WiiM Amp Review: The Modern Standard for Streaming Audio

• The Ecosystem King: Unmatched support for AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect.

• HDMI ARC: Seamless TV integration makes it a viable soundbar killer.

• Form Factor: Fits on any desk or shelf; builds runs warm but stable.

• Value: Punching well above its weight class in feature set vs. price.

• Dealbreaker: Analog inputs are sparse; vinyl lovers will need a preamp.

Pulling the WiiM Amp out of the box, the first thing you notice is the density. It feels remarkably solid—a cold, anodized aluminum shell that mimics the aesthetic of premium computing gear rather than traditional hi-fi equipment. It disappears on a media console, which is exactly what 2026 aesthetics demand.

The front panel is minimalism personified: a single volume knob that doubles as a play/pause button and a few discrete LEDs. No massive screens, no dancing meters. This design choice screams "set it and forget it." You aren't meant to fiddle with the unit; you're meant to control it from your phone.

This is where the WiiM Amp leaves traditional amplifiers in the dust. In the current market, connectivity is the primary metric for usability. I hooked this up to my living room Sony OLED via HDMI ARC, and the CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) worked instantly. Turn on the TV, the amp wakes up. Adjust TV volume, the amp responds. It sounds simple, but previous generations of streaming amps often fumbled this handshake.

Streaming support is exhaustive. During my testing, I flung audio at it via AirPlay 2 from my iPhone 17 and Chromecast from a Pixel. The latency is non-existent. Multi-room grouping is equally robust. I synced audio between the WiiM Amp in the living room and a set of active speakers in the kitchen without a single dropout. It creates a mesh of sound that feels remarkably cohesive.

I tested the WiiM Amp primarily with a pair of ELAC Debut 3.0 bookshelf speakers (a 2026 staple). The Class D amplification here is clean and surprisingly authoritative.

Bass Response: On tracks like Daft Punk’s Solar Sailer, the low end remained tight and controlled. It doesn't have the bottomless reserve of power you'd find in a heavy Class A/B monolithic amp, but for small-to-medium rooms, it provides a satisfying thump without the bloat.

Midrange and Treble: Vocals sit forward in the mix. Listening to acoustic sets, the guitar plucks have a distinct snap. The high end is detailed but leans slightly dry—it lacks that syrupy warmth of vintage gear, but offers crystal clarity in exchange. For movies and TV shows, this clarity is a massive bonus; dialogue cuts through explosions and soundtracks with surgical precision.

Hardware is only half the battle. The WiiM Home app has matured beautifully over the last few years. The parametric EQ (PEQ) is the standout feature here. Unlike basic bass/treble knobs, the app lets you surgically cut improved room modes.

I used the room correction feature (now standard in the 2026 firmware update) to tame a nasty boom in my square office. The difference was night and day—muddy bass lines tightened up instantly. The interface is snappy, and integration with services like Qobuz and Amazon Music HD feels native rather than tacked on.

No product is perfect, and the WiiM Amp shows its weakness in the analog domain. It features a single set of RCA inputs. If you are a collector with a turntable, a cassette deck, and a CD player, you are out of luck without an external switcher.

Furthermore, the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) on the line-in is decent, but hardcore vinyl purists might feel the "digitization" of their signal strips away some of that analog magic. If your primary source is vinyl, this might be too digital-forward for your rack.

While the Sonos Amp offers more raw power for driving massive floor-standing speakers, the WiiM Amp destroys it on value and customizability. The parametric EQ alone makes the WiiM a superior choice for critical listeners working with difficult room acoustics.