John Darko
First came the WiiM AMP. Then the AMP Pro. Today brings news of the AMP Ultra. The most visually obvious addition is a 3.5″ glass-covered touchscreen that can be used for basic settings adjustment, playback control, a clock screen saver, custom wallpapers, now playing information and VU meters — just like WiiM’s Ultra streaming DAC.
From its business end, the AMP Ultra promises 100wpc into 8 Ohms (or 200wpc into 4 Ohms) from “dual TI TPA3255 Class-D amp chips, and six TI OPA1612 op-amps” for “-106 dB THD+N and 120 dB SNR at 5W”.
According to the press materials, the new unit also features “Post-Filter Feedback Technology that ensures stable, load-independent performance across all speaker types, delivering cleaner sound and improved amplifier control.”
Inputs on the back panel include analogue RCA, TOSLINK, USB-A for storage devices and HDMI ARC that supports Dolby Digital decoding. In between, we get a DAC circuit built around an ESS Labs 9039Q2M chip, which in turn is fed by a DSP that handles smartphone-calculated room correction, a 10-band parametric EQ that executes that room correction and the subwoofer output’s bass management.
Music streaming comes via 2-way Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6E or Ethernet with the AMP Ultra supporting Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Alexa Cast, DLNA and Roon Ready. Note the absence of Apple AirPlay 2.
There’s no word yet on if (or when) this streaming amplifier will support Qobuz Connect. Knowing the speed at which WiiM’s software team works, I don’t think we will have to wait long. For now, Qobuz (and Amazon) should continue to use the integrations found within WiiM’s Home app. A Voice Remote 2 ships in the box.
However, there’s a wrinkle. This news announcement isn’t a news announcement at all. It’s a Munich High-End tease. WiiM won’t be shipping the AMP Ultra until Q3 of 2025 and its price remains under wraps.
But the tease doesn’t end there.
In Munich, WiiM will also ‘launch’ a new smart speaker. The Sound is a pint-sized powered loudspeaker that takes the fight to the Apple Homepod with “100W of room-filling audio through a 4” woofer and dual-balanced mode radiator tweeters”, stereo pairing, home theatre integration (as surrounds or centre channel), up to 24bit/192kHz audio, room correction (that talks to a 10-band parametric EQ), a 1.5″ front baffle touchscreen and voice control. In addition to the streaming services wrapped by the WiiM Home app, the Sound also supports Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, DLNA and Alexa Cast — but, predictably, there’s no Apple AirPlay.
And yet, there’s more.
The Sound can be paired with WiiM’s new Sub Pro: a subwoofer with an 8-inch driver powered by a 250-Watt Class-D amplifier for 25Hz – 200Hz coverage. The Sub Pro also supports audio wi-fi/Ethernet streaming and room correction through the WiiM Home App – which suggests it needn’t be physically tethered to anything but a wall socket – but an RCA input is provided for more traditional setups.
Like the WiiM AMP Ultra, the Sound and Sub Pro won’t begin shipping until Q3 and their prices will remain under wraps until then.
Further information: WiiM
