LinkPlay, the company behind the Wiim family of wireless network media streamers and integrated amplifiers, is giving its fans a sneak peek at its next creation: the Wiim Ultra. The hi-res streaming device, which will get its official unveiling May 9 at the High End Munich 2024 Show, has an abundance of analog and digital inputs and outputs, plus a glass-covered, 3.5-inch color touchscreen on the front panel.
LinkPlay hasn’t provided pricing, availability, or a detailed list of specifications for the Wiim Ultra, but it has dropped the some tidbits to whet peoples’ appetites.
- As with the Wiim Amp, the Wiim Ultra is clad in an aluminum shell
- Hi-res streaming capabilities, advanced room correction, and smart home integration
- Dedicated phono input with ground connector
- HDMI ARC input
- Front-mounted volume/play-pause control
- Front-mounted 3.5mm headphone jack
- Optical in/out
- Analog line-in/out
- Coaxial out
- Subwoofer out
- USB-A for media playback
- Ethernet
- 12-volt trigger for connected amp
It’s virtually guaranteed that the Ultra will support all of the features of the Wiim Pro and Pro Plus, like Apple AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect. And with LinkPlay’s promise of an improved digital-to-analog converter (DAC), it’s likely the streamer will receive Roon Ready certification like its sibling devices.
As eager as Wiim fans will be to get their first look at the Wiim Ultra (which they’ll be able to discuss on the Wiim Forum), they may be even more curious about another announcement coming May 9.
LinkPlay is being very coy, but Digital Trends was told that the Ultra, “along with another new WiiM product,” will debut at the Munich show. That’s all we know for now.
