This Rising Affordable Hi-Fi Maker Is Now a Bonafide Sonos Rival

By now, you’ve likely heard of WiiM.

In recent years, the California-based audio company has gained recognition for producing wireless streamers and amplifiers for modern audiophiles that compete with Sonos’s Port and Amp, but at a significantly lower cost.

However, the brand is now expanding its product category even further by releasing its first-ever smart speaker and subwoofer, which aim to compete with Sonos’s Era 100 and Sub Mini. It’s also releasing its most powerful streaming amplifier, which will rival the Sonos Amp.

WiiM’s first smart speakers and subwoofer

WiiM

The WiiM Sound is the company’s first-ever smart speaker. Notably, it resembles a HomePod, but features a front-facing touchscreen color display that displays album artwork, playlists, and other menus. On top of the speaker, the Sound features other playback controls.

The wireless speaker features a 4-inch woofer and dual-balanced mode radiator tweeters. It promises to output up to 100 watts of power and stream high-resolution audio up to 32-bit/192kHz.

Just like an Era 100 or HomePods, the WiiM Sound is a smart speaker that supports a voice assistant (compatible with either Google Assistant or Alexa). It can be stereo paired with another Sound speaker, and can also be configured in a multi-room audio setup with WiiM’s other streaming components.

For those who want to add more bass to their system, WiiM is introducing its first subwoofer. The Sub Pro features an 8-inch woofer, Class D amplification, and can output up to 250 watts of power. It’s also flexible, capable of being used as a wired or wireless subwoofer.

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WiiM Sound

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WiiM Sub Pro

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Its most powerful streaming amp

WiiM

To date, WiiM makes several streaming amplifiers, including the WiiM Amp and WiiM Amp Pro, which drive passive bookshelf speakers and add a wealth of wireless streaming capabilities. Now it is introducing the WiiM Amp Ultra, which it’s calling its most powerful and refined streaming amplifier to date.

According to the brand, it “builds on the streaming power users loved in the Amp Pro and combines it with the premium display experience introduced in the WiiM Ultra (its premium music streamer).”

The WiiM Amp Ultra is capable of delivering 100 watts per channel (into 8 ohms) or 200 watts (into 4 ohms), which the brand claims is easily enough to drive up to four passive speakers. It also features an audiophile-grade DAC and a dual Class-D amp chip, allowing it to stream audio up to 32-bit/384 kHz.

Notably, the WiiM Amp Ultra is also primed to be the hub of your home theater setup. It features a wealth of wired inputs, including HDMI ARC with support for Dolby Digital decoding, so you can connect it directly to your TV.

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WiiM Amp Ultra

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Price availability

WiiM hasn’t yet announced pricing of any of its new products, but has revealed that they’ll be released in Q3 of this year.

Purely speculatively, I’d guess that the WiiM Sound would be priced to compete with Apple’s $299 HomePod and Sonos’s $199 Era 100. The Sub Pro will likely be priced competitively with Sonos’s Sub Mini, which costs $429.

As for WiiM’s Amp Ultra, it’ll likely cost less than $500. (For context, the WiiM Amp Pro, which isn’t as powerful and lacks a built-in display, goes for $379.)

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