Now, the WiiM Pro and the WiiM Pro Plus are both great high-res audio streaming boxes. They support up to 192 kHz 24-bit output, multiroom audio, voice assistant compatibility, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Tidal and Spotify Connect, Google Chromecast, and more. So, besides the RM361 or USD76 price, what else is different, same, and how is it better than the WiiM Mini?
Unboxing
Now, let’s start with the unboxing of the WiiM Pro:
- WiiM Pro unit
- User guide and Important Notes paper
- a USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- a collapsible three-pin head adapter
- an optical cable,
- and an RCA to RCA cable
Then, as for the WiiM Pro Plus:
- WiiM Pro Plus unit
- User guide and Important Notes paper
- a USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- a collapsible three-pin head adapter
- an optical cable,
- a more premium RCA cable, which is color-coded too
- a remote
So yes, there are already slight differences in the unboxing process.
WiiM Pro Vs WiiM Mini
Now, I can’t talk about the WiiM Pro without mentioning the WiiM Mini.
Why? Because the DAC used in the WiiM Mini and the WiiM Pro is the same Texas Instruments PCM 5121.
This means that the audio quality between these two models will be the same. So why choose the WiiM Pro instead of the WiiM Mini? Since the DAC is using the same exact DAC, might as well just save the extra RM400 or USD 84 and get this Mini, right?
Well, the obvious difference is in the physical size of the products. The WiiM Mini is so tiny that it fits in the palm of my hands. It almost looks like an ice cream sandwich. While the WiiM Pro is much bigger and boxier. So if smaller size matters to you, then the Mini should be your choice.
But a major advantage of having a bigger size is, of course, the port selections that come with the WiiM Pro. This includes the line in, line out, RCA ports, SPDIF Digital Interface in and out, trigger out, coax out, and LAN connectivity.
And of course, since it’s bigger, it also has a faster processor and a bigger DRAM inside as well, which can give an overall smoother experience using the device compared to the Mini.
Then on the other hand, the WiiM Mini only has an AUX in, AUX out, and an SPDIF digital interface port. So connectivity-wise, it is very limited, and there’s no Ethernet connection. So this will only work wirelessly for any sort of an internet connection.
Another major reason to consider the bigger brother is, of course, the additional software support, as the WiiM Pro supports things like Chromecast audio grouping with Google Nest speakers and Alexa multiroom.
So if you specifically use these features mentioned, then it’s a no-brainer for you to use the WiiM Pro over the WiiM Mini.
Similarities WiiM Pro & WiiM Pro Plus
Now, before I dive into the difference between the WiiM Pro and the WiiM Pro Plus, let’s look at what exactly is the same between these two. Now, first of all, yes, they look very similar physically and measure about 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches with a thickness of 1.6 inches.
For context, it looks like a bigger version of an Apple TV. The case is made out of plastic but actually feels quite nice and solid to the touch.
Secondly, it uses a quad-core A53 processor, 512 MB of DRAM, and 512 MB of flash memory.
Then, the parts are as mentioned before, and both have Bluetooth 5.1 support for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Dual-Band Wi-Fi and use a USB Type-C for power.
The buttons are touch-sensitive buttons for play, pause, volume up and down, and preset. Now, this placement on the front is quite controversial compared to the WiiM Mini being on top, but for me personally, I do prefer it over here, and especially the matte finish was also something that I really appreciated compared to the glossy one on the Wii Mini.
And of course, this beats not having controls over here compared to something like the Sonos Port which costs way more and doesn’t have such controls. Then, there’s also a handy LED that can turn red, green, or white, which flashes according to what function you’re using or if there are any errors.
Here are the supported codecs: MP3, AAC, ALAC, APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, OGG.
And the streaming services supported: Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tunein, Tidal, Qobuz, SoundCloud, Pandora, iHeartRadio, vTuner, Napster, Sound machine.
Differences WiiM Pro & WiiM Pro Plus
Now, for the differences between the WiiM Pro and the WiiM Pro Plus. Now, the subtle difference would be the weight because the Pro weighs a little lighter compared to the Pro Plus (330g vs 400g).
Then, there’s the inclusion of the WiiM voice remote and a premium RCA cable for the Pro Plus, as seen in the unboxing earlier. So depending on the type of person you are, you may find this very essential or just nice extras to have in the packaging.
And just so you know, you can actually get the WiiM Pro with a voice remote, but it will cost you about RM60 or USD 12.
Now, in case you’re wondering to check which is which, you know, just in case you get the wrong ones since it looks very similar, just look at the printing on the bottom of the device where there’s a model number on the Pro and the Pro Plus has a name written over there to make sure that you get the right device.
So other than spending more money on the Pro Plus, there’s a huge change inside of this, which is the DAC inside as the WiiM Pro Plus uses a high-quality AKM4493SEQ chip inside.
So what makes this DAC very special then? Well, it is capable of handling files with a resolution up to 768 kHz/32-bit and DSD512, where in case you do not know, that DSD stands for Direct Stream Digital files that are high-quality CD-like quality.
If your mouth didn’t drop when I mentioned those numbers and the DSD, then this should not be for you because you do get a very capable music streaming machine itself on the Pro with a sample rate of 192 kHz up to 24 bits.
But if it does mean something to you, congratulations, you are an audiophile, and the Pro Plus is probably the one for you because if you want to take advantage of this higher sound quality codecs, you need files to take advantage of that.
But does it really make a difference when it comes to comparing these two devices?
Well, based on my test, hell yeah, it does!
You know, it’s interesting that this kind of result that you get when you compare devices like this because the Pro Plus sounds way better in detail retrieval on each of the music being played. And this was surely because of the different DAC on the Pro Plus.
While I was totally fine with the DAC inside the Pro and the Mini, but after playing it with this Pro Plus, my mind was just blown.
As usual, here’s a link to my test song playlist: https://music.apple.com/my/playlist/2023-audio-quality-test/pl.u-e98lGp5i2pG1a7
Also worth mentioning is there was a total gapless playback when streaming on Apple Music and Tidal, but there was a slight gap when casting it on Chromecast. So keep that in mind.
And since it has an AirPlay 2 receiver, you can connect it to other compatible AirPlay 2 devices and other WIM devices or if you have several Amazon Echo devices too.
So yeah, if you can’t afford a bunch of Sonos speakers, HomePod, or even HomePod Mini and don’t want to buy a bunch of Amazon smart speakers as well, this is your best option.
Now, one very important thing to note is that based on my testing, I feel that these WIM devices are not meant to be connected to your TV, as I did try multiple ways to connect it, and there was a significant amount of latency too.
So if you really need to connect something like this to your TV, I would just recommend for you to go with a BlueSound Node or if your TV has adjustments for the overall latency.
And speaking of the BlueSound Node, I’ve done a comparison video on the BlueSound Node and the WiiM Mini, so check that video out if you haven’t: https://youtu.be/Gkd-ARzaRAQ
WiiM Home App
Now, let’s look into the setup and the whole interface of the features of the app, since the software support is what makes this device one of the best buys today, as their parent company Linkplay always pushes updates adding new support or fixing bugs on their devices via software updates.
So after downloading the app, loading it up, and giving all the permissions needed, the WiiM Pro will be immediately recognized on your phone. Next, you’ll get to choose the audio output which, based on my test, I’ve connected via the optical cable, hence I chose the optical out option.
Then, after entering your Wi-Fi info and getting the device updated and pairing with a voice remote if you bought the Pro Plus variant, it will prompt you to pair that as well.
Next, you get to the calibration of the audio path latency, which you can either do it now or later, which I choose to do it now instead. You can choose the output resolution and then there will be the services prompt for you to get connected to Chromecast Audio, Alexa, and Apple Home as well, and you’re done.
Then, looking at the overall app itself, the home screen under the Browse tab, here is where there is a list of music services that you can get your account connected to, which I’ve got it connected to my Tidal Connect accounts, as this is the best way to get the highest quality playback compared to typically playing on AirPlay or Wi-Fi.
Then, the next tab is the Device option where you can click the gear icon, and here’s where you can go through a lot of the other options such as renaming the device, getting the device info, setting a music alarm clock, very similar to what Sonos app does too.
Next, here’s where you can set the Preset Content since there is a dedicated preset button over here. You can also check the network status, how long to enter standby mode, and get more info on the WiiM Pro voice remote.
Next, you can go through the Graphic EQ and Parametric EQ by either adjusting it manually or turning it on with the preset options over there.
Below that, there are the audio settings, audio output, audio input, the audio sync adjustments to either Auto or Manual, and finally, the language settings for Amazon Alexa over there as well.
Then, going over to the Search tab, here’s where you can search for artists, songs, and more. And there’s a further settings tab on the next step too. So the playback output all depends on the songs that you play, where you can see all the bit rates and the output frequency for each one of the songs, as seen on the music player’s interface.
However, if you want specific high-quality MQA songs, there are dedicated MQA playlists under the Tidal Connect app over there too.
And while it does lower the quality just a little bit, I did test AirPlay on my iPhone to other Sonos speakers and group them, and it works flawlessly as well where the WiiM device is also seen in the list too.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, these are really great devices for their price, the great guys from TechX are selling the WiiM Pro for only RM839 (~USD175) and the WiiM Pro Plus for RM1,199 (~USD250)
Now, value is surely in the name of the game here because you get so much in these devices like the port choices, a crazy amount of codecs supported, a user-friendly app, major casting support, and of course, excellent music output as well.
And while you can’t go wrong with either one, I will choose the WiiM Pro Plus all the way!