WiiM has announced two new audiophile audio streaming devices at the top of its range of wireless audio streaming devices. Both, called WiiM Ultra and WiiM Amp Pro, support AirPlay 2, Chromecast, DLNA and several other streaming protocols and will be available this summer.
Both devices are equipped with the Saber 32-bit/384 kHz ES9038 Q2M Saber digital-to-analog converter. (Instead, last year’s Wiim Amp used the Saber ES9018 DAC). They also use Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity, and each has the same scaled-down Mac Studio look. WiiM claims that both devices automatically adjust the sound to the room they are in.
WiiM Ultra, front and back. Photo: Courtesy of WiiM
But the WiiM Ultra has a 3.5mm touchscreen on the front, next to the volume knob, for displaying things like app widgets, album art, playback controls, and various audio and I/O settings. It has an HDMI ARC port on the back, has optical and RCA jacks, and is the only WiiM device with a phono input.
WiiM Amp Pro: Very similar to WiiM Amp, but different. Photo: Courtesy of WiiM
On the other hand, WiiM Amp Pro is identical to WiiM Amp in most respects, except for a few minor differences such as support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. (The WiiM extender is limited to Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0.) It also has a higher signal-to-noise ratio of 120 dB compared to 98 dB for the extender.
The WiiM Ultra will cost $329, while the Amp Pro will cost $369 when they are released in Q3 in the US. We asked WiiM whether the standard $299 WiiM booster will remain in the lineup.
Credit : www.theverge.com
