Professionals
- Glorious sound and audio customization choices for a speaker its dimension
- Nice streaming compatibility with a number of companies
- Enjoyable and useful touchscreen
- Helpful preset shortcuts
- Distant management with voice assistant
- Additional aux connection
- Particularly suitable with Spotify
- In-depth app controls
Cons
- As costly as a HomePod, too
- App settings take some time to grasp
- Voice assistants aren’t the very best at understanding music instructions
For years, sensible audio system have targeted on “360-degree” sound, designs made to fill an entire room with music. However the latest providing, Wiim Sound, has impressed me greater than practically any speaker I’ve examined. It is a tremendous machine for music-streaming followers, providing sound that competes with Apple’s expensive HomePod and gives extra audio customization than every other smart speaker available.
That is what you get when an audio model jumps into the smart home world with a standalone mannequin you possibly can put anyplace, not simply by the TV. Wiim (as in beam, not whim) is the product of Linkplay, an audio undertaking that partnered with manufacturers like Harman, Yamaha and Anker earlier than launching its personal model of audio tech.
The most recent result’s the Wiim Sound, and whereas it is on the costly aspect at $300, it is also completely spectacular, particularly for Spotify streamers and Alexa users. For those who’re in search of a higher-end sensible speaker with unbelievable potential, your search has ended.
Wiim Sound design: Like an upgraded HomePod with a touchscreen
Wiim’s sensible speaker, proper out of the field.
You will be forgiven for pondering the Wiim Sound seems like a HomePod at first look. The dimensions and cylinder form are fairly comparable, and even the touchscreen controls on the prime of the speaker are paying homage to Apple’s large, powerful model.
Nevertheless, Wiim’s speaker — which is barely extra squarish than the HomePod — has key variations, they usually’re virtually all enhancements. Within the entrance is a round touchscreen you possibly can set to varied clock shapes and hues, then swipe to select from preset streaming stations or EQ settings. Play music, and the album paintings will show as an alternative.
The speaker additionally features a distant management, full with a push-to-talk connection to voice assistants. And it has ports that different sensible audio system do not, together with an aux audio cable, providing you with extra setup potentialities.
Wiim calibrates its speaker on your widespread positions within the room.
Contained in the speaker are independently tuned silk-dome twin tweeters and a 4-inch paper-cone woofer. I will get extra into their efficiency under, however the outcomes are very prime quality in comparison with the standard audio of standalone audio system, even the HomePod.
Setup is easy as soon as you have downloaded the app. Wiim walks you thru primary steps and guides you thru the RoomFit calibration course of, which helps the speaker optimize itself for the place you normally are within the room. With selections between the onboard touchscreen, the app and the distant management, you possibly can select your most popular management possibility — or faucet right into a voice assistant. That brings me to all of the smarts on this speaker.
App controls, sensible assist and streaming — a lot streaming
Wiim’s spherical little touchscreen provides a surprisingly giant variety of management choices.Â
The Wiim Sound is constructed for streaming out of your favourite platform, together with Tidal, Qobuz, Roon, Soundtrack and lots of others. Nevertheless it has probably the most native support for Spotify and its Lossless audio. As a Spotify consumer (its menus and stations work finest for me), this was a welcome possibility, however you possibly can nonetheless get Hello-Res audio from different sources in case you like another.
Wiim helps streaming platforms galore.
App settings provide extra choices than you sometimes see on a sensible speaker. That features not simply alarms and standby modes, however Dynamic Bass, EQ settings, and presets. These presets are one in all my favourite additions, a option to set a music or station from a streaming service to instantly play. You’ll be able to entry your presets on both the app or the Sound’s touchscreen, saving numerous time. Wiim walks you thru learn how to set presets with Spotify, however the identical guidelines apply to most streaming stations.
Presets allow you to immediately play particular songs, playlists or stations, a really useful shortcut.
In any other case, it is normally sooner to open up your streaming app and ensure your music is casting to the Wiim Sound after it is related. Wiim does assist sensible residence voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home, with a slight desire for Alexa. Nevertheless, that is one case the place I do not actually advocate utilizing a voice assistant, even with the useful distant mic possibility. Alexa and its ilk do not do effectively recognizing particular band names and songs, particularly in case you’re additionally telling them to play from Spotify to a selected residence speaker. As an alternative of making an attempt these jumbled instructions, I normally desire heading into an app.
However, if you do not have a voice assistant but, you would use it for different functions, like controlling sensible residence units, setting reminders and other various household tasks, so it is nonetheless deal for these and not using a present sensible speaker.
What about audio? It is Wiim’s robust go well with (particularly in case you use Spotify)
Wiim provides extra audio customise than different sensible audio system.
The Wiim Sound helps as much as 24-bit/192kHz audio with 100-watt peak output and a 50Hz–20kHz response vary. You are unlikely to hit max audio optimization whereas streaming over Wi-Fi, however the outcomes are nonetheless noticeable in comparison with different sensible audio system.
In my testing, I received barely higher efficiency on the HomePod — the chief in sensible speaker audio high quality — when enjoying straight from Apple Music. Nevertheless, in all the things else, I used to be extra impressed with the vary and high quality of Wiim’s speaker enjoying Lossless Spotify audio.
Dive into the speaker settings and you will find loads to play with, though Wiim’s app takes a little bit persistence.
The Sound additionally provides much more detailed audio customization and preset choices, which actually pushed it to the highest for me. There’s nothing like spending time tweaking particular person audio settings or dipping into your EQ to boost a selected favourite music. Treble and bass outcomes had been each very robust for a speaker of its dimension.Â
Ultimate ideas on the Wiim Sound
Wiim is an entire bundle in case you’re not an Apple Music consumer.
The $300 Wiim Sound does a superb job of mixing sensible residence options with its audio experience, leading to probably the greatest sensible audio system I’ve ever examined. Positive, its audio high quality would not fairly attain the highest-end outcomes of a Sonos speaker setup, however nothing actually can.
For many who need a standalone, app-controlled speaker with a voice assistant and high-quality, extremely customizable audio, Wiim provides a extra moderately priced alternative. Its speaker additionally performs effectively with quite a lot of streaming companies like Spotify and alternate options individuals might desire, like Qobuz or Tidal.
You may nonetheless need to pay HomePod-level costs to nab this sensible speaker, which can be a troublesome ask in case you already personal a dependable speaker. However non-Apple customers in search of a real audio improve will not be disillusioned.Â
