For years, big tech has been trying to convince us that smart speakers are the way forward for listening to music in the home, but what many of us have really wanted is an affordable way of streaming the likes of Spotify, Amazon Music or Apple Music to an existing high-quality hi-fi setup.
For a while, Google offered the excellent Chromecast Audio, which enabled you to do precisely that. However, in its wisdom – and possibly in a bid to sell more smart speakers – the company discontinued this in 2019, leaving a gap in the market.
Quite a few companies have attempted to step into the breach, but if you don’t want to spend too much money, we can’t think of anything better right now than the options being offered by WiiM. And, praise be, its range of excellent affordable streamers is on sale over Cyber Weekend at a 20% discount.
Our pick of the products would be the Wiim Pro Plus, a very tidy little box that supports both Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast Audio, along with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Amazon Music Cast. Simply take an analogue or digital audio out to your existing amp (or hook up to a set of powered speakers), connect the box to the internet and you’re good to go.
There are also S/PDIF and line inputs so that you can plug in another device – a turntable, for example – and, as well as being able to hear this through the connected speakers, you can also transmit its sound to any other AirPlay-enabled devices you have in your setup.
The WiiM Pro Plus can stream at up to 24-bit/192kHz on both its analogue and digital outputs, and there’s gapless playback. You can also control it with your voice, thanks to the Alexa-equipped remote that comes supplied. The device is compatible with Google and Siri voice assistants, too, and offers multiroom streaming via any other smart speakers you might have.
If you want something even cheaper, there’s also the WiiM Mini, a small puck-shaped device that has less connectivity and functionality but is significantly more affordable. This supports AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Amazon Music Cast, and offers 24-bit/192kHz quality via mini-jack aux and optical outputs. There’s also an aux in for your turntable or something else, and voice control from your Alexa or Siri device. Again, multiroom streaming is supported.