HiFi Money SAVER? What To Know BEFORE YOU BUY! WiiM Amp Review

Summary

This video reviews the Wiim Mini integrated amplifier, which packs wireless streaming, analog and digital inputs, and 60W per channel into an affordably priced, compact package. The reviewer praises its sleek design and streaming capabilities but finds it has limited headroom and dynamic punch, distorting at higher volumes or with demanding material. He says it excels for background listening but sounds clinical and strained when pushed. While a good value, it may not satisfy critical listeners or compete with separates that cost just a bit more.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Wiim Mini Amp offers good value and features for its low $299 price point.
• 👍 It has a stylish, compact design similar to more expensive products.
• 🔊 The amp provides 60W per channel and includes a subwoofer output.
• 🎧 It supports various streaming services, AirPlay, Bluetooth and more.
• 💡 The HDMI ARC input allows using it with a TV for 2.1 home theater setups.
• 🎛️ There is manual EQ capability via the app, but inconsistent Bluetooth/AirPlay.
• 🔉 Sound quality is good at lower volumes, but struggles at higher volumes.
• 😕 It lacks dynamic capability for genres with wide dynamic range.
• 🎼 Overall good for smaller spaces if not listening loudly.
• 👍 Integrates well into a Google/smart home for background listening.

Q & A

What are some key features of the Wiim Mini Amp?

The Wiim Mini Amp offers 60 watts per channel, a built-in ESS Sabre DAC, analog and digital inputs like optical and USB, the ability to connect to a TV via HDMI ARC, a dedicated subwoofer output, and integrated streaming services and protocols like Spotify, Tidal, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 5.1 and Chromecast.

How does the reviewer feel about the Wiim Mini Amp's sound quality at moderate volumes?

At moderate volumes below 75% volume, the reviewer found the sound quality decent and enjoyable, though not the best he's heard. The amp sounded respectable considering its modest price.

What issues did the reviewer notice with the Wiim Mini Amp at higher volumes?

At higher volumes, the reviewer noticed distortion, clipping, and a lack of headroom or dynamic capability to handle recordings with wide dynamic range. The sound became less natural, more sterile, and overly bright.

How did the Wiim Mini Amp perform when connected to the Cornwall speakers?

The Cornwall speakers were the easiest for the Wiim Mini Amp to drive up to about 50% volume. But beyond 50% volume, the amp seemed to struggle and the speakers sounded strained.

What connectivity issues did the reviewer experience with EQ calibration?

The reviewer had inconsistent Bluetooth and AirPlay performance when trying to send test tones from his smartphone for EQ calibration. An HDMI connection from his TV worked better.

What type of listener would the Wiim Mini Amp work best for?

The Wiim Mini Amp would likely work best for listeners with smaller spaces, those new to hi-fi, or those wanting a simpler system. It integrates well with TVs and smart homes.

How did the Wiim Mini Amp perform as part of a home theater system?

As a 2.1 system in small to medium rooms, the Wiim Mini Amp could be a great home theater solution. But in larger spaces, the amp shut off during loud movie scenes due to lack of headroom.

What alternatives does the reviewer suggest at a similar price point?

The reviewer suggests the Aiyima A07 as the most comparable alternative. He also mentions speakers from Emotiva or other amps like the Bluesound PowerNode or AudioLab 6000A as better quality options if you can spend more.

What does the reviewer say about measurements versus real-world listening?

The reviewer notes that lab measurements often show best case scenarios that don't reflect real-world dynamic music listening. So flaws may not show up on measurements.

What is the reviewer's overall impression of the Wiim Mini Amp?

The reviewer finds the Wiim Mini Amp impressive for the price, but not a one-size-fits-all giant killer. It has limitations at high volumes and with hard to drive speakers that may make it unsuitable for some users.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Overview and key features of the Wiim amp

This paragraph introduces the Wiim amp, an affordable $299 all-in-one integrated streaming amplifier that has gained popularity for its features, performance and design. It highlights key details like the 60W per channel power output, built-in ESS Sabre DAC, analog and digital inputs including HDMI ARC, dedicated subwoofer output with bass management software, support for various streaming services and protocols, and sleek stylish chassis similar in size to a Mac Mini.

05:00

😕 Sound quality assessment of the Wiim amp

This paragraph evaluates the sound quality and performance characteristics of the Wiim amp across different speaker pairings and test tracks. While technically detailed in the upper mid-range and treble, the amp lacks low end weight and struggles with complex dynamic music at louder volumes, clipping and distorting before reaching desired loudness. The writer shares their experience and challenges using various connectivity options like AirPlay and Bluetooth.

10:01

😃 Best use cases and alternatives for the Wiim amp

This paragraph summarizes suitable use cases for the Wiim amp - smaller listening spaces, background audio, newer hi-fi listeners seeking simplicity. It suggests more powerful amp alternatives from Emotiva, Bluesound and Audio Analogue for larger rooms or those wanting better performance. The writer aims to provide realistic expectations regarding the amp's capabilities.

15:01

👍🏻 Performance as a home theater option in 2.1 setups

This closing paragraph briefly discusses the Wiim amp's potential as an affordable 2.1 home theater option thanks to its HDMI ARC connectivity. It works well for bedroom or smaller home theater setups but lacks needed headroom and power for more demanding movie content in larger spaces.

Keywords

💡dynamic range

Dynamic range refers to the difference between the loudest and softest sounds in a recording or audio system. The review mentions dynamic range when discussing how the wiim amp struggles to reproduce recordings with wide dynamic range without distortion at higher volumes. This suggests the amp may lack sufficient headroom or power to accurately reproduce dramatic shifts in volume.

💡distortion

Distortion refers to any alteration or degradation in the audio signal as it passes through a system. The review mentions audible distortion and clipping from the wiim amp when trying to play music at higher volumes. This indicates the amp is being pushed beyond its limits.

💡frequency response

Frequency response refers to the range of frequencies an audio system can accurately reproduce. The review is skeptical of the wiim's published frequency response measurements since they differ from real-world listening tests.

💡headroom

Headroom refers to the difference between an audio system's maximum undistorted output level and the actual operating level. The review suggests the wiim's lack of headroom limits its ability to handle wide dynamic range at higher volumes.

💡power

Power refers to an amplifier's ability to deliver voltage and current to drive speakers. The review implies the wiim's power output may be insufficient for high sensitivity speakers at louder volumes.

💡compression

Compression refers to dynamically reducing louder sounds and amplifying softer sounds to decrease dynamic range. The review notes compressed audio from streaming has fewer issues on the wiim amp.

💡clipping

Clipping occurs when an amplifier is pushed beyond its capabilities, resulting in flat, distorted tops of waveforms. The review mentions audible clipping from the wiim amp at higher volumes.

💡treble

Treble refers to the higher frequency sounds in audio reproduction. The review describes the wiim amp as leaning towards the treble frequencies, lacking body in the bass.

💡bass

Bass refers to the lower frequency sounds in audio reproduction. The review criticizes the wiim amp for lacking bass depth and control even at moderate volumes.

💡EQ

EQ or equalization refers to adjusting different frequency ranges in an audio signal. The review praises the wiim's parametric EQ features but notes inconsistent implementation via wireless streaming.

Highlights

The Wiim amp has already garnered praise for its affordable price, stylish design, and small size similar to a Mac Mini.

The Wiim amp includes a built-in ESS Sabre DAC and analog inputs like optical, USB, and RCA style analog.

The Wiim amp can connect to a TV via HDMI ARC to serve as a 2.1 home theater system with dedicated subwoofer output and bass management.

Controlling the Wiim is possible via the physical controls, Bluetooth remote, smartphone app, or your TV remote if connected via HDMI.

The Wiim app integrates popular streaming services and supports streaming protocols like AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Chromecast.

Using room EQ software was inconsistent via Bluetooth and AirPlay, but worked when sending test tones through the TV's HDMI input first.

In everyday listening, the Wiim amp has a cool, lean sound across the frequency range regardless of speakers used or EQ applied.

At moderate volumes, the Wiim sounds impressive and detailed, but lacks bass depth, decay, and organic warmth at higher volumes.

The Wiim struggled to handle large dynamic swings at higher volumes, clipping and distorting easily during demanding passages.

Keep the Wiim's volume below 75% with peaks under 65-70 dB for respectable, enjoyable sound considering the low price.

The Wiim may not suit larger spaces or listeners wanting higher volumes, especially with inefficient speakers.

The Wiim integrates well with TVs and smart homes for background music, but can't always deliver satisfying hi-fi listening.

Alternatives like the Aiyima A04 and Sonos Amp suit certain needs better, but may lack the Wiim's slick design.

The Wiim succeeds on price and design over competitors, but sounds best kept under 75% volume to minimize distortion.

Overall the Wiim Amp provides great streaming features and design at an affordable price point.

Transcripts

[Music]

some Hi-Fi products have the ability to

gain a call likee following almost

immediately especially when they offer

features and performance at such an

affordable price combine that with a

stylish well-made design that's very

similar at least visually to some of the

more expensive products that we've seen

from say Cambridge audio and a chassis

that is no larger than a Mac Mini it is

no wonder why the wiim amp has already

garnered so much praise at only

$299 this all inclusive integrated

streaming app may look like a steel but

before you go and click buy now let's

make sure it's the right solution for

you the whims power comes from a Texas

Instruments class D amplifier chip that

produces a reported 60 watts per channel

into 8 ohms and 120 watts into four the

whim has a built-in ESS saber deck and

an analog section from one of their own

streamers it has both analog and digital

audio inputs that include an optical and

USB input as well as a set of RCA style

analog inputs what excited me me most

about the wiim app was its ability to

connect to your TV and be the

centerpiece of a 2.1 home theater thanks

to the inclusion of HDMI with Arc as

well as C and yes the 0.1 in 2.1 means

the whim has a dedicated subwoofer

output complete with base management

inside the app software which we're

going to get to in just a minute you all

know the addition of HDMI is enough for

me to stand up and take note but I know

a lot of you are no doubt fans of whim

for its streaming prowess which includes

native support for nearly all streaming

services like Spotify and title both

wired and wirelessly it can play back

locally stored music as well and coded

in popular formats such as Flack and it

also support streaming protocols like

AirPlay 2 Bluetooth 5.1 chomecast you

get the idea setting up the wiim amp is

pretty simple just make sure you have

your smartphone handy I use my iPhone 14

and download the whim home app before

you get started getting the app up and

running on our home network was super

easy Once you connect to your network

you may need to perform a series of

firmware updates and speaking of updates

while I applaud whim for making constant

improvements with updates to fix bugs

and whatnot there have been days when

the amp could not go even 24 hours

without a firmware update control over

the whim is handled in three ways you

can physically control basic functions

like play pause and volume on the unit

itself you can use the included

bluetooth remote or you can make

adjustments via the whim app on your

phone there's actually a fourth method

if you connect the amp to your HDMI

equipped Smart TV you can also control

it's on off source and volume using your

TV remote out of all of the option I

have to imagine most users are going to

opt for control via the app so let's

talk about it sure the app gives

consumers access to a variety of popular

streaming services without having to

leave it well unless of course you're an

apple music user like myself but I find

its level of user control more exciting

now for this review we use three

different sets of speakers including the

Q acoustic concept 50 Towers the new khh

Kindle 2fs and our Cornwall 4S which are

going to make sense in just just a

minute I also connected the amp to our

98 in TCL TV via HDMI as well as our

home's Wi-Fi network making the whim

visible to our Google home

devices for me one of the most important

features of this amp is peq and I was

really excited to test it because peq

can help you get the most out of your

speakers and at this price I was just oh

I was super impressed that it was here

but rather than use roomy Cube wizard I

first tried a thirdparty app called

House curve that takes a lot of the same

measurements as roomy Cube but it does

it all on your smartphone and I've been

playing with it for a while and it's

pretty reliable so I didn't expect to

have any problem sending a series of

test signals to the whim through AirPlay

and Bluetooth but despite having an

AirPlay connection between my phone and

the amp no audible test tones could be

heard with the speakers however when

house curve sent that same test tone

signal to our TCL TV first which was

then relay to the whim through HDMI

everything worked unfortunately

Bluetooth and AirPlay communication just

it remain inconsistent and well spotty

even after several firmware updates so

just be aware of that especially if

you're an iPhone user obviously if you

choose to use roomy Q wizard to generate

your peq filters you shouldn't have an

issue because that is a hardwired

solution and as for you Android users I

had fully intended on testing the whim

with a couple of Android phones but

during my evaluation they sadly went

missing so if I find them I'll be sure

to update you in the comments below

regardless of the method applying my EQ

adjustments was easy you know I love it

when products include manual peq

especially one as Sleek as this apart

from the inconsistent Bluetooth and

AirPlay performance everything else

appeared to work as advertised now

moving on to sound quality the whim amp

is very detailed from the upper

mid-range through to the treble

regardless of the speaker pairing or

whether EQ is applied or not in everyday

listening this amp has a sound that is

cool and lean and this was cemented for

me while listening to some of my regular

test tracks like The Noose by A Perfect

Circle Tubular Bells by Michael old Feld

and home by Dominic Fe am me all three

tracks had decent intelligibility and at

moderate volumes they even sounded

impressive especially when I focused on

their more midrangey and treble leaning

aspects but if I shifted my focus to the

weightier aspects of the mix even the

more tenor in baritone registers and

Dominique's own voice the depth and

control over the speakers woofers just

wasn't there unless I turned up the

volume which introduced a new problem

distortion now I know there are

measurements out there that show the

whim to be neutral with terrific signal

to noise ratio but the problem with

measurements is they tend to show you a

best worst case scenario when fed a

constant test signal I'm not surprised

that the wiim performs maybe even overd

delivers given its price but test

signals and music are not the same music

isn't constant like a test tone and as

Things become more complicated or if you

turn the volume up in order to get more

weight and dynamic impact out of the

whim the worst the amp performs for

example in the song the news the

well-recorded kick drum played back at

volumes hovering around 70 DB through

our corn walls hit with some moderate

Authority but that concussive air and

Decay as well as the sensation of the

Mallet striking the skin was just

largely glossed over as a result I had a

technically deep performance but a

two-dimensional sound the more I

listened and the more I turned it up the

less organic and more sterile the sound

became now listening to Tubular Bells it

was the same story the heartbeat that

leads up to the crescendo lacked any

surrounding air and Decay making it

sound flat and frankly unnatural however

when the bells finally let loose the

whim could not keep up the highs clipped

and distorted so much that I had to find

the remote and hit stop leaving me

pretty confused I wasn't listening that

loud I mean it was Spirited but not

concert level loud so I turned the wind

back up until the lights on the front

reflected my previous volume level and I

hit play again when the bells hit again

the max in room volume according to my

phone's SPL meter was 82 DB loud sure

but not insane but looking at the whims

amp volume control it was at

100% so what

gives I can tell you this it ain't the

corn walls they have a sensitivity of

102 DB which means that from a distance

of a meter or 3ish feet with only one

watt of power the corn walls should be

able to reach volumes of 102 DB now as

you move back from the speaker you're

obviously going to need more power to

get that same volume at all distances in

our room we sit approximately 11 ft from

our speakers but even with the added

distance the whim 60 watts should have

been more than enough to drive the corn

walls to concert or THX volume levels

but it doesn't at least not all of the

time and this is an issue I've noticed

with other Texas Instruments based amps

now let me clarify something I am not

saying the whim doesn't produce 60 watts

per Channel it likely does however it it

seems to lack the dynamic capability to

handle certain genres of music or

recordings with greater dynamic range

listening to higher quality recordings

known for having large fluctuations in

volume I'm talking albums like tubular

bells or tracks like Seville cause the

whim to struggle and resulted in audible

Distortion and clipping if I increase

the volume too much the lack of Headroom

also seemed to be somewhat input

dependent as heavily compressed signals

such as Internet radio had new issues

reaching 80 90 and even 100 DB in room

whereas sources using HDMI or the

optical input were an entirely different

story now I can already hear some of you

saying but the whim isn't meant for

rooms like yours and maybe that's true

but I can tell you this much if you do

end up sitting closer to the amp you

might hear a faint wine from the chassis

or your speaker tweeters because this

amplifier it's not completely silent if

you need more oomph and you turn the

volume up past a certain point expect

the tonality of the amp to skew even

more towards the treble making it just

sound more two-dimensional complete

completely and I mean completely

glossing over nuance and fine detail and

attempt to sound just as dynamically

Punchy as possible at high volumes the

sound is often just chouy that said if

you can keep the whims volume below 75%

with in room Peaks never and I mean

never cresting above 65 or 70 DB the

whim sounds fine it may not be the best

thing I've ever heard but it is

respectable even enjoyable considering

its modest price so how do you know if

the whim is right for you well I just

want to clarify a few more things I know

there are some people who are going to

disagree with me and even a few of you

who assume that I'm an elitist or have

some sort of Vendetta against whim or

just cheap audio in general and that's

just simply not true and it actually

bothers me that anyone has that

impression I'm just sharing my

experience and hopefully providing you

with an idea of what you can expect if

your listening habits are similar to

mine although I think the wiim amp is

impressive I don't believe that it is a

one- siiz fits-all giant killer but that

doesn't make it bad just trying to set

your expectations if you're going going

in thinking that this is going to

compete with high-end brands or that

it's going to sound as good as amps that

cost a lot more if you have a larger

space or you really like or maybe you

need to listen at higher volumes the

whim may not be the best option for you

especially if you have speakers that are

hard to drive if that sounds like you I

would consider something like the basics

A2 Flex from emotiva with one of whims

Standalone streamers if you're willing

to spend a little bit more the blue

sound power note or audio laab 6000a

play or 7000a would be a better choice

however if you have a smaller space or

you mostly listen to music in the near

field the whim will likely be enough for

your needs it's an excellent value that

offers a lot of features at an

affordable price the whim could also be

a great solution for those who are new

to Hi-Fi or who maybe want to switch to

a simpler system the fact that it can

seamlessly integrate with your TV is

just a huge bonus I personally loved how

well it integrated into our Google

powered smart home for backgrounder

whole home audio listening but when I

really wanted to listen to some of my

favorite albums I can't say the whim

always delivered what I was after so

that's enough out of me and what I think

of the whim aamp but before we get out

of here yes she's back what did you

think of it uh I think this is a really

great product for a lot of people yes uh

especially those who are on a tighter

budget and let's face it there's you

know who isn't these days I think it's

wellmade it's priced affordably but it

does have its limitations I I think you

did a really good job of covering those

in the in your part of the review and

honestly I think if if you the viewer

can live with those then I'm confident

you're going to enjoy the whim for me

the biggest downside to this amp is its

lack of hroom yeah I it really struggles

at higher volumes especially with

certain speakers and you might I know

some of you probably think we're crazy

because we put these on the corn walls

which are I don't know what the math is

20 times more expensive or something

uh uh but look those those speakers are

insanely efficient and I don't give a

crap about clip's reported frequency

response or sensitivity ratings yeah

whatever yeah I don't give those are

still very efficient yes so it is no

surprise at least for me that this amp

sounded the best with the corn walls in

my opinion oh you I can see I can see

your face what is she saying right now

that's

wrong no no I I agree of the three

speakers the corn walls did sound the

best and the whim did appear to have the

easiest time driving them up into about

say 50% volume if we're looking at the

graph in the app about 50% once you got

over that I felt that the way that these

speakers sounded kind of being pushed or

being being strained to drive was a

little less pleasing than say the klhs

although the klhs never got as loud as

the corn walls and the Q Acoustics fell

kind of somewhere in the

middle that's what I meant when I when I

said like oh I don't know if I would I

don't have a favorite I don't have a

best I know we spent the most time with

them on the corn walls just because it

was the easier um it had the easiest

time with them but I wouldn't I wouldn't

say like that's still the best pairing I

don't know what the best pairing is for

this amp to be

honest oh goodness well as far as the

Kindles Go I mean obviously I think

those are sold at a price range that

makes them more a more likely pairing

sure um the sound I didn't find the

sound was bad but when we switched over

to the Yamaha

1A with the Kindles you really um could

start start to understand the whims

weaknesses yeah um well I do think that

there is an aspect of this performance

that you and I talked about off camera

uh that wasn't brought up in the uh

review or wasn't really expanded upon

and that was um the

C performance and just the home theater

um experience your personal thoughts on

using this for um a 2.1 system because

frankly you can it has HDMI which is

something we love it's definitely being

advertised as a solution for people that

want music slash a little bit of movies

and I applaud whim for doing that that

really is the future it it works it

works I hadn't we didn't really have any

issues with that now you need to know

that just because it has HDMI that

doesn't mean that it accepts you know W

Atmos dtsx and all that surround sound

stuff it's it's Stereo Plus a subwoofer

and the subwoofer is active as soon as

you plug an RCA into the subwoofer out

and then that un locks the base

management inside the app blah blah blah

blah blah as a home theater device in

small to mediumsized Rooms a bedroom

system a den and office stuff like that

this could be a great solution it really

really could I would never recommend

using it out in a main room like hours

because movies typically have a lot of

dynamic range as well um and I was

watching deep water Horizon not 2 or

three days ago um prior to recording

this and watching the oil rig SC it's

one of my favorite scenes I love it it's

a real great torture test uh for

surround sound systems I always watch it

very familiar with it and I actually got

the amped shut off awesome I'm so glad

you went over that now I before we get

out of here I I just want to talk about

U maybe some similarly

priced uh Alternatives uh like like

let's say what about like the ailc b50

or something from ever solo maybe the

Sonos amp yeah the ailc b50 is going to

be the most comparable I'm not saying

that because they all use similar

chipsets or they all use the same Decks

that you're going to get the same

performance but these are almost kits at

this point and so like the ailc it's

another great product I happen to like

the whim better I'm not saying that the

whim sounds better than the ailc in fact

if you blindfolded me they I might not

get it statistically right each time CU

they're largely the same product

where the whim amp succeeds where the

ailc pulls up short is whim went to the

trouble to design a complete chassis

which includes the power supply in the

unit whereas the aurc still uses like a

laptop power brick that's external and

so while it may look really small and

like ooh that's cool um there's a lot of

extra cable crap that you're now going

to be like oh what do I do with this um

so yeah it's it's it's just sort of what

do you want to deal with as far as just

a Slicker looking app uh ease of use

just better overall industrial design

whim hands down and I don't believe it

even costs that much more to get it as

for ever solo now ever solo is a little

bit different but as of this recording I

don't believe that they have an entirely

integrated solution I know that they've

come out with an amplifier but they are

still very much kind of a separate thing

so you get like a preamp streamer Dack

and then I think think they now have an

amplifier or they've announced an

amplifier maybe it's not shipping yet um

so it's not really quite the same

because you would still need to add an

amplifier to an Ever Solo System to kind

of do everything that you can do at the

whim and the ever solo is more expensive

but in my opinion if you have the money

uh an Ever solo Z8 deck or the new daak

streamer whatever it's called with the

touchcreen that we also have and an

amplifier if you're choosing is going to

give you demonstrably better results and

it's going to be a system that you're

probably GNA have for a good long while

because the performance there is akin to

products that cost thousands of dollars

uh Sonos samp never heard it that is the

one thing that we now Sonos samp's our

new Sonos Arc um uh we have just about

everything else uh now officially and uh

we don't have the amp so I have no idea

how it would compare and I and the same

would be true of the Amazon Alexa amp if

they're still making that um I think a

lot of people have said the Sonos and

Alexa amp are kind of interchangeable I

don't know awesome now it's your turn to

tell us what you think or to tell tell

me what I got wrong so um do tell us

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is it that's it I got to get out of here

uh this is going to be fun to edit uh so

anyway the only person who has to like

the sound of their system you know the

drill it's you it's you so happy

listening everybody thank you so much

for watching and uh we'll see you on the

next video

bye