Latest news with #WiimHome
Digital Trends
15-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Qobuz Connect launches with Denon, Marantz, and 58 more hi-fi brands
Fans of Qobuz, the France-based subscription music service that specializes in lossless, hi-res audio, now have a new way of streaming their favorite tracks to their favorite devices. Qobuz Connect has been added to the company's iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows apps, letting them control compatible streaming speakers and components from a big list of hi-fi brands. Most folks will recognize names like Denon and Marantz — every device made by these brands that work with the HEOS streaming software are now Qobuz Connect compatible — but the list also includes niche hi-fi players, such as Rotel, Nagra, HiFi Rose, Lindemann, Wiim, and Volumio. Here's the entire list. 'Qobuz Connect is a feature that has been eagerly awaited by our subscribers,' said Qobuz's Chief Product Officer, Axel Destagnol. 'We are proud to offer the most complete Connect solution on the market today, combining high resolution, app synchronization and remote control. Our priority has been to develop a simple, intuitive interface, to facilitate the experience of all our listeners.' Recommended Videos Much like Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect turns the Qobuz app into a single point of control, avoiding the need to use Bluetooth, AirPlay, Google Cast, or proprietary apps like Wiim Home. If you use your computer as your streaming device (perhaps connected to an external DAC), as long as the computer's Qobuz app is open, you can remote control it from the Qobuz mobile app. Moreover, all streams are sent from Qobuz's servers to the receiving device directly, at their maximum supported resolution, without needing to pass through your smartphone or computer first. I tried it out using the Qobuz app on iOS and macOS, sending streams to the Wiim Ultra network music streamer and it worked seamlessly. You'll need the most recent version of the Qobuz app, and you may need to update the firmware on your streaming device if it's on the list of supported brands. The new version of the app also simplifies the interface. Instead of offering two output menus (the bottom-left device menu and the top-right casting button), all connection options are now chosen from the bottom-left device menu. Qobuz Connect is perfect for the music fan who wants any easy way to stream to a single device, but at the moment, there's no way to connect to multiple Qobuz Connect devices simultaneously and no way to group them. If you need that kind of control, you'll have to use the native control app (HEOS, Wiim Home, etc) for your gear, or switch to a protocol like Apple AirPlay.
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Wiim debuts the Sub Pro, its first wireless subwoofer
Wiim is on a tear right now. Alongside the reveal of its first wireless speaker, the Wiim Sound, and its new Amp Ultra, the wireless audio company has announced its first wireless subwoofer, the Wiim Sub Pro. It can connect wirelessly (or via a wire) to Wiim's network music streamers and amps, and the company says its 250-watt class D amp will faithfully reproduce frequencies down to 25Hz without distortion. Like its other two announcements, Wiim hasn't given us pricing or specific availability for the Sub Pro, saying only that it will be available starting in Q3 2025 on Amazon and at select retailers. Inside the glossy, piano black enclosure sits a down-firing, 8-inch driver that moves air through a large horizontal slot that runs right through the cabinet. The overall dimensions are 15.7 x 11.8 x 12.7 inches and it weighs in at 35.2 pounds — almost exactly the same as the first and second-gen Sonos Sub (36.3 pounds). Recommended Videos When used wirelessly with other Wiim components, the Sub Pro gets its audio via Wi-Fi 6E or Bluetooth 5.3. Alternatively, you can give it a more robust network connection via the 10/100 Ethernet jack. With an RCA analog input, you can run the Sub Pro directly from any soundbar or other component that has a dedicated sub output, while still controlling the sub's settings via the Wiim Home app. Speaking of the Wiim Home app, it not only provides precise EQ adjustments, crossover tuning, phase control, latency customization, and subwoofer level adjustments, but you can also access Wiim's 'RoomFit' AI-driven room calibration. This option uses your smartphone to take acoustic measurements and then adjusts bass to match room size, speaker placement, and listening position. I had a chance to hear the Sub Pro in action during a short demo in Markham, Ontario. It was wirelessly paired to a Wiim Amp Pro, which was powering a set of imposing Klipsch floorstanding Reference speakers. Given the Klipsch's already formidable low-end capabilities, it might not have been the ideal scenario for showing off the Sub Pro's bass chops, but it nonetheless added impressive amounts of extra oomph. The demo experienced a few connectivity hiccups, and I'm not entirely sure the room correction feature worked as intended, so I'll withhold judgement until I can try it in my own home, and with smaller speakers — perhaps the Wiim Sound. One thing's for sure: With the Sound, Sub Pro, and Amp Ultra, Wiim is edging ever closer to having a full set of Sonos alternatives in its wireless audio lineup. It wouldn't surprise me to see Wiim leverage the Sub Pro as it delves deeper into home theater territory. For those who love deeper specs, here's the official list: 250-watt class-D digital amplifier Driver size: 8 inches Sensitivity: 104 dB SPL, 1W@1m Frequency Range: 25-200 Hz, +/-3 dB for 30-200Hz Max Power: 250 watts, THD @1% Analog RCA mono input 10-band parametric EQ Automatic room correction Adjustable crossover frequency, level, phase, and latency Wi-Fi 6E, 250b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz triple bands Bluetooth 5.3 with BT LE audio Ethernet, 10M/100 Mbps
