Latest news with #HighEndMunich
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
WiiM Amp Ultra Is The Latest All-In-One Streaming Amplifier And It's Shipping Now
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.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
5 of the most exciting hi-fi teasers we've seen for the High End Munich 2025 show
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The High End Munich 2025 show kicks off soon on May 15 Chord Electronics and iFi Audio have teased mysterious new products Luxury cartridges, headphones and Qobuz Connect will star too High End Munich is where the audio world shows off some of the latest and greatest audio equipment for audiophiles, often with price tags of the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" variety. And while it's true that some of the equipment you'll see at the show costs more than a helicopter made of diamonds, it's a fascinating insight into the world of ultra-high-end hi-fi. This final event from Munich – it's moving to Vienna next year – is genuinely exciting, and some manufacturers are already teasing what they'll be showing next week. Here are five teasers of hi-fi heaven worth looking out for. British high-end pro audio brand Chord Electronics describes its Ultima Reference range of pre-amps and power amps as "our absolute pinnacle of audio engineering", and it's teasing a "groundbreaking" new product that will be a "showstopper" at High End Munich. So what is it? It's definitely analogue, it's going to be a flagship product, and it's apparently state-of-the-art, too. That's all we know so far, but it'll be unveiled by company founder John Franks, and we'll see it on the first day of the event, May 15. Meze Audio make some beautiful and unusual headphones, and the new 105 SILVA promise "exquisite design" and "the next major step forward for audio innovation". The new headphones have 50mm dynamic drivers with cellulose composite domes and titanium-covered surrounds, and Meze says the sound signature "is a new take on Meze Audio's iconic characteristics, including the technicalities of 109 PRO combined with the warmth and genre versatility of 105 AER." They're likely to be somewhat pricier than the more consumer-focused, open-backed and wired 105 AER cans ($399 / £369 / AU$799 a pair) we saw recently, but we're intrigued all the same. Nagaoka makes the highly regarded MP-200 cartridge as well as the MP-110 that came pre-fitted in the Fluance RT85N turntable. For the High End Munich 2025 show it'll be unveiling its new flagship, the MP-700, which will apparently deliver "ever more refined and accurate sound reproduction, bringing listeners closer to the original performance." Naturally, it won't exactly be a bargain, with the price expected to be $1,399 / £1,149 (around AU$2,400) when it becomes available later this month. But it certainly looks a fitting way for the company to celebrate its 85th birthday. iFi Audio promises to launch "two new travel audio essentials – both for in-flight and in-car sound". We're excited about that, because we really rate iFi's DACs: our most recent iFi review, of its flagship Valkyrie DAC, raved about its "staggeringly complete sound". It's not exactly portable, though, so we're all ears when it comes to these new products. Qobuz, which is arguably the best music streaming platform for hi-res audio, is having a press conference on Thursday 15 May. Could this finally be the official launch of the long-awaited Qobuz Connect? The feature is similar to Spotify Connect in that it lets you control your Qobuz playback remotely on compatible hardware. It's been in beta for a while and started appearing for non-beta app users earlier this week, which would make the High End Munich 2025 show a good place for a bigger reveal. An official launch would likely coincide with more manufacturers announcing support and releasing the appropriate firmware updates. Stretch goals – the 8 best money-no-object hi-fi gadgets we tested in 2024 These heavyweight luxury speakers look like Doctor Who villains The American gods of valve-based audio have released a huge monoblock power amp
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Scotland's Fyne Audio Unveils Flagship F704SP Loudspeaker At High End Munich 2025
The new FS704SP speaker from Fyane Audio weighs a massive 71.5kg and can handle up to 600W. Scottish speaker brand Fyne Audio is exhibiting at the High-End Munich 2025 Show and is launching a brand-new flagship loudspeaker, the F704SP. This UK-built loudspeaker has the power and dynamics of Fyne Audio's acclaimed F704 speaker but with some extensive refinements and sonic enhancements taken from the brand's elite F1 Series. The F704SP is based on Fyne Audio's signature 300mm IsoFlare point source driver. Developed alongside the 300mm driver used in the F1-12S, the IsoFlare integrates a 12-inch multi-fiber bass/midrange cone with Fyne's signature 3-inch titanium dome compression tweeter, which is time-aligned to the larger cone at the driver's center. Fyne claims that the powerful point source configuration is driven by multiple motor systems featuring a neodymium magnet for the high frequencies and a large ferrite magnet for the main cone. The conductive nature of the neodymium magnet reduces distortion by damping voice coil inductance losses. The FS704SP has an IsoFlare driver that integrates a 12' multi-fibre bass/midrange cone with Fyne's ... More signature 3-inch (75mm) titanium dome compression tweeter time-aligned to the larger cone at the driver's centre. Fyne says this results in an exceptionally accurate frequency response and improved high-frequency performance. A large ferrite motor ensures the larger low-frequency cone has an exceptional excursion range while tightly controlling the voice coil to produce a tight, fast and dynamic bass. To extend the lower frequency response still further and enable high sensitivity of the overall loudspeaker, the F704SP has a second 12-inch bass driver, featuring the same lightweight multi-fiber cone, ferrite motor and FyneFlute roll surround as the partnering IsoFlare driver. The F704SP has a cabinet with a curved and contemporary finish. Made from pressed high-density European birch plywood and with extensive internal bracing, the enclosure has a lot of rigidity for its large internal volume. The enclosure has a unique twin-cavity loading system. Initially pioneered by Fyne Audio on the F1-10, the system also includes a downward-firing port paired with Fyne Audio's BassTrax Tractrix diffuser system that can deliver a 360-degree low-frequency wavefront. BassTrax makes in-room bass response smoother and allows for a wider range of positioning for such a large loudspeaker. As a significant upgrade on the F704, the F704SP's entire plinth and BassTrax assembly are machined to the same high specification as the F1-12S. This includes a heavyweight sandwich of aluminum plates, advanced tractrix cone engineering and Fyne's large M12 threaded metal cone feet with convenient top mount height adjustment. The FS704SP from Fyne Audio is available in piano gloss black, gloss white, and gloss walnut ... More finishes of the original F704 and also available in a real wood walnut veneer. The plinth assembly acts as an ultra-rigid radial low-frequency wave guide for the BassTrax porting system, which significantly improves the bass performance compared to traditionally ported designs. The plinth design also provides stability for each 71.5kg loudspeaker with ideal floor coupling. Central to the F704SP's enhanced sonic profile is an upgraded crossover network. Redesigned using computer modelling and listening sessions, the crossover incorporates premium components, including ClarityCap high-grade polypropylene capacitors and Vishay high-power, military-grade, thick film resistors in the high-frequency signal path. Fyne says the improvements dramatically reduce compression effects and boost detail resolution, giving a richer and more lifelike performance. Further enhancing signal purity, Fyne Audio has applied its proprietary cryogenic treatment to the complete crossover assembly at its in-house DCT facility in the company's new factory based in central Scotland. The advanced process relaxes material stresses in components, solder joints, and wiring, which maximizes signal transparency and audio fidelity. Internal signal integrity is assured by using Neotech PC-OCC wiring throughout, which is renowned for its transparent signal transfer characteristics. Externally, the loudspeaker has high-quality gold-plated WBT Nextgen terminals. The plinth design of the FS704SP provides exceptional stability for each 71.5kg loudspeaker with ... More optimal floor coupling. Fyne Audio says the new F704SP is a landmark product in the company's portfolio and is the brand's flagship contemporary styled loudspeaker. In terms of performance, the F704SP has an impressive frequency response extending from a deep 22Hz to 26kHz, with peak power handling capabilities reaching up to 600 watts, plus a high sensitivity of 96dB/W. The substantial 71.5kg (157.6 lbs) weight of the speakers underscores their build quality. In addition to the piano gloss black, gloss white and gloss walnut finishes of the original F704, the F704SP is also available in a real wood walnut veneer. Hand finished to a satin sheen, this new finish accentuates the texture of the wood grain, turning the speakers into bespoke luxury furniture. Built in the UK at Fyne Audio's new Scottish manufacturing facility and head office, which opened late last year, the F704SP is one of Fyne's most ambitious and powerful loudspeakers to date. The Fyne Audio F704SP loudspeaker costs $25,999.99 / £19,999.99 / €23,999.99 per pair and is available now.
