WiiM has successfully transitioned from a provider of affordable music streamers to a notable force in the audio world. The company’s expanding product line now includes amplifiers, subwoofers, and its first wireless speaker, the WiiM Sound. The WiiM Sound is designed to be an addition that completes a comprehensive WiiM system setup, aiming to compete with established names like Apple, Sonos, and Bluesound.
The design of the WiiM Sound is notable, featuring a minimalist aesthetic, drawing comparisons to the HomePod 2. It is wrapped in a fabric and offers black and white options. The speaker incorporates disappearing touch controls on the top surface and features a screen porthole, which is described as a distinctive addition. The screen is adaptive, adjusting its brightness based on the ambient light in the room, and can be disabled if distracting.
The WiiM Sound is highly versatile in its connectivity and audio handling. It accepts any incoming audio signal up to 24-bit 192kHz and supports multiple file types, including FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and DSD (which is downconverted to PCM). Connectivity options are extensive, encompassing Bluetooth 5.3 (supporting AAC, SBC, LC3) and auxiliary sources. Furthermore, it supports Spotify Connect, Google Cast, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, DLNA, and Lyrion Music Server (LMS) sources. Stereo pairing is supported between two Sound or Sound Lite units.
Operationally, the WiiM Sound unit offers several technical features. While stereo pairing was successfully tested on iPhone and Android smartphones, it was not immediately visible on an iPad Pro. The speaker’s performance with the RoomFit calibration turned on may yield results differing from other environments. Acoustically, the unit delivers a sound characterized as warm, sometimes powerful, and spacious, though it is not described as the most nuanced. When compared to the Audio Pro A10 MkII, the WiiM Sound offered more energy and ‘joie de vivre,’ suggesting a more aggressive delivery.
While the WiiM Sound is generally regarded as a ‘likeable’ wireless speaker that fulfills many modern consumer requirements, it has some noted limitations. Key missing features include support for AirPlay 2 and spatial audio. The writer suggests that for users who wish to maintain the feature set without the porthole or remote, the Sound Lite is a less expensive alternative. Overall, the WiiM Sound represents a substantial entry into the competitive wireless speaker market, delivering an entertaining and likeable sound experience.
Source: Trusted Reviews