WiiM Pro Plus with touch buttons on the front

This is a review of the WiiM Pro Plus. At just £219, it cannot be any good, can it? Having just come off the back of Naim Classic NSC 222 and Cyrus Stream-XR reviews, how can this little thing possibly compare?

Design

This is the newer WiiM Pro Plus, it differs from the WiiM Pro by having an improved DAC on the original, an upgraded analogue input ADC, and improved clocking, power supply features and PCB layout to upgrade the signal path and reduce noise. The ADC allows you to throw your music to another WiiM, offering a fairly inexpensive multi-room option in the package.

The WiiM Pro Plus features a new generation AKM 4493SEQ premium DAC instead of the Texas Instruments/Burr-Brown PCM5121 one in the Pro. Digital output is bit-perfect, up to 192 kHz, 24-bit with digital optical or coaxial output. Analogue output in the WiiM Pro Plus is supported up to 32-bit and 768kHz, up from 384kHz in the Pro. Both models have Analogue RCA line inputs, useful for a turntable or CD input.

The WiiM Pros both support AirPlay 2, Chromecast Audio, DLNA, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Amazon Music Casting, Qplay 2.0, and they are Roon Ready (WiiM Pro has been certified, WiiM Pro Plus is in certification). Most of the Streaming Services are supported. Full details are in this link.

The WiiM Pro Plus has a USB-C power supply to the rear and a functional remote control.

In the App, the WiiM Pro Plus is very easy to navigate with a decent interface, an excellent array of features, like the EQ feature and various other audio settings, such as fixed line out to a preamplifier.

Quality

The WiiM Pro Plus is a small Apple TV+ sized plastic box, that is light but effective. The front has a three-colour LED indicating connectivity and ‘awake-ness’, faults, updates, etc. I have had two updates over the connection to update the firmware, it is seamless.

There are four touch buttons on the front, two for volume, one for play and pause and the fourth for a one-touch preset.

The unit has a rubber feel base that is stable enough with full connectivity and does not tip over. It is 140mm x 140mm x 42mm high (slightly smaller than a CD footprint) and just 400g in weight.
The WiiM Pro Plus is priced at £219, at the time of writing, Henley Audio is one of the UK distributors, and this is their WiiM so thank you, again, Henley.

Performance

Review Equipment

I’m using the WiiM Pro Plus fixed output (setting in the App) with Vertere Redline RCA connectors to a preamplifier with a Moor Amps Angel 6 power amplifier driving Kudos Titan 505s. Obviously, this is slightly over the top, but it will certainly reveal any tonal or resolution deficiencies that are here, if any.

Physically

WiiM Pro Plus with remote control

The setup has been straightforward indeed with the USB C power supply at the rear. As mentioned, the unit is physically stable and the front touch buttons are quite sensitive. The remote does a good job too. I’ve not used the Alexa connectivity but the remote has that functionality.

The Presets are dead easy to set up in the App. You can have up to 12 and they can be a playlist, an album, a radio station, etc. You can cycle through them, 6 presses get me to Radio 6 Music, for example, it is preprogrammed at 6th position. It is clever, functional and well thought out.

Fixed output

As I have mentioned, I’m going fixed DAC output to my familiar preamplifier. Turning to a reference track for me, Ryan Adams’ Sweet Carolina (Qobuz FLAC 24-bit, 44.1kHz), there is excellent depth in the bass but clarity in the acoustic detail. The snare to the rear is crispy and clear. Switching to Lana Del Rey’s quirky A&W (Qobuz FLAC, 24-bit, 48kHz) the fizzing atmosphere in the track is delightful, as is the sparkling energy of reference track Some (Qobuz FLAC, 24-bit, 48kHz) by Nils Frahm. This is a heavy piano track delivered with care and strength.

The WiiM can reveal the fragility in some recordings, like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s epic protest song, Fortunate Son (Qobuz FLAC, 24-bit, 192Hz). Here the treble is rather poor and edgy, the top end is a mess to some extent in the Titans. It is not the WiiM’s fault but it is being faithfully delivered by the WiiM as a confused remastered mess, despite the high bit rates quoted.

UnitiServe networked library

I have a networked library here and my NaimUniti Serve, although slightly old and dodgy is still working well. The WiiM App picked the library up with minimal fuss, as it did my computer hard drive (worrying?). Turning to Alt-Js Breezeblocks (Naim WAV rip, 16-bit, 44.1kHz), the track is as clean as a whistle, it is CD-clear. The track is dynamic and open with excellent resolution. The tone feels fairly neutral, I have the EQ switched off at this time. I’ve got plenty of bass from the Angel 6 power amplifier and the Titans. Something Good, a couple of tracks later makes me stop and look up, the kick drum is sparkling here.

Searching for networked resolution, I switch to Amos Lee’s beautiful Arms of a Woman (Naim WAV rip, 16-bit, 44.1kHz). Here the bass guitar line is timed beautifully.

Chromecast, etc.

Much of the other functionality performs well, Chromecast with an iPad, YouTube and a big sound is great, Connectivity has been faultless in my experience (several weeks, on and off).

Graphics EQ

The digital EQ is fun with many pre-sets, the ‘bass boost’ works clearly, and you can put your preferred correction in there too.

Thoughts

This is a terrific piece of kit at this price, and on a budget, it is a winner

This is a terrific piece of kit at this price, and on a budget, it is a winner. I’m thinking of my time with the ‘Outstanding*’ Rega Io and how one of these gets you a speaker-ready high-quality streaming source for very little outlay. I note there is a WiiM Amp, at Henley Audio and on Amazon, I’ll bet that’s similarly fabulous value. Overall, these more budget products are such tremendous value and they give the likes of Bluesound and Eversolo a lot to think about.

*HF&MS Award Winner

Overall

….who needs fancy screens when the App is as stable and easy to use as this?

What is not to like? At this price, who needs fancy screens when the App is as stable and easy to use as this?  If you’re starting in streaming, this is such an easy entry, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.  If you’re not but you have a legacy analogue system needing an upgrade, look no further than this WiiM Pro Plus at £219, at this price it is unbeatable.