WiiM Amp Ultra Is The Latest All-In-One Streaming Amplifier And It's Shipping Now

Forbes

2 days ago

The new WiiM Amp Ultra has the classic WiiM styling and just requires a pair of speakers.
When it was announced in May at the High End Munich show, WiiM's latest all-in-one streaming amplifier caused quite a stir in the Bavarian capital. The new WiiM Amp Ultra is a compact streamer and contains WiiM's most powerful amplifier to date. This one-box audio solution is designed for music lovers who may be short on space and all it needs is a pair of loudspeakers to finish things off.
The WiiM Amp Ultra has the brand's unmistakable design and is built around an aluminum chassis that makes it thermally efficient. At its front is a high-resolution 3.5-inch touchscreen which can be used to control the player and also displays album artwork. The Class D amplifier at the heart of the WiiM Amp Ultra can output up to 100W per channel into 8Ω with ultra-low distortion levels.
The New WiiM Amp Ultra
This is the latest all-in-one streaming amplifier from WiiM and was developed following extensive research and feedback from the company's customer base. WiiM wanted to know what its users thought an all-in-one streamer should look and sound like. Following a lot of research and design, the WiiM Amp Ultra was born.
The WiiM Amp Ultra can output 100W per channel into 8Ω and has two set of stereo speaker outputs.
The WiiM Amp Ultra runs with the WiiM Home smartphone app and that's the primary method of control and customization. The Home app can be used to control the music and includes built-in automatic room correction, multi-room grouping, as well as offering access to almost every streaming platform imaginable.
The entire setup can be run using a smartphone or tablet. However, the WiiM Amp Ultra can be controlled with the WiiM Voice Remote 2 remote which ships with the unit and looks remarkably similar to the Apple TV 4K metal remote. The entire system can be easily updated with the latest firmware using the app or directly from the unit's touchscreen. WiiM brings new features and improvements to its products with regular firmware updates.
Power And Connectivity
The WiiM Amp Ultra has outputs for a pair of stereo speakers as well as an output for a powered sub-woofer. There is a basic selection of inputs for attaching both digital and analog sources. The WiiM Amp Ultra can even connect to a TV using the HDMI ARC port to produce a 2.1 home theater system.
At the rear of the WiiM Amp Ultra are most of the outputs you need including HDMI Arc, optical, USB, ... More Ethernet, Line In and sub out.
With its 100W per channel amplification into 8Ω, there's enough power on board to drive almost any pair of speakers and fill a larger room with sound. The WiiM Amp Ultra also has some other tricks up its sleeve, such as Dolby Digital decoding and post filter feedback technology to handle speaker-load dependency. There are also smart presets for one-touch access to both content and controls.
The flexible input and output options on the WiiM Amp Ultra are all powered by a 32-bit/384kHz ESS ES9039Q2M SABRE DAC chip. For the amplification, WiiM opted to use dual TI TPA3255 Class-D amp chips backed up with half a dozen TI OPA1612 op-amps to ensure both low distortion and a detailed sound.
Premium Touchscreen
The display at the front of the WiiM Amp Ultra is a premium touchscreen and measures 3.5 inches diagonally. With a Corning Glass cover for durability, the screen should be able to withstand years of direct control. The screen also displays playback controls, input sources, EQ settings, music queue view, custom wallpapers, VU meters, Smart Presets, plus it displays recently played tracks, Internet radio stations and more.
The new WiiM Amp Ultra comes with an all-metal voice remote that bears more than a passing ... More resemblance to the remote that ships with the Apple TV 4K.
Post-filter feedback technology provides stable and load-independent performance across all types of speaker, providing a cleaner sound and better amplifier control. When it comes to wireless connectivity, WiiM has added Wi-Fi 6 which is upgradable to Wi-Fi 6E. There's also a Bluetooth 5.3 receiver with support for SBC and AAC codecs. Oddly, there's no support for LDAC or aptX Adaptive so the Bluetooth is probably the best kept for casual streaming use. WiiM says its dual antenna networking provides fast and reliable streaming without the need for wires.
Another feature new to the WiiM Amp Ultra is something called RoomFit; a built in automatic room calibration feature. RoomFit generates a sweeping tone that's played through the WiiM Amp Ultra's speakers and picked up by microphone. The sound is analyzed and used to sculpt the sound EQ so that it works with the acoustic characteristics of the room using customized corrections.
Multiple Streaming Services
As with any competent streamer, the WiiM Amp Ultra supports Google Cast, Alexa Cast, DLNA, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect. However, for some reason, WiiM has recently dropped support for Apple's AirPlay protocol, which is a disappointment. There is support for direct wireless casting via the WiiM Home smartphone app.
The WiiM Amp Ultra can also handle analog sources like a turntable, cassette deck or FM tuner.
In addition to the casting support, the WiiM Amp Ultra also works with large range of music streaming services with native apps built into WiiM Home app. There's support for services like Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Qobuz and many more.
The WiiM system also supports voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant as well as the voice support built into the WiiM Voice Remote. All the voice services provide hands-free control, so you don't need to bother using the app or the physical remote.
With its rating of 100W per channel, there's a lot of audio muscle built into the WiiM Amp Ultra and it's a powerful enough to drive almost any pair of loudspeakers. There is no physical headphone jack, so users are limited to using Bluetooth headphones or earbuds and limited to SBC or AAC codecs. That omission could be a dealbreaker for some people who enjoy private headphone listening.
The WiiM Amp Ultra streaming amplifier is shipping now and available from Amazon, and priced at $529.