This will mainly be a Wiim Pro Plus review, but I also want to put one idea into perspective. How much value does a budget streamer bring in comparison to a budget CD player and a budget turntable? If you have any opinions regarding your favorite way to listen to music, please write them in the comments—I would love to hear them.
Comparing Streamer to CD Player to Turntable
I think the budget level is always debatable… when does a budget begin, and where does it end? But in the grand scheme of audiophile gear, 250-300 euros can be called budget. So, I picked three pieces of gear that fit in that price range. The only criteria are that they can work as standalone sources or have their own DAC or phono preamp inside. Besides Wiim Pro Plus, I chose Pro-Ject CD Box E and Pro-Ject Primary E Phono.
The reason I chose these two Pro-Ject devices is that they fit those two criteria and that I could test and acquire. There are probably more different CD players and turntables in this price range, but these are the ones I could test.
I will use Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" to test all these devices. I know… THAT album. But that is the only album that I have in all three formats. Usually, if I buy an album on CD, I don’t buy it on vinyl and vice versa. It just happened that I bought myself the 2023 remaster of "Dark Side of the Moon" and got another on my birthday. So, I can test this equally across three different mediums.
Also, I will try to explain the benefits and problems of all three mediums of carrying your favorite tunes, and my experience with them. So here we go...
Wiim Pro Plus Review:
Build Quality, Features and Functionality
I bought into the hype. I listened about this device on YouTube for so long, and I actually wanted to buy it and try it for myself.
At first glance, this device looks great. The materials are sturdy enough, the logo is nicely inconspicuous on the top, and those buttons on the interface look modern and slick. There are also a bunch of connectivity options. I mean, Wiim did not cut corners here. You have Tidal direct, Spotify connect, AirPlay, Deezer, Qobuz, Roon, plus many more radio stations. Incredible versatility in that regard.
Also, great integration with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. If you are into building automations for your house and dedicated rooms, they can create synergy working together across multiple rooms with different presets.
Many companies should be ashamed of how much Wiim offers here.
Even the accompanying application is great in that regard, as the walkthrough through setting up devices is easy to use and understand. Some nice UX has been used there to simplify the setup process. The application is used to connect to all your devices, set up your automation, set bandwidth, play music, and even do equalizers.
Those equalizers look great, and you can use graphic or parametric equalizers. I’m happy if your experience benefits from this from lowering treble or bass. But I always found the best is just a neutral straight line, as the more I played with the equalizer, the more unnatural it sounded.
DAC Inside
And here comes the most important part, and that is sound. And we can start with how it works as a DAC. Firstly, I think for a device in this price range, it brings enough connectivity options. You have coaxial out and optical in and out, including, of course, line in and out. This brings versatility in choosing how exactly you will use this device and also opens the door for future upgrades, as you can add a standalone DAC to improve the sound. But more on that later. You can even add an external power supply for even more noise reduction.
The DAC inside is also really capable. It is AKM 4493 with 24-bit, 192 kHz. This one has a bit of a typical and atypical AKM inside, as while it is known as more dry and cold sound, this one is a bit hot in upper frequencies. But it is a capable and versatile DAC, and it is such a pretty sight in this price range. Through coaxial out, it can even do 32-bit 768 kHz, which is a DSD-quality level of music. I personally have not tested this, but it probably requires a way to connect with Wiim Pro via an external server or hard drive with those large ultra-audiophile files. But you cannot stream in this quality.
Wiim Pro Plus does promote on their site that it is gapless, but in the text, if you read it more thoroughly, you will see that it does have some gaps, but they tried to make it as gapless as possible. Now you can interpret this however you like.
Incredible Versatility and Connectivity
All in all, before we go into analysis of the sound itself, it is an incredible value in what Wiim Pro Plus brings to the table with its functionality and versatility. It opens so many doors for you to try and experiment with listening to your favorite tunes. In reality, it brings everything you need in this budget price point, and I can only give high praise to Wiim here. Really good job.
Unfortunately, I cannot have a glowing review when it comes to sound. But let's first put one thing in perspective.
What does budget mean to you?
What does budget mean to you? I think the easy answer is to get the most out of what you paid, and that to be in a price range that you deem not going into excessive spending territory. So someone might say that 300 euros is a serious gear and will expect a lot, while someone sees 300 euros and expects nothing as it is really cheap. So, expectations of what a budget device should bring can heavily vary from listener to listener and from already having experience with similar devices.
To put that in perspective, I think it is important to objectively/subjectively review the sound, but also to compare it with more pricey devices to understand what you are sacrificing in the cheaper price range. Not so I can speak about how bad this device is or to be a snob who believes you need to shell out plenty of money to get that fancy audiophile sound. No, it is used for you, as a watcher of this review who is interested in buying this device, to know what you get and what you can get when you once decide to add more money into this hobby to buy a more expressive device.
Does this streamer justify its value?
Does this streamer justify its price? Yes, it does. I think this is a good streamer, but probably the regular Wiim Pro has more value, even if it does not come with a DAC. If you invest in a DAC that is around 100 to 200 euros, you have significantly better sound, and Wiim Pro Plus is around 80 to 100 euros more.
Nonetheless, it is a good streamer. I am not impressed or amazed like some other reviewers, as I clearly could hear and see the limitations of this device. But as someone’s first streamer, it does a good job.
Best part of this streamer
And I can kind of see why this is, as the first sonic impression of Pro Plus is interestingly detailed, and treble is rather clean, which is not something you expect from a cheaper device. It seemed that while organizing sound, Wiim likes to do a roll-off treble, where it adds decibels to frequencies in 2 kHz to 5 kHz. Those percussions, drums, and everything that fits in that range are more rounded and presented. There is great clarity so that it really creates a sound that is more perceivable where it stands in the soundstage.
So, making that sound pushed more to treble and into creating a bit more lively and upped sound. This is not something that will drive your speakers to go bright or hot, it is just that the tendency on the dynamic scale is that there is more emphasis on treble than on other aspects of that scale.
That made for me a really fun experience, like okay, I get you, Wiim, what you are doing here.
Worst part of this streamer
But then I realized something with continuous listening, and that is that those additional decibels are masking or blurring, or veiling the middle section of the sound.
The mids sounded very unfocused and lacking presence. I think when I switched this device and tested it with my other two streamers, I noticed how the midsection is just very shy and with more complex sections cluttered.
As a budget device, this was okay; if it was a more expensive streamer, it would be bad to serviceable.
There was a lack of dynamics, and finding clarity among vocals and other instrument separation was simply okay and required more of my attention. I missed that with this device. My theory is that a better DAC would do a better job of organizing, placing, and creating a bigger soundstage. But we review this unit as it is.
It is just a shame. This device could be an awesome, incredibly good value for this price if it could organize and enhance the mids. It is just all the instruments are placed in a small room, and with enhanced treble, they become somewhat veiled.
I can hear the vocals; it has its own reach and space, but there is a lot of expression missing. As I said earlier, treble does separate much better, but mids are stuck between unbalanced bass and treble. Therefore, it does have okay separation, but it could be better.
It is not to speak as if this is a bad device, as you can definitely pick out details in those mids. This is an audiophile device first, so you will have it open more than your regular run-of-the-mill music streamer. So, it will be amazing to see music have dynamic range and show you many cool audiophile tricks. It does great for a streamer in this price range.
You know the first time you know you love Hi-Fi is when you figure out the frequency response, and the song is separated into multiple channels. It feels like magic. But then you listen to a few songs more, and suddenly, that magic seems to become veiled, you start picking up mistakes, and you realize you are a Hi-Fi enthusiast. You want more, you want better.
Bass
And maybe I did not speak that much about bass, but I should. Bass is good. That is it truly gives that extra push for those lovely low notes. But it will be heavily dictated by your amp and speakers how that bass behaves. As if you have speakers this music streamer will not do make the bass more concise and commanding. It will do a fine job enhancing the volume and attack of bass which is for such a cheap streamer good. Thump, will have definition and can be controlled at times creating nice drive. Your bass will have shape and push, that you did not hear earlier for your speakers it`s main purpose to enhance is there.
Pairing Suggestions
One thing more, is about pairing. I noticed Wiim Pro Plus does fit better with amps, that are warm. It grounds it a little bit more, and transmutes those highs into more manageable sounds and make bass more smoother and bigger.
That also exposes mids more, and rounding it enough to have more character and definition. Amps likes Marantz, Denon and similar with warm sound actually worked in my opinion best.
But it also works really well with also more balanced, maybe amps like Rega that have very detailed treble is not a best match.
Conclusion
That is the Wiim Pro Plus. It is a fun Hi-Fi starter device; it shows what is possible, but it is just not fully capable of giving that "wow" factor as long as you start picking up the mistakes and start comparing to more expressive streamers.
So, what I can conclude here is that Wiim Pro Plus has a nice tonality and a great dynamic scale for this price point. It will give you a fun experience and enjoyment, but it has some real limitations. I think it has a great value for a streamer, but I would rather recommend you to invest in a cheaper version and buy a separate DAC or save a bit more money and go for a more expensive streamer.
For example, Blusound Node did manage to give more uncluttered presentation. And a bit more in separation and soundstage definition. It has far better DAC inside. Also with Cambridge Audio MX10, who has great detail retrieval and you feel your music to be mor present. With also far better DAC equipped.
But this are all more expensive devices that are not worlds apart in sound quality, and you get around 70-80% of sound for much less. I still prefer you buy regular edition, not the plus one and add 100 to 200 euros DAC to get most of this device. If you have more expensive DAC, than consider buying a more expensive transport, as you will not reap all the benefits with this streamer. Trust me I know I tested this with 200e and 10000e DAC. And my streamer Primer NP5 Prisma, which is around 200 euros more, just kills it with clarity and soundstage. But it lacks DAC, and Wiim Pro is around 300 euros cheaper than Primare.
Nonetheless, this one is great for building your system with automations and connecting different rooms, so if that is your goal, this one has it all.
But that is all great, what about how does this compare to similar devices in this price range but with different purpose. I wanted to do battle of sources. How much value and quality you get in this price range, with different sources. Of course this will be Turntable and Cd Player.
For reference I will use Dark Side of the Moon, as previously I mention I had that album with same remaster on all 3 mediums.
Pro-Ject CD Box E Review
So in my opinion CD is that compromise between streamer and turntable. You still have personal, and emotional connection with music you listen via that sweet plastic CDs and booklet in your hand.
But you can pause, play, rewind and do all kinds of wacky things that you can not on turntable, with ofocurse lacking of super versatility of streamers of endless Varity of music pleasure. So CD Box E is an good device. Unfortunately it is to me least interesting out of this three. It was okey in every aspect, good for the money you pay this. But there was nothing standout.
I think the music was more precise and natural, something also I felt with turntable more. But at the same time very tame, and relaxed. Which means to get more out of this sound you will have to work with a good synergy. It just did not excite me enough, as I was expecting maybe more than just very natural and balanced presentation. It lacked some verve and dynamic in any direction to try to peak my attention. Like for example with turntable even with balanced approach there are some hints of warmer bass that I enjoyed so much.
Here this CD player works great to extract information from your CD and pretty much that is it. In that regard, Streamer brigns more value, but only in that comaperosn. As I think this is a decent CD Player, it have decent dynamics, and much like turntables it vocal presentation was neutral and precise. A great decent work that can be loved and apricated by someone who just started its audiophile journey. But as how much Music Streamer offers in versatility, I think my hat are more tipped towards streamer. And even thou sound was a bit muddy and unfocused, I had a bit more fun with streamer with its open and clear treble.
Pro-Ject Primary E Phono Review
As music streamers are the epitome of comfort, having all the music at your fingertips from your sofa, turntables are in the opposite spectrum. It requires the most effort from the listener to play music, change it, stop it, and pause it.
But the vinyl medium for carrying music is getting more popular by the day. It is good to examine the benefits the listener gets from buying a turntable over the Wiim Pro Plus. Besides the obvious already stated here, does all the hassle truly add up to better music? The reality is, it does not. Plain and simple.
But I did prefer the sound a little bit more through the Pro-Ject rather than the Wiim Pro Plus. The sound was more balanced, and there was certainly more extraction in mids of details. To me, it was a more pleasing experience to listen to music. To my ears, vocals separated far more easily here, allowing me to enjoy more dynamics. It is not heaven and hell in differences, those improvements were noticeable in some areas, marginal in others, or nonexistent, or worse in others.
But it was a more wholesome experience. Bass was similar, with maybe the treble working more strides in Wiim resolving and giving more in highs. I would always prefer to listen to music via this turntable, but I would probably more often listen to music via Wiim Pro Plus.
It is that what you lose marginally in sound quality you gain far more in comfort and versatility. Similar to the Wiim Pro with a DAC, I think changing the cartridge to something like the Ortofon Red could dramatically improve the sound. The extraction of details with a better cartridge will provide a larger, deeper soundstage with more textures.
Additional Thoughts
Renting vs Owning your music
First is about the philosophy of owning your music versus renting it. This whole comparison could easily be about how much physical media have value in today’s world. How much do we benefit from physical media compared to the data files we consume with music streamers? Without that emotional connection and enjoying and digesting the whole package as a full experience the artist intended when creating an album, there is no upside to physical media.
CDs can scratch and eventually become useless, vinyl can get dust on it and become scratchy super fast, and you always have to care about cleanliness so they will not deteriorate fast. But one thing that always goes in favor of physical media is legacy and owning your music. When you stream, you rent that stuff. It is never truly yours, but here it is yours and not just yours, your children can inherit this music too and get hooked on music by enjoying great art and booklets, just like I did when I was a kid.
Comparing Prices and Value
But let’s look at the aspect of price. For your 4-8 euros on streaming platforms, you get all the music you want for a month. Everything at your fingertips. At the price of 10 to 15 euros, you get a CD, a shining single album for your pleasure until eternity. And for far, far more, starting from 35 euros and now all the way to 50-60 euros, you get the beautiful big covers of a vinyl record. While at first glance it seems that streaming is the absolute winner here, think again. I think streaming is only the winner when you want to stay in touch with new music and to do big shuffles of music lists.
But for albums that you truly love and want to own, I think buying it once will give you a lifetime of enjoyment. Because when you get older, you are mostly stuck with music you already love and have loved for years. You are not so open to experimentation. While listening to it for a year on streaming will cost you from 48 to 92 euros.
It all has its pros and cons. They both fit my needs, as I have streaming for big versatility but all my favorite albums I have on CD or on turntable. And when I am old, I know where to find them and listen to them.
What is my favorite?
And if you ask me about my favorite, it is most definitely CDs. They are that golden compromise between streaming and vinyl. Vinyl, while I adore beautiful packages, colored vinyl, spinning on your turntable... with the rise of the popularity of vinyl, prices have skyrocketed so much that I think I started to be pushed away from that medium every day. I personally prefer streaming more over vinyl.
And it is not just a price problem, you have to clean and store the vinyl correctly, otherwise it will degrade faster. And even then, when you listen to ambient or something calming, you always hear artifacts in the background and that is not something you want to hear. I will probably, as I am an old fool, continue buying vinyl, as I adore these big packages and how sometimes it is produced and mixed to just fit that vinyl sound. But I just prefer now to buy 3-4 CDs at the price of one vinyl. And the comfort and versatility of streaming is just something that I am drawn to more now than ever.
Gateway to create new audiophiles
But something that I see as a great thing about streaming is that it can be a gateway to more audiophile sound. To be honest, now everyone listens to Spotify. Audiophile companies need to find a way to promote a better sound via streaming somehow. To do more showcases of sound around venues where concerts are being held, to demonstrate the power of what their music sounds like on a more mature system.
It could be Hi-Fi which can be accessible to everyone. Some streamer with active speakers to show audiophile magic. I think there is a lot of potential here to create new audiophiles, and I just think that this aspect has not been fully explored as many audiophile companies are proud and rigid to try new promotion tactics and presentations.
Infinite protentional of streaming
Streaming also has the biggest upside in storing the music. It has infinite potential to extract files that retain the same information as the original masters of the track. Everything at and above 16-bit are in theory superior files compared to those on vinyl and CD. I know there is a lot of debate there, and I will not go into that with this video, but it is just an objective fact. It is the most future-proof way of listening to music out of these three.
Conclusion to this video Comparison
In the end, I would recommend all these three devices to any aspiring enthusiast of any format of listening to music. It is incredible in this day and age how much value you get with budget devices starting from amps, speakers, and sources as well. And I think in Hi-Fi, the budget options are now better than ever. This is a great key, a gateway drug to start experiments and discover and understand there is a bigger world full of sonic pleasures out there waiting to be discovered. So hopefully this review can be helpful to anyone who is searching for their first system.
If you have any opinions on the variety of subjects tackled in this review, please share your viewpoint on this. I want to learn and hear more opinions on the variety of hi-fi enthusiasts’ thoughts.
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Keep daydreaming, and see you soon!
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