Latest news with #WiimUltra
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Digital Trends
Wiim's new Amp Ultra goes above and beyond its amplified streamers
Table of Contents Table of Contents No AirPlay Wiim Voice Remote 2 For those seeking the ultimate all-in-one network music streamer and two-channel stereo amplifier, Wiim might just have exactly what you want. Its new Wiim Amp Ultra, which debuts at the High End Munich 2025 show alongside its first wireless speaker (Wiim Sound) and Wiim Sub Pro wireless subwoofer, appears to be the company's award-winning Wiim Ultra, but packed with 100 watts of amplification and internal components that exceed the capabilities of Wiim's current Wiim Amp, Amp Pro, and Vibelink Amp, plus Dolby Digital decoding — a first for the Wiim lineup. Much like the Wiim Sound and Wiim Sub Pro, the company hasn't released pricing or availability for the Amp Ultra, saying only that it will be available in Q3 2025 through Amazon and select retail partners. However, given that the Wiim Amp Pro and Vibelink Amp both sell for $299, it's likely that the Amp Ultra will be more expensive, but by how much is hard to say — especially when tariffs are factored in. As you can see in these images, the Wiim Amp Ultra bears a very strong resemblance to the Wiim Ultra streamer, with a full color, 3.5-inch touchscreen, oversized volume knob/playback button, and a sleek aluminum chassis. Recommended Videos Around the back, the available ports look like a mashup of the Ultra's digital inputs (HDMI-ARC, optical, USB, and Ethernet), analog inputs (stereo RCA) and the Vibelink Amp's hybrid speaker terminals. Unlike the Vibelink Amp, the Amp Ultra picks up an analog subwoofer output, but sadly, it loses one of the Wiim Ultra's handiest features — the front-facing 3.5mm headphone jack. There's also no dedicated input for turntables. I guess you can't quite have it all yet. Inside, the Amp Ultra is nearly a carbon copy of the Vibelink Amp. It uses Post-Filter Feedback Technology (PFFT) with a 32-bit/384kHz ESS ES9039Q2M Sabre DAC and six TI OPA1612 op-amps. However the Amp Ultra get dual TI TPA3255 Class-D amp chips, compared to the Vibelink's single TPA3255. Like the Vibelink, the Amp Ultra can power a set of 8-ohm speakers with up to 100 watts per channel, and a pair of 4-ohm units with up to 200 watts. In both cases, you can wire up to two speakers per channel. On the streamer side of the equation, the Amp Ultra offers up all of the usual Wiim goodies, including: Google Cast Alexa Cast DLNA Spotify Connect Tidal Connect In-app access (via the Wiim Home app) to Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and more Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility Wi-Fi 6E, two-way Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio Built-in room calibration Support for hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz Parametric and graphic EQs No AirPlay It's notable that the Wiim Amp Ultra is now the fourth streaming music product from Wiim that lacks Apple AirPlay support. Neither Wiim nor Apple have offered any explanation, leaving us to guess as to what may have happened since the debut of the Wiim Amp, the last of the company's streamers to include Apple's wireless music protocol. For diehard audiophiles, the absence of AirPlay won't be a deal-breaker. AirPlay currently uses lossy compression, which deletes some information from audio sources to keep file sizes small. Those who care will choose Google Cast, Tidal Connect, DLNA, or Qobuz and Amazon Music from within the Wiim Home app to get truly lossless audio. Wiim Voice Remote 2 The Wiim Amp Pro will include Wiim's new Voice Remote 2, which debuted earlier in 2025. The Apple Sir remote clone, with its all aluminum construtcion is the perfect complement to the Amp Ultra and turns the streamer into an Amazon Alexa speaker via the built-in mic.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rotel's new headphone DAC/amp is a sleek desktop companion
If you've decided to invest in an audiophile-grade set of wired headphones or IEMs, you should definitely consider acquiring a headphone amp to power them. Perhaps something like Rotel's slick new DX-3. It's the company's first headphone amp and it combines premium amplification circuitry with state-of-the-art digital-to-analog conversion. It will be available in Europe and the U.K. in March in either black or silver colors, and it's expected to arrive in the U.S. soon after, for $1,499. Granted, that's not exactly an impulse buy for most people, but a headphone amp with the DX-3's specs will likely last for decades and can grow with you as your needs (and your system) change. The most striking thing about the DX-3 is its size and design. At 8.5 inches wide, 3 inches tall, and 9.75 inches deep, it's only slightly larger than the Wiim Ultra network music streamer — another device that's perfectly proportioned for desktop use. Clad in aluminum, the DX-3 has a full color display, two headphone outputs (4.4mm balanced, 6.35mm unbalanced), a three-setting gain switch, a source selection button, and an oversized, diamond-knurled volume knob. Inside, however, is where you'll find the DX-3's critical components. Digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) is handled by an ESS Sabre ES9028PRO chip — an 8-channel DAC with four dedicated channels per side (left/right). There's almost nothing that DAC can't handle. It will decode PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and has native DSD support up to DSD256. You can choose to supply digital audio via optical, PC-USB, coaxial, or wirelessly via Bluetooth, with AAC, aptX, and aptX-HD codec compatibility. If you want to bypass the DAC, there's a dedicated analog amplification path that's serviced by a set of stereo RCA jacks. Rotel says that amplification is courtesy of an 'ultra-low noise, custom in-house manufactured, toroidal transformer with high current drivers and high-quality capacitors,' and that power is controlled via an audiophile grade NJW1195A fully differential analog controller delivering precise steps as refined as 0.5dB. The three-step gain control lets you fine-tune output power to match the specific impedance and sensitivity of your headphones. Want to use the DX-3 as standalone DAC or pre-amp? You can do that too, with your choice of unbalanced RCA or XLR balanced analog outputs. Finally, Rotel includes an aluminum-body remote so you can control the DX-3 from as far away as your headphone cables will let you sit (or further). The only thing missing is networking — there's no Ethernet or Wi-Fi. However, Roon users can nonetheless stream all of their favorite sources to the DX-3 if you use the PC-USB input, which is recognized as a Roon endpoint.
