WiiM Pro Plus - The audiophile brother of the WiiM Pro
Linkplay Technology Inc. promises the best sound quality ever offered by a streaming client of the WiiM brand for the new WiiM Pro Plus, a solution based on the existing WiiM Pro, but with an even better DAC.
- Based on the WiiM Pro, the new WiiM Pro Plus is to be presented, but equipped with an improved DAC, as Linkplay Technology Inc. announces.
With its streaming client WiiM Pro, Linkplay Technology Inc. offers a solution that leaves nothing to be desired for a large number of users, since it basically offers everything that one can currently expect from a flexible, modern system of this category. Nevertheless, Linkplay Technology Inc. has now announced a new product that is even higher than the aforementioned WiiM Pro, namely the new WiiM Pro Plus.
The new WiiM Pro Plus is, of course, based on the WiiM Pro, but according to the manufacturer, it uses a further improved D/A converter to offer even demanding hi-fi enthusiasts the quality they normally achieve by using external DACs.
WiiM Pro – The universal talent at a particularly attractive price
It’s nothing new that there are streaming clients that want to address as broad a target group as possible and come up with a particularly low price to do so. In the case of the WiiM Pro, however, this is remarkable because it is a solution that is offered for just € 179,-, but simply offers everything that can be expected in this segment in the form of an almost inconspicuous black box that can be placed anywhere.
Streaming is available here via UPnP as a dlna-certified solution as well as via Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, TIDAL Connect and Spotify Connect as well as Amazon Alexa Cast. In addition, this solution is Roon-ready, an important criterion, as Linkplay Technology Inc. itself speaks of an audiophile streaming client, which means that all streaming technologies relevant to the high-end segment must be covered. Of course, Bluetooth is also a must, and in addition to analogue and digital outputs, the system also has an analogue input that can be used to connect corresponding sources, which in turn can be played back throughout the entire house via multi-room audio streaming with the help of the central control app, the WiiM Home App. Of course, various streaming services are also directly available via this app.
The system can be controlled either with the aforementioned app, with a remote control or simply by voice, be it Apple Siri, Google Android or Amazon Alexa.
WiiM Pro Plus – Versatile Audiophile Grade Music Streamer
The WiiM Pro is based on a Linux-based system around an ARM Cortex A53 Quad-core 64 Bit processor with 512 MByte DRAM and 512 MByte FLASH RAM. Signal processing is done by a D/A converter from Texas Instruments, namely a Texas Instruments TI PCM 5121.
The new WiiM Pro Plus is largely identical to the WiiM Pro, except for a few crucial components, first and foremost the D/A converter, but also the A/D converter.
The D/A converter is made by the specialist Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation, the AKM 4493SEQ DAC, which, thanks to AKM Velvet Sound Technology, is supposed to guarantee particularly low distortion, lowest noise and particularly high dynamics. The signal processing reaches up to 32 bits and 768 kHz for Linear PCM, and up to and including DSD512 for DSD. By the way, the manufacturer gives a signal-to-noise ratio of 121 dB for the new WiiM Pro Plus as a reference, whereas this is only 106 dB for the WiiM Pro.
Contributing to this is an ultra-low noise clock and a further optimised design of the analogue output stage and its power supply.
Another new feature is that the WiiM Pro Plus now uses a higher-quality A/D converter for the analogue input, namely a Texas Instruments TI Burr-Brown PCM1861 ADC, which can now convert audio signals with 32 bits and 192 kHz.
Prices and availability
According to the manufacturer, the new WiiM Pro Plus will be available in the near future at a price of € 219,-, which is still very reasonable compared to all other solutions on the market. By the way, a matching remote control is part of the scope of delivery, which is also used for the integrated voice control.
Getting to the point
If the WiiM Pro is already an outstanding streaming client with a remarkable price-performance ratio that clearly leaves everything the competition offers in this area behind, Linkplay Technologie Inc. goes one better with the new WiiM Pro Plus. This is based on the WiiM Pro and thus offers all the functions of its little brother, but is equipped with a further improved D/A converter and also an improved A/D converter.
| PRODUCT | WIIM PRO PLUS |
|---|---|
| Price | € 229,- |
| BRAND | LINKPLAY TECHNOLOGY INC. |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Linkplay Technology Inc. |
| Distribution | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |
