I always felt streaming from a laptop wasn't the best option so I picked up a Wiim Ultra from a fellow member (thanks rajudhs) which I am using as a dedicated streamer to a Topping DX9.
The setup is now is USB out from the Wiim Ultra to an SMSL PO 100 PRO and I2S out to the Topping. I am paranoid about induced noise in the cables so everything runs through a dedicated servo and a good quality spike strip. I also have a couple of ferrite rings on the cables for good measure and I find each one of these tweaks reduces the noise floor a little and makes the music more enjoyable.
The Wiim Ultra as a streamer is just brilliant to use and it's down to the Wiim Home App which is one of the easiest to navigate through and has tons of options to tweak and change the sound profile. I still haven't felt the need to play around with the EQ options, 10 band equalizer or the parametric EQ that can be individually configured for left and right channels, but I did try and play around with the streaming resolution between 44.1 to 192 khz but found that though the 192 setting had a lot more percieved detail it sounded artificial so left streaming at native resolution (44.1 with Spotify) but 32 bit.
Now coming to the main point, how does it sound compared to the laptop and for now it's only Spotify premium. No comparison in my opinion, the noise floor is lower so I hear more detail, the sound is fuller/richer with more body and I have more snap/impact from the leading edges of individual instruments. Imaging as before is rock solid, while image height and width have gone up substantially, depth is about the same which leads me to think I might have to try and tweak my speaker position to get the best out of the system. The output voltage from the Wiim (fixed out) must be higher than the laptop because at the same volume the sound is noticibly louder. The Ultra allows me connect a SSD with all my lossless hi resolution music, but I need a good quality USB hub which will then allow me to compare the sound quality vs Spotify.
When the daughter says 'wow' you know you've hit a home run.
The setup is now is USB out from the Wiim Ultra to an SMSL PO 100 PRO and I2S out to the Topping. I am paranoid about induced noise in the cables so everything runs through a dedicated servo and a good quality spike strip. I also have a couple of ferrite rings on the cables for good measure and I find each one of these tweaks reduces the noise floor a little and makes the music more enjoyable.
The Wiim Ultra as a streamer is just brilliant to use and it's down to the Wiim Home App which is one of the easiest to navigate through and has tons of options to tweak and change the sound profile. I still haven't felt the need to play around with the EQ options, 10 band equalizer or the parametric EQ that can be individually configured for left and right channels, but I did try and play around with the streaming resolution between 44.1 to 192 khz but found that though the 192 setting had a lot more percieved detail it sounded artificial so left streaming at native resolution (44.1 with Spotify) but 32 bit.
Now coming to the main point, how does it sound compared to the laptop and for now it's only Spotify premium. No comparison in my opinion, the noise floor is lower so I hear more detail, the sound is fuller/richer with more body and I have more snap/impact from the leading edges of individual instruments. Imaging as before is rock solid, while image height and width have gone up substantially, depth is about the same which leads me to think I might have to try and tweak my speaker position to get the best out of the system. The output voltage from the Wiim (fixed out) must be higher than the laptop because at the same volume the sound is noticibly louder. The Ultra allows me connect a SSD with all my lossless hi resolution music, but I need a good quality USB hub which will then allow me to compare the sound quality vs Spotify.
When the daughter says 'wow' you know you've hit a home run.
