WiiM amp and streamers…. Sonos killer?

WiiM kit is not a direct alternative to Sonos of course, but compare to the connect or amp and it’s the same form of product

I’ve pretty much swapped fully out now to WiiM from Sonos…

1 x mini - into a simple amp driving ceiling speakers in the bathroom
2 x pro plus - one going into a Naim Nait with some Dali Oberon speakers and the other into my main stereo - Lumley reference valve amp with Ruark speakers)
1 x WiiM amp with Dali Oberon and Cambridge Audio sub with HDMi arc going into my telly

The tv set up ~£900 sounds amazing…. I prefer 2.1 to surround set ups (personal preference), plus it transforms into a high quality streamer if you simply want to listen to music…. It’s sounds cracking…

The pro plus devices are stunning ~£200…. The DAC and streaming quality are amazing flowing into passive speakers via amps…. Warmth and depth with endless streaming options (Airplay 2 does for me and the family mainly)

A bit of review / a bit of a heads up…. I like hi-fi and always have…. Sonos can be a the right answer for many (fair enough) but there are some serious alternatives with a bit of investigation…. I’d recommend reading a few reviews and looking at the range…. It’s perfect if you have some nice speakers or amps knocking about too…

Wolfe, does the amp have a phono in? I’m looking for a new amp for my study/office and keep being drawn to unnecessarily expensive solutions (man maths at its finest). I only really need the ability to stream from my phone and play vinyl but can’t work out if there’s a phono input (deck has a phono stage so can be plug and play).

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Originally Posted by tiny73

Wolfe, does the amp have a phono in? I’m looking for a new amp for my study/office and keep being drawn to unnecessarily expensive solutions (man maths at its finest). I only really need the ability to stream from my phone and play vinyl but can’t work out if there’s a phono input (deck has a phono stage so can be plug and play).

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It has RCA inputs for the amp…. If it’s for your record deck you can get a very simple phono pre-amp for ~£20 that will do a job and allow you to play records through it…

Thanks, yeah record deck has a pre-amp so no drama there.

I’m also a fan. Moved some of my Sonos on as a result. I’m only running a WiiM mini into the DAC in my amp. I’m hoping it’ll evolve a little in terms of streaming service support, in as much as covering all the functionality Sonos has on the same service. We will see.

Can’t fault the sound quality one bit though. Amazon Music and Radio Paradise sound better than on Sonos (same UHD bitrate, amp and speakers). Still loving Sonos for kitchen and other duties where I don’t want multiple boxes. But I can see WiiM making speakers next….

I've gone down a slightly different route by using an Amazon Echo Link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-Link/d...c-d11b6e3d217f to stream music to my Denon amp and Dali speakers. I chose the Amazon device because I have Amazon Unlimited Music and wanted to keep everything aligned. I connect via the optical connection to make sure I get at least CD quality music and although I can control it all via my phone, I added an Amazon Flex to voice control it.

I tend to use various other Echo units around the house which get the most use, but when I want really good sound, it's a proper stereo system for me.

They do look rather well executed I have to say.

We are too far down the Sonos route to make any steps back towards high speakers though as every room aside from a bedroom and wife’s dressing room have one in (excluding bathrooms).

I do like how they have an awful lot of the specifications shown on their website too, looks to be positioned very well for those that know and understand what they want.

My only proper speakers these days are my surround sound, which the new amp has blown me away on. I find 2.1 a little lacking for me, even with normal watching, let alone a film, so interesting to read your perspective on that.

Look forward to hearing more about them from members. Perhaps toying with one in my office where the volume settings on the Sonos are too loud or too quiet where it sits on my desk vs having a listening position set up for my Eames.

Damn this place and driving new expenditure ideas.

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Originally Posted by tiny73

Thanks, yeah record deck has a pre-amp so no drama there.

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Sony? If could be a very good option for you then…

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Originally Posted by Jubal

I’m also a fan. Moved some of my Sonos on as a result. I’m only running a WiiM mini into the DAC in my amp. I’m hoping it’ll evolve a little in terms of streaming service support, in as much as covering all the functionality Sonos has on the same service. We will see.

Can’t fault the sound quality one bit though. Amazon Music and Radio Paradise sound better than on Sonos (same UHD bitrate, amp and speakers). Still loving Sonos for kitchen and other duties where I don’t want multiple boxes. But I can see WiiM making speakers next….

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It has most services to stream, but clearly sonos will have the edge here…. I’m a fan of Airplay 2…. Means I can use Apple Music, BBC sounds and podcast direct from my phone and remote control the streaming direct onto the device…. Easy peasy!

The quality of the streaming is where it really has the edge in view

I can see them very easily collaborating to produce a speaker too…. That’s the next obvious step (I don’t need that though)

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Originally Posted by Mj2k

They do look rather well executed I have to say.

We are too far down the Sonos route to make any steps back towards high speakers though as every room aside from a bedroom and wife’s dressing room have one in (excluding bathrooms).

I do like how they have an awful lot of the specifications shown on their website too, looks to be positioned very well for those that know and understand what they want.

My only proper speakers these days are my surround sound, which the new amp has blown me away on. I find 2.1 a little lacking for me, even with normal watching, let alone a film, so interesting to read your perspective on that.

Look forward to hearing more about them from members. Perhaps toying with one in my office where the volume settings on the Sonos are too loud or too quiet where it sits on my desk vs having a listening position set up for my Eames.

Damn this place and driving new expenditure ideas.

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Yep…. 2.1 is just how i like it! But understand that options will vary on this matter!

It’s definitely worth a play! Any option would require speakers…. Some passive LS50 Meta through the WiiM amp would destroy the amp powered LS50’s at a fraction of the cost…

Happy tinkering

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Originally Posted by Wolfie

Sony? If could be a very good option for you then…

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TEAC, got it because it’s currently going into an old and basic denon cd all in one thing. Just trying to decide whether I need a cd player and this something like an audiolab omnia/Naim uniti star or whether an amp with Bluetooth capability would be good enough (it’s my office set up so used 1-2 days per week).

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Originally Posted by tiny73

TEAC, got it because it’s currently going into an old and basic denon cd all in one thing. Just trying to decide whether I need a cd player and this something like an audiolab omnia/Naim uniti star or whether an amp with Bluetooth capability would be good enough (it’s my office set up so used 1-2 days per week).

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I know the odd record deck has a preamp built in since amps don’t have them as standard any longer

Lots of options…. You want to play records, CDs and stream?

You could have any old amp and 3 inputs or a WiiM with two further inputs…

Or there are marantz options which have built in cd, stream and have other inputs

The worlds your lobster, it just depends how much you want to spend

And there’s the problem, I start with a reasonable budget on the basis that “it’s only for my home office” and set a budget of £x. Then I say “well for another £100 I can get y” and suddenly I’m looking at Naim streaming products with B&W speakers 🙄. Am also looking at future proofing as we’re in the process of switching house and flat between east and west coast and I’m thinking of something with HDMI ARC to allow a TV to connect in my flat when I’m over this side of the country…

Thanks for the input 👍🏻

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Originally Posted by tiny73

And there’s the problem, I start with a reasonable budget on the basis that “it’s only for my home office” and set a budget of £x. Then I say “well for another £100 I can get y” and suddenly I’m looking at Naim streaming products with B&W speakers 🙄. Am also looking at future proofing as we’re in the process of switching house and flat between east and west coast and I’m thinking of something with HDMI ARC to allow a TV to connect in my flat when I’m over this side of the country…

Thanks for the input 👍🏻

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Slippery slope…!!!

I’m very concerned about getting value for my £££

As far as I can see you need to spend considerable extra £££ to have something appreciably better than WiiM…. The law of diminishing returns applies very strongly with hi fi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfeEr6u3fKo

John Darko has done a couple of reviews on them inc the Amp above and really rates them. The main problem imho with these is the inevitable "pro" or "next" version that always seems to follow hot on the heels with these sort of companies.