I have the WiiM amp on my desktop powering a pair of KEF Q150s and it’s been great! Clean, small space, fewer cables and components and takes the workload off of my laptop.
Thanks Bob! These WiiM products simply ROCK! And it is the user interface, and the continual updates that simply improve the experience. An inexpensive system, a WiiM Pro, a Fosi V3 and a pair of speakers. US Audio Mart for gently used speakers, and maybe a WiiM or Fosi... I have the V3 and am being blown away at the sound quality out of this thing, and the WiiM Pro... So many options, Schiit, Emotiva, etc...
totally agree. I have those elacs and a fosi with smsl dac at the moment. to my ears it sounds great. next upgrade will be the wiim amp. a little more expensive here in britain but reasonable
Love your videos because they are for the every man and I really appreciate that. I am using the Heco Aurora 200 with the wiim amp for sound bar replacement in our bedroom. After a few weeks of breaking them in they sound great. Along with the wiim amp it's pretty damn good. Sounds better than most soundbars anywhere near this price point.
Bob, well done Sir! Good gear for a modest price. It is a fun exercise to see how low can you go, best bang for the buck. Earlier today, I was talking to a fellow vinyl collector who is just starting out with a suitcase record player. The Fluance RT81Elite + and the Wiim amp were the upgrade path I recommended as well.
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I agree. I bought my son the RT81 Elite + when it first came out, and I paired it with the Douk Audio T4 Pro (phono preamp and headphone amp) and a pair of Phillips SHP9600 headphones.
I echo your sentiment in this video. Couldn’t have said it better myself. In fact, I built a similar little secondary system around this little gem. Wonderful product for what it is. Thank you so much for saying so. Keep up the good work and Rock On! 🤘🏼
Great review and discussion about how high end you really need to go in this game. I’m getting close to the point now I feel like where I can pivot to spending most of my audio fun money on records rather than gear.
Fun video. If I were heading to college ot in a first apartment, this would be a great option. Instead I had full size CD player, cassette deck, integrated amp, etc. Somehow it all fit in my very used RX-7.
What a great review and general all-round common sense promoting our hobby and the love of music. And nearly 8k subs - well done! If only you got a teleprompter, just think...
I like your review on this. Used equipment someone in the market and price range of the Wiim Amp would use and were realistic with what and who it would be used for!
Ok so now I'm going to have to gather up the old gear laying around the house and see what I can put together. Great video Bob. And teleprompters are super cheap these days I just picked one up from a recommendation by Tom Buck.
Another good one, Bob! Even a $1k system is a lot of scratch for some of us. There’s plenty of channels dedicated to audiophilia for big budget enthusiasts so another tip of the hat goes to you for addressing the other end of the spectrum. I like to call it, “Frugal-Fi”.
Hey Bob, a couple of things, that is not the stock Cart/Stylus on that RT81+. I spend around $1000 for my little system, I have an RT85 as the table. I do have a set of fluance powered speakers and the fluance subwoofer, and the fluance preamp. The powered speakers use a class D amplifier, and good enough for my 68 year old ears. As far as streaming, I am an iTunes user, and most of the streamers do not support Apple Lossless, luckily the speakers have a usb port on the back, so I can either use my iPhone, or my iPad as the streamer.
How is it, that this is the only channel that makes the point... hey! it's a 300 dollar do-all box ladies and gentlemen. That seems to be lost on nearly everyone. Bloviating, pseudo Scientific Audiophiles, endless drivel 😅 Great video USoA.
Two things, great video, I have the WiiM Pro streamer and live it. Thinking of picking up the amp for the exercise room. Second, is that the Swatch Fifty Fathom you’re wearing?
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog ☠️ Ahoy Captain, I’ve joined your crew. PS. The movement was particularly noticeable to me because I’ve suffered with vertigo and certain movements can make me uncomfortable 😔👎
🇺🇲 Hey Good to see you again brother. I absolutely love and need to know please.. what are and where can I buy the speaker stands you have your Heco Aurora 300s on? Again Job well done. Keep on, keep'n on. Travis Rocheleau
Not of mine. Not after reading the AudioScienceReview review. Load-dependent frequency response is a no-go for me. I'd rather have a solidly engineered product.
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I know and understand, but solid engineering does not have to be expensive. The Sony TA-FE370 back in the day was a solid amplifier. Unless you had really demanding speakers (in terms of impedance), it was great. And it was cheap as well. I realize that’s a far more limited product, having no streaming smarts or even digital inputs, but it’s just an example of what I mean. Honestly, I think that some high-end brands are just a bit disingenuous in that sense. The idea is that you have to pay top dollar to get top sound. But I am very skeptical of that. When it comes to the frequency response issue of the WiiM Amp, it may make sense to leave driving the speakers to a dedicated power amp. But WiiM has no alternative that has pre-outs. The Ultra has no Airplay, and the Pro Plus has no HDMI ARC.
For quality streaming you need speed, speed means musicality, you need a great clock, not too thick cables, a Qobuz subscription rather than Spotify or Tidal, etc. If you don't know why you need spead, then I think you don't know anything about rythm, musicality, timing. Streaming should have high resolution and should sound like a band live playing before your nose, if that isn't the case, then you use a bad subscription like Spotify, or your streaming has not a great dac or clock or whatever or your cables brake the sound speed too much etc. Try a T+A R1000E and a Qobuz subscription and then you know what I mean.
I'd say if you're 25, and have that new flat, and invite your new girlfriend over, then all Hifi gear you need is this system around the Wiim Amp. And a Barry White LP, lol.
Hello, Gogo from Slovenia here.I personally don't like these all-in-one devices, even though they are "affordable". Nowadays people have no more patience and want everything immediately...instant solution. I came up with a decent system in about five years, because I can't afford everything at once. As with food, if you want a healthy meal you have to make an effort and cook something from the ingredients or you end up in fast food. No offense, that's my view, maybe I'm wrong. One more thing to say...as always great video dear Bob.👍
If you have a separate streamer and separate amplifier, you can’t just start streaming. You will need to turn on the amplifier first. Having those two combined makes a lot of sense from UI/UX perspective. Just tell Google/Alexa/Siri you want to hear a certain song and it will start playing it in the room you are in at that moment. If I do that with my hifi separates, I need to switch on the amplifier by hand before I hear anything.
If you aren't looking for the best bang for your buck, essentially spending less for good sound as an experienced audiophile that's been down the expensive route, you're not doing it right. Expensive gear is better, but it's not $1,000's better than what's available at much lower price point.
The WIIM amp has managed to fall off the RUclips reviewer hype train rather quickly. It's gone from "best amp of 2024" and "This changes everything" and "It's audiophile and can drive any speaker" to "heart of my budget system" from Bob, and even Randy at cheapaudiofool is now calling it a 'soundbar replacement" Falling faster than Joe Biden. When I said "It doesn't like to drive high impedance speakers" the lone defender of the TI 3255 chip called me out. Multiple tests have proven I was correct. Many speakers have impedance fluctuations like crazy. Just look at any Andrew Jones designed speaker. Typically they fluctuate between 3 ohms all the way beyond 20 ohms. As a speaker plays, the woofer wants to go HIGHER in impedance, the tweeter LOWER. Bass frequencies below 200 hz take the vast majority of power. This explains why the 3255 chip sounds "thin" , as do the vast majority of class D amps. Time for a Wiim amp PRO.........then the hype train can be up and running again. Then a Wiim amp pro PLUS (cause everything is + now) All aboard...............
I've had it for ~3months. It's good product but I never felt it was giant killer or particularly special. It's a good, convenient all in one solution, especially for a desk setup. It has plenty of features and would be great soundbar replacement in small/medium room. People hyped it to be more than what it is, but at it's heart, it's maybe the best $300 all in one with bass mgmt you can find. Expectations must be tempered
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog So, you're saying it's all about the views? Views equal $$$. And here I thought it was to inform, educate. help folks. Silly me. Back to your mission of getting views. You really are a lot like Randy after all.
I have the WiiM amp on my desktop powering a pair of KEF Q150s and it’s been great! Clean, small space, fewer cables and components and takes the workload off of my laptop.
Q150s are great! Congrats!
Thanks Bob! These WiiM products simply ROCK! And it is the user interface, and the continual updates that simply improve the experience. An inexpensive system, a WiiM Pro, a Fosi V3 and a pair of speakers. US Audio Mart for gently used speakers, and maybe a WiiM or Fosi... I have the V3 and am being blown away at the sound quality out of this thing, and the WiiM Pro... So many options, Schiit, Emotiva, etc...
Paired it with a MA silver 100 7g. awesome combo, room correction in the wiim amp made the speaker shine
totally agree. I have those elacs and a fosi with smsl dac at the moment. to my ears it sounds great. next upgrade will be the wiim amp. a little more expensive here in britain but reasonable
Love your videos because they are for the every man and I really appreciate that. I am using the Heco Aurora 200 with the wiim amp for sound bar replacement in our bedroom. After a few weeks of breaking them in they sound great. Along with the wiim amp it's pretty damn good. Sounds better than most soundbars anywhere near this price point.
My SB replacement are Klipsch The Fives!
Bob, well done Sir! Good gear for a modest price. It is a fun exercise to see how low can you go, best bang for the buck.
Earlier today, I was talking to a fellow vinyl collector who is just starting out with a suitcase record player. The Fluance RT81Elite + and the Wiim amp were the upgrade path I recommended as well.
Get a phono preamp though! The one in the Fluance blows from an output perspective!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I agree. I bought my son the RT81 Elite + when it first came out, and I paired it with the Douk Audio T4 Pro (phono preamp and headphone amp) and a pair of Phillips SHP9600 headphones.
I echo your sentiment in this video. Couldn’t have said it better myself. In fact, I built a similar little secondary system around this little gem. Wonderful product for what it is. Thank you so much for saying so. Keep up the good work and Rock On! 🤘🏼
Thanks for the support!!!!
Just bought one today and I love it on my 78' Klipsch Heresy's
Great review and discussion about how high end you really need to go in this game.
I’m getting close to the point now I feel like where I can pivot to spending most of my audio fun money on records rather than gear.
Crate digging IS fun! Thanks for watching!
Fun video. If I were heading to college ot in a first apartment, this would be a great option. Instead I had full size CD player, cassette deck, integrated amp, etc. Somehow it all fit in my very used RX-7.
I had an old RX-7 too!
What a great review and general all-round common sense promoting our hobby and the love of music. And nearly 8k subs - well done! If only you got a teleprompter, just think...
Thanks for your support!
I like your review on this. Used equipment someone in the market and price range of the Wiim Amp would use and were realistic with what and who it would be used for!
You can smooth out a lot of the weaknesses with those bottles on the shelf to your right. :^)
Audiophiles' friend! Great tip!
Like the phono preamp tip on gain and cartridge output! New to me.
I bought the WiiM for our vacation house.
I like your overalll approach. Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Ryan! I appreciate the support!
Ok so now I'm going to have to gather up the old gear laying around the house and see what I can put together. Great video Bob.
And teleprompters are super cheap these days I just picked one up from a recommendation by Tom Buck.
I have one actually, but I don't feel "authentic " using it! Some guys don't have a problem with it.
Another good one, Bob! Even a $1k system is a lot of scratch for some of us. There’s plenty of channels dedicated to audiophilia for big budget enthusiasts so another tip of the hat goes to you for addressing the other end of the spectrum. I like to call it, “Frugal-Fi”.
I might borrow that... don't sue!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog go for it. Public Domain!
If I kept saving money until I could afford the best thing, I'd never get to listen to anything!
I have two Wiim amps , I’m very happy . I should have edited this weeks ago . I apologize.
what do you mean?
Hey Bob, a couple of things, that is not the stock Cart/Stylus on that RT81+. I spend around $1000 for my little system, I have an RT85 as the table. I do have a set of fluance powered speakers and the fluance subwoofer, and the fluance preamp. The powered speakers use a class D amplifier, and good enough for my 68 year old ears. As far as streaming, I am an iTunes user, and most of the streamers do not support Apple Lossless, luckily the speakers have a usb port on the back, so I can either use my iPhone, or my iPad as the streamer.
I mentioned in the video that it's the upgraded microline stylus.
Lol old people we just don’t pay attention, am I right.
@@gregcarson3444 I'll give you a pass! Rock on!
It's a good starter pack or a soundbar replacement but it is what it is
Won't fight you! Just another way to go!
Nice breakdown of inexpensive gear to start your audiophile journey!
Just one way to go!
Fantastic video, brother!!!!!! Killing it!!!!!
Great review Bobfather!
Thanks, Michael! I do it all for you!
You can’t bash a product too hard at that price point. It seems like a decent product.
Minimal investment!
United States of Analog has helped my family a lot in choosing good value equipment. Time to play the LP’s.
Great review.nlove the honesty
Great review 👏 👌 👍
Thanks! I do it all for you!
Nice review!
Thanks! Appreciate the support!
How is it, that this is the only channel that makes the point... hey! it's a 300 dollar do-all box ladies and gentlemen. That seems to be lost on nearly everyone. Bloviating, pseudo Scientific Audiophiles, endless drivel 😅 Great video USoA.
I keep thinking if it would make sense to get an even better speaker. Would it make any sense to use a pair of LS 50 meta with this amp?
They are power hungry! I think I might try Klipsch RP600m!
Great video. 👍
Will this wiim amp work well with a pair of B&W DM601 S2?
Two things, great video, I have the WiiM Pro streamer and live it. Thinking of picking up the amp for the exercise room. Second, is that the Swatch Fifty Fathom you’re wearing?
Yes. It's the Arctic Circle I think. Aftermarket military band!
Love the teeshirt.Where did you get it
Enjoyable video, looks like a pretty good product!..... btw, how long have you lived on a boat 🤷♂️😁
A fortnight! Arrrghhhh!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog ☠️ Ahoy Captain, I’ve joined your crew.
PS. The movement was particularly noticeable to me because I’ve suffered with vertigo and certain movements can make me uncomfortable 😔👎
@@paulf.5261 I'm just animated! Thanks!
🇺🇲 Hey Good to see you again brother. I absolutely love and need to know please.. what are and where can I buy the speaker stands you have your Heco Aurora 300s on? Again Job well done. Keep on, keep'n on. Travis Rocheleau
Those are by a company called Solidsteel. Check MusicDirect or Crutchfield. Thanks for watching!
Can separte amps (for more power) be connectwd to the wiim amp?
To watch movies and series through its HDMI port, how does it work? Is the sound immersive
GAS it up! 🔥
A WiiM away ... a WiiM away ... a WiiM away ...
GAS!!
Gear Acquisition Síndrome…. Hilarious Dude!! But so true!!
Keep Austin Weird!!
I borrowed that phrase from guitarists. They've been using it for years. Still applies with us! Thanks!
The only thing keeping me from getting the WIIM amp is that I'd really like to hook it up to my surround speakers and my new OLED TV....thoughts?
Love the shirt where buy?
How much should I look into speaker cable can anyone recommend
did bro pop out his shoulder when he pointed at the camera at the end?!💀
Shoulder is just a little sore! I'll rub some dirt on it! Boom!
Not of mine. Not after reading the AudioScienceReview review. Load-dependent frequency response is a no-go for me. I'd rather have a solidly engineered product.
@@starbase218 Heard! It's a $ thing for most! Convenience, affordable! Not end game! Thanks!!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog I know and understand, but solid engineering does not have to be expensive. The Sony TA-FE370 back in the day was a solid amplifier. Unless you had really demanding speakers (in terms of impedance), it was great. And it was cheap as well. I realize that’s a far more limited product, having no streaming smarts or even digital inputs, but it’s just an example of what I mean.
Honestly, I think that some high-end brands are just a bit disingenuous in that sense. The idea is that you have to pay top dollar to get top sound. But I am very skeptical of that.
When it comes to the frequency response issue of the WiiM Amp, it may make sense to leave driving the speakers to a dedicated power amp. But WiiM has no alternative that has pre-outs. The Ultra has no Airplay, and the Pro Plus has no HDMI ARC.
@@starbase218 Thanks for your notes!
You’re damn right, you don’t hardly get a pair of desent shoes for that amount!
All those audiofiles are losing it!
But, we are keeping it real here in the United States of Analog!
My budget system has no amp as they are powered speakers (Klipsch 4's and sub).
Awesome... I'm a Klipsch fan, as well! Rock on!
it's around $400 in europe (370 euros)
enjoyed the review... thanks for that! more importantly where can I score one of those Miles Davis t-shirts ?
All the best, Jason
Got it years ago at a Lucky store
For quality streaming you need speed, speed means musicality, you need a great clock, not too thick cables, a Qobuz subscription rather than Spotify or Tidal, etc. If you don't know why you need spead, then I think you don't know anything about rythm, musicality, timing. Streaming should have high resolution and should sound like a band live playing before your nose, if that isn't the case, then you use a bad subscription like Spotify, or your streaming has not a great dac or clock or whatever or your cables brake the sound speed too much etc. Try a T+A R1000E and a Qobuz subscription and then you know what I mean.
I'd say if you're 25, and have that new flat, and invite your new girlfriend over, then all Hifi gear you need is this system around the Wiim Amp.
And a Barry White LP, lol.
A fact of the hobby ... Cheap sound is getting better and better sound is getting cheaper.
Take off the "audiophile" markup and lets see what happens.
Hello, Gogo from Slovenia here.I personally don't like these all-in-one devices, even though they are "affordable". Nowadays people have no more patience and want everything immediately...instant solution. I came up with a decent system in about five years, because I can't afford everything at once. As with food, if you want a healthy meal you have to make an effort and cook something from the ingredients or you end up in fast food. No offense, that's my view, maybe I'm wrong. One more thing to say...as always great video dear Bob.👍
If you have a separate streamer and separate amplifier, you can’t just start streaming. You will need to turn on the amplifier first. Having those two combined makes a lot of sense from UI/UX perspective. Just tell Google/Alexa/Siri you want to hear a certain song and it will start playing it in the room you are in at that moment. If I do that with my hifi separates, I need to switch on the amplifier by hand before I hear anything.
I hear ya! That's just one way to go!
Space is also a luxury not all people have
Good afternoon, I'm from Ukraine 🇺🇦. Please tell me, is the Wiim amp powerful enough to fully open the Heco Aurora 300?
If you aren't looking for the best bang for your buck, essentially spending less for good sound as an experienced audiophile that's been down the expensive route, you're not doing it right. Expensive gear is better, but it's not $1,000's better than what's available at much lower price point.
United States of Amazon ..FFS
Yeah. I made 47 cents last month. Big profit center for me... clearly.
The WIIM amp has managed to fall off the RUclips reviewer hype train rather quickly.
It's gone from "best amp of 2024" and "This changes everything" and "It's audiophile and can drive any speaker" to "heart of my budget system" from Bob, and even Randy at cheapaudiofool is now calling it a 'soundbar replacement" Falling faster than Joe Biden.
When I said "It doesn't like to drive high impedance speakers" the lone defender of the TI 3255 chip called me out.
Multiple tests have proven I was correct. Many speakers have impedance fluctuations like crazy. Just look at any Andrew Jones designed speaker. Typically they fluctuate between 3 ohms all the way beyond 20 ohms. As a speaker plays, the woofer wants to go HIGHER in impedance, the tweeter LOWER. Bass frequencies below 200 hz take the vast majority of power. This explains why the 3255 chip sounds "thin" , as do the vast majority of class D amps.
Time for a Wiim amp PRO.........then the hype train can be up and running again. Then a Wiim amp pro PLUS (cause everything is + now)
All aboard...............
I've had it for ~3months. It's good product but I never felt it was giant killer or particularly special. It's a good, convenient all in one solution, especially for a desk setup. It has plenty of features and would be great soundbar replacement in small/medium room.
People hyped it to be more than what it is, but at it's heart, it's maybe the best $300 all in one with bass mgmt you can find. Expectations must be tempered
@@marcusmcmurray77 Very fair assessment.
Remember, controversy is created to get the views!
I thought so! Thanks for watching!
@@UnitedStatesofAnalog So, you're saying it's all about the views? Views equal $$$. And here I thought it was to inform, educate. help folks. Silly me. Back to your mission of getting views. You really are a lot like Randy after all.
Honestly, Yamaha also makes small amps. There is no reason to use the amp. The wiim is a good streamer. Not a good dac and not a good amp 😂🎉😮😅 sorry
Lack of screen on amp. No thanks .
3-d print a stand for your iPhone and set it next to your amp! Solved!