WiiM

The streaming platform that stopped hiding behind other brands

Linkplay built the network streaming modules inside a great many other companies' products before launching WiiM. The company was founded in 2014 in Santa Clara by engineers who had come from Google, Broadcom, InterVideo and Harman, and its modules have shipped inside products from Harman, JBL, Yamaha, Marshall, Edifier and Audio Pro, more than ten million of them. WiiM arrived as their own brand in 2021.

That history matters, because it means the software maturity is not what you would expect from a new name. Multiroom, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Alexa all work reliably, the streamers hold full Roon Ready certification rather than mere compatibility, and the app is better than most from manufacturers who have been at it far longer.

The pricing is what draws attention. A WiiM Pro brings network streaming and a decent DAC to an existing system for less than the cost of a good interconnect, and the Ultra and Amp models extend that upward without losing the value proposition.

There is a fair question about where the limits are, and it deserves a straight answer. A WiiM feeding a good external DAC is a serious source. Relying on the internal conversion at the top of a resolving system is where you will start to hear the ceiling. That is a reasonable place for a ceiling to sit given the price.

Firmware updates have been frequent and features have been added rather than removed, which is more than can be said for some streaming platforms.