WiiM Amp and Magneplanar 1.7i
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| Posted on November 10, 2024 at 17:16:05 | ||
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Posts: 16
Location: South Carolina Joined: May 4, 2004 |
After reading the Stereophile review of the WiiM amp by Tom Fine (with the usual detailed measurement by John Atkinson) and some positive comments and measurements from other websites, I started thinking about buying one. I also considered the newer and more expensive Pro version. As I was debating with myself, amazon came out with a 20%-off one-day sale on the non-Pro version, and so, for $240, I ended up with a WiiM amp. I also bought a mechanical switch to easily switch between the WiiM and my Denon PMA-600NE. These amplifiers are used with Magneplanars 1.7i. I used Magneplanar MMGs from 2003 to the end of 2021, when I bought the 1.7i. For most of these 21 years, I used a 1987 NAD 3020 amplifier; I switched to the Denon PMA-600NE in June 2020, and I have been satisfied with it with both the MMGs and the 1.7is. I listen mainly to CDs using the amplifiers' DACs. I mainly listen to Jazz, West African music, and Classical music, so: not particularly bass-heavy. A week or so ago, I invited two members of my family to do a brief single-blind test. They listened to an excerpt of Duke Ellington's "The Mooche," as presented in the Stereophile "Editor's Choice Sampled and Test CD." There were three choices: (1) WiiM amp without room correction, (2) Denon PMA-600NE, (3) WiiM amp with room correction (target: flat). My son is a trombone player, who also sings and plays other instruments. He liked choice 3 best. He wrote among other things: "equal emphasis on all parts with real dynamics." I agree with him. One problem with this test is that my attempt to equalize volume (using an SPL meter and the "pink noise" track on the Sterophile disk) was not completely successful: the WiiM without correction sounded subjectively softer than the Denon, while the WiiM with room correction sounded about as loud. My conclusion: I am going to keep the WiiM, the Denon, and the switch. I think that the WiiM is a reasonable choice as an amplifier for the 1.7i, and a very good value. One further observation. I did not reach the limits of any of the amps, but my impression is that the Denon could play the 1.7i louder than the WiiM.
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