Which WiiM Network Streamer Should I Buy? WiiM Ultra, Mini, Pro or Amp?

Few products generate as much interest among our readers as network streamers. Whether you’re a lifelong audio hobbyist or a budding audiophile setting out to build your first HiFi system, the appeal of a device that can instantly play virtually any song by any artist over a nice pair of speakers or headphones is hard to resist. Network streamers vary in price from under $100 to over $35,000: if you’re in the market for a network streamer, there is no shortage of choices.

Any good streamer will give you access to your favorite digital music sources and streaming services such as TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify, TuneIn, Internet Radio and Amazon Music. Most can also provide direct access to local digital music files, ripped from your CD collection or downloaded from a service like HD Tracks whether you store these on a USB thumb drive or on a network-attached storage drive. In most cases, you will need to install a DLNA or uPnP media server or add a service like Roon to a PC in your local network to access your local digital audio files.

One thing that can make or break a network streamer is the mobile app. While virtually all network streamers allow you to connect a phone via Bluetooth and play your music back over speakers, a good mobile app allows you to access music from multiple streaming services, internet radio stations, or even a local digital music collection from a single app, using a wired or WiFi connection from the network streaming box to the internet. This allows you to skip the unwanted interruptions and compression artifacts of a Bluetooth connection.