Hi-Fi News WiiM Pro Plus review
Wednesday, 10th April 2024
The WiiM Pro Plus is one of those rare pieces of Hi-Fi hardware which really does perform way, way above their price point, as Hi-Fi News discover.
The phrase ‘disruptor’ can often be overused when it comes to tech, but it certainly seems appropriate here and it’s certainly a product which will have manufacturers of pricier alternatives shifting rather uncomfortably in their seats.
To illustrate, let’s start with a couple of quotes from the review:
"sounding entirely convincing and way beyond what one might expect of a unit several times its price… the Pro Plus sounds open, fast, detailed and surprisingly weighty, requiring no allowances to be made for its bargain price.”
That’s impressive. Here’s what they say in their ‘verdict’:
“even at ten times the price this unassuming but sleek-looking little plastic box would have earned a high score. By any standards this is a remarkable network player”.
Putting some more meat on the bones of those comments, the reviewer Andrew Everard begins by discussing the comprehensive list of streaming options offered by the WiiM.
Impressive functionality
This is a key feature - one of many - because it’s not at all uncommon for significant compatibilities to be missing. For example, you may have Spotify and Tidal but no Apple Airplay. Here, all the major players are present (including Spotify, Qobuz, Tidal, Apple Music and Amazon Music) as well as DNLA, Blutooth and Roon functionality, along with all the key voice control apps – and that’s in addition to both analogue and digital line inputs.
Andrew also notes the extensive range of tweaks and adjustments, such as EQ and digital filters, that are available to the user to fine-tune the WiiM's output - all of which can too often lead to complex menus and set-up aggravation. Not here though, with the Wiim scoring very highly on the useability stakes: “this is one of the simplest network players to set up, and amongst the most stable”, he writes.
Again, this is a key point because all-too-common connection and useability frustrations can marr the enjoyment of streaming, regardless of how good it may sound.
Equally impressive sound
All this functionality would be academic, however, if the little streamer gave a less that adequate account of itself in the sound quality arena. As we’ve alluded to in the opening quotes, though, this is far from the case and Andrew spends a large proportion of the review discussing his listening experience.
Time spent across a range of musical genres stimulates comments such as “the focus here was never in doubt, even with really busy and/or frenetic tracks”, “levels of detail it can deliver were readily apparent”, the sound was “both mature and entirely satisfying in hi-fi terms” and “sounded superb when played via the over-achieving WiiM”.
For those interested in stats, Paul Miller’s lab report offers some interesting insight into how all this high-performance is manifested. The WiiM Pro Plus registered signal-to-noise and low-level distortion measurements that are more akin to what he would expect from “superior outboard DACs at 10x the price (and then some) while:
“distortion is as low as we've seen from any digital device at any price”.
Concluding remarks
By any measure, this is a stunning performing piece of kit, regardless of the price. The WiiM Pro Plus would not disgrace itself even in the company of some pretty high-end partnering components. No doubt you can get better – for a lot more money. But, even then, the way the WiiM just works sets the standard at any level, providing a fuss-free – and, more importantly, frustration-free – streaming music experience. Not surprisingly, then, it receives an ‘Outstanding Product’ award.
Magazine: Hi-Fi News
Issue: August 2024
Verdict: Outstanding Product
Buy WiiM Pro Plus
Written By Simon Dalton
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