WiiM Ultra

Well, I picked up a WiiM Ultra on Monday, so that’s 4 days now. Out of the box, It genuinely sounds pretty aweful. It’s veiled, lacking dynamics and resolution. Honestly, I expected that. BUT and this is a B I G BUT - stick an EXTERNAL DAC into the USB Port and Oh My Goodness - I’m Blown Away and completely enamoured. The external DAC I ordered isn’t here yet so I stuck an iBasso DC Elite Dongle between the WiiM and my B&O amp and I’m honestly stunned by the resolution, visceral slam, transparency, staging and timbre. If you’re looking for a streamer, this could be it, just ignore the internal DAC in this thing and consider it a streaming transport & Hub. The circuitry in the Ultra clean - the Dac is the only choke point. For $260 (BF deal) or even at the $330 regular price + $150 to $500 in DAC and you’ve got a system that can run circles around streamers $1K up. The form and function are beautiful. And when you’re ready to upgrade (if ever) you can sell it off and you’ve still got the DAC. I’m pretty convinced my living room system is finished now.

I’m using the Ultra to replace a Sonos Port + Sonos Beam combo. I’ve sold the Sonos Beam which I used to transmit the eArc Sigal into my amp via the Port, but I have not sold the Port and I’m so glad I didn’t. The only downside to Ultra, in my particular case is that it’s neither SonosNet nor Airplay 2 compatible. So, while Roon can push music to it, I can’t group it with my other Sonos gear. So, I connected the Port to the optical input on the Ultra. When Im listening to music in the living room only, I just select the WiiM as a zone. When I flick on the TV, Ultra’s auto switching automatically changes the input to TV, and when I want group the living room to other zones in my house for music, it’s no problem; with the Port designated as a zone and attached to the WiiM, it automatically switches to that input and the grouped zones are in sync. And now that I’m bypassing the DAC of both the Port and the Ultra, I can tell just how much resolution and dynamics were missing from the Port too. With all the signals passing through to the external DAC, I’m mezzmerized by the new life coming into my B&O. I can’t leave my living room; addicted to what’s coming out my speakers. And once I set the unit up, I haven’t had to touch the WiiM app at all. I control everything through ROON.

Heres the bottom line from where I sit. This thing is the audio bargain of the decade. If you’re looking for a streamer just get one and stick an EXTERNAL DAC onto it. If you’re on a tight budget check out the Fosi ZD3 Fosi Audio ZD3 Fully Balanced Desktop DAC I don’t think you’ll regret it.

5 Likes

I have seen a number of YouTubers and audio reviewers saying the same as you. I think

Cheapaudioman put out a video last week saying almost exactly that. Amazing value device at that point with great functionality

1 Like

According to ASR DAC is very good

2 Likes

Isn’t the iBasso DC Elite a DAC + headphone amplifier? Are you going straight into the amp with the SE outs and therefore getting mesmerized by super gain? It looks like it can also output SPDIF coax on the SE outs but that would turn it into a DAC that needs a DAC! :thinking:

As a Dongle, the Elite is a dac & hp amp, but coming off the 3.5 SE output its only pushing 2.28 Vrms and 165 mW so turning the volume knob to 100% effectively replicates LO. I’ve since taken the Elite back to my pocket and connected the Ultra to a Topping D30 Pro and it too is an outstanding pairing.

Thanks, I did see that review from Amir and while a DAC may measure well, the measurements don’t say anything about the SQ. I’m one who does believe in burn in and its certainly possible I didn’t burn the unit in enough, but I am so happy with Ultra / external DAC combo I have no need to go back and listen to the internal DAC

Ahh, very good! I just took a look and the manufacturer’s THD+N for the dongle and it is within the range of both the WiiM (just slightly lower) and the Topping. It’s possible you have a defective unit if you are hearing anything at all since all three are well, well into the transparent reproduction regime. There is little to support the claim that measurements don’t provide significant insights into SQ, but they would of course give you insights into a possibly defective unit, or even good reason to further explore whether you have the WiiM configured in the best manner for your use case.

1 Like

Let me clarify. What I mean is that the measurement can’t tell me about how I hear and perceive the timbre, PRAT, tonality… That, I just need to hear with my ears. Measurements are a part of the story but only one part of the story. Anyway, I’m so completely happy with the output and the outcome I’ve now got that I’ve no need to tinker any further. I’m basically using the Ultra as a transport from roon and HDMI in from my TV and USB out to my DAC just sounds a whole lot better than RCA out to my Amp.

2 Likes

Understood and glad you are happy! My points are mainly for other readers to get additional perspective on your initial claim regarding the quality of the WiiM Ultra DAC. I used a WiiM Pro for a bit before I swapped it for a Roon Nucleus as both my server and for HDMI out into an AVR. The WiiM device was utterly transparent as we can guess from its measurements though I would have preferred XLR outs.

Now what to do with WiiM Pro? :thinking: