Not long ago I sang the praises of the Wiim Pro, the aggressively priced audiophile streamer that has leveled the playing field against high priced audio streamers like Sonos, Bluesound Node and others. Now the company has taken everything that made the Wiim Pro great and threw some sugar on it! Let’s get into what makes the new Wiim Pro Plus different and ask the million dollar question. Should you upgrade to the Wiim Pro Plus?
The only real complaint (if there was one) about the Wiim Pro was its lack of a high quality DAC. A DAC is the component that takes the digital information from a streaming audio source like your favorite music subscription service and converts it into an analog signal that your home stereo, speakers or headphones can understand. DACs are important. Especially to audiophiles. In fact, audiophiles spend anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars to bypass the DACs that are built into laptops and other devices in favor of a higher quality listening experience.
The Wiim Pro shares the same DAC as its little brother, the Wiim Mini, which while it was adequate for most, it didn’t really move the needle for the audiophile elitists who were seriously considering the Wiim Pro over its competitors that were retailing at hundreds of dollars over the Wiim Pro’s price point.
The Wiim Pro Plus ($175USD) has addressed this by including a new AKM 4493SEQ premium DAC providing a wide dynamic range thanks to AKM Velvet Sound Technology. It supports up to 768 kHz PCM audio for high resolution audio, a 120 dB (A-wt) signal-to-noise ratio with a total harmonic distortion of 0.00032% from 44.1k to 192k audio sources.
What does all of this mean to you? It means that Wiim has eliminated the need for external DACs that process high end audiophile sources and built that functionality right inside the Wiim Pro Plus. This not only saves you hundreds of dollars, but also the hours spent researching and deciding amongst the dizzying array of DACs currently available.
Functionally, The Wiim Pro Plus operates the same as its predecessor, the Wiim Pro. From a user experience perspective, nothing has changed. But the benefits are in the details. The Wiim Pro Plus shines its best when it has nice high resolution audio files to process. But it also handles your standard compressed 16bit/44.1kHz files with sparkling clarity and a broad soundstage. In fact, I couldn’t find a single instance through my testing phase where every file wasn’t a noticeable improvement. With an external audio source connected, the Wiim Pro Plus functions effortlessly as a preamp. With my turntable connected and a phono stage, the Wiim Pro Plus all but disappeared (which is a good thing) during playback of my 180gm vinyl copy of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. The album sounded as it should with its wide sonic range, close, intimate presence and warm frequencies.
Along with the onboard DAC, Wiim has also included a remote control to pick up for quick control eliminating the need to open your phone to advance a track, adjust the volume or play/pause. The remote also includes a handy voice search button so that pulling up your favorite artist or album is as easy as speaking into the remote.
Physically, from all outward appearances, nothing has changed about the Wiim Pro Plus either and while some reviewers may complain about it’s basic, minimalist design, I find this one of its most endearing qualities. While other devices like the Bluesound PowerNode Edge try to wow you with fancy design elements, the Wiim Pro Plus disappears into the background and lets the music do the talking.
Let’s put it this way. Can you do better than the Wiim Pro Plus? Yes, you can but you are going to have to spend more than double the money to do it.
Note: our reviews are always 100% independent but Gearadical receives a small affiliate amount if you purchase the product on amazon.
