Presto Music joins the WiiM ecosystem – classical and jazz directly in the WiiM Home App
Presto Music, the classical and jazz specialist with more than 200.000 albums, can now be played straight from the WiiM Home App. Recordings are available in Hi-res Audio up to 24 bit 192 kHz, backed by more than 70.000 digital booklets and an in-house editorial team. New users get three months free, and we look at what the arrangement means for listeners who care about how a catalogue is organised as much as how large it is.
- Presto Music, the streaming service focused on classical and jazz, is now built into the WiiM Home App, giving owners of WiiM network streamers, streaming amplifiers, smart speakers and home cinema products direct access to more than 200.000 albums in up to 24 bit 192 kHz, plus over 70.000 digital booklets and editorial content. It is available immediately, and anyone who has not used Presto Music before can activate a three-month free trial from the Music Service menu, after which the regular terms of the chosen subscription apply.
Classical music and jazz ask more of a streaming service than most genres. A large catalogue is not enough when composers, works, conductors, soloists, ensembles and rival recordings of the same piece quickly become impossible to tell apart. Presto Music has built its service around exactly that problem, with a specialist catalogue and a carefully edited music library. The service is now part of the WiiM ecosystem: owners of WiiM hardware can reach Presto Music through the WiiM Home App and play its recordings on their WiiM streaming products, in Hi-res Audio and with a three-month free trial for new users.
KEY FACTS PRESTO MUSIC VIA WIIM
- Presto Music is new in the WiiM Home App
- Direct access through the WiiM streaming ecosystem
- Focus on classical and jazz
- More than 200.000 classical and jazz albums
- Hi-res Audio up to 24 bit 192 kHz
- More than 70.000 digital booklets in the Presto Music catalogue
- Fair Play Initiative: payment based on actual playing time
- Three months free for new Presto Music users via WiiM
Presto Music inside the WiiM Home App
Listeners do not need to hop between apps. Presto Music now appears as a music service in the WiiM Home App, the same interface used to manage WiiM components, so browsing, selecting and playback all happen in one place.
According to the two companies, the integration covers the growing WiiM range of network streamers, streaming amplifiers, smart speakers and home cinema solutions. Presto Music thus joins the services that can be reached directly through the WiiM platform. WiiM laid the technical groundwork with version 3.6.8 of the WiiM Home App, and the integration is now officially live.
A specialist catalogue with editorial backing
What sets Presto Music apart from the large general-purpose streaming services is its narrow focus. The catalogue holds more than 200.000 albums, all of them classical or jazz, and is supported by an editorial team of writers and musicians.
In classical music, careful metadata carries much of the weight. Works, composers, conductors, soloists, ensembles and the different recordings of a single piece have to be linked sensibly, otherwise a big catalogue becomes hard work to explore. Presto Music adds reviews, artist interviews and recommendations, as well as more than 70.000 digital booklets.
Hi-res Audio up to 24 bit 192 kHz
The service is aimed explicitly at owners of high-quality HiFi systems, and it offers recordings in Hi-res Audio at up to 24 bit 192 kHz. That sits comfortably with WiiM’s approach of delivering network audio across a wide product range, from compact streaming clients and streaming amplifiers to active speakers and home cinema systems.
The resolution you actually hear will depend on the individual recording, on the WiiM product in use and on how it is set up.
Fair Play: payment by playing time
Presto Music also stands out for its Fair Play Initiative. Rather than relying solely on a payment model based on each track played, the company takes the actual playing time into account.
The point is easy to see in classical music and jazz, where single works or movements can run far longer than the typical track in other genres. Presto Music says the model is intended to deliver fairer payment to artists and rights holders.
What the two chief executives say
“WiiM has very quickly become one of the most exciting names in home audio, making high-resolution streaming accessible to a whole new generation of listeners. Through this integration, WiiM users gain direct access, with extensive information, to Presto’s expert-curated classical and jazz catalogue, streamed in the best possible quality and directly through the app they already know. It is a great fit and the latest step in making Presto Music available to more listeners than ever before, regardless of where and how they listen to music.”
Chris O’Reilly, CEO of Presto Music
“At WiiM we are always looking for ways to make exceptional listening experiences easier to reach. With Presto Music on the WiiM platform, our users get seamless access to one of the world’s leading destinations for classical and jazz. At the same time, we are expanding the open ecosystem that makes WiiM a powerful platform for music lovers.”
Dr Lifeng Zhao, CEO of WiiM
Trial period for newcomers
To mark the launch, WiiM users who have not yet used Presto Music receive a free three-month trial. It can be started directly in the WiiM Home App by selecting Presto Music among the available music services, after which the app guides new users through activation.
Part of a wider HiFi push
The WiiM tie-up is one piece of a broader spread of Presto Music across HiFi streaming platforms. The service was recently built into Naim products and is already available through other streaming ecosystems and software platforms, including that of Audirvāna SAS.
For Presto Music, the WiiM deal is especially attractive because it reaches a very wide product range and takes the service beyond classic high-end streamers.
KEY ADVANTAGES AT A GLANCE
- Directly in the WiiM Home App: Presto Music can be used within the WiiM ecosystem without a separate control app.
- Classical and jazz specialist: the service concentrates consistently on these two genres.
- Large catalogue: more than 200.000 classical and jazz albums are available.
- Hi-res Audio: recordings of up to 24 bit 192 kHz are supported.
- Rich additional information: editorial content and more than 70.000 digital booklets complement the music.
- Fair Play Initiative: payment takes account of the actual duration of playback.
- Broad WiiM ecosystem: the integration is aimed at users of streamers, amplifiers, wireless speakers and home cinema solutions.
- Three months free: new Presto Music users can try the service through WiiM for three months.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
Presto Music is available now as an integrated music service in the WiiM Home App. Anyone who has not previously held a Presto Music subscription can activate the three-month free trial via the Presto Music entry in the Music Service menu of the WiiM Home App. Once the promotional period ends, the regular terms of the chosen Presto Music subscription apply.
GETTING TO THE POINT
Presto Music does not try to be everything to every listener, and that is the appeal of this addition to the WiiM ecosystem. Its single-minded focus on classical and jazz, a music library organised in the way those genres demand, and Hi-res Audio up to 24 bit 192 kHz should interest listeners with high expectations. Having Presto Music inside the WiiM Home App also removes a real everyday hurdle, since good content is at its most valuable when you can reach it without detours. For WiiM, the service is a fitting addition to its open platform; for Presto Music, it is a route into a far broader range of hardware than traditional high-end streamers alone.
| Theme | Presto Music via WiiM |
|---|---|
| Presto Music |
| Brand | WiiM |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Linkplay Technology Inc. |
| Distribution Austria | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Germany | Audio Trade Hi-Fi Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH |
| More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG |
