At $220, it competes against the Arylic S50Pro. Other than having an AKM-based DAC vs an ESS 9023 one, what does the WiiM Pro+ do better?
Unbelievable price with a wireless stereo preamp integrated with WiFi, aptX HD, Airplay, Multi-room features, and ESS Sabre DAC, AKM ADC. Free Shipping from US/EU/RU warehouse.
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Indeed. That price point also has the Argon Solo close by, and the Argon has been highly praised.
As for the Wiim Pro+, assuming that it'll be consistent with the Pro, it'll be backed by a very responsive and friendly organization (Linkplay), that's doing quite well in the home automation space. They have very mature software and hardware. The Pro just works: The best thing I can say about it is that it is functionally invisible. (I was using it as a Roon endpoint via Chromecast, and once it was Roon Ready certified, it's been running on RAAT).
I don't know how good the Arylic is, as a digital streamer (a streamer that just does the job of streaming, with digital output passed on the a DAC). The Wiim Pro is absolutely dependable and capable as far as that goes.
The Wiim Pro+ is also not expected to have a better Bluetooth version (they don't seem to be prioritizing that just now), so it'll be running SBC only, most likely. The Arylic will work with Aptx, and there's a market that wants that.
The Pro+ will likely be Roon Ready certified (quicker than the Pro, I guess) which is a fairly specific market that will appreciate a seamless plug and play endpoint. But the Argon Solo is also expected to the Roon Ready certified shortly.
The Octavio Stream (available in India) is also priced at a close range. The Stream actually uses a modified version of the Linkplay app under license, and perhaps (I'm not absolutely sure of this) a Linkplay module inside it. The Octavio Stream only has a combo analog out + optical out, so that maybe limiting to some.
It'll ultimately come down to whether they can actually deliver on their stated intention of the Wiim Pro+ being a one box streaming solution, that sounds as good as a DAC priced at around $500.