Wiim mini + entry level dac

[greendream]

Hello everyone,
Am using a wiim mini connected to a very old Harman kardon AVR for stereo.The source is spotify/Amazon music.The speakers are Kef Iq3 bookshelves. 6.5 inch uni q drivers.
The HK Avr digital connection is faulty. So I use analog stereo.
I plan to buy smsu1 or other entry level dac, to use the optical connection which is believed to be superior.
Will there be great improvement in quality compared to wiim mini aux out to avr inputs.
Which entry level dac is suggested for a warm sound signature.
The combination of Hk avr and kef iq speakers give me great delight. Hope the dac if necessary can enhance that experience.
Thank you.

 

[Ajitsank]

Hello everyone,
Am using a wiim mini connected to a very old Harman kardon AVR for stereo.The source is spotify/Amazon music.The speakers are Kef Iq3 bookshelves. 6.5 inch uni q drivers.
The HK Avr digital connection is faulty. So I use analog stereo.
I plan to buy smsu1 or other entry level dac, to use the optical connection which is believed to be superior.
Will there be great improvement in quality compared to wiim mini aux out to avr inputs.
Which entry level dac is suggested for a warm sound signature.
The combination of Hk avr and kef iq speakers give me great delight. Hope the dac if necessary can enhance that experience.
Thank you.

I have no idea on which DAC is good with WiiM mini, but I can sure tell you which is not good. I use SMSL SU6 in combination with WiiM mini. It is terrible. Too Much bass and muddled.

 

[greendream]

I have no idea on which DAC is good with WiiM mini, but I can sure tell you which is not good. I use SMSL SU6 in combination with WiiM mini. It is terrible. Too Much bass and muddled.

Thank you for your observation.
On cheapaudioman YouTube channel it was opined that smsl su 1 and schiit modi 3+ sound similar. That got me thinking of smsl su1.
Any idea about schiit modi 3 or its later iterations, as to the combination with wiim mini?

 

[dvraghavan]

Thank you for your observation.
On cheapaudioman YouTube channel it was opined that smsl su 1 and schiit modi 3+ sound similar. That got me thinking of smsl su1.
Any idea about schiit modi 3 or its later iterations, as to the combination with wiim mini?

I use a Modi 3 DAC feeding to Yamaha AVR's analog input. The source is IFI Zen Stream. The audio is quite good for Flacs and OK for SPotify

 

[Ajitsank]

Thank you for your observation.
On cheapaudioman YouTube channel it was opined that smsl su 1 and schiit modi 3+ sound similar. That got me thinking of smsl su1.
Any idea about schiit modi 3 or its later iterations, as to the combination with wiim mini?

Be careful with WiiM Mini. I have not tried any other DAC. Do lend/borrow before you invest in a DAC for WiiM mini. Optical out is not he best option to feed a DAC. I have been told so by people in the know.

 

[PTP]

Thank you for your observation.
On cheapaudioman YouTube channel it was opined that smsl su 1 and schiit modi 3+ sound similar. That got me thinking of smsl su1.
Any idea about schiit modi 3 or its later iterations, as to the combination with wiim mini?

I have used both Smsl SU-1 and Modi 3+.

Smsl SU-1 had a flat sound signature with good extension in highs. But sound stage was narrow, sound was more analytical and less musical than Modi 3+.

Modi 3+ had a little more emphasis on mids and a wider sound stage than SMSL SU-1. Highs are not as extended as SU-1 and also less fatiguing than SU-1.

I preferred the SQ of Modi 3+ over SU-1. Both the above dacs will need a good external power supply to get the best out of them.

 

[dvraghavan]

I have used both Smsl SU-1 and Modi 3+.

Smsl SU-1 had a flat sound signature with good extension in highs. But sound stage was narrow, sound was more analytical and less musical than Modi 3+.

Modi 3+ had a little more emphasis on mids and a wider sound stage than SMSL SU-1. Highs are not as extended as SU-1 and also less fatiguing than SU-1.

I preferred the SQ of Modi 3+ over SU-1. Both the above dacs will need a good external power supply to get the best out of them.

Can you suggest a good Power supply for Schitt Modi 3 DAC?

 

[PTP]

Can you suggest a good Power supply for Schitt Modi 3 DAC?

Any 5V low noise SMPS or LPS can be used. I have listed a few here
1. Allo Nirvana SMPS
2. Allo Shanti LPS
3. Topping - P50 LPS
4. ifi iPower2 SMPS
5. ifi iPowerX SMPS

 

[corElement]

Hello everyone,
Am using a wiim mini connected to a very old Harman kardon AVR for stereo.The source is spotify/Amazon music.The speakers are Kef Iq3 bookshelves. 6.5 inch uni q drivers.
The HK Avr digital connection is faulty. So I use analog stereo.
I plan to buy smsu1 or other entry level dac, to use the optical connection which is believed to be superior.
Will there be great improvement in quality compared to wiim mini aux out to avr inputs.
Which entry level dac is suggested for a warm sound signature.
The combination of Hk avr and kef iq speakers give me great delight. Hope the dac if necessary can enhance that experience.
Thank you.

The wiim mini is the best value for money streamer transport hands down no questions asked. I have 2. A good dac will definitely improve sound, get a dac from a comparable price point as the rest of your gear

 

[magma]

Optical
Is not ideal over a longer period of time

Coaxial would be better if possible

A decent outboard dac with the Wiim mini
Should be better than using the harmons digital conversion facility

I would suggest an AKM CHIP based dac
If possible
Smsl should have options if you look

Your spekers are decent

So having a decent dac
Using the Amplification of the Harmon and the said speakers
Should sound pretty good

 

[rwnano]

The wiim mini is the best value for money streamer transport hands down no questions asked. I have 2. A good dac will definitely improve sound, get a dac from a comparable price point as the rest of your gear

What about raspberry Pi s and old laptops running Ubuntu Spotify?

 

[PTP]

What about raspberry Pi s and old laptops running Ubuntu Spotify?

You have to add an audio HAT with Rpi and laptops are noisy. The quality of power supply determines the audio quality in both Rpi and laptop.

 

[corElement]

What about raspberry Pi s and old laptops running Ubuntu Spotify?

sources have high scope of switching noise and need lossless playback for optimal performance.

 

[MaSh]

Hello everyone,
Am using a wiim mini connected to a very old Harman kardon AVR for stereo.The source is spotify/Amazon music.The speakers are Kef Iq3 bookshelves. 6.5 inch uni q drivers.
The HK Avr digital connection is faulty. So I use analog stereo.
I plan to buy smsu1 or other entry level dac, to use the optical connection which is believed to be superior.
Will there be great improvement in quality compared to wiim mini aux out to avr inputs.
Which entry level dac is suggested for a warm sound signature.
The combination of Hk avr and kef iq speakers give me great delight. Hope the dac if necessary can enhance that experience.
Thank you.

If you are looking for a simple dac, you can check out https://www.headphonezone.in/products/s-m-s-l-ps100

I was looking for a simple and easy to use setup at my in-laws that could combine the wiim mini and the TV. I found this dac to be the only dac to have optical , coaxial and HDMI input (ARC) inputs. Fitted in perfectly for my use case. The dac feeds a pair of active speakers. The sound is surprisingly very good considering its price point. The highs are not harsh but well extended. Mids are good. Bass is fine, however since the speaker system is 2.1, the bass output is quite satisfactory.

In short I had zero expectations from this dac, sound quality wise, but was pleasantly surprised.

MaSh

 

[spirovious]

The highs are not harsh but well extended. Mids are good. Bass is fine, however

Can you express in details?
Soundstage and other things? Compared to a cdp or other Dacs?

 

[MaSh]

Can you express in details?
Soundstage and other things? Compared to a cdp or other Dacs?

It's a 3k dac. I didn't focus on those parameters. Aim was to get the two sources together and for it to sound non offensive. It did that brilliantly.

MaSh

 

[Prateek-Epitome]

Hello everyone,
Am using a wiim mini connected to a very old Harman kardon AVR for stereo.The source is spotify/Amazon music.The speakers are Kef Iq3 bookshelves. 6.5 inch uni q drivers.
The HK Avr digital connection is faulty. So I use analog stereo.
I plan to buy smsu1 or other entry level dac, to use the optical connection which is believed to be superior.
Will there be great improvement in quality compared to wiim mini aux out to avr inputs.
Which entry level dac is suggested for a warm sound signature.
The combination of Hk avr and kef iq speakers give me great delight. Hope the dac if necessary can enhance that experience.
Thank you.

yes I think the optical connection would be better because old AVRs usually have a poor aux input.