WiiM Ultra: power output and what it will drive

The WiiM Ultra is a desktop DAC/amp at $349. It delivers 150 mW into 32Ω and 6.0 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 177 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.

Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 500 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 52, only marginal on 10 and not enough power for 5. Power is published at 32Ω, 300Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures. Output impedance is not published. Output noise is not published, so the hiss estimate cannot be run. The two figures WiiM publishes do not sit on one curve. 150 mW into 32Ω is 2.2 V; 6 mW into 300Ω is 1.3 V — the same amplifier apparently swinging <em>less</em> voltage into the easier load, which is not how an output stage behaves. One of the two was measured under a condition WiiM does not state. Both are recorded, and the 300Ω figure is the one to plan around, because it is the pessimistic one.

What it actually puts out

TypeDesktop DAC/amp
Price$349
Power into 32 Ω150 mW
Power into 150 Ω22 mW
Power into 300 Ω6.0 mW
Power into 600 Ω3.0 mW
Output impedancenot published
Output noisenot published
Comfortable headroom on 500 of 567 headphones (88%) · short of power on 5

Where these numbers come from

The manufacturer publishes 150 mW into 32Ω, 6.0 mW into 300Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.

Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).

Source: wiimhome.com, wiimhome.com, faq.wiimhome.com.

LoadPowerStatusHow it was arrived at
32 Ω150 mWPublishedthe manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
150 Ω22 mWDerivedworked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them
300 Ω6.0 mWPublishedthe manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
600 Ω3.0 mWDerivedbeyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters

Against 40 well-known headphones

Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.

HeadphoneImpedanceSensitivityNeedsHeadroomVerdict
Shure SE8469 Ω114.0 dB/mW0.04 mW+30 dBComfortable
64 Audio U12t12.6 Ω108.0 dB/mW0.16 mW+26 dBComfortable
Shure SE21517 Ω107.0 dB/mW0.20 mW+26 dBComfortable
Moondrop Aria32 Ω107.1 dB/mW0.19 mW+29 dBComfortable
Audeze LCD-X 202120 Ω103.0 dB/mW0.50 mW+23 dBComfortable
Truthear Hexa20.5 Ω103.1 dB/mW0.49 mW+23 dBComfortable
Sennheiser IE 20018 Ω101.6 dB/mW0.69 mW+21 dBComfortable
Sony MDR-750663 Ω106.0 dB/mW0.25 mW+24 dBComfortable
Meze 99 Classics32 Ω103.0 dB/mW0.50 mW+25 dBComfortable
Focal Clear MG55 Ω104.0 dB/mW0.40 mW+23 dBComfortable
Philips SHP950032 Ω101.0 dB0.79 mW+23 dBComfortable
Focal Utopia80 Ω104.0 dB/mW0.40 mW+21 dBComfortable
Meze Empyrean32 Ω100.0 dB1.0 mW+22 dBComfortable
Campfire Audio Andromeda 20209 Ω94.0 dB4.0 mW+10 dBComfortable
Etymotic ER2SE15 Ω96.0 dB/mW2.5 mW+14 dBComfortable
AKG K37132 Ω99.1 dB/mW1.2 mW+21 dBComfortable
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X38 Ω99.0 dB/mW1.3 mW+20 dBComfortable
Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X48 Ω100.0 dB/mW1.0 mW+20 dBComfortable
Audeze LCD-2 Classic70 Ω101.0 dB/mW0.79 mW+19 dBComfortable
Grado SR80x38 Ω98.0 dB/mW1.6 mW+19 dBComfortable
Sennheiser HD 560S120 Ω100.8 dB/mW0.83 mW+16 dBComfortable
HiFiMAN Edition XS18 Ω92.0 dB6.3 mW+11 dBComfortable
HiFiMAN Arya Stealth32 Ω94.0 dB4.0 mW+16 dBComfortable
Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed13 Ω90.0 dB/mW10 mW+8 dBEnough
Audeze LCD-514 Ω90.0 dB/mW10 mW+8 dBEnough
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω102.0 dB/mW0.63 mW+12 dBComfortable
HiFiMAN HE400se25 Ω91.0 dB7.9 mW+12 dBComfortable
HiFiMAN Sundara32 Ω92.0 dB6.3 mW+14 dBComfortable
Dan Clark Audio Stealth23 Ω90.0 dB/mW10 mW+10 dBComfortable
Fostex T50RP MK350 Ω92.0 dB/mW6.3 mW+12 dBComfortable
AKG K70262 Ω92.9 dB/mW5.1 mW+11 dBComfortable
ZMF Verite Closed300 Ω99.0 dB/mW1.3 mW+7 dBEnough
Sennheiser HD 650300 Ω97.8 dB/mW1.7 mW+6 dBEnough
Sennheiser HD 800S300 Ω96.8 dB/mW2.1 mW+5 dBEnough
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω)250 Ω96.0 dB2.5 mW+6 dBEnough
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X470 Ω98.0 dB/mW1.6 mW+4 dBEnough
ZMF Atrium300 Ω96.0 dB/mW2.5 mW+4 dBEnough
Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC50 Ω88.0 dB/mW16 mW+8 dBEnough
Sennheiser HD 600300 Ω91.8 dB/mW6.6 mW-0 dBNot enough
HiFiMAN Susvara60 Ω83.0 dB50 mW+2 dBMarginal

Will it hiss?

The manufacturer does not publish an output noise figure for this source, so there is no hiss estimate here. If you have a measured figure, the hiss calculator takes it.

Output impedance and the one-eighth rule

The manufacturer does not publish an output impedance for this source. Without it, nothing here can say how this source will behave with a multi-driver in-ear.

With a measured figure, the checker works out the consequence.

The cheapest thing here that does the same job

SourceTypePriceInto 300 ΩOutput impedanceOutput noise
FiiO KA11USB dongle$2922 mW0.7 Ω1.7 µV
ddHiFi TC35ALUSB dongle$4622 mWnot publishednot published
ddHiFi TC35AirUSB dongle$4622 mWnot publishednot published

Of the 280 sources here, 61 do everything the WiiM Ultra does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches. The cheapest of them is the FiiO KA11 at $29, against this one’s $349 — $320 less, and a USB dongle rather than a desktop DAC/amp.

The cheaper one also publishes an output impedance and a noise figure, which the WiiM Ultra does not — so on the paperwork it is ahead, not merely level.

This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.

Other desktop DAC/amps at a similar price

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