Set-up and Music
Contents
The Alpha reference set is used:
- Pass Labs XP-12
- Pass Labs X150.8
- Grimm TPM cabling
- Isotek Titan (Pass X150.8)
- YETI Power cables
- Van den Hul Nova
The connection between the streamers and the DAC is made using an Audioquest VDM3 coax SPDIF cable.
Settings
The SMSL DAC has several filters. We listened to the options and chose the ‘Slow minimum phase’ filter for this test. Using this filter, you get the most ambience from the reverb in the recording, at the expense of some detail and refinement in the sound of instruments. It also is a fraction warmer sounding than the other filters.
We played the Qobuz tracks on the Primare NP5 MK2 using Chromecast and on the WiiM Pro+ using the WiiM app. We listened to the WiiM both using the app and Chromecast. The sonic result of the app is a hair better, but you have to listen very intently for differences. In everyday listening, it won’t make any difference, but for a test like this we need to test all the factors that can have an impact on the result.
Music
The music we used is:
- Vega Trails – Epic Dream
- Laura Marling – Only the strong
I am always using chromecast into my WIIM pro, because I think it sounds much better than using the wiim app.
Interessante review maar ik herken de resultaten niet. Toegegeven, er zijn veel variabelen maar ik denk dat jullie opstelling niet optimaal was.
In de review is er veel aandacht voor de voeding maar software en instellingen zijn niet besproken. Dit suggereert dat hier geen aandacht aan besteed is. In mijn ervaring is met digitale apparatuur de software juist een veel belangrijker factor dan voeding.
Sinds de review is bovendien de WiiM software ge-updated: volgens de documentatie is het nu bit transparant en worden hogere bitrates ondersteund (24/192 ipv 16/44 cq 16/48) wat veel kan verklaren. Uit de documentatie krijg ik daarnaast de indruk dat de WiiM meer geoptimaliseerd is voor Tidal dan voor Qobuz. Ik gebruik Tidal en een ander product, de WiiM Mini (€85), via Wifi.
Mogelijk werkt Toslink toch beter dan coax omdat daarmee alles galvanisch gescheiden is – analoog en digitaal zijn zo goed gescheiden. WiiM ingesteld op 24bit/192kHz, aangesloten via Toslink op een Weiss DAC202. Voor de WiiM gebruik ik de meegeleverde USB voeding.
Hello Marcel. Since you comment on the english version of this article, I’ll respond in English (there’s a language switch in the menu bar, a Dutch version of this article is available).
The software we used was a bit perfect version, so no, it doesn’t explain the differences. The limits we talk about is in the hardware, so not solvable with software. I think we are quite transparant in how we tested.
@maty Could you please post stuff in one comment? Also good to know: we auto-moderate on comments with lots of links. We do this to prevent spam…
Thanks for your understanding.
Thank you so much for this! Great job showing that it isn´t as simple as buying the cheapest streamer and try to pimp it up. These types of tweaks and comparisons are very interesting since there is not much out there about these things. Keep up the good work!
You are welcome. I guess a lot of people simply don’t realise that streamers are build with electrical components and that a digital stream is nothing but an electrical signal representing the data encoded in a binary from. Just as with amplifiers, cd players and record players: the quality of the components matter, not only the power supply.
750€
WiiM Pro + €249
SMSL D0400 €499 (11x OPA161 ES9039MSPRO DAC and F0 aka no PCM filter)
EverSolo DMP A6 €859
You can buy a better external power as iFi iPower2 €69
You can just get the WIIM pro if you are going to use an external DAC anyway. Why pay for a DAC you are not going to use it?
I agree
WiiM Pro €169
WiiM Pro+ €249
Topping D70 Pro OCTO (8 CS43198 DAC chips) €600
BTW, ESS 9039*, ESS 9068* and CS43198 allow to disable PCM filters. AKM nope.
Same with the “old” WiiM Pro. Much better with Loxjie D40 Pro and without any filter (F0).
3 Best Buy Music Streamers Comparison, EverSolo A6 vs. Matrix i4 vs. WiiM Pro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nbwc7FBf5c
-> 16:46 WiiM Pro & Loxjie D40 Pro (F0)
Much better sound that EverSolo A6 and Matrix i4 (with internal DAC).
I totally agree with Maty. I have a combo Wiim Pro Plus (249 euros) with IFI Power X power supply 5V (100 euros) used like a streaming bridge to external DAC Loxjie D40 Pro (350 euros). In terms of price it is low end or Mid-FI combo but in terms of sound quality it beats any laptop, RPi streamer, IFI Zen Stream, Eversolo DMP-A6, Bluesound Node and in my system NAD C658 which is streamer DAC with 2000 euro price point. For example, Auralic G1.1 would be a better streamer DAC in SQ but then we are already at a 3000 euros price point. For the money and even up to 1000 euro price range for streamer Wiim Pro Plus has a lot to offer. For me personally, the only downside would be the lack of native DSD support. Big plus is a nice Wiim Home app and easy setup.
I think you have to add that for you it is better than all the options you mention. As we tested it, the WiiM Pro Plus is not a very good quality digital bridge.