WiiM Pro Plus AirPlay 2 Receiver, Chromecast Audio, Multiroo...

10 reviews for WiiM Pro Plus AirPlay 2 Receiver, Chromecast Audio, Multiroo...

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kindle Customer – October 21, 2023

   
   Using the WiiM Pro Plus as a primary sound source in an office environment. I’m using the WiiM Home App or alternatively the Tidal Connect link using Tidal’s app. The WiiM unfolds MQA on Tidal for a perceptibly clearer and more dynamic sound. The WiiM Pro Plus sits on a shelf above my dedicated headphone amplifier — a Schist Ragnarok — and plays music through a set of Audeze LCD-2 headphones that I’ve had for years. I’m using my iPad as a control device (either the WiiM Home app or Tidal app) while I do actual work on my iMac.I’ve only had this for a couple of days, so I don’t have anything to say about reliabiiity or long-term listening fatigue. I CAN say that I’m finding the sound quality much better than I feared. My primary listening system uses very high-quality audiophile gear that I’ve painstakingly acquired to achieve great sound. The DAC alone is more than 10 times more expensive than the WiiM, and my electrostatic speakers are over $10,000 these days. So I’m used to good sound. That said, the WiiM Pro Plus is a simply OUTSTANDING deal. I’m not doing any critical listening, but I’m quite happy with my new office music partner.Setup was trivial, although the instructions were either too simple or too complex. The only quick-setup guide was for the hand-held remote, and that’s sending me to a device menu buried in the user interface. The full 40-page manual can be downloaded, and poking around will reveal the performance, hook-up, and features that are quite impressive (10-band equalizer, for instance, or the ability to sync multiple units together for whole-house sound, as examples). For my super-simple office application it was major overkill.I use Roon at home, and Tidal. The WiiM Home App works mostly intuitively, although there are a lot of features and capabilities that might be important to those who like to play with their food rather than just eat it. There are a lot of ways to use this streamer, including as a simple streamer into a DAC of your choice if you don’t like the built-in upgraded AKC DAC that is the “Plus” part of the WiiM Pro Plus package.At the moment this is not “Roon-Ready” but the previous experience with the WiiM Pro model suggests that it should become RAAT certified in a couple months or so. The WiiM shows up on my Roon app as a Squeezebox Lite unit, which is better-sounding than Chromecast or Airplay. I’ve tried mine with 3 different control maps: 1) the WiiM App, which you need to run at least occasionally to keep track of over-the-air updates (I’ve had 3 so far and I’ve had it less than a week). 2) Tidal Connect let’s you cast your phone Tidal through the WiiM where it will connect to your account and run the highest bit-rate supported, depending on what your Tidal plan supports. I’m using the top plan and the high-res + MQA sound quality is best so far. 3) You can run it as a Roon end point player, although not yet certified. When it does get certified, that is likely to be the best-sounding option, giving you the most control of your music.The WiiM app purportedly lets you play your own music if you have it online in your network someplace. I tried linking one of my music folders and it kinda worked, but got very draggy and slow. It’s like teaching a dog to dance… it’s amazing it can do that, much less do it well.Overall I’m very pleased with my purchase, the great development team behind it and the terrific value it represents in terms of sound quality and capabilities at this price point. Highly recommended.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Zeek the Geek – November 6, 2023

   
   Note: this review is written with existing Chromecast Audio (CCA) users in mind.*Updated Dec 2, 2023I needed another CCA to add a new location to my NAS-based (DLNA) distributed music network. But there are no good CCA-compatible products on the market except the original Google CCA, at inflated prices. Don’t tell me all about the “many CC-compatible speakers available”. They are all overpriced, under-powered, and inferior in every way to my own existing sound equipment and operating Apps. (that is a whole rant, isn’t it?)After reading so many good reviews as well as the WiiM website information, I bought a WiiM Pro. Although 2-3 times the price of an available used or new CCA, the WiiM Pro is a better buy if you might use any of it’s multiple other capabilities. Only a few of them are discussed in this review.Although not advertised, I was hoping that the WiiM Pro could also act as server/source to other CCA devices in the same way that it can to Airplay and its own proprietary LinkPlay protocol. No luck here, not a CCA source device. But a quick check showed that the WiiM Pro shows up on my Yamaha receiver as an Airplay source (my only Airplay compatible device).Build quality – better than expected at this price point. It is attractive and solid (although not heavy). The front panel controls and remote control nice bonuses even though I do not expect to use them. Back panel I/O is laid out well and clearly marked. The remote control has a nice feel for just a bonus item, and includes four Preset buttons (more later).Operation – I got it working right away as a CCA clone using only the Google Home App. I did not have to enable Chromecast within the WiiM App. REPEAT, you do not need to use any App besides Google Home to get this product to operate as a replacement CCA right out of the box. It worked well to address individually and could join in my existing “Speaker Group” as well. You could say it operates exactly like a CCA.To see what eIse the WiiM Pro could do, I installed the WiiM App on a 10” tablet. The GUI is clearly geared for smaller phone screens, so it looks rather basic on a large screen. I was amazed at how deep the App actually goes, especially the Browse function which brings up the many available source interfaces. Useful music sources include: My Music (local device), Home Music Share (DLNA), and most popular music services like Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio. Open Network Stream allows you to enter a music URL directly. 12 User Presets allow you to save stations, songs, and albums from most of these sources for quick access.Once you have set up the WiiM Pro how you want to use it, you can abandon the WiiM app and use any other app that can normally address a Chromecast device. I have been using Hi-Fi Cast for years as the best all-around audio controller app, which can see most types of networked music sources and playback devices . It saw the WiiM Pro and speaker group just like any other CCA device. Also worth noting, my Window PC and Android tablet running the Chrome browser also saw the WiiM Pro as a Google device to cast to. For some reason casting was not offered from my cell phone’s Chrome browser. Probably just incorrect settings.Music ServicesI tested only the services that I might be using, with the following results:Amazon Music – streamed well but interface was not any better than Amazons own (=terrible). BButtons can be slow or even inoperative. Most everything I found could be set to a Preset.Pandora – all my personal stations showed up here, and could be saved to a Preset.Tune-In – kind of confusing interface, but it all works. (tons of commercials, ugh!).VTuner – could not get this to work at all, it did not ask for my VTuner account info either.BBC Radio – offers 12 channels which work fine and could be saved to a Preset.*Home Music Share – can see, access, and play from my NAS media server. Can’t save to a Preset.Conclusion here: I may use other apps to stream audio to the WiiM Pro (such as Hi-Fi Cast).Sound Quality – This is not important to many people, which will just use the analog output of a CCA or WiiM or any device. But you have read this far, so I assume you ARE concerned with sound quality.I use the Optical output of my CCAs in my two main systems. (yes, that 3.5 mm jack is an analog AND optical digital audio output, you just have to use a mini-Toslink cable.)Anyway, I believe the sound quality of the WiiM is very good. I casually compared the WiiM analog output to the CCA Optical output and could not detect a difference. However, I mostly stream compressed audio for foreground music. I do not subscribe to any hi-res services because I have extensive CD and record collections.If after reading all this you didn’t find the info you needed, I recommend downloading the owner’s manual and reading sections pertinent to your needs/wants.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   MG – November 19, 2023

   
   These are excellent multi-room music streamers. For the last month I have been using two of them to drive multiple powered studio monitors in two rooms – my studio setup uses big, accurate speakers – 1200w per channel – so input quality matters. I use the WiiMs with Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music, Radio Paradise and to share an Optical-In from an mp3 library full of lossless live music recordings. I’ve also used them as airplay receivers.The Pro Plus units work brilliantly and their sound quality is outstanding especially with high bitrate source content like Tidal MQA, Radio Paradise Ultra FLAC and soundboard recordings.I have previously used Sonos, Arylic and Amazon Link streamers and these are by far the best. I also have an Eversolo DMP-6 (A cool streamer with great touchscreen visual interface which costs about 5-6 times as much as these – and doesn’t do multi-room) and the sound quality from the WiiMs is comparable – the new DAC is excellent in the Wiim Pro Plus.The App Interface is well designed with many sources and useful options, sync between rooms works as expected, and with a range of inputs and outputs these are super versatile. The only thing I do not like – and it is very minor – is the on- device volume controls. They use a finger touch +/- and its just too sensitive, so you end up over correcting volume – I find myself using the remotes even when at the device because the tactile remote buttons just work better. If these had a big physical volume dial like the old Amazon Links it would be a welcome improvement.The WiiM Pro Plus is an excellent product and the best value in quality audio sources I have yet found.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   sennj – January 30, 2024

   
   Mainly a vinyl/CD listener, but I wanted a good quality, reasonably priced streamer to sample music from Tidal, Apple Music, etc. The WiiM was very easy to set up and works as advertised. No wonder people really like this. This model was supposed to have slightly mediocre sound through its internal DAC, but I connected it via coax to my Hegel amp’s internal DAC and it sounds superb. Highly recommended product.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Seattle Techie – May 20, 2023

   
   A good solid streamer at a nice price point. I was looking for a solution to bring good quality music to my home office. I had a vintage NAD integrated amp and decided to add a streamer to playback music I have on my QNAP NAS as well as streaming from Spotify. I initially started with an older Pixel C tablet outputting sound via the headphone jack, but the sound quality was a little lacking and I couldn’t get a DAC to work properly with it.After reviewing options, I chose the WiiM Pro and a Schiit Modi DAC. The combination was a great solution and sounds fantastic. I’ve kept my tablet in the mix, which provides a screen to show what’s playing. I actually control via the app on my phone, so I don’t normally use the tablet to control anything, but it can be used as a controller as well.The setup via the app was simple and I was up and running in a couple of minutes. I have a Plex server running on my NAS and the app easily found my library. Of course hardware is only part of the equation, software is also important. The app is fairly good and is better than the other apps used on newer AVRs such as DTS Play-Fi which I use on an Integra receiver in another room. With that said, the app still has room for improvement.1. There’s no gapless playback when streaming via DLNA, though I’ve read that the feature is coming.2. The app does not have a landscape mode for the Now Playing screen. Not a must have, but a nice to have since I am using a tablet as a display. I can actually view in landscape by splitting the screen, but would be preferable if it was a full screen landscape mode.3. No existing playlists support, though seems to be an issue with other apps as well. Would be great if I didn’t have to build new playlists.4. Playlists are local and not global, thus it only resides on the phone or tablet that you create it on. If you use a 2nd device, your playlists need to be recreated. Would be great if the playlists can be shared between devices.It’s a good device and from I can tell, looks like they make updates quite often, so looking forward to a better app experience. Assuming dlna support on the app continues to improve, I will likely get a second WiiM Pro to connect to my AVR, thus replacing the built in solution.

   
6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kenzo – November 2, 2023

   
   I have been wanting to do multi-room audio for years, always drove me nuts that I lost the music when in a different room than the main stereo.I bought a mini a few weeks ago, it worked fine but one mini can’t do multiroom by itself. So I sprung for the pro version as I would have two to do multiroom, and also the pro version supports the remote. Mini version does not support remote. I think for multiroom you really want a remote.Only took me about 15 mins to get multiroom working! Easy as pie!I use it with TIDAL, plus I have a UpNP LMS server running to share my local ripped music.Both of these work fine and easy as pie to get working with the WIIM.Now as far as sound quality. I do not use the built- in dacs. I use external dacs as part of the audio system in each room. So each WIIM feeds digital audio to an external dac using optical out from WIIM to optical input of DACS. Sound is glorious! Rich, detailed, great extension at both ends, and little to no sibilance or digital grit.I did try the COAX out from the pro unit, did not like the sound. Maybe not using the best COAX cable, or maybe some other reason, but after trying the COAX output to feed my DAC in the main stereo, I went right back to Optical.Also, my dern computer is OUT of the music playing business now! Huge save on energy consumption and heat generation!I would buy these again, and I may buy another mini to add a third room to my multiroom listening experience now!I do have a fairly high end main system but even the kitchen/dining room system (Cambridge audio bookshelf speakers, AIYIMA A07 amp, FIIO K5 pro Dac, sounds really nice)

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Tomas Ramirez Jr. – January 21, 2023

   
   Ok, I’ve had these for about a week now, and I got a 3rd one a few days ago. Overall, I really like these. They’re not perfect, and I think I even found a couple of bugs; but they’re very flexible and they enabled me to get a multi-room audio system setup.tldr:1. Play music from your source (eg phone, computer, cd, …)2. WiiMs receive the music and route it to your sound system(s) (even BT speaker)3. Many networking possibilities4. Enables whole home (3+ rooms) audio5. Supports YouTube Music (mainly via BT; Chromecast has issues)6. Might be better off w WiiM Mini for YTM (for now)7. There’s a WiiM forum and it seems useful**So, real quick, this thing is a “network streamer”. It’s basically a music router! It gives you many ways to get digital music routed into one or more sound systems, depending on your needs. I gather some “audiophiles” are just using this to connect to fancy hi-fi systems. (I don’t know much about that.) I’m using it to create a whole-home audio system, so I can listen to my music as I go about my business in the house.**As I said, my goal was to setup a whole-house audio system, using YouTube Music; which has been my only music source for some years now. I have a couple of BT speakers, and a TV audio system; which includes a control/subwoofer unit, plus a sound bar. Each speaker/system is in one of the 3 rooms I wanted to cover.I was finally able to get things to work nicely with 3 WiiM Pros.1. Pair phone to WiiM Bedroom via BT2. WiiM Bedroom & Kitchen are connected to a BT speaker via RCA to 3.5 mm audio jack3. WiiM Basement is connected to TV audio system via Toslink (SPDIF)4. WiiMs are grouped via WiiM Home App5. Start playing YouTube Music6. In WiiM Home App, bump volume up and then down again to get sound going. 1. Alternatively, bump volume on WiiM BedroomSo, the music goes from the phone, over BT, to one WiiM; then that WiiM (I guess) passes the music over my wifi network; and somehow the WiiMs play the music in a synchronized fashion. They’re all playing in time – neither one is ahead of the other. And the sound is good. Just as good as if I connected to those BT speakers directly from my phone. (Never connected directly to the TV sound system before.)I also have the WiiM Bedroom BT speaker paired to my phone; so if I want to take it into the shower, I just switch over to that in my phone.**Originally, I tried using JBL PartyBoost for whole-home audio; but that suffers severly from interference. I also tried simply pairing and playing both BT speakers simultaneously; but 1) BT is currently limited to 2 audio outputs, and 2) BT speakers don’t stay in sync. One sounds ahead of the other.**I originally tried playing YTM to the WiiMs via Chromecast; but it sounded bad. It seems to me that YTM secretly has a volume leveling feature, which keeps all the songs playing at a nice, consistent volume level. But if you play over Chromecast, some of the songs are really loud, and some are quiet. I’m blaming this on Google.Also, when I connected Chromecast > RCA/3.5mm, I think there was something else wrong with the sound. I think it’s a bug in the WiiM. It sounded like some kid bumped a couple of the EQ bands or something. In one song, there’s a part where the girl’s voice would get louder, suddenly. In another song, part of the low-mid sound was flattened, and it sounded a bit staticy/hissy. The songs themselves played the same every time; but I kind of think each song was affected uniquely.Now, when I connected Chromecast > BT, this second issue went away. I.e, Phone > Chromecast > WiiM > BT output > BT speaker; this “weird EQ” issue goes away. Other than some songs playing louder than others (which I blame on Google), the sound is normal, like I’m directly paired to the BT speaker.So, since I’m able to get “good EQ” via BT > WiiM > RCA/3.5mm; and via Chromecast > WiiM > BT; this proves the “weird EQ” on Chromecast > WiiM > RCA/3.5mm is a WiiM issue, and not a Chromecast issue.I would think this is something WiiM can fix with a firmware update; which it seems they do often. I’ll try to check on it once in a while and update if it becomes fixed.**So, if you’re looking for whole home audio using YouTube Music, then you’re probably better off with the WiiM Mini, since there are issues with Chromecast. Of course, if you need the ethernet jack for your network, then you’ll need a WiiM Pro. Also, if you ever decide that you do want the Chromecast version; then you’ll end up having to switch.**I mentioned that I bump the volume in the WiiM Home app to get the sound to come out of my main speaker. I don’t remember this part very well. It might be a WiiM issue; but it might be a JBL issue. I kinda think it has to do with using the 3.5mm jack on my BT speaker. I think I had to do the same thing once when I connected my phone to the speaker’s 3.5mm jack. I can also work around it by bumping the volume on the WiiM box. I only have to do this on the source WiiM box, I think.**It’s actually really cool that WiiM can output BT! I used it this way for a day or two. The bad thing is that when you output via BT, the BT speakers themselves don’t stay synchronized. I believe this is an issue in the design of Bluetooth; not a WiiM issue.But the cool thing is that this does enable you to have whole home audio if all you have are BT speakers without 3.5mm jacks (or perhaps any other interface). If you can tolerate the echo sound, when you pass between rooms, of course. In my house, once I’m in the room, I don’t hear the echo. I think it’s not as bad if all the speakers are the same model. It probably has to do with the embedded computer inside the speaker; so even if the speakers are different models, they might still sync up pretty close. I found this to be the case with two JBL Xtreme 3 and a JBL Boombox 3. But a Soundcore Motion Boom has way different timing.The other cool thing BT output enables is you can just grab a speaker and move it while it’s playing. I grabbed my bedroom speaker and took it into the shower. And all the while I was still able to control it on my phone.**The last thing is there’s a WiiM forum, and I like that, because for a sophisticated device like this, a forum can be really helpful. And it seems like there’s actually people posting stuff on there. I described a couple issues there, and I’m hoping the WiiM people pick them up and fix them. In any case, I haven’t actually gained any significant benefits from the forum yet; but I though it was a good point.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   EB – March 6, 2024

   
   Very impressive streamer for the money. Im streaming hi-res optical into a Marantz HD Amp using Tidal Connect. The sound quality is superb.As far as I know, and from reviews, there is no difference between the pro and pro plus if you are using it just as a streamer into an external dac.Compared to my apple tv to tv to amp setup, casting music to the wiim sounds much better. Compared to my ipad pro or iphone directly into my external dac-amp by usb , the wiim has better/punchier bass and is much more dynamic.To get the best sound quality from the wiim you have to activate the 24bit 192out and then turn off a lot of useless features. This is done on the app; it takes just a few minutes and after that its set and forget.The only weakness I see in this streamer is the power supply. It works well, and I don’t have problems with it. But its obviously very flimsy and cheap. A better power supply will improve the sound quality for those looking to squeeze the absolute best sound from this streamer. But thats not really a pressing need for me at the moment. Its just a potential upgrade path for the future.You have to pay $400-550 to get a streamer that betters this sound quality (from Cambridge Audio or IFI). But those products dont have an app as good as the wiim, and setting them up is much more of a chore.In the sub-$500 range, this is the best pure streamer I have come across.

9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Kent – June 13, 2023

   
   Final Thoughts…Yes, 4 stars, but buy it. Particularly for someone building an introductory system, I think it is more advantageous to think of the WiiM Pro [Plus] as a *preamp* with streaming capabilities. Besides a quality, networkable source, you are getting…☑️ Digital and analog inputs☑️ Digital and analog outputs☑️ DAC (go Plus if you need it)☑️ ADC☑️ DDC (?? No USB or re-clocking, but optical/coax conversion)☑️ Input/Output selection☑️ Volume control☑️ Tone control (including parametric 🤯)☑️ Balance control 👂☑️ Remote control (save your money and use the app, still counts as remote)Add a Class D amp, speakers and some cables, and you are off to the races with no deep commitment to separates or an integrated system. Let your curiosities lead you from there… In any event you’ll still have a killer streamer.The caveat… This is an affordable work in progress. It has bugs. As with any integrated system, a separate DAC will almost certainly outperform what’s inside (I’d like to underscore, I’m talking about the Pro, not the Plus). Also, if you plan to use Tidal, you are shopping in interesting times [I’m writing this on Sep 7, 2023]. Though Tidal has all-but-dropped MQA, they have yet to roll out FLAC to third-parties such as WiiM. Meantime, the Pro is equipped for MQA (though your sample rate will be capped at 96kHz through Tidal Connect). The good news is sample rate is not the “whole story,” and this is a non-issue on Amazon. [Update Nov.1: Support for TIDAL Hi-Res FLAC via TIDAL Connect – Direct streaming enabled up to 24-bit/192kHz straight from TIDAL App 🥳]I’m not sure this generation will ever be *perfect,* but WiiM is regularly updating the firmware, and I enjoy this thing most days. The rest of my journey is logged below. Happy hunting ✌️Original review:I’m new to this game, but I am thoroughly pleased with the Pro. In addition to learning not to rely on the TV’s DAC, I realized using the TV as a streamer was a narrowed experience as well (poor interface, gaps, re-sampling, etc). I now have the Pro “daisy-chained” between my TV and a Schiit Modi 3 via the SPDIF ports (effectively doubling as a preamp). The TV is now strictly for video and the Pro for music, with no additional DAC’s or sacrifice to the experience 🥳The digital EQ is also handy. I’m looking to eventually add an analog component for the whole system (which includes a turntable), but for the time being it’s been great for addressing standing waves and brightening the speakers. As expressed in other reviews, this has been an eye opening experience with respects to what I feel I need[ed] to buy on vinyl.Update1/5:I’ve run into some issues and I feel it’s only fair to lower the rating from 5 to 4 stars. As a streamer, this works great, but I opted for the Pro over the Mini specifically for the optical input to connect my TV. I had it working, but a few days ago it stopped and I have been unable to get it back up and running. To be clear, everything “downstream” from WiFi works wonderfully, but I suspect there is a physical issue w the SPDIF-in. I’m in the middle of ironing this out with WiiM. I’ll update a second time with an end to this story – I hope I won’t have to, but the rating could drop further.Update 2/5:After a process-of-elimination with WiiM support, they sent me a new device which arrived promptly. Thankfully, it works as intended (thrilled!). In retrospect / having gained familiarity with the app, there were some warning signs the original device was faulty during configuration (no sound was heard for the mic test, and the resolution test was inconsistent). I simply had no frame of reference to know what I was listening for. That said, I heard the clapping and piano on the new device and it works as advertised. In case anyone looking at the Pro has the same gear, as seen in the photo, I’m running the TV into the Pro > Schiit Modi 3 > Schiit Saga S and can confirm this works fine at full resolution and bit depth. I’ve also incorporated the Schiit Lokius for all sources since my original review, so I’m no longer using digital eq in WiiM Home (as useful as it was). Though the new device works as advertised and my interaction with WiiM was positive, I’m leaving the rating as 4/5 to reflect the journey… feels fair to me.Update 3/5:I would lower this rating to a 3.5 if I could, but I will round-up to 4 stars because I have faith that the updates will eventually iron all this out… “All this” being, this device is inconsistent. I do not have the connectivity issues described in other posts, but it does behave oddly during operation. The indicator light will change from green to white (or vise versa) with not changes to the input (it *has* changed inputs too, but thats only happened only once… I have it set to auto-sense, but there was/is no activity that I’m aware of that would trigger the switch… I’ll turn this setting off and see if that helps). The BIGGEST issue: Last night I temporarily lost my latency setting (the sound was no longer syncing with the video). I attempted to recalibrate through the app, but it produced no clapping sound [red flag]. The app set the latency to 0ms (was previously ~30) and then… I lost sound. I switched input to Wifi, which thankfully worked fine and I got the sound back once I returned to SPDIF-in, but I was worried I was back to square-one (see Update 1/5), at which point I would have dropped the product altogether. Lastly, it now pops my speakers when I turn off the TV-source. This is not the biggest deal (I just mute the preamp before turning off the TV), but it didn’t do that before, and it didn’t happen when I had the TV going straight into the DAC. [EDIT 7/13/23: I’ve since realized there is a Sample Rate Switch Latency under Audio Output to alleviate this – Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t]. All that said, I still cannot get the clapping sample when attempting to sync the sound, the setting remains at 0ms, but the output seems fine 🤷‍♂️ … To give you a sense of the timeframe, I’m posing this on Tuesday, July 6 (the original device was delivered June 8). I will write a fourth update if this gets any worse. This product has a LOT of potential, my fingers are crossed, but buyer be warned… Thar be bugs 🗺️ 🐞Update 4/5:Writing this on Aug 16, 2023. The good news… WiiM is keeping up with the updates, which is promising. The bad news… The Pro switched inputs in the middle of watching TV again, with no app activity that I’m aware of that would trigger a switch to Wifi. I got it back with little issue, and it’s not common, but that’s a drag. The Sample Rate Switch Latency continues to have zero effect on the popping that occurs when turning on off the TV with the SPDIF input selected. It’s possible I’m not using it correctly, but I’ve set it to all different ms’ with no luck. I’m also getting soft popping between “Master” and “HiFi” songs on Tidal. There is some chatter on the forums to alleviate this, but I’m not interested in forcing a resample through volume or EQ. Some of the latest updates seem to have addressed something similar for Amazon users, so perhaps a fix is coming soon. I plan to write WiiM about it. Other than that… as usual, when this thing works… [these-hills-sing meme].Update 5/5[See “Final Thoughts” at top]

   
10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Eddie Lang – January 11, 2024

    
    To begin, I’m an ancient audiophile albeit considerably out of touch. I’ve been using a Squeezebox streaming device linked to an AudioLogic 34 tube DAC for streaming files over my local network. Since 1966 I’ve been collecting and enjoying high-end gear and over the years have had plenty of it: my speakers are a 1980 HQD, I’ve owned Levinson CD decks, my home is cabled with Mitchell Cotter custom cabling he built for me in the early 80s, I’ve owned as many as 10 Marantz Model 9s at one time. I toss this out to say that I’ve owned pretty lavish equipment and have the playback equipment to discriminate between a good item and outright junk.I bought this cute little gadget because my Squeezebox and Audiologic won’t decode the latest high-definition audio streams from something new-to-me called Tidal.com with which I am probably the last person in the audio universe to be familiar. Anyway, I wanted to fool around with a more up-to-date streaming system and the price of this little guy was somewhere between 1/10 to 1/20th of the alternatives I found in scanning the high-end boutiques.Initially I found this gadget at once easy to set up and a pain in the neck. I didn’t encounter any issues in the initial network setup and it streamed over WiFi perfectly well. I hooked it up to my AudioLogic DAC and it detected the resolutions supported and produced an excellent feed at 16 bits. Fed directly through its internal DAC it decoded higher resolution content WHEN ACTUALLY AVAILABLE and I was pretty happy with the output.But…I discovered two issues which will drive you nuts unless you address them. For all I know they will change something or other going forward as this outfit seems really committed to seeking feedback from owners and actually responds to any feedback one troubles to send them. But as of today:(1) There is a setting (on the phone/tablet app) for device settings. This is a bit tricky to find because there is a separate “settings” menu items elsewhere that relates to app settings. Anyway if you go to the device screen you will find a small “settings” gear-icon in the right hand side of the screen. Look for “standby mode” and turn it off. If you don’t you will constantly find that your app will not “find” this device andwill drive you completely insane troubleshooting your network, wondering if you need to hook it up to hard-wired ethernet and whatever. There’s no good setting except “Never”.(2) This gadget is shipped with a 2.4a USB C charger. Leave it in the box and use one with a higher capacity. I found that using the factory charger very hi-def streams would break up/distort or what have you, in other words, not play correctly. Once I repowered this gizmo on heaver-duty charger it works like a champ.If you follow these guidelines you will find the WiiM Pro AirPlay 2 Receiver a great value and an enhancement to any level of stereo playback gear. I did not test it with Roon although it is said to be Roon-Ready but using it for a vasriety of streaming content I remain completely happy with my modest little investment and glad to keep the other $2900.00 or whatever I saved by trying this thing first.***Update 1/20/24:(1) I purchased another one for my guest cottage. That’s about as good an endorsement as anyone can give.(2) I decided to use a pair of TPLINK Powerline Ethernet over power line to see if my original unit would show any improvement if it had a wired connection. This was more of a test than a necessity, I have excellent 5ghz in my listening room. The pair I used was easily ten years old so far from the latest or fastest present-day tech. I consider it a big improvement. The cost of a pair of these is around $50 on Amazon and a good investment as a feed for the Wiim pro.