RUN TO the Wiim Mini: a $99 Spotify, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth & Tidal streamer

👉🏻 This video is brought to you by Roon:

🎥 Camera: Olaf von Voss
🎬 Editor: John Darko
🕺🏻 Motion GFX: John Darko
💰 Ad segment: Jana Dagdagan

🛋 My listening room in 2022:

0:00 Intro
1:09 What is it?
2:30 What it isn't
3:33 Going deeper
4:45 Gapgate!
6:51 w/ Chord Mojo 2 vs. Bluesound NODE

👉🏻 As seen in this video…

Wiim Mini:

Chord Mojo 2:

Bluesound NODE:

Google Chromecast Audio:

Xiaomi Mi Box S:

#wiimmini #spotify #tidal

Darko.Audio may earn a small commission from items purchased via affiliate links.
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[koszyklbn]

This is EXACTLY what audio community needed. Cheap, easy, good sounding solution for multiple streaming services with digital output.

[otiv]

Nobody mentions Primare NP5 Prisma MKII streamer, I get a feeling hifi community is ignoring it for some reason tho, price almost the same as Node, has almost the same features + Chromecast and MQA passthru, the Primare app is on par with BluOS app, only difference doesnt have internal DAC and touchscreen... not a cheapest streamer but great alternative to the Node :)

[basilandrigsby]

I wish someone would make a puck style streamer but with top notch build quality. Something that has a feel like the volume knob on a Unti Atom, but a screen in the middle like a Nest. Something to interact with, that’d be great. Expensive…but great…🤔

[orwhat]

Good review: I think bargain gear is getting really interesting. Sure, it may not sound the same as multi thousand dollar gear, but it’s interesting!

[gianpaologliori]

Thanks John for reviewing affordable gear - particularly relevant now in these difficult times for a lot of people. And of course top marks for continuing to fight for gapless playback!

[maxcarter]

Considering that 48khz is the standard in the audio industry for recording and exchanging raw stems, I’m sure that the Apple Music limitation will not be noticed.

[bassandtrebleclef]

Never, ever, ever leave out the blooper reel. Ever. Had the Wiim been available a year ago, definitely would have bought that instead of the node 2i. Great review of what Should have been chrome cast audio v2.

[ProfessorHamer]

The bluesound node is way too expensive if you don’t use its built in dac.

[shreyasdharur]

Far and away the finest audio channel on YouTube. Has great content for audiophiles of all tastes, lifestyles and budgets. Phenomenal production too!

[johnnyboy]

i dont do any music on any digital domain but cd, youtube yes but only on my tv system, it seems alienating to me but hearing and watching all this stuff about it makes me curious or am i just being slowly brainwashed lol, i think not physically having it makes it all so seem a bit boring to me and unconnected to the artists i love etc ..or am i a kallax junkie lol

[dkno]

Bought one when I saw ur online review. Perfect for me as I don’t stream much so didn’t want to spend on a bluesound or similar. Paired with a Topping E30 i already had it sounds great.

[bruffyb]

Really enjoying this mini streamer. I've had to use the inbuilt DAC so that I can go straight from toslink into my CD player. For now that sounds good enough through my Q Acoustics 3020. I have a very modest setup so I'll probably buy a second hand Chord Mojo to pair it with in the future. P.S nice to see the new Black country new road album on Mr Darko's phone.

[jimshaw]

What's your fetish with gapless? CDs aren't gapless. LPs aren't gapless. Are you running a dance club in the cellar? Hire a DJ.

What is more, if you are already doing digital, your amp or preamp probably already has a Toslink input. Or, add a $100 DAC instead of running up the bill, and your comparative bill is $199 instead of your $600 Bluesound Node.

And for those who don't already subscribe to Roon, it's a lame duck. Few new streamers are stepping up to Roon's cash register to pay for EQ. MQA? Another lame duck. Who needs MQA when $100 DACs can work bit-perfect at 24/192K? MQA is another lame duck; another compressor.

Go ahead; bury my comment. Not bad production values, though.

[EgonB]

You mention a compromise of the Wiim + external DAC would be the "slight" gap using Tidal, etc. from within the app. Why keep Tidal in this list? Who would use the Wiim app for Tidal if it has Tidal connect?

[HaTeCrEw]

i've been looking for something like this for a while, actually that could be really useful for an "affordable" and flexible multi room system. A big downside is the lack of ethernet connection imo, that could cause additional problem if the home network is not the best. I've found a similar product that features the aforementioned rj45 and is called IEAST AudioCast Pro M50, price tag is similar, is got almost the same functions except for the vocal control through Alexa and/or Siri (i think? not sure) so that could be an alternative. Anyway, great video, cheaper doesn't mean necessarily useless or bad in general, everything has its spot in the market 💪

[knivesandfire]

I had my WiiM Mini for over a month, having bought it after read your initial online review of it and I enjoyed it. Just for having support for Spotify/Tidal Connect, AirPlay 2 and the capability of doing 24/192 streams for $89 at the time of purchase, was a no-brainer. I couldn’t justify dropping $600 for a Node especially this being for my modest bedroom system. I have it connected via TOSlink to my NAD D3045 integrated amp/DAC and it sounds good to my ears.

[dramsnbass]

I managed to get the Chord Mojo 1 and 2 connected via optical to the Wiim Mini and using max SPDIF outputs of 192kHz and 24 bits successfully played Airplay Apple Music to my amp. But a week later, none of that works. I am using the Mojo headphone output to RCAs on the amp. So, what am I doing wrong now? Do I have to adjust the volume on the Mojo? Did firmware updates to the Wiim (I think there was one) disable something? Little help?

[tonac]

this is od, I was just today exploring this device because I node was tooo expensive for my budgete and I already own ifi zen dac on which I'm gona hookup this

[lgude]

I did the pi streamer because of your video, and quickly realised the the WIMM mini was a replacement and bought it. Mine runs into a cheap KGUSS DAC via toslink and through my amp into exciter driven polystyrene panels supplemented with the 8 inch Polk Audio sub for bass and lower mids. I’m a pensioner and avoid subscriptions ruthlessly so I stream web radio using the Wiim home app through Tunin and IHeart Radio so far. I will put a second set of polystyrene speakers in the office and get a second Wiim streamer to do multi room. I listen by genre, classical, jazz, and Indian sitar music mostly so net radio works for me and the polystyrene speakers work for me because of they reproduce details like plucked strings so well. My ears are old and compromised but if I run a good cd into the KGUSS I believe I hear the increased audio quality. So I may consider trialing a hi res streaming service to see if I think it is worth the money. Really helpful content as always John. Particularly because you don’t make comparisons with equipment you have not tested. 😉

[brianliu]

🤫wish there was an Apple Music Connect app