Wiim Ultra V Marantz CR610

[Rjpd77]

Hi All,

I use my Marantz CR610 for streaming Spotify (from my phone) via a Soprano Synthesis tube amplifier and a pair of Piega classic 3.0. speakers


I also use the headphone jack on the marantz late at night. Would swapping out the marantz for the Wiim ultra be an upgrade with respect to spotify?

I was also considering the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition. It' s very expensive but I really need the headphone option .

Any advice would be hugely appreciated

Thanks
Richard

 

[Gray]

Would swapping out the marantz for the Wiim ultra be an upgrade with respect to spotify?

Only you could really answer that Richard.
The DACs are likely to be different in the two, so you'd get the usual subtle differences there.
For what it's worth, I've got the same DAC chip that the Ultra uses, in a Cyrus amp and a standalone DAC and, to me, it sounds better than other DACs I've heard....(of course the chip itself is not the whole DAC sound story though).

You're right, that Naim is expensive - for serious headphone listening I'd consider putting your Marantz or the Ultra through something like the excellent Topping A90D - but then, you may prefer an all-in-one 🤔....

 

[Jasonovich]

I see you like your tubes Why not consider a tube headphone amp for your late listening. I have had the XDUOO T-66 for a week now and I am truly impressed by the sound quality. A little partisan I know, but highly recommended and a real bargain.
In terms of aesthics, the WiiM Ulra hits the spot and I suspect the sound quality will possibly be above the Marantz all in one. I was considering the WiiM Ultra but opted for the Matrix Mini i-4 Streamer-DAC because it's ability to play DSD files.

I don't like operating everything on my mobile, i.e. to access my music files, I prefer local storage or NAS ethernet network, which is why I settled for an additional Digital Transport. I think this works well for me. For most people, the Ultra is all you need to play your USB FLAC files.

Also consider if it's within your budget, the excellent Eversolo DMP-A6, on AliExpress they're selling approx. £650+

 

[manicm]

Hi All,

I use my Marantz CR610 for streaming Spotify (from my phone) via a Soprano Synthesis tube amplifier and a pair of Piega classic 3.0. speakers


I also use the headphone jack on the marantz late at night. Would swapping out the marantz for the Wiim ultra be an upgrade with respect to spotify?

I was also considering the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition. It' s very expensive but I really need the headphone option .

Any advice would be hugely appreciated

Thanks
Richard

If you generally like the sound of your Marantz, then just get the Wiim Pro.

if you're looking to replace your system I would consider 2 routes:

1. The Denon Ceol N12 - and all-in-one including HDMI.
2. The Wiim Ultra and an integrated amplifier with a decent DAC.

BUT, since headphone duty is one priority for you, I would seriously look the Bluesound Node Icon, out later in Oct, with powered speakers or a power amp.

 

[Sam Sly]

The Naim Atom is around 7 years old now and could be replaced by a newer platform sometime soon, leaving the Atom obsolete.

This happened to me when I bought the Naim Unitiqute 2, shortly before the release of the Atom. I learnt my lesson and will never buy a streamer which has been on the market for too long.

I also suggest buying the new Node Icon instead.

 

[jjbomber]

Hi All,

I use my Marantz CR610 for streaming Spotify (from my phone) via a Soprano Synthesis tube amplifier and a pair of Piega classic 3.0. speakers


I also use the headphone jack on the marantz late at night. Would swapping out the marantz for the Wiim ultra be an upgrade with respect to spotify?

I was also considering the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition. It' s very expensive but I really need the headphone option .

Thanks
Richard

Can't you just plug the headphones into the phone? You could even use a McIntosh MHA50 portable headphone amplifier at £995 if you want to spoil yourself. At the other end of the scale, a EarFun UA100 at £70 will be good enough for Spotify.

 

[manicm]

The Naim Atom is around 7 years old now and could be replaced by a newer platform sometime soon, leaving the Atom obsolete.

This happened to me when I bought the Naim Unitiqute 2, shortly before the release of the Atom. I learnt my lesson and will never buy a streamer which has been on the market for too long.

I also suggest buying the new Node Icon instead.

The Naim Atom still supports most streaming services including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz and Amazon Music, and has an HDMI port. So albeit 7 years old it can hardly be called obsolete.

If you knew the UnitiQute 2 was about to be replaced, why did you purchase it?

 

[Sam Sly]

The UnitiQute was released around 2010 and was replaced by the Atom around 8 years later.

Since the Atom is already 7 years old, it may well be replaced by a new platform soon as well, just like the UnitiQute 2 was.

You are correct, the Atom supports all the streaming services and Roon etc. and is not obsolete at the moment.

When I purchased my UnitiQute2, I thought it supported everything I needed at the time. But as new streaming services such as Tidal Connect, Amazon Music and Roon became available, it made the UnitiQute 2 obsolete.

This could also quite easily happen to the Atom as new products and streaming services become available.

When I purchased my UnitiQute 2 I did not know they were 3 weeks away from announcing the release of the Atom. If I did, I would have waited and purchased the Atom instead. I asked the retailer and the importer in my country before buying the UnitiQute 2 and I did not receive any indication Naim was about to announce the Atom. There was no discount either.

Buying an audio streamer is not like buying a CD player, amplifier or turntable. Even if a new model comes out it will not make much difference.

I certainly would never buy another streamer which has already been around for 7 years, especially a fairly expensive product such as a the Naim Atom Headphone Edition.