size of an Apple TV box. Opening them up was also akin to an Apple unboxing experience, with minimal wasted space and a satisfying peel-off ritual.

The Pro+, coming in a black squared-off puck form factor, looks very similar to its predecessors. The Amp, though similar in packaging, boasts a solid aluminium construction reminiscent of the sleek design of a Space Grey Apple Mac Mini, making it a seamless addition to any home desk setup – clearly its intended environment. Despite its compact appearance, it packs a punch with a Class-D 60wpc (8ohm)/120wpc (4ohm) integrated amplifier weighing in at under 2kg.

While there are speaker terminals (4 for bi-wiring and banana plug preferable), a subwoofer output, HDMI ARC port and a USB-A input on the amp, both units offer a plethora of connectivity options. They boast a comprehensive wireless suite featuring Wi-Fi (AC), Airplay 2, Bluetooth 5.1, Chromecast, Spotify & Tidal Connect, ensuring compatibility with various streaming services. Ethernet, line-in, and digital ins (coax & opt) keep the cable community smiling.

The Pro+ elevates its versatility with additional optical and trigger inputs, enabling seamless integration with external amplifiers and other audio sources.

In terms of content accessibility, there’s little beyond the WiiM’s reach. Notably, the WiiM devices offer interconnectivity akin to renowned systems like SONOS or Bluesound, allowing seamless integration across multiple devices throughout your home.

Set-up

The setting up of these units, as with most “connected” devices these days, is straightforward. Plug the device into the power, connect the necessary RCA cables, and download the WiiM App on your chosen device.

The App identifies the unit via Bluetooth. You can then select the wired connection or choose to add it to your wireless network. As with any connected devices, I prefer to wire these whenever possible to prevent any issues with bottlenecking or dropouts. Once the device is connected, a quick login to your preferred music streaming service, such as Tidal, enables seamless streaming of high-quality content.

Listening

Both of these units excel in minimising the TTM (Time To Music). In an era where instant gratification reigns supreme, there’s no patience for waiting around while systems boot up, CDs are inserted, vinyl records are played, or radios are tuned (though it’s been a while since that was necessary).

On this front WiiM delivers. Within 5 minutes of opening the box, both units were connected, set up and ready to go. Airplay immediately had music playing and it was mere seconds later for Tidal to have me logged in and playing all my saved playlists

WiiM Pro+

This streaming unit truly shines in its swift and crystal-clear content delivery, just as you’d anticipate. The Pro+ is the bigger sibling of the Pro and Mini, offering everything they do and more.

Unlike its counterpart, the Amp, the Pro+ is unencumbered by the need to incorporate its own onboard amplifier. It feels like the Pro+ is laser-focused on executing its singular task exceptionally well, albeit with a multitude of capabilities. There is nothing else notable even near this price range with this much functionality or at this quality.

The standout feature of this unit lies in its DAC chip – the AKM 4493SEQ. This chip boasts a higher Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and the capability to deliver up to 192k, 24-bit music, surpassing its predecessors with the TI PCM 5121. While this may seem minor to some, it holds significant weight for those seeking to utilise this unit as the digital content delivery for a premium-grade sound system.

WiiM Amp

I found myself needing to borrow a pair of bookshelf speakers from a friend to accommodate the smaller 60W output of this unit. I’ll admit, I was initially a bit apprehensive about downsizing from my floorstanders. However, any concerns I had were quickly dissipated.

Once everything was hooked up, I couldn’t help but reconsider my setup as I played my first test track. This device is half the price of the SONOS Amp as an example with debatably greater connectivity albeit at half the output power. However, after throwing a variety of tracks at the speakers, I gradually reassured myself that my larger speakers still had their place in my system.

That said, I was thoroughly impressed by the WiiM Amp’s seamless performance. It effortlessly delivered crisp and robust music without any noticeable clipping even at peak volumes. The bottom end lacked a little as I started playing more full range music but connecting my subwoofer via the designated port elevated the listening experience even further, providing exceptional performance across the entire range despite powering smaller bookshelf speakers.

The amp is equipped with a SABRE ESS 9018 K2M DAC, enabling it to deliver music up to 192k, 24-bit. While its Signal-To-Noise Ratio (SNR) may be slightly lower than that of the Pro+, it still ensures optimal performance with even the most extensive music libraries.

User experience

When it comes to ease of use, the spotlight falls on the WiiM Home app, serving as the primary hub for your music journey.

Setting up the app was a breeze, requiring minimal input to establish a connection and identify the units. Its interface is refreshingly straightforward, presenting connected devices neatly stacked on the homepage, with convenient shortcuts along the bottom for Music, Devices, Search, and Settings.

In the Now Playing environment, I did notice a few “pauses” in the time to react to swipes now and then but again this kind of software glitch can be fixed, and often very quickly.

There’s not much to elaborate on here. While the layout of smart home device interfaces still has room for improvement, the WiiM Home app fulfils its purpose admirably, delivering the functionality needed without any fuss.

The app gives access to each device’s settings, providing control ranging from audio settings to an alarm clock feature.

Additionally, there are a couple of handy features available, such as the option to toggle status lights and the front panel touch controls. This functionality is particularly useful for households with young children, helping to prevent accidental adjustments.

A recent noteworthy update that I’ve encountered since installing the software is the capability to tailor the EQ settings based on the audio source. This feature is especially useful when dealing with numerous connection methods. With Bluetooth connections, for instance, it eliminates the need to constantly adjust your phone’s EQ settings whenever you switch sources while keeping other cabled sources unaffected.

The integration with smart home systems is well executed. Both Google Assistant and Alexa are fully integrated, providing easy access to assistant functions. My Google Home promptly detected the devices and seamlessly added them for effortless control.

Conclusion

The WiiM products impress with their compact design and powerful performance. Their setup is seamless and well thought through. Both the Pro+ and Amp offer extensive connectivity options and integrate smoothly with smart home systems via the intuitive WiiM Home app.

The listening experience is surprisingly delightful, with quick setup and maximum enjoyment. With recent software updates to add valuable features like customizable EQ settings and more rolling out monthly, you know these products will not go out of date anytime soon.

The Pro+ is a standout streamer, while the Amp impresses with its versatility, and both offer exceptional value for money.

Overall, these WiiM products offer premium audio streaming solutions with minimal fuss. The Pro+ is an extremely capable Streamer worth twice as much as it costs. The Amp is very proficient for its size and packs all the capabilities of the Pro+ for only a smidge more. Find me a more complete streaming solution for the price and I’ll be there. The only con is that you will likely never use all of the functions these devices have available to you, but isn’t it great to still have them?

Sound Group