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.