WiiM Pro vs Chromecast for multiroom

[Melkiades]

Hi all,

I'm new to WiiM so this question might be plain wrong but here goes:

- I'm setting up a 3 zone multiroom setup
- I bought one amp per zone
- and will connect one WiiM Pro per amp

What will this setup give me more than if I had connected one Chromecast (the new ones with the remote) to each amp?

Chromecast is super compatible. iPhones and Android can cast music to them. You can also setup rooms and send synched music to any or all zones. A Chromecast setup would cost much less.

What am I missing?

 

[Mr Ee]

Pros also do chromecast, but possibly depends partly on what/how you intend to play this way.
What music service do you intend to use?
Is gapless playback irrelevant or important to you?
Pros can send to any/all rooms, but, atm at least, you can't pre-create groups to make it that bit easier.

Chromecast output is only hdmi, right?

 

[Melkiades]

Pros also do chromecast, but possibly depends partly on what/how you intend to play this way.
What music service do you intend to use?
Is gapless playback irrelevant or important to you?
Pros can send to any/all rooms, but, atm at least, you can't pre-create groups to make it that bit easier.

Chromecast output is only hdmi, right?

I use YouTube Premium and Spotify.
With YTP I could work with only Chromecast TV units connected to 3 amp's HDMI inputs. I'm not sure what gapless playback means exactly.

I'm surprised to realize that WiiM doesn't make it easy to pre configure room combinations. I envision a visual interface where you see all of your rooms and enable/disable the ones you wish. If you have to create groups on-the-fly each time, this is going to be an annoyance to use. I'm not sure this is easier with a Chromecast TV (used for audio) only setup.

I heard that the WiiM team listed a lot to user requests. I'll try to find a forum section for requests.

Cheers

 

[Wiimer]

If you create a group of Wiim devices in the Google home app, you can cast to any group from the YTM or Spotify app.

 

[Melkiades]

If you create a group of Wiim devices in the Google home app, you can cast to any group from the YTM or Spotify app.

Yes but my question is why do we need the WiiM devices in the first place? Why can't we just connect one Chromecast TV per amp and do multiroom with only amps and Chromecast devices?

 

[Mr Ee]

I was going to ask about your amps, but as they all have hdmi input then the chromecast way isn't an issue.
For you current use case, CC does seem to cover all you need for a lower price.

Gapless playback is when two tracks naturally flow into one another. Classical music is a prime example of this, where the small pause between tracks is surprisingly annoying!

 

[Wiimer]

Your three amps are this, right?

Z1: Yamaha R-S300 w/ 4 speakers
Z2: Fosi Audio TB10D
Z3: Fosi Audio TB10D

I don't think any of the amplifiers have HDMI inputs, how do they connect?
HDMI Extractor?

Sorry if I misunderstood.

 

[Melkiades]

Your three amps are this, right?

Z1: Yamaha R-S300 w/ 4 speakers
Z2: Fosi Audio TB10D
Z3: Fosi Audio TB10D

I don't think any of the amplifiers have HDMI inputs, how do they connect?
HDMI Extractor?

Sorry if I misunderstood.

You are correct that they don't. And that's my mistake. Had I known that Chromecast TV was a cheaper solution than the WiiM I would have searched for amps with HDMI inputs.

But they might have been more expensive so in the end the 3xWiiMs I ordered + those basic amps will end up being a good solution!

What is stunning is how the industry is playing against us. WiiM has done an amazing effort at providing us with a low cost, high quality and easy to setup solution but with that kind of setup we could have achieved it at an even lower price:

- Chromecast audio that Google murdered because they hate their customers

- simple stereo amps


And voilà, we would have had a great multiroom solution at a super low cost.

The next best thing is WiiM Mini with stereo amps and the Pro if you wish to handle YouTube Music and have more connections.

And a good contender would be the Google Chromecast TV with amps (one per amp/zone) that have HDMI inputs and no WiiMs needed. Maybe there are good and low cost ones out there like the Fosi TB10D but with HDMI ports. I haven't searched.

 

[Achim1811]

- Cheap AND omnipotent does not work.
- Use items for their strong abilities. In case of WiiM it is the possible great sound quality.
- For multi-room better or at least simpler solutions exists for long. Sonos always work.
- Make the research what an item can deliver BEFORE buying it.
- WiiM and YTM or Spotify with its poor sound quality is a mismatch. Casting pearls before swines.

 

[Wiimer]

You are correct that they don't. And that's my mistake. Had I known that Chromecast TV was a cheaper solution than the WiiM I would have searched for amps with HDMI inputs.

But they might have been more expensive so in the end the 3xWiiMs I ordered + those basic amps will end up being a good solution!

What is stunning is how the industry is playing against us. WiiM has done an amazing effort at providing us with a low cost, high quality and easy to setup solution but with that kind of setup we could have achieved it at an even lower price:

- Chromecast audio that Google murdered because they hate their customers

- simple stereo amps


And voilà, we would have had a great multiroom solution at a super low cost.

The next best thing is WiiM Mini with stereo amps and the Pro if you wish to handle YouTube Music and have more connections.

And a good contender would be the Google Chromecast TV with amps (one per amp/zone) that have HDMI inputs and no WiiMs needed. Maybe there are good and low cost ones out there like the Fosi TB10D but with HDMI ports. I haven't searched.

Amplifiers with HDMI (mainly AVR) output audio and video as a set from HDMI. In other words, don't you think you need one TV for every amplifier? And when music is playing, the TV screen is usually turned on (when the TV is turned off, the music is also turned off).

Linkplay MRM and Google MRM (or Alexa MRM) have different features and advantages and disadvantages to each other. What makes Wiim great is that it allows you to get the best of both of those worlds.

 

[Achim1811]

And of course in Roon with the WiiMs it's a no-brainer

 

[Melkiades]

Amplifiers with HDMI (mainly AVR) output audio and video as a set from HDMI. In other words, don't you think you need one TV for every amplifier? And when music is playing, the TV screen is usually turned on (when the TV is turned off, the music is also turned off).

No, a TV is not necessary. I use a Chromecast TV on an amp in another home solely for audio. No need for a TV. The HDMI cable will use more bandwidth but it's not important.

 

[Melkiades]

And of course in Roon with the WiiMs it's a no-brainer

Room looks awesome. I have a huge music collection, amassed over 30 years. Thousands of albums, tons of gigabyte of music all tagged by style, genre, situation. A monk's work. Then I stopped doing that and simplified my life with YouTube Music and Spotify. It's not as good as the FLAC tracks I had but it's simple. I'm older. Busier. I made compromises ;(

 

[Brantome]

Room looks awesome. I have a huge music collection, amassed Iver 30 years. Thousands of albums, tons of gigabyte of music all tagged by style, genre, situation. A monk's work. Then I stopped doing that and simplified my life with YouTube Music and Spotify. It's not as good as the FLAC tracks I had but it's simple. I'm older. Busier. I made compromises ;(

If you already have that catalog of music, you should install some server software like MinimServer, AssetUPnP, LMS with its UPnPBridge plugin (especially with the upcoming Squeezelite client for WiiM Pro) and that way play your own library at higher quality to your WiiMs. As has been mentioned earlier, you're not using the WiiM devices to their full capabilities just playing lossy MP3 tracks from Spotify or Youtube Music.

 

[Melkiades]

- Cheap AND omnipotent does not work.
- Use items for their strong abilities. In case of WiiM it is the possible great sound quality.
- For multi-room better or at least simpler solutions exists for long. Sonos always work.
- Make the research what an item can deliver BEFORE buying it.
- WiiM and YTM or Spotify with its poor sound quality is a mismatch. Casting pearls before swines.

I spent more than 25 hours researching a solution. I'm doing all of this for a friend. He rented me his country house by the lake for two weeks and I wanted to offer him a gift for his generous offer. His multiroom setup here was horrible. He had a Russoujd 4 zones switcher without sound control and the setup was terrible. So I researched a solution that would work with his existing speakers. Went through every single option on the market: raspberry pi, Sonos, Bluesound, even old Cambridge audio with their clunky hub!

I then found out about the amazing WiiM solution. And had to order it as we're leaving soon. But then had my moment of doubt by realizing that Chromecast TV could have been a cheaper option. I shared that doubt here. I think it would have worked ok and much better than his Russound setup but I'll keep the WiiM. Getting it today and can't wait to set it up in all three zones and play with the options. For Chromecast, I'll try it at my own home and this way a real comparison will be done.

But I don't think that in a MRM setup the sound quality is an argument as WiiM only supports 24 bits/48 kHz sampling in such a setup, while Chromecast TV supports 24/96.

 

[Melkiades]

If you already have that catalog of music, you should install some server software like MinimServer, AssetUPnP, LMS with its UPnPBridge plugin (especially with the upcoming Squeezelite client for WiiM Pro) and that way play your own library at higher quality to your WiiMs. As has been mentioned earlier, you're not using the WiiM devices to their full capabilities just playing lossy MP3 tracks from Spotify or Youtube Music.

I'm thinking of switching to Tidal or Quobuz for lossless quality.

I love my music library but it's not convenient. I used to have time to research new artists by reading underground magazines, blogs, by using Soulseek and speaking with other users in that awesome community. Now I use the YouTube algorithm and its suggestions. The process to add an album to my library was tedious: research, tag, buy, download, store in the proper folder. From 20 to 45 years old I had the time. I can't anymore. Maybe when I'll be older I'll go back to nurturing this collection. It is in my will afterall, so I value it and know that others will too. It's just not as convenient.

 

[Achim1811]

@Melkiades
My post was not meant as an aggressive one. Just my personal impressions. I still think that related to the price the WiiMs perform unique. And finally the Roon Ready option made it even better. My stored music on a really big NAS became impressive over decades but more and more I lost traces. Not convenient. With Roon everything changed. I granted me the luxury of a Nucleus + and ripped every new CD. The software did the remaining jobs, better than I could do it. It also sorted my old ripped files it in a way I never expected. My NAS, a record shop and Qobuz. Who needs more?
Sometimes I must stop myself as WiiM supporter. So I hope you understand my post as it was meant.

 

[Melkiades]

@Melkiades
My post was not meant as an aggressive one. Just my personal impressions. I still think that related to the price the WiiMs perform unique. And finally the Roon Ready option made it even better. My stored music on a really big NAS became impressive over decades but more and more I lost traces. Not convenient. With Roon everything changed. I granted me the luxury of a Nucleus + and ripped every new CD. The software did the remaining jobs, better than I could do it. It also sorted my old ripped files it in a way I never expected. My NAS, a record shop and Qobuz. Who needs more?
Sometimes I must stop myself as WiiM supporter. So I hope you understand my post as it was meant.

No worry at all. We're having a friendly discussion and I love this community I just found. All good.

I will definitely give Roon a try. You convinced me with your comment on how it sorted your collection. When they say "the Roon Core" (just watched their intro video) is it an actual device they sell or you can use any PC in your home as the Roon Core?

About Quobuz: does it have as big a selection as YouTube or Spotify?

About your music store comment: I had the first online music store in Canada before the web, in 1990. 100K albums sold in 15 countries through a Gopher site, before the advent of the World Wide Web. Only alternative music, electronic, techo and the beginning of deep house. It was a great experience and I'm happy to have found a community of music enthusiasts here, it makes me think of those great times and the discussions we were having on Usenet with my clients.

We're digressing a bit from the original topic hehe. I hope this is ok with the moderators. Cheers.

 

[Achim1811]

No worry at all. We're having a friendly discussion and I love this community I just found. All good.

I will definitely give Roon a try. You convinced me with your comment on how it sorted your collection. When they say "the Roon Core" (just watched their intro video) is it an actual device they sell or you can use any PC in your home as the Roon Core?

About Quobuz: does it have as big a selection as YouTube or Spotify?

About your music store comment: I had the first online music store in Canada before the web, in 1990. 100K albums sold in 15 countries through a Gopher site, before the advent of the World Wide Web. Only alternative music, electronic, techo and the beginning of deep house. It was a great experience and I'm happy to have found a community of music enthusiasts here, it makes me think of those great times and the discussions we were having on Usenet with my clients.

We're digressing a bit from the original topic hehe. I hope this is ok with the moderators. Cheers.

Personally this digressing is one of my most liked "features" in this forum
The "Roon Core" is not a device, but the software itself. You have to install it. Nearly every PC, even a not longer in use notebook is fine for it. But this PC has to run always you use the software. If this PC is used for other things it can be a little nerving. So we, my wife was the crusader for Roon, bought the Nucleus+. In between and with hints out of this forum I as an absolute noob in IT managed to "build" a NUC Rock which at the end costs less than 350 €. All the necessary information you will find in the net.
Qobuz or the others? This sometimes is kind of a confession. For me it is ok, I find every album I want. But that may be my personal case. Spotify claims still to have the biggest catalogue. I am more in classical and jazz, in rock more with the old heroes. So for me it is perfect. And the sound quality is the best you can get from streaming services.
Last, as I still want to own most of my music I love and buy LPs and CDs. Although my frequent presence in this forum may show it other I still use ~ 50% Vinyl, 40% CDs or ripped files and streaming is the rest. Easy, cheap and convenient to avoid wrong purchases.
So, another misuse of that very nice forum.

 

[Wiimer]

Personally this digressing is one of my most liked "features" in this forum

Maybe you are the one who developed that feature