In this article, we will be discussing WiiM’s exciting line of audio products, from streamers to all-in-one streaming amplifiers that can power full speaker systems.

Company History

In 2014, Linkplay began with a team of high-caliber technology engineers focused on providing voice and smart product solutions for various product types worldwide. While designing software and hardware for other companies, Linkplay noticed a need for more affordable, high-quality streaming products. When they started WiiM, they had a mission to use their years of experience designing hardware and software for smart devices to make great music streaming products affordable enough for anyone to enjoy.

Features and Technology

It's All About The App

It is well known in the music streaming world that the software experience is essential. You can have the highest- hardware, flashiest design, and a brand with years of accolades, but if the control app is buggy or difficult to use, it will ruin the experience.

When Linkplay decided to start the WiiM brand, they knew their years of experience in software design would pay dividends. They wanted an app that would have all of the best music streaming services baked in, as well as easy-to-use and feature-rich control software for their devices.

WiiM wanted an app containing all of the best streaming services and wouldn’t require users to switch to different apps whenever they tried to switch music streaming services. The WiiM Home App has many top music streaming services, including Spotify, iHeartRadio, Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz Napster, Deezer, and more to come. (Apple Music is missing for now on these devices)

Along with all of the top music services, the WiiM Home App has many settings and controls, including setting up alarms, synchronizing music to multiple devices, creating personal routines, and a built-in equalizer that allows you to tailor the sound to your preferences. These features are great as they allow users to control their WiiM streamer and use their favorite music streaming service without leaving the WiiM Home App. The app even features a universal search feature that allows you to search for music from multiple streaming services simultaneously. This level of software support and refinement is rare, especially in the price class of these WiiM devices.

WiiM Mini Wireless Audio Streamer

Small Scale, Big Performance

Starting with the WiiM product that started it all, The WiiM Mini has garnered much attention in the audio world, mainly because it offers so much functionality for the price. The fact that it's the size of a hockey puck also helps!

The WiiM Mini has built-in Apple Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, DNLA ability, and gapless playback, which many music lovers insist on for accurate track transitions. Bluetooth connectivity is included for convenience, allowing you to connect your phone or source without physical connections.

What makes the WiiM Mini special is its ability to almost disappear in a system while offering most of the functionality of full-scale streaming products. The small size gives it a scale and portability not offered in other products with these capabilities.

WiiM Pro & Pro Plus Wireless Audio Streamer

Pro Features Made Affordable

Someone wanting to take the next step in performance and features needs to look at the WiiM Pro and Pro Plus. These units take the Mini's concept and add a newer, more capable Quad-core processor and more memory(128 to 512 MB) to process the music streams and app commands much faster. The PRO is a little larger, at 5.5” in length and width, and 1.6” tall. The soft-touch controls have been moved from the top to the front panel on the Pro and Pro Plus, and they work great.

This larger size allows the WiiM Pro and Pro Plus to include full RCA jacks for input and output, allowing you to connect your connectors directly to the Pro without converting to 3.5mm first. Also, along with the SPDIF Toslink output, there is an additional input to connect sources. Unlike the Mini and Pro, the Pro Plus version converts these analog inputs at up to 24-bit/192kHz sampling for improved performance over the 16-bit/48kHz standard conversion. WiiM also knew that Pro and Pro Plus users would want more options for connecting these units to external higher-quality DACs, so they also added a coax digital output, which is a great addition, knowing that while DACs in today's market have many connections, coax connections are almost always standard. While the WiiM Pro uses the same TI PCM 5121 DAC chip that the Mini uses, the Pro Plus takes performance up a notch by upgrading to an AKM 4493SEQ DAC. This upgraded chip takes the signal-to-noise ratio from 106dB to a much improved 121 dB. Also, the THD+N goes from -92dB (0.0025%) to an excellent -113dB (0.00023%)! These improvements allow the Pro Plus to be used in more revealing systems and environments where having a higher-quality DAC will yield benefits.

An ethernet connection is one of the essential additional connections on the Pro and Pro Plus. Many experts say a wired connection to your network provides a better-quality connection for better audio performance. The addition of ethernet and coax digital connections should put the Pro and Pro Plus on about anyone's radar who is looking for excellent quality streaming and future expandability. If you already have a great-quality DAC, the Pro and Pro Plus will allow you to test the waters of music streaming for a very low cost.

Another feature of the Pro and Pro Plus is Roon Ready support. Roon users can quickly choose the Pro or Pro Plus from within Roon and use these units like the rest of their Roon system household. This ability is uncommon at these price points and gives these WiiM units their high value. The list below shows the added features that might make you choose the Pro or Pro Plus over the Mini.

Additional Features on the Pro and Pro Plus:

• Ethernet connection
• Upgraded AKM DAC(Pro Plus only)
• Chromecast Audio
• Group with Nest Speakers and Display
• Alexa Multiroom with UHD
• Works With Google
• Airplay Cast
• Roon Ready
• WiiM Amp Multiroom Streaming Amplifier

Pro Features Amplified

WiiM recently unveiled a new streaming amplifier that takes the Pro and Pro Plus concept and gives it an amplifier section.

Adding an HDMI ARC input is one of the WiiM Amp's most essential features. This input allows users to connect their smart TV to the WiiM Amp and control the volume with the television remote. This option is great because it will enable you to upgrade your television audio without the hassle of multiple remotes.

WiiM included a Bluetooth remote with the WiiM Amp. This remote gives greater coverage than a traditional IR remote, allowing use from different angles and distances. It also has voice control, allowing you to speak simply, and the remote to follow your commands.

The internal DAC section of the WiiM Amp has a good-quality ESS Sabre 9018 K2M chip that offers an SNR of 98dB and a THD+N of -92dB (0.002%). While not quite as good as the Pro Plus, this is respectable for an all-in-one device.

AddiThe WiiM Amp's amplifier section uses the TI TPA 3255 Amplifier chip. This Class D chip specifies power output at 60 Watts/CH at 8 ohms and 120 Watts.CH at 4 ohms. This power level should have no problems powering most stand-mount or high-sensitivity speakers to room-filling levels. Add a powered subwoofer with the included 30-200Hz crossover-controlled subwoofer output, and the WiiM Amp could be the centerpiece of a fine, high-value system.

Performance One thing we noticed while testing the WiiM products was that using them was very easy and intuitive. Setup was as simple as hooking up the product and following the app's commands. While in use, we did not notice any hiccups or connection problems, which impressed us. After confirming the stable functions of the WiiM products, we decided to concentrate on the sound of each product.

The WiiM Mini is an excellent entry-level product for music streaming. We connected it to one of our budget two-channel systems using the included 3.5mm to RCA adapter.

Listening to The Black Crow's new album, Happiness Bastards, gave us a chance to hear what the Mini could do using its internal DAC. While the sound was clean and clear, allowing us to hear the fundamentals, the soundstage, and imaging were not up to the standards we are used to from better DAC’s. The tonal balance was good, with good bass and midrange, while the treble seemed to have a little bit of glare and etch. This is to be expected as the DAC inside the WiiM Mini is a budget chip that just does not have the specs of better DACs. Using the available Toslink output, we connected the Mini to one of our separate reference DACs, and the sound improved immensely, showing that the Budget-priced Mini has growth potential. If you are looking for a true all-in-one streamer for a higher-end music system, you would do much better with one of the Bluesound streaming products. However, given the very low entry price, the WiiM Mini is still a great product that would fit into a low-budget entry-level system or a system where critical music listening is not the priority.

Moving on to the WiiM Pro and Pro Plus streamers, things get a little more musical. With the same budget DAC as the Mini, the Pro is a more feature-rich version of the Mini. We liked the extra analog connections and thought the addition of an ethernet connection improved the sound a tiny bit, but we still think that the Pro is more geared toward budget systems. A separate quality DAC will be needed to get more out of it. With the addition of an AKM 4493 EQ DAC, the Pro Plus brings much better sound quality. Playing the same tracks through the Pro Plus allowed us to hear better instrument separation, with much-improved imaging and soundstaging ability. The treble had much less glare and etch to it, Allowing us to listen for much longer without fatigue. With its digital outputs, the Pro Plus still allows growth to better separate DACs and could be the base of a great streaming front end. We still think users looking for a streamer for their higher-end system will want to look at some of our better options, but the Pro Plus is great for the money. Some of our integrated amplifiers and receivers with built-in streaming are also worth considering, as they are true all-in-one powered packages from some of the top brands on the market.

The WiiM Amp is a product that fits a certain use case. We tested it with some fairly easy-to-drive and lower-priced stand-mount speakers, as this is where we see this amp being used. The WiiM Amp delivered good power and drove higher-sensitivity speakers well, but we would not recommend it for most tower speakers or larger, hard-to-fill rooms. The power amplifier section in the WiiM Amp is a class D design based on a TI chip and has its limitations. Playing The Black Crows tracks we liked the clean and clear output of the WiiM Amp and thought it had good tonal balance. The bass was tight and went low enough to give the music a good flow. The midrange was detailed and clean and as was the treble response. We heard a hint of treble glare and edginess on some harder-hitting tracks with cymbals and treble energy. The Soundstage and Imaging were decent, but this showed us that we were listening to a budget component. If you are looking for an amplifier to power less sensitive speakers or want one that will show you the great soundstage of your system, then you should look at our better amplifiers. We recommend the WiiM Amp for cases where regular-sized components just won’t fit or when critical listening is not the concern.

Overall Recommendation

After spending time with the WiiM streaming products, we were impressed by the ease of use and quality of the software experience. We also appreciated having an included app that does everything and doesn’t require switching apps to stream from our favorite streaming service. The sound quality of each unit is good and represents a value at their respective price points. Yes, there are better-sounding streaming products from brands like Bluesound and HiFI Rose, but they are costlier. The WiiM products will do multi-room audio(limited to 16 bit-48kHz audio), but if that is the use case, there are better products from brands like Sonos. But if you are looking for a low-cost streaming option for a budget system, or you have a great DAC and want to test the streaming waters, the WiiM products represent a quality option. We recommend the WiiM streaming products and think they would be a good fit for budget-minded music lovers. If you are wondering if the WiiM music streaming options are right for you, please give us a call or chat with us at Audio Advice and let our experts help you decide.

We’re here to help!

If you have further questions, contact our experts via chat, phone, or email. Or simply visit one of our world-class showrooms to experience speakers, projectors, TVs, and everything in between for yourself before you make a purchase!

If you’re planning your home theater or media room, check out our Home Theater Design page, where we have everything Home Theater related, including our FREE Home Theater Design Tool.

When you buy from Audio Advice, you’re buying from a trusted seller since 1978. We offer Free Shipping, Lifetime Expert Support, and our Price Guarantee. We look forward to serving you!