WiiM Ultra music streamer
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The WiiM Amp Extremely is accessible on Amazon for $329.
- In case your most well-liked methodology of listening to music is by way of 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 take heed to and the gadgets I select as a supply system. I’ve spent more cash than I care to confess on audio gear, all within the title of chasing that auditory excessive.
Once I obtain audio gear to evaluation (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 by way of vinyl, however that does not imply I am towards streaming. I truly stream fairly a bit as effectively 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 glossy, simple to make use of, and delivers excellent sound, even from streaming companies. And in the event you decide to go along with a service that gives 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 upset to search out that it did not embrace a preamp, which meant I wasn’t going to be connecting my turntable to it. In the end, that is high quality as a result of vinyl fanatics 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 will have to check this child with out my beloved Rega P8.
With that in thoughts, I related it to my KEF speakers and my System76 Thelio, then related it (by way of the distant) to my community. As soon as that was achieved, I allowed the system to replace and fired up Spotify.
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Observe that you could join your streaming accounts immediately from the amp itself, which works with just about the entire major music streaming companies, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Oobuz, Pandora, TuneIn, Soundcloud, and extra. You possibly can 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 related to your PC.
In different phrases, you might have loads of choices.
With every thing related, 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 effectively designed (making it simple to navigate a menu system that’s typically complicated on such gadgets), nevertheless it additionally delivers some superb sound.
First off, there is a device that permits you to customise the sound to greatest match your listening room. I extremely suggest you undergo this course of as a result of it should vastly enhance the sound high quality. In fact, to do this, you must obtain the WiiM mobile app (you needed to know that was coming). It is usually by 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 by way of a built-in mic on the amp.
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On the Amp Extremely show, you may additionally discover fairly a number of completely different EQ choices. I cycled by them and located every to be distinctive. As a substitute of sticking with a single EQ, I made a decision to use a special one to particular genres, and it made an enormous distinction. Positive, that is a ache to need to always be shifting by EQ choices (particularly in the event you’re listening to a playlist that incorporates a number of genres), however on this case, it is value it.
The excellent news is that you could additionally create a customized EQ by the WiiM Dwelling cellular app. Even higher, the app’s EQ is 10-band, so you will get pretty granular along 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 aim 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 an excellent job.
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I’d even go as far as to say that is the very best 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 large soundstage (which, in fact, relies on your audio system), and 0 distortion. One factor I actually recognize 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 recognize is that the WiiM Amp Extremely is very easy to arrange and use. I’ve labored with comparable forms of amps which might be a trouble to stand up and working and use convoluted menu programs which might be laborious to know (even for these of us who’ve been across the sound block a time or two). So, in the event you typically battle getting expertise arrange, you should not have any points with this amp).
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Ultimately, the WiiM Amp Ultra strikes a high quality stability between ease of use and great sound. If that seems like one thing you are on the lookout for, and also you are inclined to stream most of your music, you would be hard-pressed to discover a higher choice for $329.
Provided that the Amp Extremely takes up little or no house, 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 gadgets
- Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi 6E
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio
- Streaming Companies – Helps Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, and extra by way of WiiM Dwelling App
