The WiiM Ultra review unit was purchased outright by me from Crutchfield, like any other customer. I am not paid or compensated in any way for this review.
The WiiM Ultra is a digital preamplifier streamer, that takes the features of its older siblings the Pro & Pro Plus, and adds in phono, subwoofer out, bass management, a 4in touchscreen, which, in reality should be considered as a backup in case your phone or tablet is being charged. The Ultra is controlled by software accessed via a full feature app with amazing level of deep, complete control. The back side consists of RCA Line In/Line Out, Phono In with ground plug, subwoofer out, coax out, optical in & out, HDMI arc, USB out, LAN, and 12v trigger. AlsoAll in an approximate 8x8x3 inch case, weighing in at just over 3 pounds. Price is $349
Peek Inside
Under the hood, the WiiM Ultra uses the ESS ES9038 Q2M Sabre DAC chip, with a max 24/192 bit rate. Let’s be honest, if you have DSD or DXD files, you’ll already own an off board DAC, which you can send the digital signal to from the Ultra. More on that later. The power supply is internal, so once less power brick to deal with.
Setup takes about 10 minutes, most of the time involving uploading the app, updating the firmware, and setting up the bluetooth remote. Since WiiM comes from Lynksplay, which is made up of former Google, Harman, Broadcom, and InterVideo investors and employees, the company has the financial foundation to create a truly first-rate phone/tablet app. Though not perfect, it is feature rich and with few exceptions, and easy to navigate. You’ll spend the next few minutes going thru an app tutorial. Then setup the Internet connection and streaming input service with choices of: Spotify, iHeartRadio, Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Napster, Pandora, TuneIn, Deezer, Roon, Soundcloud.
Streaming protocols include Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Google Cast Audio (CastLite), Alexa built-in, DLNA, Squeezelite, and Roon Ready. Unfortunately, Apple Airplay is not.
I’ll be honest, take a few days and just enjoy the basics, plenty of time for playing with the equalizer and room correction once you have some time with the basic sonics.
The app gives you complete control over the inout and output choices, including the resolution output of both COAX and Optical. This app is very complete, with the ability to drill down, which is easier IMHO, than doing the same via the on screen display. A key unsung feature is that the Ultra’s output can be set to fixed if you are using an integrated amplifier, or active speakers.
Subwoofer control- I became spoiled by subwoofer controls on a preamp with the Parasound P5. Having that feature at this price point is terrific, especially based on the speakers most of us users will own with the Ultra.
EQ
When you dive in to the EQ, there are three ways to take advantage of the EQ. First is automatic via 25 preset frequencies based upon the type of music you listen to. A second way is going manual much like a traditional graphic EQ. The third is via parametric Equalization The best part is that you can create different presets, that way you don’t lose one you like.
Room Correction
Now, I’ll be honest, I’m a purist, therefore using room correction is akin to going to the dark side. However, running the room sweep test opened my brain to the specific sonic flaws in my 11x10 listening space. While I knew a suckout existed between 50-70hz, I didn’t realize just how strong it was. Secondly, Room EQ, even in this basic smartphone app compared to a quality measuring microphone, helped in the making of adjustments with my side wall sound acoustic panels.
The biggest improvement in listening satisfaction came when listening thru the Vera Fi Audio Scout mini-bookshelf speakers, as the upper and lower registers developed a lushness equal to the already fine midrange. On the contrary, Room EQ was a complete disaster with the Magnepan .7’s. The coherence disappeared, becoming a war between adjusted frequencies.
Streaming
WiiM engineers do have a pressing need to solve. The delay in initial album startup left me thinking a few times if I had actually pressed the play button. I hope that this can be addressed via a firmware update. Between the songs, the delay is just slightly slower, but after a few tracks I no longer noticed it. The WiiM can operate using WiFi 6E or Bluetooth 5.3 protocols. The WiFi worked perfectly, no hiccups. I’ll be honest, Other than the remote, I only used Bluetooth once for my wife on her iPhone as she didn’t want another app. My overall take, why use Bluetooth when the Ultra has WiFi?
I started with my Qobuz account. Other than the delay in startup, the app integrated smoothly, artwork loaded every time, and albums placed in the playlist didn’t disappear. The WiiM software app gave me two choices for connecting Roon, either Roon Ready using my iMac with 2TB of music, or via Chromecast. Strangely or not both Roon options sped up the starting of albums.
Going through the various input choices, I first tried out the separate optical IN/OUT option. It worked fine, though it’s never been my preferred source jack. COAX I thought carried more detail from a Denon SACD player I keep on hand. The WIFI signal suffered zero droupouts while using it. In the end, I landed on Ethernet as my digital input of choice Call it old school mindset of avoiding interference.
I connected my Technics SL J2 turntable with a Pickering cartridge. I need to take a second, and give a nod to the design team for coming up with a banana plug-style ground connection plug, which is then inserted into a small receptacle. The phono signal is digitized, and it’s passable, but there is room for improvement. Definitely the return to analog was more expansive and closer to original signal with the Ares II than internal DAC. Alex DiGrassi guitar work is missing a notch of soulful richness that a pure analog signal would provide. Plucks of high string notes sounded dryer, and flatter.
Sound Quality
Upfront, it’s better than I expected. The Sabre 9038 DAC chip does a respectable job, though it is limited by the parts and architecture at this price point. Some tracks can sound a bit thin, especially in the upper registers. While the lower midrange misses a bit of warmth. The bass frequencies miss the next level of detail. But remember, I’m comparing the Ultra to a dedicated $1k R2R ladder DAC.
Taking the internal DAC out of the chain, and running with my Oppo HA-1, the older Sabre 9018 chipset with the more robust design created a smoother, warmer tone. However, there was a slight loss in absolute detail. Putting the DenaFrips Ares II in the chain delivered the best results both in detail and a more natural, analog sound. It’s important to note that when used as a streamer with or without volume control and EQ or room correction the output stays in the digital domain.
But here is the deal, buyers of this device won’t be serious considering a $3000 streamer as pure competition. The WiiM Ultra’s target audience is the budget audiophile. Someone who desires feature rich capabilities, worthy sound quality, ease of use, and an app that does everything. A bonus is that updates happen regularly. I’ve done three since it arrived. Fellow reviewer Steve Huff, said it got him 85% of the performance of a several thousand dollar unit with the Ultra’s internal DAC.
Wish List
One- Upgrading the firmware so that the volume adjustment from the remote goes up just one decibel number instead of three.
Two- More display choices, especially a spectrum analyzer akin to the one that Oppo used on their HA-1 headphone pre/DAC.
Three- Quick return button on the app to the main music screen from anywhere, including Settings.
Final score
I was never a dedicated streaming guy. I’ve used an old Mac laptop and iTunes, for the past 6 years an iMac with Roon without complaint. I just couldn’t justify paying for something when a computer did just fine running a digital signal to a DAC. The WiiM Ultra has changed my mind. I am thrilled with my purchase.
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