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Bluesound died - is Wiim a good alternative?

I have been using a BlueSound Vault as my streamer for many years, but it finally died, and my resuscitation attempts have failed. I want to replace it with another low-cost streamer, and the Wiim Pro looks like an interesting possibility for $150. 
 

The rest of my system is:

- McCormack DNA-1, fully refurbished (gold, love it):

- Bel Canto 2.7 DAC, Which I also use as my pre;

- Usher Mini Dancer 2 speakers

 

I like the Bel Canto DAC pretty well, So I doubt the DAC in a Node 2i would be any better. Aside from that, is there any other reason to spend more for the Node?

cheeg
kofibaffour
713 posts
 

should've gone for the WIim already before even making this post. it is a no brainer

unclewilbur's avatar
unclewilbur
203 posts
 

If you have patience and want to save money, and know the tricks of Ebay, there can be bargains to be found. I bought a Bluesound Node X for a total of $410.00. That price included tax, shipping, Ebay's fees, everything. And a week ago another Node X sold for $425. That's a good bargain. But be careful because streamers are often holding their original value, so be patient. 

cheeg's avatar
cheeg OP
256 posts
 

Thanks for your replies -- @soix it's good to hear from you again. I was under the mistaken impression that the WiiM Pro could be used to connect to Tidal via Ethernet; apparently I can only stream music to the WiiM by Bluetooth, which would seriously reduce SQ.  I'll probably go with a new BlueSound, which will let me continue to stream via Ethernet as I did with my old box, or wait until I can afford a better quality streamer.  

motown-l
343 posts
 

From my experience, Wiim’s native DAC circuitry sounds a bit thin. An external DAC is suggested.

philgo01
90 posts
 

I love my WiiMs Mini and Pro but it does not do any CD ripping.  It’s value proposition is hard to beat.


Curious, what went wrong with you BlueSound Vault ? I’ve been waiting for several years for them to come up with an update as I like the CD ripping feature.  Was it mechanical failure or something else ?  It's at least 8 years old today.  

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