WiiM Mini and WiiM Pro: Doorway Streamer

[J. Frum]

I'm sure once reconditioned they are as new, and some of them might just be returns that are actually only tested/repackaged rather than repaired in any way, but they are describing them in the eBay listings as used and as such I'm guessing there is no warranty.

Linkplay would have a very hard time with the likes of Crutchfield (or any other dealer) if they were selling new warrantied units at well below retail, effectively selling against and competing with their own distribution.

You’d be surprised how much hinky stuff goes on. “Open box” and “used” items are routinely brand new.

I’m betting that Amazon is really the only retailer Linkplay gives a shit about at this juncture. If somebody can’t buy a WiiM at Crutchfield, they’re still going to buy a WiiM.

 

[Rudy]

Yeah, Crutchfield is way low down on my list for something like this. They've helped me out of a bind a few times with auto-related stuff, but other than their open box/scratch-and-dent specials, I wouldn't pay their prices.

 

[MikeyFresh]

You’d be surprised how much hinky stuff goes on. “Open box” and “used” items are routinely brand new.

I’m betting that Amazon is really the only retailer Linkplay gives a shit about at this juncture. If somebody can’t buy a WiiM at Crutchfield, they’re still going to buy a WiiM.

The Amazon listing is WiiM's own, it says "ships from Amazon, sold by WiiM".

That means they would be undercutting themselves in offering brand new units for less on eBay. Those are listed as "used" on eBay for a reason, and that also means they don't have the same (or perhaps any) warranty.

I think their current Amazon listing is actually a better deal, at $126 for the Pro you get Prime shipping, free returns, and a full warranty. Personally I find that to be worth $21.

 

[Audionut]

Every time I visit this thread, I feel like that hesitant kid looking on nervously for the right moment to jump into a sess’ of double dutch…I need to just pull the trigger already.

 

[airdronian]

Every time I visit this thread, I feel like that hesitant kid looking on nervously for the right moment to jump into a sess’ of double dutch…I need to just pull the trigger already.

I just did.

Time to change up the digital side a bit. Using the eBay refurb source saved $100 CAD over the Amazon price for new.

 

[JohnVF]

I just did.

Time to change up the digital side a bit. Using the eBay refurb source saved $100 CAD over the Amazon price for new.

You won’t regret. It’s such a good little device that just works.

 

[J. Frum]

You won’t regret. It’s such a good little device that just works.

Set up is ridiculously easy, and it’s friendly to use. My Pro, purchased last summer, has already clocked many, many more hours than my Pi with Volumio ever did.

 

[Rudy]

I've been poking around the WiiM forum a little, trying to determine if the WiiM Pro can read from a USB drive attached to it. I see it's a capability of the WiiM Amp but I'm trying to find a way someone could store FLAC files on a drive and use them without needing to use a computer or NAS. I'm considering doing an article/how-to for those who aren't technically inclined that want a way to play downloads through their audio systems, who don't need the WiiM Amp, just a Pro or Pro +.

 

[240sx4u]

I've been poking around the WiiM forum a little, trying to determine if the WiiM Pro can read from a USB drive attached to it. I see it's a capability of the WiiM Amp but I'm trying to find a way someone could store FLAC files on a drive and use them without needing to use a computer or NAS. I'm considering doing an article/how-to for those who aren't technically inclined that want a way to play downloads through their audio systems, who don't need the WiiM Amp, just a Pro or Pro +.

I just took a look at mine, the only USB port is also the power port. I doubt it'd allow a hard drive to be simultaneously connected.

 

[MikeyFresh]

determine if the WiiM Pro can read from a USB drive attached to it.

That's not possible, though the forthcoming WiiM Ultra will offer that feature, in addition to the currently available WiiM Amp.

 

[J. Frum]

Report on used WiiM Mini purchased on eBay from Linkplay:

Packaging was not sealed, and box showed minor dirt and scuffs. Inside, accessory cables were not sealed. There was no warranty information included. “Used” pretty much sums it up.

But wait… the Mini itself still has its protective film, and there’s not a scratch or a smudge on it. My impression is that if the packaging and accessories represent a customer return, the device itself is brand new.

Regardless, it works!

 

[240sx4u]

The Pro that I just got off ebay for 95 bucks was definitely an open box item. Works fine though. I bought it for my detached garage which is my work area. I have a nondescript Kenwood reciever in there with some boston speakers and an ugly but functional paradigm subwoofer in the rafters.

 

[Rudy]

That's not possible, though the forthcoming WiiM Ultra might offer that feature, in addition to the currently available WiiM Amp.

That's a shame, as this would solve a problem for listeners who just want to play music and not fuss with additional computers or devices when playing back music--IOW, tether a 1TB SSD drive with files, and off they go. I'll see if the Ultra adds this, and leave it as an extra cost option for them (but honestly, for some in this target range, anything beyond the Pro will be too expensive). Given the scope of this article, I won't be getting into playing files from other devices, as it's beyond most of their abilities.

 

[MikeyFresh]

That's a shame, as this would solve a problem for listeners who just want to play music and not fuss with additional computers or devices when playing back music--IOW, tether a 1TB SSD drive with files, and off they go. I'll see if the Ultra adds this, and leave it as an extra cost option for them (but honestly, for some in this target range, anything beyond the Pro will be too expensive). Given the scope of this article, I won't be getting into playing files from other devices, as it's beyond most of their abilities.

It could be as simple as a Raspberry Pi running LMS (we have a thread on that), that's where the USB storage would connect.

Not super expensive by any stretch, but also not ultra simple software configuration for novices either. Once setup however, it is then very easy, as the WiiM Pro/Plus is by default a Squeeze renderer (you don't need any software configuration on that side of things not even one click). Uses very little electricity, can be left ON 24/7 for instant access with no fuss.

No one should knock that type of setup until they've actually tried it, to just dismiss it outright based on some previous experience with other software isn't a fair assessment, very overly critical and presumptive.

That said, in terms of the WiiM Pro/Plus, it doesn't do what you were hoping for, that functionality will be in the forthcoming WiiM Ultra, at an as yet unnamed price point. Our WiiM Ultra thread details that design to the extent WiiM have provided that information, and there should be more soon as it is slated for a Q2 release (most folks thinking June). It will come in well under the price point of the market share leading Bluesound Node, with the same functionality plus a touchscreen. I'm guessing $349-399 is where that unit will slot in, a fair bit higher than the Pro Plus, but still very far south of their largest competitors. Perhaps they will blow up the world at $299?

It's interesting to note how many members on the WiiM forum (or even here) no longer care at all about the local storage/server aspect, and only wish to use these endpoint/players to access music in the cloud (i.e. Amazon, Apple, Qobuz, Spotify, TIDAL, etc...).

 

[JohnVF]

It's interesting to note how many members on the WiiM forum (or even here) no longer care at all about the local storage/server aspect, and only wish to use these endpoint/players to access music in the cloud (i.e. Amazon, Apple, Qobuz, Spotify, TIDAL, etc...).

I would be one of those people, though I only ever dipped my toes into using files of my own. I had a networked attached drive (an Apple Time Machine used as a music server) about 12 years ago? I still have it somewhere, actually, with maybe a thousand songs on it. This was olden-days, I guess, for this stuff...I used Audirvana and something else that I can't remember the name of. Then I went BlueSound, and ripped all of my CDs to a Vault2 and... then NEVER used it, as I would just use, at the time, Tidal, then Qobuz. I'll skip the iFi streamer misadventure and say that once I got the Wiim, I just abandoned the idea of having my files around. I can get them off the Vault, there's a way, but...I just don't care. I'd rather listen to Qobuz over the Wiim. I also have SACDs and a great player, but I also rarely use that, either. 99% of my digital playing is now via two Wiim Pros connected to DACs.

 

[Rudy]

It could be as simple as a Raspberry Pi running LMS (we have a thread on that), that's where the USB storage would connect.

Don't get me wrong--the WiiM Pro solves all the other issues of streaming from the major services. I have a few ask me--if they get Qobuz or something else, how can they play that back through their system? With this WiiM Pro being like a Swiss army knife of options, I finally have something I can recommend to everyone without reservation.

It's just that the one additional feature I would like to see doesn't yet exist, and many I know have a use for that, and they will ask. (Remember, this is for a "streaming 101" article for technophobes. Not people like us.) As a last resort, they listen to files on a computer, over computer speakers, because that's the only way they know how do it. (Or worst case, they use the headphone output to the receiver, then wonder why it sounds weird, or there's so much hum and it's crackly.) If they could drag those files to a thumb drive and plug them into the box (some of them have done this for car usage), that's a win. Anything beyond that? Hard pass.

Raspberry Pi? They'll correct my typo to "pie," ask me WTF does food have to do with music, and will tune out if I mention it's something else they have to buy, connect, configure. These are users who not only can't work with devices like this, they don't want to. (Maybe I could do an advanced article at some point, but there are few who could attempt it, so it's not worth my time.)

These are the same folks who have trouble with basic RCA interconnects sometimes, or understanding a phono input vs. an AUX input. And I can't fault them for any of this--they just want to listen to their music. They're not enthusiasts like we are. I'm just trying to be the educator and help where possible.

That said, it would be cool if some enterprising company developed an inexpensive network attached drive that runs a music server that anyone can configure easily. 1TB and even 2TB SSDs are cheap. AAMOF, all hardware is at a commodity level. The magic would be the software, configurable by computer or phone/tablet. Easy access to copy and organize files. Plug it in by Ethernet or connect to WiFi, power it up, done. Then hop onto the device of choice for a configuration wizard, and it's ready to rock. Inexpensive, and no subscription needed.

It's interesting to note how many members on the WiiM forum (or even here) no longer care at all about the local storage/server aspect, and only wish to use these endpoint/players to access music in the cloud (i.e. Amazon, Apple, Qobuz, Spotify, TIDAL, etc...).

I guess I'm in the minority? In my primary and desktop systems, I use it maybe 5-10% of the time on any given month. I'll stick to tangibles. My library surpasses what is available on streaming--so many rarities, or past versions (masterings, etc.) that they don't offer, as well as numerous rarities I have digitized. (Can't say I'm alone--the dumpster fire known as the Roon forum has many others who use a NAS or other network drive to store files.) I just can't wrap my head around the idea of using a streaming service as a primary means of entertainment--one Internet outage or cancelled account, and no more music.

But that's another argument for a different thread...

 

[JohnVF]

I just can't wrap my head around the idea of using a streaming service as a primary means of entertainment--one Internet outage or cancelled account, and no more music.

But that's another argument for a different thread...

I don't want to derail this, but I may be the one here with the closest mindset to those people. I'm a bit of a technophobe. Its not that I couldn't understand this stuff, I just have no desire TO understand it. It feels so much like work to me, whereas I'm a sick person who actually enjoys aligning carts and setting up turntables. We're all wired differently, no offense intended.

But I'm a person who really listens only to streaming (wiim, Qobuz usually) and LPs. I'll also stream Qobuz to my R2R if I really like an album- and make it something physical (talk about a clash of approaches!). I treat streaming with all of the affinity that I treat watching TV. My TV isn't wired, either. I stream everything, and no longer have cable. All of my BluRays and DVDs are in the basement in boxes. If we lose internet, I could watch over the air but that's it. But...the internet doesn't go out. I've lost internet one time in 3 years here? For half a day. I just listened to records in that time, which is what I usually do anyway. I could have plugged my CD players in but I don't really like CDs.

As for a drive that is easy to set up for technophobes, my BlueSound Vault was like that. And there's other options similar to it from other companies. I could stream from my Vault to other BlueSound devices easily (I also had a Node).

The Wiim sounds better, though, and I like the interface better. I'm not really a particular-pressing guy so much of that stuff is in boxes now. HiRes just sounds better to me, to the point where I really don't want to listen to 16/44.1 at all.

 

[JoeThePop]

I don't want to derail this, but I may be the one here with the closest mindset to those people. I'm a bit of a technophobe. Its not that I couldn't understand this stuff, I just have no desire TO understand it. It feels so much like work to me, whereas I'm a sick person who actually enjoys aligning carts and setting up turntables. We're all wired differently, no offense intended.

But I'm a person who really listens only to streaming (wiim, Qobuz usually) and LPs. I'll also stream Qobuz to my R2R if I really like an album- and make it something physical (talk about a clash of approaches!). I treat streaming with all of the affinity that I treat watching TV. My TV isn't wired, either. I stream everything, and no longer have cable. All of my BluRays and DVDs are in the basement in boxes. If we lose internet, I could watch over the air but that's it. But...the internet doesn't go out. I've lost internet one time in 3 years here? For half a day. I just listened to records in that time, which is what I usually do anyway. I could have plugged my CD players in but I don't really like CDs.

As for a drive that is easy to set up for technophobes, my BlueSound Vault was like that. And there's other options similar to it from other companies. I could stream from my Vault to other BlueSound devices easily (I also had a Node).

The Wiim sounds better, though, and I like the interface better. I'm not really a particular-pressing guy so much of that stuff is in boxes now. HiRes just sounds better to me, to the point where I really don't want to listen to 16/44.1 at all.

Since I got my WiiM Pro I am streaming 99% of the time. With both my desktop active speakers and with my old Receiver I use in my main system. I used to listen to CDs maybe 20% to 30% of the time but I graduated from free Spotify to Amazon Music HD soon after I bought the WiiM. The ease of use of the WiiM and paying just $10 for a CD quality streaming service has my CDs gathering dust.

 

[Rudy]

I'm not really a particular-pressing guy so much of that stuff is in boxes now. HiRes just sounds better to me, to the point where I really don't want to listen to 16/44.1 at all.

I've had bad luck either way. Some CDs still sound better than high-res in terms of mastering. There are some high-res versions I've heard that had all the dynamics smashed out of them (IOW, brickwalled) and/or given some wonky EQ.

Or you get a situation where the brain trusts in Genesis decide to get Nick Davis to remix the entire catalog in 2007; the Peter Gabriel era at least retains some decent sound (dynamics at least exist), but everything in the Phil era is smashed, with the entire mix "in your face"...and they insist that's going to be the only official version available. (The SACDs are the same horrible mix,, and the last time I used Qobuz to stream something I wanted to hear when I was away from home, it was the horrid remix.) In this case, the CDs are probably the best bet, as many Genesis LPs squeeze 50+ minutes on a side and don't play well and, if a sealed copy can't be found, we're at the mercy of whatever shoddy equipment they were played on.

I don't get into the nitpicky stuff with versions, but there certainly are examples of better mastering from earlier releases that just don't exist on streaming. And that doesn't even tap into so many rare CDs I have that are impossible to find on clean vinyl, or CDs from decades past that were never reissued digitally. I have many of both.

Don't get me wrong, though. I disliked 16/44.1 for many years until I finally got a DAC that make all the digital sound the most "analog" of anything I've ever heard. The disgusting part is that it was a considerable expense to get there, even with the discount I got. I regret the money, but don't regret the results. What bothers me most about 16/44.1 is that I hear a "buzz saw" type of distortion in the highs through just about everything else I play digital through, and once I heard that 20 years ago with the Pioneer I was using at the time, I can't unhear it.

 

[MikeyFresh]

These are users who not only can't work with devices like this, they don't want to.

I wouldn't expect such a user to have any ripped disc/music file library, I'd think those are precisely the folks who stream music from the cloud only. It's really too bad that so many people perpetuate the myth of the Raspberry Pi being so damn daunting and complex, it just isn't. I have a couple of different friends who are neither audiophiles, nor techno nerds, and of course their wives aren't either, they just want to easily play music. They were smart and open minded enough to learn how to use a JRiver/Moode-based server and endpoint/player setup with little trouble, and I'm not right there holding their hand either (one lives about 200 miles north of me, and the other in Manhattan). They did have a legacy iTunes library of their ripped CDs on an external storage drive, and they do not subscribe to any music streaming service. They have no difficulty using DLNA/UPnP software and the JRemote app on their phone to control everything. The only thing they stream from the cloud is Radio Paradise. Had I presumed Raspberry Pi would be nothing but a headache to them, they would be missing out on quite a lot of music enjoyment by now, those setups have been on/functioning in their homes 24/7 for many years now.

And I can't fault them for any of this--they just want to listen to their music. They're not enthusiasts like we are. I'm just trying to be the educator and help where possible.

Definitely no faulting anyone, however I think as the educator maybe you sell some of them short on what is possible. This is not a black or white thing where either you are a techno nerd interested in hugely complex undertakings and constant fiddling, or you aren't. Those friends I described above (and their wives) are perfect examples of there being a middle ground on this, just as with any software there was a learning curve, but now they have it all down and it wasn't hard for them to do the learning necessary to use that setup. Now they don't do anything but just listen to music with it, no fiddling, it's on 24/7 and at the ready. It even reboots itself after a power outage. They were shocked at how little it cost.

I finally have something I can recommend to everyone without reservation.

It's just that the one additional feature I would like to see doesn't yet exist, and many I know have a use for that, and they will ask.

WiiM clearly wanted to save a feature or two for the next price point up in expanding their model lineup, and thats just good business, no reason to give away the farm at such low price points. The Pro/Plus offer extremely high value as is, and they can access a home music share, they just can't host one. The WiiM Amp, or forthcoming Ultra can do that however, and I'll assume from past experience with their software that it won't be complicated to do so.

I guess I'm in the minority?

Increasingly so, and I too am in that minority. As you said, special masterings, SACD, DVD-Audio rips, even hi-res downloads I've purchased from Qobuz Sublime, or HDTracks among others, are often not things you can find on the subscription streaming service, and it takes much longer to search for and locate them there as opposed to just quickly dialing up that album from one's own collection.

That said, it would be cool if some enterprising company developed an inexpensive network attached drive that runs a music server that anyone can configure easily. 1TB and even 2TB SSDs are cheap. AAMOF, all hardware is at a commodity level. The magic would be the software, configurable by computer or phone/tablet. Easy access to copy and organize files. Plug it in by Ethernet or connect to WiFi, power it up, done. Then hop onto the device of choice for a configuration wizard, and it's ready to rock. Inexpensive, and no subscription needed.

As for a drive that is easy to set up for technophobes, my BlueSound Vault was like that. And there's other options similar to it from other companies. I could stream from my Vault to other BlueSound devices easily (I also had a Node).

Yes one such option is the finished product offered by Volumio called Primo, though it was only really "inexpensive" at a little over $500 when the v1 model was being closed out, the v2 is $899. Volumio has a pretty easy app-based setup wizard not entirely unlike WiiM's. But it's made in Florence Italy, not China, so it simply can't be cheap or considered as Doorway material like a WiiM can.