Every time a big sales event comes around – whether that's Black Friday or Amazon's many Prime Days throughout the year – I'm always on the lookout for any deals on WiiM's budget music streamers.
Why? Because the WiiM Pro Plus (tested at £219, but the price has gone up to £249 now) and the step-up WiiM Ultra (tested at £349, up to £369 now) are super easy and cost-effective ways to add a host of streaming features to your music system. They sound detailed, balanced and expressive for the money, support the most popular streaming services, and have one of the best app control experiences around.
During the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event that's happening now, I've spotted that the WiiM Pro Plus is on sale for £209 at Amazon and other hi-fi retailers, while the WiiM Ultra is available for £309 at Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks. That's a £40 and £60 saving respectively on their current RRPs.
But wait – are these the best savings you can get for either product? The simple answer is no. While we love any discount on great five-star products, I've seen both these WiiM streamers available for a lot less at previous Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday sales. I've seen the WiiM Pro Plus available for as little as £175 earlier this year in June, while the WiiM Ultra has been reduced to £279 previously, too.
So today's discounts aren't the lowest prices we've seen these products at. If you're keen on either of these WiiM streamers but want the biggest savings, I would suggest waiting a month until Black Friday looms into view at the end of November to take the plunge – as that's usually when we see the lowest prices on hi-fi products in general.
Both WiiM streamers are compact enough to fit into limited spaces, but the WiiM Pro Plus – a multiple What Hi-Fi? Award winner – is a small, nondescript black box that can be placed on a shelf, inside a TV cabinet or even on a desk. Its talents are considerable for its budget price: it packs in wi-fi streaming, AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth, support for all the latest streaming services including Tidal/Qobuz/Spotify Connect, and can handle hi-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz.
For its price, it serves up a detailed, expressive and organised sound that is easy to listen to, and is a great way to add streaming powers to an old hi-fi system, or form the basis of your first budget hi-fi system.
The bigger WiiM Ultra drops AirPlay support but gains a nifty touchscreen display, which makes accessing your favourite playlists and albums quicker. It sports a more advanced DAC, and delivers a more spacious and dynamic sound than the Pro Plus. It also adds a built-in MM phono stage so you can plug in a turntable, and an HDMI input for using it with your TV. That's a huge amount of connectivity and versatility from such a product, and we find it works a treat with budget speakers and amplifiers.
Apart from their performance-per-pound value, the main reason we always keep recommending these two WiiM streamers is because of how user-friendly WiiM Home app is for controlling your music. Set-up is easy, the app is neatly laid out, and it's a responsive, seamless system to use daily.
The current deal prices on the two WiiM streamers are tempting – any money off hi-fi products is always worth a look! – but I would exercise some patience and wait until Black Friday rolls around in a month's time, so you can be sure that you'll be getting the genuine lowest prices on these five-star products.
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WiiM Ultra vs WiiM Pro Plus: which five-star music streamer is the best option for you?
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