WiiM Ultra music streamer
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The WiiM Amp Extremely is offered on Amazon for $329.
- In case your most well-liked technique of listening to music is through streaming companies, it is a nice amp to personal.
- To make use of a turntable, you may want a preamp.
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I am not gonna lie, I am a music snob. Each by way of the music I hearken to and the units I select as a supply system. I’ve spent extra money than I care to confess on audio tools, all within the title of chasing that auditory excessive.
After I obtain audio tools to evaluate (particularly amps), I’ve to tone down my expectations. That is particularly so when an amp is primarily meant for streaming. My most well-liked music supply is dealt with through vinyl, however that does not imply I am towards streaming. I really stream fairly a bit as nicely as a result of it helps me discover new music.
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For many, streaming is proscribed to both their computer systems or telephones, however what if I instructed you there was an amp that’s geared particularly for streaming? Nicely, there’s, and it is fairly good.
The amp in query is the WiiM Amp Ultra. It is modern, simple to make use of, and delivers excellent sound, even from streaming companies. And in the event you decide to go together with a service that provides excessive decision streaming, it is even higher.
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My expertise
Upon unboxing the Amp Extremely, I am not gonna lie — I used to be disillusioned to search out that it did not embody a preamp, which meant I wasn’t going to be connecting my turntable to it. In the end, that is nice as a result of vinyl lovers aren’t the goal marketplace for this gadget. In case your turntable features a preamp, you may join it on to the Amp Extremely, nonetheless. I’ve a pair of preamps however they have been misplaced within the shuffle of a transfer, so I am going to have to check this child with out my beloved Rega P8.
With that in thoughts, I linked it to my KEF speakers and my System76 Thelio, then linked it (through the distant) to my community. As soon as that was completed, I allowed the system to replace and fired up Spotify.
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Notice that you may join your streaming accounts instantly from the amp itself, which works with just about all the important music streaming companies, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Oobuz, Pandora, TuneIn, Soundcloud, and extra. You might additionally decide to make use of an audio participant in your PC and ship that sign to the Amp Extremely — or perhaps a CD participant linked to your PC.
In different phrases, you’ve loads of choices.
With the whole lot linked, I fired up Spotify on my PC and gave the Amp Extremely the as soon as over, and I used to be impressed. Not solely is the interface very nicely designed (making it simple to navigate a menu system that’s usually complicated on such units), nevertheless it additionally delivers some superb sound.
First off, there is a software that means that you can customise the sound to greatest match your listening room. I extremely advocate you undergo this course of as a result of it would vastly enhance the sound high quality. In fact, to do this, it’s important to obtain the WiiM mobile app (you needed to know that was coming). It’s also by means of this app that you just join the amp to your community and run the RoomFit app to customise the amp’s sound to your room.
The sound customization is dealt with through a built-in mic on the amp.
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On the Amp Extremely show, you may additionally discover fairly a couple of completely different EQ choices. I cycled by means of them and located every to be distinctive. As a substitute of sticking with a single EQ, I made a decision to use a distinct one to particular genres, and it made an enormous distinction. Certain, that is a ache to must always be shifting by means of EQ choices (particularly in the event you’re listening to a playlist that incorporates a number of genres), however on this case, it is price it.
The excellent news is that you may additionally create a customized EQ by means of the WiiM Dwelling cellular app. Even higher, the app’s EQ is 10-band, so you will get pretty granular together with your curve. Mess around with this and you will find you may actually get some sensible sound from it.
Take note, in the event you’re coping with streaming companies, the objective is to not get audiophile-quality sound, however to get the very best sound for the service, the room, and the audio system. In that sense, the WiiM Amp Extremely does a superb job.
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I might even go as far as to say that is the perfect sub-$400 amp I’ve ever used. You get a bit of heat (greater than you’d assume from an all-digital amp, loads of headroom, a pleasant vast soundstage (which, in fact, is determined by your audio system), and nil distortion. One factor I actually admire is that you just get all of that with out having to crank the factor as much as 11. Even at decrease volumes, the WiiM Amp Extremely sounds nice.
I believe the factor that most individuals will admire is that the WiiM Amp Extremely is very easy to arrange and use. I’ve labored with comparable sorts of amps which might be a trouble to stand up and working and use convoluted menu programs which might be onerous to grasp (even for these of us who’ve been across the sound block a time or two). So, in the event you usually battle getting know-how arrange, you should not have any points with this amp).
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
In the long run, the WiiM Amp Ultra strikes a nice steadiness between ease of use and fantastic sound. If that appears like one thing you are in search of, and also you are inclined to stream most of your music, you would be hard-pressed to discover a higher possibility for $329.
On condition that the Amp Extremely takes up little or no area, this factor is a winner throughout.
WiiM Extremely digital preamp specs
- Amplification Energy – 100W per channel at 8Ω; 200W at 4Ω
- Speaker Compatibility – Drives as much as 4 passive audio system
- Chassis Materials – Unibody aluminum chassis
- Weight – 5.4 lbs (roughly 2.45 kg)
- Dimensions – 7.9″ x 2.9″ x 7.9″
- DAC – ESS ES9039Q2M SABRE DAC
- Amplifier Chips – Twin TI TPA3255 Class-D
- Op-Amps – Six TI OPA1612
- Distortion – Extremely-low distortion
- HDMI ARC – Sure, with Dolby Digital decoding
- USB-A – Direct connection for storage units
- Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio
- Streaming Companies – Helps Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, and extra through WiiM Dwelling App
