WiiM is building a complete ecosystem of connected audio products that have already been noticed in the consumer electronics space and have recently evolved to the residential integration industry via a distribution partnership with Origin Acoustics. Expanding its connected, wireless smart home ecosystem powered by Linkplay, the brand is now launching its first streaming amplifier, the WiiM Amp.
Like the WiiM wireless audio streamers, the new WiiM Amp delivers a seamless experience with support for hi-res audio, while enabling wireless multiroom functionality and multiple connectivity options. Users can connect the WiiM Amp to their classic passive speakers, home theater setup or even plug a record player, and effortlessly control what is playing from the WiiM Home App, from a preferred music app, or by using voice commands.
"We've dedicated ourselves to designing products that elevate the music streaming experience, and the WiiM Amp is the first step in our expanded lineup," says Dr. Lifeng Zhao, CEO of WiiM. "With valuable user feedback and our team's commitment to superior audio quality, the WiiM Amp delivers audiophile-grade sound and a seamless experience for music enthusiasts to unlock a world of musical possibilities."
The WiiM Amp merges a high-quality streamer with a TI 3255 Class-D amplifier chip, offering analog (RCA), digital Optical port, and HDMI ARC inputs, with up to 24-bit/192kHz of gapless playback of high-res music to connect TV audio, turntable, CD player or other audio source into the digital world. The design features an internal universal 100-240V AC power supply.
Detailed specifications of the WiiM Amp reveal a Class-D stereo amplifier module that is able to deliver 60 Watts per channel (8 ohms) or 120 Watts per channel (4 ohms), supporting up to two pairs of speakers and one subwoofer output with automatic bass management. WiiM specifies a 135dB SNR (A-wt) and a -120dB THD+N across sample rates from 44.1 to 192kHz, "courtesy of its ultra-low noise clock and optimized power and circuit design."
The audio output respects the sample rate and bit depth of the audio source without resampling, and is converted from the digital sources through an ESS Sabre premium DAC leveraging the company's patented 32-bit HyperStream DAC architecture. There's also a USB Host connector for storage, allowing users to access personal media library and use it as a media server for other WiiM devices. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 b/g/n/ac) dual band 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0 with BLE supporting both A2DP receiver and transmitter, AVRCP, and HID. For local network connectivity there's also an Ethernet 10/100 Mbps port.
Using the WiiM Home App, various EQ and Parametric EQ options are available to enhance the sound to suit individual preferences, speakers and different listening environments. Options include 24 preset EQ settings, 10-brand graphic EQ adjustable to every audio source (Line in, Bluetooth or network) and 4-band parametric EQ that allows more fine granular adjustments.
By seamlessly connecting existing audio systems to the WiiM Amp, users can control their streaming preferences from the WiiM Home App. This includes TV audio sources via HDMI ARC, radio, podcasts and more from iOS, Macs, and Apple TV. The WiiM Voice Remote controller provides another alternative to wireless control and comfort for WiiM Amp, including voice commands. Since WiiM works with Siri, Alexa, and Google, users can choose their voice assistants to control music selection, volume, and playback.
Same as any of the WiiM audio streamers, the WiiM Amp supports Apple AirPlay 2, Alexa Music Cast, Deezer, Qobuz, Pandora, DLNA, Spotify Connect, TIDAL HiFi and HiFi+, and Google Chromecast which lets users cast YouTube Music from any Chromecast-enabled App. The WiiM Amp will pop up automatically in the WiiM Home app allowing users to easily configure the device.
And Linkplay is already working on improving the WiiM Amp with planned automatic OTA software updates, with Roon Ready certification being expected in the near future.
The WiiM Amp is available now in silver and space gray finishes for just $299. Users of the WiiM Pro and WiiM Pro Plus streamers will be happy to know that they can easily pair those devices to the WiiM Amp, expanding their whole-home and multiroom streaming experiences.
www.wiimhome.com
