Verdict
A small, inexpensive streamer that’s handy and accessible, the WiiM Professional brings streaming capabilities to an present hi-fi setup with minimal fuss. The app expertise is slick and provides loads of customisation and personalisation, whereas the sound high quality is sweet for the asking worth, although for those who’re an skilled hi-fi person, you’ll probably need to set your funds increased if audio constancy is your primary precedence.
Professionals
- Inexpensive
- Area-saving design
- Intuitive app
- Good sound high quality
Cons
- Not essentially the most insightful efficiency
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Audio helpCan play audio as much as 24-bit/192khz -
StreamingStream over Bluetooth 5.1, AirPlay 2, Chromecast or direct from WiiM Dwelling app -
WiiM DwellingSet-up, stream, and personalise the expertise
Introduction
The newest section within the evolution of hi-fi sees it embrace the world of streaming. Whether or not it’s lively audio system, streaming turntables, or wi-fi audio system, the business has turned to streaming to usher in comfort and accessibility to a brand new era of music followers.
On the coronary heart of that ‘evolution’ has been the music streamer, and fairly than simply purely streaming audio, they’re taking older equipment with none streaming capabilities and folding them into a contemporary community to stream music from all method of gadgets.
And that’s the place the WiiM Professional enters the dialog. This streamer encourages hi-fi followers to degree up and add a streaming element with out having to splurge on a brand new system for an inexpensive asking worth.
Design
- Discreet appears
- Contact capacitive buttons
- Compact dimension
Small, discreet, and wearing a black end, the WiiM Professional isn’t designed to seize the eye. Reasonably than that description being a adverse, it’s a optimistic so far as I’m involved.
Its compact dimension means you received’t have to create space to accommodate the WiiM Professional in your hi-fi rack or shelf. Nevertheless, wall-mounting isn’t an possibility, as there aren’t any keyholes to hold it on a wall. At 42mm tall and 140mm extensive it may very well be slotted alongside an amplifier and even on high of one other system to save lots of area. At 330g it’s light-weight too, the construct and end don’t scream premium really feel however it’s completely acceptable for the value.
Across the again are the place you’ll discover the connections: analogue RCA and SPDIF optical inputs, alongside analogue RCA, digital optical (SPDIF) and digital coaxial outputs, in addition to a set off out, Ethernet port for a hardwired connection, and USB-C port for the ability.
They’re spaced out nicely sufficient that they’re not competing for area. The ability cable just isn’t the longest, which can have an effect on the location of the system. It’s value positioning the WiiM Professional near the mains or utilising an extension wire to shorten the space.
The WiiM Professional doesn’t ship with a distant management (extra on that later) and there’s no show both, however there are onboard contact capacitive controls that govern quantity, playback, and a sole preset. Above them is an LED indicator that reveals its standing. Packaged within the field is a RCA cable and digital optical cable too for those who don’t have already got one at your disposal.
Options
- Digital enter helps to 24-bit/192kHz audio
- Big range of streaming help
- Personalisation and customisation through WiiM Dwelling app
File help isn’t as wide-ranging because the Cambridge Audio MXN10 with MP3, AAC, ALAC, APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, and OGG included, leaving the likes of DSD and AIFF off the checklist. The WiiM Professional sits under the WiiM Professional Plus, which provides DSD playback.
The WiiM Professional can settle for 24-bit/192kHz by means of its digital audio enter and attain so far as 32-bit/384kHz with the digital audio output. Contained in the system is a Burr-Brown PCM5121 DAC from Texas Devices with a THD+N (Whole Harmonic Distortion + Noise) determine of 0.009%, which signifies that sign noise is extremely low to be close to imperceptible.
The streamer helps AirPlay 2, Chromecast Audio, DLNA, Spotify Join, TIDAL Join, Amazon Music casting, Qplay 2.0, Bluetooth 5.1, and Roon Prepared, which covers all the massive hitters. Voice assistant help isn’t baked in however there’s ‘Works with’ compatibility when linked to a cellular system that does help both Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa, permitting for voice management over music choice, playback, quantity, and different features.
Set-up is extremely simple and swift. Energy the speaker up, obtain the WiiM Dwelling app, seek for the system and join it to the Wi-Fi, and it’s just about carried out apart from just a few extra customisations to type by means of.
As talked about within the ‘Design’ part, there’s no distant management bundled with the WiiM Professional, although there’s the choice of buying the WiiM Professional with a distant for £10 extra.
In any other case, operation is finished through the WiiM Dwelling app. The app is similar to the one utilized by the Triangle AIO3 however with just a few extra options and capabilities. You possibly can entry and play music in your system, dive again into music you’ve not too long ago performed (which I discover useful), and add presets of which there are 12 in whole.
Music streaming providers corresponding to Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Tidal, SoundCloud, BBC Radio, and plenty of extra are built-in, and you may choose the supply (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Line-in, and Optical enter). Search can retrieve outcomes from all of the music streaming providers you’ve signed into by means of the app.
Different customisations embody altering the decision of the digital outputs (by default they’re set to 16-bit/48kHz), Mono audio setting, coming into the MQA beta (Tidal Masters supported throughout the app and over Tidal Join); intensive EQ choices (graphic and parametric choices) with over a dozen presets to play with. And it’s all housed in an app that’s swift, responsive to make use of, and slick in operation whether or not on iOS or Android.
The one side I’ve had some hassle surmounting is how the presets work. It really works for the likes of Tidal and Amazon Music, however I haven’t seen it as an possibility for Qobuz.
The preset button on the streamer itself just isn’t for making a preset, as I initially thought it was, however for choosing ones you have already got. Faucet it as soon as, and it’ll queue up your first alternative, faucet it twice and it’ll go to the second preset. I feel that’s good, although for those who’ve crammed up all of the playlists it’d be extra handy to make use of the app as an alternative of tapping the button twelve occasions to get the final possibility.
Efficiency
- Weighty efficiency
- A bit in need of element and sharpness
- Good general steadiness
Related to a pair of Q Acoustics 3010i stereo audio system and Cambridge Audio CXA60 amplifier, the WiiM Professional summons a impartial, weighty, and dynamic audio efficiency.
With a Tidal Grasp observe of Dominique Fils-Aime’ Birds I discover there’s an agreeable quantity of sharpness and readability to Fils-Aime’s vocals that doesn’t teeter into sibilance or sound unnatural. There’s a weightiness to the bass and percussion devices, which supplies the observe a agency however pure and balanced low-end efficiency.
The tone right here is certainly one of neutrality however in the direction of the hotter facet of the dimensions, I really feel. The WiiM Professional avoids sounding crisp, although it does have me questioning whether or not there’s some element left behind. The snaps that punctuate the music really feel as if they might use extra chunk and definition – there’s not fairly the power to them that I anticipated to listen to.
The soundstage is painted in extensive phrases, and the stereo picture is offered with good definition. The dynamic vary is solidly expressed in a observe like GoGo Penguin’s Erased by Daylight, the highest finish of the frequency vary is informative sufficient to wring out good ranges of sharpness, element, and brightness whereas the low finish is once more described with heft and energy that provides it a stable basis.
Once more, although, if there’s a facet I’d lay a finger on concerning the WiiM Professional’s efficiency, is that it doesn’t extract as a lot element and definition from music, portraying songs and tracks in a broad style than digging into them with excessive ranges of perception.
When it comes to its dynamic prowess (describing highs and lows), the WiiM Professional is a succesful little streamer. Assembly Kitty from Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer has a lush, sweeping sense of scale and romanticism and the WiiM Professional ready captures the swells of the observe ably because the orchestra swells within the large moments and recedes within the quieter ones. It’s a fluid and pleasing efficiency.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
When you’re on the lookout for comparatively cheap streamer
£149 / $149 is cheaper than the Audio Professional Hyperlink 2 and also you get a comparatively comparable degree of efficiency and options
If audio is the primary precedence
The WiiM Professional sounds good, but when audio constancy is the primary precedence, you could possibly do higher by stepping up just a few worth tiers. The Cambridge Audio MXN10 is a superb possibility.
Closing Ideas
Priced at £149 / $149, the WiiM Professional has its eyes set on worth and comfort, and subsequently to anticipate the efficiency of the Cambridge Audio MXN10 could be far reaching. It is a proficient streamer pitched on the inexpensive market for individuals who need to bounce as much as a digital streaming setup for a cheap quantity and the WiiM Professional succeeds.
The sound is weighty, highly effective, and clear sufficient although it may gain advantage from increased ranges of element and definition. So long as you’re not anticipating the best degree of constancy from audio and are content material with merely including comfort to your present hi-fi setup, this inexpensive little streamer will get the job carried out with confidence. For extra skilled customers I’d say you could possibly solid your eyes in the direction of costlier choices.
How we take a look at
We take a look at each music streamer we evaluation completely over an prolonged time frame. We use business normal checks to check options correctly. We’ll all the time let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to evaluation a product.
Discover out extra about how we take a look at in our ethics coverage.
Examined throughout a number of weeks
Examined with actual world use
FAQs
The WiiM Professional’s digital enter can settle for audio alerts of as much as 24-bit/129kHz.
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