Basic question from a beginner

[Yanto]

Thanks for letting me join. I have a couple of very basic questions if possible. Please bear with me as I’m new to this.
1. If I connect a Wiim Pro to a coax port on my Audiolab 6000a amp, which DAC will I actually be using, the Wiim or the Audiolab? Not sure which is the better one.
2. Can I just confirm that the Wiim supports Apple Music Lossless/Airplay 2 please?
3. Also confirm that gapless playback is supported by the Wiim please?
Thanks advance for your help

 

[Achim1811]

1. Your amp is so good that it will make no difference. Its analog part will make a tiny, if any, difference obsolete. Chose what makes you feel better. The internal of the Pro is better than the often written off hearsay. Importance of DACs on that level is overestimated. As always my subjective opinions. There are different ones, I know .
2, no idea, others who uses it will give you informations.
3. yes

Welcome and have fun!

 

[Yanto]

1. Your amp is so good that it will make no difference. Its analog part will make a tiny, if any, difference obsolete. Chose what makes you feel better. The internal of the Pro is better than the often written off hearsay. Importance of DACs on that level is overestimated. As always my subjective opinions. There are different ones, I know .
2, no idea, others who uses it will give you informations.
3. yes

Welcome and have fun!

Many thanks for the reply. I’d like to use my Apple Music account but it’s not the end of the world if it won’t work. I have Tidal too
Glad it supports gapless.

 

[Mr Ee]

As always my subjective opinions

Indeed. Doesn't mean you are right though

I do agree with Achim one one point - try them both, and use whichever you prefer (coax to amp using amp's dac, or pro's analog out to amp using pro's dac).
It is, after all, you doing the listening, not us.

re. Apple and airplay 2 - I don't use them either, but it is advertised as an airplay 2 device (receiver).

 

[Achim1811]

Could be a simple way to identify your like. Connect RCA AND Digital and jump between.

 

[Yanto]

Could be a simple way to identify your like. Connect RCA AND Digital and jump between.

Ah good point. RCA line out on Wiim to an RCA in on Audiolab and just switch inputs right?

 

[Achim1811]

Indeed,. Doesn't mean you are right though

I do agree with Achim one one point - try them both, and use whichever you prefer (coax to amp using amp's dac, or pro's analog out to amp using pro's dac).
It is, after all, you doing the listening, not us.

re. Apple and airplay 2 - I don't use them either, but it is advertised as an airplay 2 device (receiver).

My emergency exit and, unequal to a few others, I know that I have no proof of anything. May be about the weight of a component.
Others, even the OAs do it the same way. "It is of course all your personal meaning".

 

[Achim1811]

Ah good point. RCA line out on Wiim to an RCA in on Audiolab and just switch inputs right?

Yes, in WiiM and in your app.

 

[Mr Ee]

Ah good point. RCA line out on Wiim to an RCA in on Audiolab and just switch inputs right?

Yes. You'll also need to switch the pro's output via the wiim app.

 

[Yanto]

Indeed. Doesn't mean you are right though

I do agree with Achim one one point - try them both, and use whichever you prefer (coax to amp using amp's dac, or pro's analog out to amp using pro's dac).
It is, after all, you doing the listening, not us.

re. Apple and airplay 2 - I don't use them either, but it is advertised as an airplay 2 device (receiver).

Yes I’ll definitely compare them. I’ve got RCA’s here so easy enough.
Yes I saw that the Wiim is Airplay 2 compatible but been told that I’d only get lossy aac and not the better alac

 

[Mr Ee]

Yes, in WiiM and in your app.

Beat me by .nothing of a second.

 

[Yanto]

Yes. You'll also need to switch the pro's output via the wiim app.

Got you. Thanks that’s simple enough then to compare

 

[onlyoneme]

Yes I’ll definitely compare them. I’ve got RCA’s here so easy enough.
Yes I saw that the Wiim is Airplay 2 compatible but been told that I’d only get lossy aac and not the better alac

Audiolab DAC is objectively better. That doesn't mean you have to prefer it.
It's rare to get lossless stream over AirPlay 2, it can happen only under some circumstances on the WiiM. Most of the time you get AAC.

 

[Yanto]

Audiolab DAC is objectively better. That doesn't mean you have to prefer it.
It's rare to get lossless stream over AirPlay 2, it can happen only under some circumstances on the WiiM. Most of the time you get AAC.

I’ll definitely compare them. Not sure I’ll be able to hear any difference anyway but it’s worth trying. Costs nothing too.
I was told by Kef Support that I’d get 24/48 lossless with my active speakers. But I had no way to check the actual resolution. It mostly sounded as good as Tidal and that was said to be at MQA in many cases.

 

[Mr Ee]

In my subjective opinion, 24/48 is more than adequate

 

[Yanto]

In my subjective opinion, 24/48 is more than adequate

In many cases I preferred cd 16/44

 

[Achim1811]

In my subjective opinion, 24/48 is more than adequate

My subjective opinion will agree if this resolution is the "native" one. As an unteachable old schooler I was and still am always not fine with any kind of down- or upsampling. Could be a genetic defect...
Said in the name of Ken Ishiwata. Was the most valuable engineer of the last decades and was my personal go-to-guy in HiFi

 

[Yanto]

My subjective opinion will agree if this resolution is the "native" one. As an in unteachable old schooler I was and still am always not fine with any kind of down- or upsampling. Could be a genetic defect...
Said in the name of Ken Ishiwata. Was the most valuable engineer of the last decades and was my personal go-to-guy in HiFi

Almost bought the Rotel a11 Tribute before settling on the 6000a

 

[Mr Ee]

Almost bought a Marantz PM-KI Ruby amp.
Ken was (still is) a legend!

 

[Brantome]

Thanks for letting me join. I have a couple of very basic questions if possible. Please bear with me as I’m new to this.
1. If I connect a Wiim Pro to a coax port on my Audiolab 6000a amp, which DAC will I actually be using, the Wiim or the Audiolab? Not sure which is the better one.
2. Can I just confirm that the Wiim supports Apple Music Lossless/Airplay 2 please?
3. Also confirm that gapless playback is supported by the Wiim please?
Thanks advance for your help

As answered on the WiiM Fan Page