Last calendar week , I discover a surprising fact about Wiim ’s raw flagship web music player , the $ 329 touchscreen - equippedUltra : Unlike all of Wiim ’s products to - date , it lacks Apple AirPlay certification . However , there was intellect to believe that the streamer could be madeAirPlaycompatible via a future firmware update once the troupe finalized the documentation process . Today , however , those hopes have been scare . The current variant of the Wiim Ultra hardware will never support Apple ’s wireless audio streaming feature .
“ The current WiiM Ultra does not stomach AirPlay , ” a company congressman distinguish me via e-mail , “ and it can not be made available via an OTA software system update . ”
That news will not be appreciated by those who have already ordered the Ultra under the assumption it would have AirPlay — an premise that was broadly speaking partake by me and my manufacture colleagues when we describe on the equipment ’s official launch . Even some retailers take orders for the Wiim Ultrahave AirPlay listed as a feature film .
The inability to add AirPlay via a firmware update patently surprised Wiim itself . “ At its launch at the High - remnant Munich Show , this was n’t the belief at WiiM but internal issues changed the situation unfortunately . ”
Ironically , the fine print on Amazon’sproduct itemisation page for the Wiim Ultrahas prove to be the most accurate of all : “ NOTE : This gimmick is incompatible with AirPlay and can not go as an AirPlay receiving system . ”
Wiim has n’t provided any details aroundwhythe Ultra ca n’t be made compatible with AirPlay . Instead , the company is just encourage its customers to use alternatives : “ We empathize this may be disappointing for our user who primarily employ AirPlay . However , users can still stream audio to WiiM Ultra and tie in via Bluetooth . They can also bask carry on supporting for Chromecast Audio , Alexa Casting , Spotify Connect , TIDAL Connect , Qobuz , Amazon Music , Deezer , TuneIn , iHeartRadio , and more . ”
So how prominent of a deal is the deficiency of AirPlay ? When I first split this news , I said that it might make a critical issue for Apple fans : Since Wiim ’s software does n’t bear Apple Music natively , and since theApple Musicapp on Io is n’t compatible withGoogle Cast(formerly Chromecast Audio ) , there is no way for iPhone user to stream Apple Music to the Wiim Ultra losslessly at CD quality without the use of AirPlay . But I was wrong .
It twist out , lossless cyclosis of Apple Music to the Wiim Ultra might be impossible for iPhone exploiter . Thanks to some stabbing detecting byJohn Darko and acquaintance , it turns out that in specific scenarios ( with Apple Music on the iPhone being one of them ) , AirPlay does n’t do lossless at all . I ’ve since confirm this using the Wiim Pro Plus .
When you AirPlay a supposedly lossless audio cart track from Apple Music on an iPhone to the Pro Plus , that twist describe that it ’s receiving a 256 kbps bitrate — far below the bitrate you ’d need to do lossless cadmium calibre even when squeeze .
In terms of audio quality , there ’s almost no conflict for iPhone - based Apple Music listeners between AirPlay and Bluetooth , given that the Ultra the same AACcodecthat AirPlay is reportedly using in this billet . The one thing AirPlay can still shoot a line is that playback wo n’t be interrupt by thing like headphone phone call or other arrangement sounds and alert , which can and does befall when using Bluetooth .
Apparently , the same thing is true when AirPlaying Tidal from an iPhone . With the audio quality welfare of AirPlay contradict for these folks , we ’re left with AirPlay ’s multiroom capacity and Apple HomeKit support , which kick in you Siri - establish vocalism control .
Even that might not be such a big lot . Once you stream Bluetooth to the Ultra , you’re able to group that twist with any other Wiim gadget in your house .
Nonetheless , if you bought or regularise a Wiim Ultra in part because you thought it would have AirPlay , you may now be thinking about a refund . Wiim says that refunds are available if you bought through Amazon , but that each retailer will have its own insurance policy .
