Wiim Amp Ultra Review: The Best Broadcast Amp for TV Input
The Wii Amp Ultra aims to remedy this problem, providing those after just a little more worry-free performance at a great price. The front was an immediate success, providing noticeably cleaner, more expansive stereo sound than the Amp Pro I’ve had in the middle of my living room for the past few months. The sound isn’t perfect, and it leaves out some features I’d expect at this price (like AirPlay and a dedicated phono input), but it easily won my heart nonetheless. The Wiim Amp Ultra has demonstrated a great combination of performance, design, and quality for many weeks on my TV stand.
Quick Setup
Traveling with the Amp Ultra is about as smooth as it gets. Opening the box reveals two cable boxes, a rechargeable voice remote, and a cool aluminum cube with an obsidian glass front. It looks like a Mac Mini on steroids. For those new enhancements, you’ll need to grab a speaker cable, but if not, the Wiim includes all your accessories, including four banana plugs (push-in cable ends) for plug-and-play connectivity.
Photo: Ryan Waniata
After connecting my TV via HDMI ARC and connecting my speakers, I plugged in power to display the QR code on the 3.5-inch color touchscreen (this has a color touchscreen!) in the Wiim Home app, which takes over the network setup wheel. The app couldn’t detect my unit at first, but after tapping the volume button, the Amp Ultra turned on immediately. After a five minute refresher, I was off to the races.
The beauty of the Wiim system—like the Sonos—is that there are tons of ways to play. From smart services to multi-room audio, you can tune into the app to customize your home listening experience.
Small Box Loaded
Wiim makes a number of products, including the similarly-looking Wiim Ultra, which don’t offer amplification, instead serving as add-ons to older amplifiers for the future. The Amp Ultra packs it all into one 7.87 x 8.3 x 3-inch box.
Inside is a small Class-D amplifier with up to 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms (200 watts into 4 ohms), which should power almost any speaker you have, unless you’re after something very special: high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192-kHz, better than CD quality. On the back is a short selection of physical inputs, including the aforementioned HDMI ARC TV port, digital optical, RCA analog line-in, a USB port for flash drives, an Ethernet connection, and a subwoofer output.
Wireless connectivity starts with Wi-Fi 6 and includes support for Google Cast, Alexa cast, and a host of streaming services, from the usual suspects like Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect, to network apps like Plex and random services you’ve probably never heard of like SoundMachine. Spotify Connect is enabled by default, while others need to be enabled to “reduce network load,” according to the brand. AirPlay 2 and Apple Music are conspicuously absent, which will be a big disappointment for some listeners. You can access it via Bluetooth 5.3, but frankly, if Apple Music is your main listening center, I would go with another option, including the usual Wiim Amp.
