This is how the WiiM leaps ahead of the competition with 24/192 and AirPlay 2 support. The A97 has a more powerful processor (dual core instead of single core), double the memory (128MB), dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4- and 5GHz), and hardware security features. The Andover Songbird uses Linkplay’s A31 module. Instead, it built the equivalent of its A97 module onto a printed circuit board assembly. The WiiM Mini, a black puck measuring 2.7 inches in diameter, is so small that Linkplay could not fit one of its off-the-shelf modules.

(After a recent update, the resolution also displays in the WiiM app during playback.) With the first notes of Bill Evans’ “Stella by Starlight,” from At Shelly’s Manne-Hole on Qobuz, a blue light emerged from my Chord DAC connected to the WiiM, confirming the track’s 192kHz resolution. In late May, bit-perfect AirPlay 2 arrived at CD quality. WiiM added bit-perfect 24/192 and gapless playback via its Toslink output in February: It delivers digital signals up to that resolution exactly how they’re received. The Songbird uses a previous-generation Linkplay module that supports up to 24-bit/192kHz streaming, yet downsamples all higher-resolution signals to CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz through its Toslink optical output, as is typical of most low-cost streamers. Linkplay’s hardware and app are also built into a Yamaha soundbar, Harman and JBL Alexa-enabled speakers, and some Marshall Wi-Fi speakers. Linkplay Technology is an unfamiliar name whose modules are found in more familiar low-cost streamers, including the Andover Songbird and Audioengine B-Fi as well as lesser-known models from Arylic, Taga Harmony, and Hall Audio.

The WiiM Mini music streamer is equipped with 3.5mm analog AUX inputs and outputs, an optical Toslink digital output, and a USB-C port for power.

Amazon music mini player