WiiM has been one of the most exciting audio brands of recent years. Its Pro Plus music streamer has won a What Hi-Fi? Award for the third year running, while its Ultra and Amp Pro devices have also been well reviewed, earning five and four stars respectively. So to say we were excited when we went hands-on with its first smart speaker earlier in the year would be something of an understatement.
And now the WiiM Sound has an official price and release date. It will be available to buy in mid-November, UK distributor Henley Audio has confirmed. And the price? An Apple-baiting £299 (around $400 / AU$612) – that's the same price as the HomePod 2.
We had expected WiiM to undercut a tech giant like Apple, but the price could still give Tim Cook et al cause for concern. The device uses WiiM's own operating system, and while it won't have the reach of iOS, we have found its devices to be very user friendly.
The Sound supports hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz, and it promises to calibrate itself automatically to suit its environment. Inside are a 4-inch long-throw woofer and dual 1-inch tweeters, providing 100W of peak power. The Sound can work as a standalone speaker, as a stereo pair or as surround or centre channels in a home cinema setup.
You use the 1.8-inch touchscreen to control playback, sources, presets and the EQ. When idle, it can show album art, track info and clock faces. The WiiM Sound can also be voice controlled using the bundled remote, or through compatible Alexa or Google Assistant devices. Or you can use the WiiM Home mobile app.
It supports all kinds of wireless formats, including Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Alexa Cast and DLNA (Roon Ready support is still pending). And it can pair with other WiiM, Google Cast and Alexa devices to create a more agnostic system than getting every device from Sonos or Apple.
Plenty for Apple to think about, then. We'll have a full review ready as soon as possible.
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I've had a first look at the HomePod-rivalling WiiM Sound smart speaker – and Apple should be worried
Read our Apple HomePod 2 review
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