Use the Volume button to cycle inputs with visual feedback of LED's.

[tsanguine]

I'd love an option to be able to select inputs in some other way. Use the button on the large volume knob and have the LED's designate each input to cycle through. Each press would cycle to the next input. Some inputs could be turned off in the app potentially. 1 LED could be ethernet, 2 would be HDMI, 3 optical or whatever makes sense. My family would like to use this without having the app or tracking down the remote and my experience with autosensing inputs isn't great. Especially when potentially more than one input may have a signal.

 

[eByGum]

Not sure I agree with that. Means adding hardware and cost. Why would you want to get up and fiddle with a knob when there is a remote and a fantastic app that can be used in the comfort of your favorite chair? The app should be the focus of all development in my opinion.

 

[tsanguine]

This should add nothing to the hardware cost. It should be able to be configurable in software to set the button to a different task. Then code the LED's to give feedback on which input was selected for a couple seconds before reverting to their normal usage. It wouldn't be default operation but configurable using the app. I'm glad you are happy with it, but others may want to use the device differently than you do.

I thought I had already stated that my family would like to use this. Do I need to buy a phone for my five year old so I can install the app and then show her how to get to the right place in the app to switch inputs? There is a five year old and a seven year old in this house as well as my wife. I'm not sure which of those three are the least technically inclined. We don't always know where the remotes are. It truly isn't that difficult to walk to the unit to push a button. This is replacing a vintage Yamaha CR2020 which of course never had a remote, so we are used to physically needing to change inputs and volume.

 

[harkpabst]

The remote that comes included with the amp already does exactly that, I think.

How would you want to pause (and start) playback if pressing the button cycles through inputs? Double click? Long press? Tripple click? Is that easier for a five year old or a wife than to grab the remote?

 

[tsanguine]

The remote that comes included with the amp already does exactly that, I think.

How would you want to pause (and start) playback if pressing the button cycles through inputs? Double click? Long press? Tripple click? Is that easier for a five year old or a wife than to grab the remote?

Why do folks feel the need to argue our use case?

As I've said before, this is replacing a vintage receiver. No remotes on a vintage receiver. 80% of the time this will provide audio from our Chromecast ultra connected to the TV with HDMI, then to the WiiM Amp with optical. If we need to pause video content, it will be with the Chromecast remote. The WiiM Amp remote won't do anything to pause our videos.

For strictly music playback, it's most frequently controlled via Google Assistant. I can't switch sources via Google assistant though and I've never had a lot of luck with auto sensing sources.

For our use case and what seems more natural is having a physical way to locally switch inputs. I'm kind of in awe that there isn't a way already. I've been designing classrooms and conference rooms, building home theaters and using countless audio products for over 20 years and I've never seen a device in memory that you can't physically change sources. Maybe because I'm using this more as an integrated Amp than as a streamer. You always play and pause from the source, not from the Amp or even pre Amp.

 

[Wiimer]

Why do folks feel the need to argue our use case?

Welcome.

I recommend that you first submit a feature request to WiiM support via the feedback section of the WiiM home app.

Here is a user community, so you and other users are free to post their opinions.

Of course, we don't have to be hostile. I think we need to be peers with the same device and respect each other.

 

[harkpabst]

I'll stop arguing immediately. I just voted down.

 

[es6rd6z]

I agree, it should be possible to change the input on the amp itself. You can do it on the Pro, so why not on the Amp?

One easy way to do this that wouldn't interfere with other functions of the knob would be to require the user to press and turn the knob while still keeping it pressed in.

To the others, of course you can use the app and the remote, but the knob is already there! Not to mention if you're using any kind of physical media, whether it's a cd player, turntable or a cassette deck, whenever you want to change the music that's playing, you're standing next to the Amp anyway, whereas you probably left your phone and your remote on the sofa.

 

[PatriX]

I could respond in exactly the same way - why do people buy things that don't have the features they want? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[tsanguine]

I could respond in exactly the same way - why do people buy things that don't have the features they want? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Unfortunately, there are next to no other products that have some of these features. Bass management on an integrated amp for $300 is next to impossible to find. Even just a small form factor Integtated amp is rare. Teac makes some as does NAD for more money. I almost bought the Elac DS-A101-G for $100 more. I guess I could have gotten an integrated amp and paired with a miniDSP but I'd rather keep this as one package.

It does have the majority of features that I want. A few tradeoffs as well. I also can't use my Chromecast remote to change the volume and the delay it introduces for processing may make it impossible for us to do Karaoke. But I don't think a device exists that does everything I want. Unless I want to steal an Extron switcher from work and program a custom gui and dsp. That route would be several thousand dollars, but it would be pretty awesome and wouldn't be a single integrated device. This line of thinking does make me wonder if the WiiM could be controlled by IP since there is no IR option with the remote being Bluetooth based. Wonder if there is a driver so it could be controlled using Extron, Crestron or AMX.

I've never seen an integrated amp without a source select button. If you see this as a streamer first and an integrated amp second maybe it makes sense, but I'd also think as a streamer it would have next track and last track skip buttons.

It also doesn't seem that it would be terribly difficult to have an option that changes the functionality of the play/pause button. Even the $100 Qudelix 5k allows you to change the functionality of it's physical buttons using the app. This functionality was added after the devices release as well. For our use the play/pause button just won't be used since it will primarily be used with other sources and not as primarily as a streamer. It can't pause a Netflix stream from our Chromecast for example.

From a usability aspect, explaining to a non-technical person that the play/pause button will only pause some content makes it confusing. Me telling my wife, "It will pause Spotify but only if you are streaming from the WiiM directly but not if you are playing Spotify from the Chromecast, got that straight Honey?" She already hates to use the home theater because she doesn't like dealing with multiple remotes and having to change aspect ratios for the projector or changing projector profiles for HDR and SDR content.

 

[tsanguine]

Welcome.

I recommend that you first submit a feature request to WiiM support via the feedback section of the WiiM home app.

Here is a user community, so you and other users are free to post their opinions.

Of course, we don't have to be hostile. I think we need to be peers with the same device and respect each other.

I didn't think to use the app feedback. Just figured this was the place to request features. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Wiimer]

My concern with this suggestion is that the volume knob on the WiiM amp is very light and rotates with little force.

For this reason, if I press the knob to stop the music, the knob may unintentionally rotate and change the volume. Therefore, I prefer to have a separate button to playback and switch inputs.

In other words, I expect improvements in the 2nd generation WiiM amp.

 

[tsanguine]

My concern with this suggestion is that the volume knob on the WiiM amp is very light and rotates with little force.

For this reason, if I press the knob to stop the music, the knob may unintentionally rotate and change the volume. Therefore, I prefer to have a separate button to playback and switch inputs.

In other words, I expect improvements in the 2nd generation WiiM amp.

I agree with it being problematic to need to depress and turn for a source change. I'd just like a single press to change the source. For those that use this primarily as a streamer they can use the play/pause button. For those who use it primarily as an integrated amp, it can be changed to cycle sources.