WiiM’s $299 Vibelink Amp Offers Power Instead of Streaming

It’s fair to say that WiiM has taken the streaming audio world by storm. Over the last few years, no other brand has even tried to compete in WiiM’s wheelhouse of audio streamers selling for around $100 to $300. Despite their low prices, WiiM’s products offer a fantastic user experience, thanks the company’s truly excellent app and user interface. Toward the end of 2023, WiiM branched out into streaming integrated amps, while maintaining a focus on sleek industrial design and low prices. Now the company is launching its first non-streaming product, the Vibelink Amp ($299). Packaged in the same compact and attractive chassis as WiiM’s existing Amp and Amp Pro, the new Vibelink dispenses with the streaming smarts but offers 67% more power than the WiiM Amp Pro — a solid 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and 200 watts per channel into 4 ohms, according to WiiM. Because it lacks its own streaming hardware, the Vibelink is meant to be paired with an existing streamer, but it does include digital inputs and a DAC supporting up to 24-bit/192kHz audio. WiiM says that the Vibelink Amp is designed not only for high audio performance, but also for efficiency and longevity. It reportedly features advanced heat dissipation, and it’s a good thing too, since this amp features the same compact dimensions as the WiiM Ultra streamer, and the two are practically begging to be stacked.

As our user base continues to grow, we’ve listened closely to the needs of our community. Many audio enthusiasts love the flexibility of streaming, but don’t always want or need a connected amp, and… were also frustrated with the digital audio limitations of other powered amps in the market. For those using devices like the WiiM Mini, Ultra, Pro, or other streaming solutions, we wanted to offer an amp that delivers exceptional sound quality and power without the need for Wi-Fi connectivity. This new design gives our customers more choice — allowing them to integrate the Vibelink Amp seamlessly into their setup and enjoy the rich, pure audio experience we’re known for.

— Dr. Lifeng Zhao, CEO of WiiM

In addition to its Optical and Coaxial digital inputs, the Vibelink features an RCA analog input for connecting a phono preamp, CD player, or the source of your choosing. Interestingly, the amp boasts an “anti-pop noise design,” which reportedly prevents the snap, crackle, and pop often associated with changing inputs or adjusting settings on other low-cost (and some not-so-low-cost) integrated amplifiers on the market. WiiM says that this attention to detail is all about providing a smooth, uninterrupted listening experience. The anti-pop design is achieved through hardware optimizations like ramping circuits and software sequencing, according to WiiM. Even when audio resolution changes from one track to another, WiiM promises smooth sailing with the Vibelink Amp.

As mentioned above, WiiM claims to have paid special attention to heat dissipation in the Vibelink Amp, which includes copper heat pipes, a large aluminum heatsink, and a heat-spreading chassis that reportedly reduces hot spots and evenly distributes heat. On the software side, heat dissipation is improved by PID-based thermal management software that reportedly ensures optimal temperature regulation and prevents overheating. Made of durable aluminum oxide, the amp’s casing not only dissipates heat efficiently, but also minimizes interference, according to WiiM. Inside the casework (which really is a cut above the competition when it comes to styling, in my opinion), WiiM has selected the same ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip used in the WiiM Ultra streamer, along with the TI PCM9211 Digital Audio Interface Transceiver chip, four TI OPA1612 Op-amps, and a TI TPA3255 Amp Chip.

WiiM Vibelink Amp: A Winning Form-Factor

For WiiM’s other products, the main selling point has always been the user experience of WiiM’s streaming software and app. WiiM’s app easily competes with the likes of Bluesound and Sonos — it’s actually better, in my opinion — for less money. But the Vibelink doesn’t offer streaming, and doesn’t need an app. So why choose it over competing products from other brands? One obvious draw will be the Vibelink’s attractive price. To get an equally-powerful integrated amp with a built-in DAC, from a name brand like Cambridge Audio, NAD, or Emotiva, you’d have to pay considerably more. But the biggest draw of the Vibelink for many customers will be its compact form-factor. It’s one of the smallest 100-watt amps on the market, thanks to its clever thermal design and parts selection. The Vibelink Amp is designed to stack with the $329 WiiM Ultra, and the pair makes a tidy-looking system that belies the relatively low price. The Vibelink allows existing Ultra owners an opportunity to fill out their systems within the WiiM ecosystem, and the Ultra/Vibelink stack offers new customers an appealing option if the existing WiiM Amp and Amp Pro integrated amps don’t deliver enough power for their needs.

WiiM Vibelink Amp: Potential Downsides?

We haven’t heard or measured the Vibelink yet, but at its price, it will likely be an easy recommendation, especially for users of the matching WiiM Ultra streamer. And yet, though the Vibelink almost seems destined to be paired with the Ultra, its use of the same high-quality DAC might be seen as a downside. Both the Ultra and Vibelink use WiiM’s best DAC, based on the ES9038Q2M chip. So if you buy the stack, you’re paying for the DAC twice, even though you will only use it in one device or the other. To get the best bang for your buck, you’d be better off pairing the Vibelink Amp with the WiiM Pro ($149) or WiiM Mini ($89), and using digital outputs to connect to the Vibelink. Or, if you already have the WiiM Ultra streamer, you could pair it with something like the FX-Audio L07 Integrated Amplifier, which is just as powerful as the Vibelink, but costs $100 less because it doesn’t have a DAC. These combinations avoid the double-DAC purchase of the Ultra/Vibelink stack, and could save you up to $200. But, alas, none of those combos looks nearly as nice as the Ultra/Vibelink stack.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.