WiiM is expanding its whole-home ecosystem with new speakers

WiiM, the audio company that challenged the idea that audiophile-level performance requires a small loan, is expanding its entire home ecosystem with the WiiM Bar, which Releases in July. Much like the others Speakers and Audio componentsthe WiiM Bar supports a range of streaming options and expandability at an affordable price — in this case, $479.

The company’s first speaker has a 3.0.2 Atmos configuration with a total of eight drivers — three front center speakers, three front tweeters, and two full-range height drivers — paired with four passive radiators. This configuration can be expanded to 3.1.2 with the WiiM add-on Sub Pro for $449, or to a 5.1.2 surround setup by adding two of the company’s wireless devices as well voice or Sound lite Speakers. It’s compatible with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and includes room correction, dialogue enhancement, and night mode.

While most current speaker designs from companies like Sonos, Bose, and Samsung are sleek but simple, the WiiM Bar features a round 2.1-inch touchscreen front and center. The Bar isn’t the first WiiM to include a touchscreen; It can also be found on the WiiM Ultra Streaming Device, the WiiM Amp Ultra Streaming Amplifier, and the WiiM Amplifier. I’m all for having a screen that displays things like volume, playback information, or album art, and I like that it also provides another way to control the speaker. But I rarely find myself near the speaker while listening to it, so I’m not sure how useful this part is. There are also illuminated capacitive buttons to control volume, play, pause, and source switching.

The bar can be integrated into an existing multi-room WiiM system. It can play audio from more than 20 services from within the WiiM Home app, or connect to Google Cast Audio, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect, and Amazon Music Cast. There is also LAN support with DLNA or Roon. One major exception is Apple AirPlay, which has not been supported by any WiiM products since the Amp’s release in November 2023.

Connections include HDMI eARC, optical connections, line-in, Ethernet, and a USB-A port that can be configured as an audio input, audio output, or for media storage. There’s a built-in remote if you prefer that over the app or controls on the speaker.

I fully expect Bar, which will be released in July, to be just the beginning. If WiiM follows its previous strategy, we’ll almost certainly get an escalation option later this year or early next year. But even if we didn’t, the $479 WiiM Bar seems like a very good deal from a company that knows how to make great-sounding products.