This audio all-in-one could be the ultimate streamer – and it's more affordable than we expected

Earlier this year we reported that, alongside a Sonos-like smart speaker, WiiM was going to launch a brand new streaming amp – and now we have all the details, including the price.

The company boasts that its WiiM Amp Ultra is its "most refined streaming amplifier yet". It's a good-looking thing for sure, with a compact (7.9 x 2.9 x 7.9 inches) unibody aluminium chassis and a 3.5-inch glass touchscreen.

It's also very powerful for such a small component, delivering up to 100W per channel at 8 ohms or 200W at 4 ohms.

WiiM Amp Ultra: key features and pricing

The WiiM Amp Ultra is essentially a WiiM Amp Pro and WiiM Ultra combined, and that's no bad thing.

There are multiple high-spec components inside including the 32-bit/384kHz ESS ES9039Q2M SABRE DAC, dual TI TPA3255 Class-D amp chips, and six TI OPA1612 op-amps.

WiiM claims that this results in ultra-low distortion and rich, detailed sound.

The WiiM Amp Ultra also has post-filter feedback technology that’s designed to deliver stable, load-independent performance across all kinds of speakers.

Connectivity is very good too: there's Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, and dual antennas for smooth and reliable streaming whichever wireless protocol you're using.

However, while there's support here for Google Cast, Alexa Cast, DLNA, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect, WiiM has decided not to support Apple's AirPlay 2 in this device.

Thankfully, it's Roon Ready and there's built-in room calibration. Hi-Res Audio is supported at up to 24-bit/192kHz.

Although this is marketed primarily as a music device, it's also well-specified for TV thanks to its HDMI Arc and Dolby Digital decoding. There's a subwoofer output too, if you want even more impact, and the WiiM Amp Ultra and its connected speakers can be set to function as the front or surround speakers in a Dolby 5.1 setup.

The WiiM Amp Ultra is available now for £499 / $529 (about €570 / AU$1,020).