Amazon music inside wiim home app

[kevinek]

OK
Amazon music is a mess. I started music today. Song was ending and I returned to wiim home app to search next music but it displayed time 0:04 of that song and play button was waving and not responding at all.
Other issue are favorites: still only part of lists loading. searching inside favorites not working and searching entire amazon.
This makes amazon music useless even if it has great sound quality.

 

[Mr Ee]

Wondering why you'd use Amazon within the Wiim app? Why not just cast to Wiim from the Amazon app?
General impression I get from various forums is that the Amazon APIs are "adequate", maiking it hard for 3rd party apps like Wiim home to integrate well.
Maybe the Wiim team would like to comment ( and maybe not )

However, one issue I find with casting from within the Amazon app is that the Favourite icon disppears from the screen.
I find this so annoying (because I can't tell if I've already added it, and it takes a few screen presses to add again) that I've pretty much stopped using Amazon music.

Now, wouldn't it be nice if the Wiim app showed this, and allowed adding of favourites, for track, album and artist, for tbe various streaming platforms...

 

[kevinek]

Unfortunately amazon casting is not working in Poland.

 

[BillHATX]

OK
Amazon music is a mess. I started music today. Song was ending and I returned to wiim home app to search next music but it displayed time 0:04 of that song and play button was waving and not responding at all.
Other issue are favorites: still only part of lists loading. searching inside favorites not working and searching entire amazon.
This makes amazon music useless even if it has great sound quality.

Use the Amazon app. Press the icon at the top right and it will list all of your playable devices, including WiiM Mini.

 

[ElMuchacho2CH]

Amazon via the Wiim app can use some improvements. However, the native Amazon music app on my iPhone works well with the Wiim Mini when casting. Additionally, I love how the Wiim supports Amazon Echo integration as I also like to use the Wiim mini via voice commands on the fly.
* Casting via connect (Not bluetooth/airplay)

 

[K-L]

Wondering why you'd use Amazon within the Wiim app? Why not just cast to Wiim from the Amazon app?
General impression I get from various forums is that the Amazon APIs are "adequate", maiking it hard for 3rd party apps like Wiim home to integrate well.
Maybe the Wiim team would like to comment ( and maybe not )

However, one issue I find with casting from within the Amazon app is that the Favourite icon disppears from the screen.
I find this so annoying (because I can't tell if I've already added it, and it takes a few screen presses to add again) that I've pretty much stopped using Amazon music.

Now, wouldn't it be nice if the Wiim app showed this, and allowed adding of favourites, for track, album and artist, for tbe various streaming platforms...

IMHO casting music from the AMHD app via Airplay 2 to the Wiim did not seem, to my ears, to be quite the level of quality in a number of domains as compared to accessing AMHD with the Wiim app. Could be me admittedly.

 

[Mr Ee]

IMHO casting music from the AMHD app via Airplay 2 to the Wiim did not seem, to my ears, to be quite the level of quality in a number of domains as compared to accessing AMHD with the Wiim app. Could be me admittedly.

In my case I cast from an Android tablet (maybe irrelevant?), and it's Alexa Cast that's being used, not Airplay2.
Certainly seems to be a common impression that airplay is not ideal from a quulity perspective, but I've never used it.
I can feel for the unlucky people for whom casting directly from Amazon doesn't work!

 

[K-L]

In my case I cast from an Android tablet (maybe irrelevant?), and it's Alexa Cast that's being used, not Airplay2.
Certainly seems to be a common impression that airplay is not ideal from a quulity perspective, but I've never used it.
I can feel for the unlucky people for whom casting directly from Amazon doesn't work!

I know with iPhone casting AMHD via Airplay 2 is a given. Does Android/Alexa Cast allow hi-res casting?

 

[musicman]

The latest release of the Wiim app seems improved with Amazon music in my experience. The Wiim app is also the only good way I have to get music off my NAS to play.

I can see the quality and bitrate info on the Wiim Amazon app as well and its always very good but I can not tell this information when I start a casting session and to my ears, the quality is not the same but it may just be that I can not tell. I'd love to hear from @WiiM Support on this - does casting (no info on bitrate) equal the same quality as directly from the app?

Also a plug for a lot more dev work on the desktop apps for windows and macs please. The current beta one has a long ways to go.

 

[Mr Ee]

I know with iPhone casting AMHD via Airplay 2 is a given. Does Android/Alexa Cast allow hi-res casting?

Yes, android device is just the controller in this case, bit perfect output from wiim.
Only device I know of that does this. Casting from Amazon to Heos, for example, is limited, similar to airplay. Using Amazon from within Heos app is bit perfect, but not a great user experience!
However, can I tel the difference between my Heos-cast music and my Wiim-cast music.. i don't know that I can really...

 

[Mr Ee]

The latest release of the Wiim app seems improved with Amazon music in my experience. The Wiim app is also the only good way I have to get music off my NAS to play.

I can see the quality and bitrate info on the Wiim Amazon app as well and its always very good but I can not tell this information when I start a casting session and to my ears, the quality is not the same but it may just be that I can not tell. I'd love to hear from @WiiM Support on this - does casting (no info on bitrate) equal the same quality as directly from the app?

Also a plug for a lot more dev work on the desktop apps for windows and macs please. The current beta one has a long ways to go.

I believe Amazon from within the Wiim app and casting from the Amazon app are effectively the same thing.
If I open the Wiim app while casting from the Amazon app it shows the bitrate, and I can skip tracks etc from either app.
You just need to ensure you've enabled UHD in the Amazon Alexa Settings menu in the Wiim app.

 

[kevinek]

Use the Amazon app. Press the icon at the top right and it will list all of your playable devices, including WiiM Mini.

Not in Poland unfortunately.

 

[musicman]

I believe Amazon from within the Wiim app and casting from the Amazon app are effectively the same thing.
If I open the Wiim app while casting from the Amazon app it shows the bitrate, and I can skip tracks etc from either app.
You just need to ensure you've enabled UHD in the Amazon Alexa Settings menu in the Wiim app.

this is not my experience. For instance, I am playing a song initiated from amazon music app and then open it on WIIM app and it shows 16 bit/44.1 kHz but i start the same song directly from the WIIM App by using the Amazon music option in the app and I get Ultra HD playback at 167 kbps, 24 bit, 48 kHz. Enough of a difference that I use the WIIM App most of the time. Love to know more from @WiiM Team if this is expected and that there is a casting limitation not encountered when initiating directly from the Wiim App. Note i use optical out from the Wiim mini to a Schiit Modi+ just in case that matters.

 

[musicman]

this is not my experience. For instance, I am playing a song initiated from amazon music app and then open it on WIIM app and it shows 16 bit/44.1 kHz but i start the same song directly from the WIIM App by using the Amazon music option in the app and I get Ultra HD playback at 167 kbps, 24 bit, 48 kHz. Enough of a difference that I use the WIIM App most of the time. Love to know more from @WiiM Team if this is expected and that there is a casting limitation not encountered when initiating directly from the Wiim App. Note i use optical out from the Wiim mini to a Schiit Modi+ just in case that matters.

okay - i figured this out and it may help others. Amazon app casting uses the settings you have for Alexa input in the Wiim App. I just went into the App -> Music sources -> Alexa and then hit the config icon (upper right) and saw that the Amazon Music HD/UHD was NOT enabled by default. I enabled this and tried again and now casting is showing in the App as Ultra with full capabilities. WOOT.

 

[Mr Ee]

That's basically what I said...
I just thought you'd have more fun trying to find the UHD switch yourself
p.s. I messaged you directly re. your nas comment.

 

[WiiM Support]

The latest release of the Wiim app seems improved with Amazon music in my experience. The Wiim app is also the only good way I have to get music off my NAS to play.

I can see the quality and bitrate info on the Wiim Amazon app as well and its always very good but I can not tell this information when I start a casting session and to my ears, the quality is not the same but it may just be that I can not tell. I'd love to hear from @WiiM Support on this - does casting (no info on bitrate) equal the same quality as directly from the app?

Also a plug for a lot more dev work on the desktop apps for windows and macs please. The current beta one has a long ways to go.

Hi, casting from Amazon music has the same quality as streaming from the WiiM App. BTW, even casting from Amazon Music should give the bitrate display. If not, it should be an App bug that we'll fix it shortly.

 

[WiiM Support]

OK
Amazon music is a mess. I started music today. Song was ending and I returned to wiim home app to search next music but it displayed time 0:04 of that song and play button was waving and not responding at all.
Other issue are favorites: still only part of lists loading. searching inside favorites not working and searching entire amazon.
This makes amazon music useless even if it has great sound quality.

Hi Michal, there's bug in the playback of Amazon music station that's introduced in our last firmware update. We've fixed it and the new firmware will be released before next Tuesday. Please stay tuned!

 

[kevinek]

I am getting strange performance: wiim plays song from amazon but there is tidal's logo on top and "no music selected".

 

[kevinek]

I just received update. Hope it will be OK now.

 

[kevinek]

There is an issue. I was playing on Amazon music inside wiim home app. Then I have only opened Tidal app and it caused wiim home stop and lost playlist and display tidal's logo.