To achieve multiroom capability and rich, full-bodied sound-something on par with what you would expect from a good pair of stereo speakers-you have to spend quite a bit more, which means looking at systems from companies like Sonos or Bluesound. Or, you could set up a system using existing speakers and one of the many integrated streaming amps that have become available in recent years at prices across the board.
The WiiM Amp is an affordable and highly capable example of a "smart amp" that streams music to one or several speakers around the house. It is similar in concept to the Sonos Amp but sells for half the price and doesn't limit you to speakers designed to work only in a proprietary (such as Sonos).
The amp is about as streamlined as you can get with only one knob and a row of LEDs on its front panel. Everything can be controlled using the WiiM Home App (for iPhone or Android), or you can use the supplied voice remote to adjust volume and control playback, which works fine as long as you don't need to know details about the music that's streaming because the Wiim Amp has no display. The remote's built-in microphone allows the amp to also function as an Alexa-compatible device capable of controlling compatible smart-home devices.
There are many similarities with Sonos in the way the Wiim Home App works. In addition to being able to stream directly from the popular music services such as Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Napster, SoundCloud, and Qobuz, you can stream music from a computer or NAS drive. You can also use Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri voice commands albums, artists, and playlists or adjust volume and play/pause or skip tracks. You can also use AirPlay to stream music from phones, computers, and other sources to Apple devices, such as a HomePod or Apple TV, or use Bluetooth to stream to headphones; wired listening isn’t possible because the Wiim Amp doesn’t have a headphone jack.
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Brothers in Atmos
How producer/keyboardist Guy Fletcher convinced Mark Knopfler to mix classic Dire Straits material and his new solo album One Deep River in Atmos.
Making a Big Purchase
I can remember sitting in the hospital room writing that month's edition of this column (called \"The Custom Installer\" at the time) after my daughter, Lauryn, was born in November 2006. Fast-forward 17 years, and now Lauryn is 17 years old, taking college classes, and driving.
Sony Pulse Elite Headphones
As much as I love playing video games on my main audio system, I recognize that, unlike music, a video game soundtrack filled with effects and voice chat is not one that a non-gamer will enjoy. So when I dive into a Grand Theft Auto Online session, unless I'm alone, I rely on headphones when using my PlayStation 5. And with its acquisition of Audeze, Sony's PlayStation-branded Pulse Elite headphones promise to do more than just look the part of a gaming headset; they offer planar-magnetic driver technology that for a high-fidelity listening experience.
RUNNIN' INTO THE
What Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers achieved over their rightfully acclaimed multi-decade career stands as a benchmark for how to match universally appealing songwriting with uncompromising sound quality.
Pixel Perfection
SAMSUNG'S 77-INCH QN77S95D TV is the third version of its OLED TVs, which combine quantum dots and blue OLED light. This technology is called \"Quantum-OLED\" by Samsung Electronics and \"QD-OLED\" by Samsung Display, the company that makes the screens. It uses quantum dots to change blue OLED light to red and green light for its RGB pixels.
Multichannel Mastery
REMEMBER WHEN cars ran on gasoline, cell phones flipped, and you needed a forklift to get a flagshipmodel AV receiver onto your equipment rack?
I Dream of XGIMI
A SELF-DESCRIBED purveyor of “smart projectors and laser TVs,” mentioned in answer to a man-on-thestreet projector query. Though Internet have done much to espouse Xgimi’s evolutionary stable of products, I am willing to wager that the name still escapes a majority of S&V readers.
Dedicated to Discs
THOUGH THE famous Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) quote, \"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,\" has been twisted over time from the original quote, \"The report of my death was an exaggeration,\" both very much apply to the state of physical media today.
Sharper Image
THE QN75QN900D Neo QLED TV is the 75-inch model in Samsung's 2024 flagship 8K mini-LED LCD TV series, and it delivers a brilliantly bright, colorful, and detailed picture from most content.
Value-Priced Multi-Room Audio
MANY OF us use inexpensive smart speakers throughout our homes to play music and control everything from lights to microwaves and washing machines. Devices like the Amazon Echo are great at controlling smart devices along with other more capable smart speakers and amps, but they don't typically deliver a great listening experience on their own.
