Streaming to a Naim Amp

[shep1968]

Hi all. I currently have a Naim 5si amp and CD combo with Kudos X2 floorstanding speakers and am thoroughly happy with the sound. I've been streaming with an apple airport express without an external DAC but this has now died and i would like a replacement. I was streaming directly from my iphone with cd's ripped at apple lossless and more recently from Spotify. I'd rather not spend too much and have seen the Wiim mini which seems to fit the bill although is below what I'm prepared to spend. I'll still buy my favourite albums on CD but what else would you all recommend that is small, easy to use and realistically priced please? Top budget say around £300 max but happy to spend less. I'd rather not go for separate streamer and DAC unless the sound quality is going to be dramatically improved. I do have room for a CD sized option on my current rack but again would rather not unless i have to.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

You can't really go wrong with a wiim pro plus @ around £220.

 

[shep1968]

Thanks. Will the sound quality be so much better than if i buy the Wiim mini which is less than half the price?

 

[skinnypuppy71]

Thanks. Will the sound quality be so much better than if i buy the Wiim mini which is less than half the price?

I'm not sure, I always prefer a hard wired connection to the Internet and the mini is wifi only....the pro plus also has some handy features over the mini....( The last time I looked) parametric eq and decent graphic equaliser.....and you have a decent amplifier....at least treat it to something half decent 😁

 

[Jasonovich]

Hi all. I currently have a Naim 5si amp and CD combo with Kudos X2 floorstanding speakers and am thoroughly happy with the sound. I've been streaming with an apple airport express without an external DAC but this has now died and i would like a replacement. I was streaming directly from my iphone with cd's ripped at apple lossless and more recently from Spotify. I'd rather not spend too much and have seen the Wiim mini which seems to fit the bill although is below what I'm prepared to spend. I'll still buy my favourite albums on CD but what else would you all recommend that is small, easy to use and realistically priced please? Top budget say around £300 max but happy to spend less. I'd rather not go for separate streamer and DAC unless the sound quality is going to be dramatically improved. I do have room for a CD sized option on my current rack but again would rather not unless i have to.

If you can stretch your budget a fraction more, the WiiM Ultra streamer is all you need. No need to upgrade again, when you want more from WiiM's cheaper siblings.

I assume you're UK based, the cheapest I've seen online is from AV.com @ £329, check the link below:

WiiM Ultra Streamer, Space Grey - Nearly New at AV.com

WiiM Ultra Streamer, Space Grey - Nearly New at AV.com

www.av.com

View: https://youtu.be/CBdpeJsjS2k?si=AANEdiTbQRb9Blnh

 

[Dave_]

You can always rely on audiophiles to recommend a sledgehammer to crack a nut!

Hi all. I currently have a Naim 5si amp and CD combo with Kudos X2 floorstanding speakers and am thoroughly happy with the sound. I've been streaming with an apple airport express without an external DAC but this has now died and i would like a replacement. I was streaming directly from my iphone with cd's ripped at apple lossless and more recently from Spotify. I'd rather not spend too much and have seen the Wiim mini which seems to fit the bill although is below what I'm prepared to spend.

If you've happily been using an AEX and it's analogue out all this time I'm sure you'll find the Wiim Mini more than adequate.

 

[shep1968]

I’ve just watched the ultra review. I can plug the streamer into my router and have it wired. The advantage of the mini is that I can put it on the floor instead of using space on my rack and having to move the ornaments by wife has on the top shelf!!

I presume I could plug in a superior DAC like the mojo to the mini to improve the sound.

All I want is CD quality. All my own music is on cd’s and will continue to listen that way. The streaming will only my for Spotify.

My tv goes through a £10 DAC into the amp, presume with the ultra I could plug it into that and both streaming and the tv could be dealt with by the ultra. Presume I can’t do this with the mini.

 

[Gray]

My tv goes through a £10 DAC into the amp, presume with the ultra I could plug it into that and both streaming and the tv could be dealt with by the ultra. Presume I can’t do this with the mini.

The DAC output could go into the 3.5mm line input on the Mini.
Though unless you wanted to send TV sound multiroom, there's no advantage in putting it into the mini, rather than straight into your amp.

Using the Ultra's HDMI input means you'd be using its DAC for TV sound - so wouldn't need your separate £10 one.

 

[Revolutions]

CD quality isn’t possible on Spotify. Although it’s close enough that I’d doubt you’ll notice a big difference.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Hi all. I currently have a Naim 5si amp and CD combo with Kudos X2 floorstanding speakers and am thoroughly happy with the sound. I've been streaming with an apple airport express without an external DAC but this has now died and i would like a replacement. I was streaming directly from my iphone with cd's ripped at apple lossless and more recently from Spotify. I'd rather not spend too much and have seen the Wiim mini which seems to fit the bill although is below what I'm prepared to spend. I'll still buy my favourite albums on CD but what else would you all recommend that is small, easy to use and realistically priced please? Top budget say around £300 max but happy to spend less. I'd rather not go for separate streamer and DAC unless the sound quality is going to be dramatically improved. I do have room for a CD sized option on my current rack but again would rather not unless i have to.

The Mini will sound better than what you have, but the DAC is it's weakest link. You can set a eternal DAC for less than £100 not much larger than a cigarette box that will improve it. Or, you could go for one of the other Wiim streamers.

I have no experience of the bluesound nano, but it fits the budget, so is worth a look.

 

[shep1968]

So the ultra isnt airplay and i have a iphone. Presume this means that i cant stream music held on my iphone to it like i could with the AEX where i simply chose on the phone which output to use. To stream say spotify to the device ive got to use either the spotify app or the native Wiim app. Have a got that right? How would i stream my itunes music from my phone to the Ultra? I'll have to ask my wife if she is happy wit hanother box on the rack!! The most important thing tho is sound quality. As this will mainly be used for spotify at its below CD quality will the input music be of such a resolution that the ultra wont sound significantly better than the mini?

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

to be honest, your amp and speakers would benefit from a better streaming device.
I had a WiiM Ultra feeding my NAIT 50 and was happy with it, until I decided to home demo a Bluesound Node Icon.
Deary me, its a step change over the Ultra and also better by far than my EXN100 !
in saying that, the Ultra in Black Friday pricing is unbeatable pound for pound.

 

[The_Lecht_Rocks]

So the ultra isnt airplay and i have a iphone. Presume this means that i cant stream music held on my iphone to it like i could with the AEX where i simply chose on the phone which output to use. To stream say spotify to the device ive got to use either the spotify app or the native Wiim app. Have a got that right? How would i stream my itunes music from my phone to the Ultra? I'll have to ask my wife if she is happy wit hanother box on the rack!! The most important thing tho is sound quality. As this will mainly be used for spotify at its below CD quality will the input music be of such a resolution that the ultra wont sound significantly better than the mini?

Spotify will be poor in comparison to any hi-res feed. even Radio Paradise will wipe the floor with Spotify.
Spotify is not for audiophiles. You have audiophile equipment.