Need guidance on next upgrade – WiiM Amp Ultra vs Speaker upgrade (Budget 78K)

[ajuvignesh]

I am not against DIRAC. It does its job fairly well. Only thing that I thought was for OP to invest as much funds as possible for speakers without diverting funds for DIRAC from funds he/she can gather for speakers.
One can opt for DIRAC at later stage. It is more important to ensure that speakers have good components in crossover and speakers with quality crossover components come at a cost. The role of crossover is very important to ensure smooth sounding, better integrated and easy to listen speakers.... One which enables you to have emotional connection with songs.
This is what I have learnt in 2 years of my journey in hifi. Most of the components in my system are pre-owned as pre-owned stuff are available at considerable lower rate but at the same time you ensure that you are getting quality stuff.

He is buying the amp now. With dirac live he can still improve the sound. Also, when he upgrades the speakers, you don’t need to py again for dirac live.

 

[morerajendra5678]

He is buying the amp now. With dirac live he can still improve the sound. Also, when he upgrades the speakers, you don’t need to py again for dirac live.

If OP is willing to buy DIRAC now or later, I have never said that DIRAC will degrade sound and/or system synergy will be problem with DIRAC. OP can also buy DIRAC and get it applied in his system and also return it back during its trial for a full refund if he feels that the changes are not worth spending the amount.

 

[Dhiraj]

Your current budget will be fully absorbed by the Marantz M1, which means there won’t be much left to allocate toward new speakers right now. That said, if you do decide to go for the M1, it pairs beautifully with Bowers & Wilkins speakers—particularly the newer 600 and 700 series. I once heard the M1 driving a B&W 705 S3 Signature, and the synergy was so captivating that I was completely taken in. The tonality was seductive, refined, and immersive. On my own wish list now are the 705 S2/S3, provided I can find them at a sensible price.

One thing to keep in mind: as you move up the amplifier spectrum, you begin to uncover subtleties and nuances in your music that lower-tier amps simply don’t reveal. For context, my daily driver from 2021 until earlier this year was the Cambridge Audio CXA81. It’s a solid performer—capable of driving most loudspeakers with ease and delivering a sound that’s consistently good, though not always spectacular. It’s versatile, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of more refined amps.

Along the way, I experimented with tube amplifiers like the Willsenton R8 and R800i. They sounded gorgeous, but they weren’t practical for daily use, especially with the kind of listening I do. Ultimately, convenience won out, and I upgraded from the CXA81 to the Kinki Studio EX-M1+. That transition was eye-opening. The CXA81 has a muscular, engaging presentation, but the Kinki Studio elevated the experience with far greater refinement: improved layer separation, holographic soundstage, vivid imaging, and a sense of detail that remained compelling even at low volumes. That last quality is rare—many amps lose their magic when played quietly, but the Kinki, Willsenton R800i, and Marantz M1 all manage to stay engaging across the volume range.

Of course, no upgrade is without trade-offs. The Kinki sacrificed a bit of the CXA81’s muscular midrange punch, which I sometimes miss. But overall, it unlocked a higher level of performance from my speakers than I had ever experienced before. That’s the kind of leap you can expect when moving from the PM5005 to the M1.

For comparison, I also used the Marantz PM6006 in my living room setup, and upgrading to the M1 felt very similar to the jump from the CXA81 to the Kinki Studio. In both cases, the upgrade revealed a new level of refinement and control that transformed the listening experience.

P.S. The M1 and CXA81 sit at a comparable level of performance, but each has its own strengths. The CXA81 delivers a larger, more muscular midrange and midbass, while the M1 digs deeper into the bass octaves while also offering noticeably superior grip, offers more neutral mids, and adds sparkle and refinement to the treble. These qualities also make the M1 particularly engaging at low listening levels—a trait that sets it apart.

Wow… what a beautifully articulated post. I could literally feel the passion, experience, and generosity behind every line you wrote. It’s rare to come across someone who not only shares their knowledge so openly, but also takes the time and effort to guide a complete stranger toward the right decision. I genuinely appreciate that.

To be honest, as you may have noticed from my older posts, I’ve lived with my current entry level setup for more than 8 years. Only now have I finally received the green signal to upgrade—and even this budget for the M1 is something I’m gifting myself for my birthday, the same way I gifted myself the Taga TSW210 two years ago and the Aune X1S Pro four years ago. So I don’t have the privilege of frequent upgrades; whatever I buy has to stay with me for the next 7–10 years.

That’s also why your detailed explanation means so much. It helps me make a confident decision within the limits I have. And who knows—maybe three years down the line, I’ll be able to gift myself a proper high-end speaker too. Whether that turns out to be a B&W (if I can stretch that far!) or something more realistic like the Lintons (Suggested by Rajendra) or any other speaker that synergizes beautifully with the M1 within my budget, your guidance is shaping how I think about that future upgrade.

Thank you once again @DB1989 for sharing your journey

 

[DB1989]

Wow… what a beautifully articulated post.

We can all thank AI for this. My original post was a bit too long, pedantic and convoluted. I don’t ming being moderated by my AI overlords once in a while though it does water down one’s unique flavour, not unlike room correction to some extent

Thank you once again @DB1989 for sharing your journey

Sometimes the journey is more rewarding than the destination.

 

[square_wave]

Your current budget will be fully absorbed by the Marantz M1, which means there won’t be much left to allocate toward new speakers right now. That said, if you do decide to go for the M1, it pairs beautifully with Bowers & Wilkins speakers—particularly the newer 600 and 700 series. I once heard the M1 driving a B&W 705 S3 Signature, and the synergy was so captivating that I was completely taken in. The tonality was seductive, refined, and immersive. On my own wish list now are the 705 S2/S3, provided I can find them at a sensible price.

One thing to keep in mind: as you move up the amplifier spectrum, you begin to uncover subtleties and nuances in your music that lower-tier amps simply don’t reveal. For context, my daily driver from 2021 until earlier this year was the Cambridge Audio CXA81. It’s a solid performer—capable of driving most loudspeakers with ease and delivering a sound that’s consistently good, though not always spectacular. It’s versatile, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of more refined amps.

Along the way, I experimented with tube amplifiers like the Willsenton R8 and R800i. They sounded gorgeous, but they weren’t practical for daily use, especially with the kind of listening I do. Ultimately, convenience won out, and I upgraded from the CXA81 to the Kinki Studio EX-M1+. That transition was eye-opening. The CXA81 has a muscular, engaging presentation, but the Kinki Studio elevated the experience with far greater refinement: improved layer separation, holographic soundstage, vivid imaging, and a sense of detail that remained compelling even at low volumes. That last quality is rare—many amps lose their magic when played quietly, but the Kinki, Willsenton R800i, and Marantz M1 all manage to stay engaging across the volume range.

Of course, no upgrade is without trade-offs. The Kinki sacrificed a bit of the CXA81’s muscular midrange punch, which I sometimes miss. But overall, it unlocked a higher level of performance from my speakers than I had ever experienced before. That’s the kind of leap you can expect when moving from the PM5005 to the M1.

For comparison, I also used the Marantz PM6006 in my living room setup, and upgrading to the M1 felt very similar to the jump from the CXA81 to the Kinki Studio. In both cases, the upgrade revealed a new level of refinement and control that transformed the listening experience.

P.S. The M1 and CXA81 sit at a comparable level of performance, but each has its own strengths. The CXA81 delivers a larger, more muscular midrange and midbass, while the M1 digs deeper into the bass octaves while also offering noticeably superior grip, offers more neutral mids, and adds sparkle and refinement to the treble. These qualities also make the M1 particularly engaging at low listening levels—a trait that sets it apart.

Kinki Studio is a high current neutral, wide-band, low-distortion design with a slightly higher damping factor. Cambridge gear traditionally has a slightly forward, energetic midrange. Kinki studio may be more true to the source. There is a fairly widespread perception / claim among reviewers and in online audiophile discussions that Goldmund Telos 690 — or at least “the Swiss aesthetic / topology” — had a strong influence on Kinki Studio EX-M1+. They are known for staying true to source.

 

[therightwrong]

Thanks for the insight.