With the Sound vary, it’s secure to say WiiM has entered the wi-fi speaker market swinging. Not solely has it launched the extra audiophile-baiting WiiM Sound, but it surely concurrently launched a less expensive model, the WiiM Sound Lite. Given each are multi-room audio system with an unabashedly mid-market value, it’s fairly clear it’s gunning for Sonos with these gadgets. I couldn’t resist seeing how they stack up in opposition to their closest rival: the Sonos Era 100.
As you could have seen, I’ve already in contrast the complete model of the Lite to Sonos’s speaker in my WiiM Sound vs Sonos Era 100 piece. And whilst you would possibly assume this comparability goes to be extra of the identical, it’s price making an allowance for that the Lite is sort of a special proposition.
Priced at $229 / £229 / AU$399, the Lite is much closer in cost to the Sonos Era 100’s $219 / £199 / AU$319 than the full WiiM Sound’s $299 / £299 / AU$499 list price. And while it’s had quite a bit of its price slashed, it hasn’t lost a whole lot of functionality to get there, making the Lite a much more nimble opponent for the Era 100 and a credible contender for a spot on our list of the best wireless speakers.
WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: features
Just like the WiiM Sound, the Sound Lite packs a 4-inch, 50W woofer for driving bass and a pair of angled, full-range 25W tweeters to broaden its stereo field. Meanwhile, the Sonos Era 100 is comparable, containing a mid-woofer for each mid-range and bass and two angled tweeters, solely this time with a waveguide body to disperse sound throughout 180 levels per tweeter.
Refreshingly, regardless of costing much less, the Sound Lite gives connectivity as wonderful because the full-fat Sound, and that features its hi-res 24-bit/192kHz playback. It can even connect with WiiM, Google Cast, and Alexa multi-room methods, in addition to stream instantly from a wide selection of companies, together with Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, TIDAL, Qobuz, Deezer, Napster, Pandora, Plex, SoundCloud, and extra. On high of this, it gives a 3.5mm jack enter, which is all the time helpful in case you’re prone to wish to hook it as much as exterior audio package.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch, and in case you’re closely invested in Apple’s ecosystem, it might be too massive so that you can overlook. The Sound Lite doesn’t help Apple Music or AirPlay 2, that means you received’t have the ability to join your iPhone or MacE book to the speaker by way of Wi-Fi. If you’re an Apple fan, you would possibly discover {that a} speaker just like the Sonos Era 100 provides you much more flexibility.
On high of AirPlay 2, the Era 100 gives entry to all of the streaming companies above and throws Apple Music help in for good measure. There are a number of trade-offs right here, too, although. While the Sonos is able to lossless playback at 24-bit/48kHz, you received’t get the identical super-high-quality because the WiiM, although it’s price noting there’s debate round how a lot this further high quality is even discernible. And, regrettably, an analog in can be absent, though you should purchase an extra adapter to transform the Era 100’s USB port into both a 3.5mm jack or an Ethernet port.
Of course, each audio system include extra performance packaged into their apps. Each app gives multi-room connectivity and the flexibility to hook them up as a part of a stereo pair.
EQ is dealt with a little bit in another way by every model. Sonos gives treble and bass adjustment and automated loudness correction for elevated bass at decrease volumes. Conversely, WiiM gives far more granular management: not solely does it include a 10-band EQ, however its parametric EQ helps you to create curves to spice up or duck frequencies all through the entire spectrum, which is critically spectacular. I examined it out in a fairly echoey room and was actually blown away by how straightforward it was to clean out errant frequencies this manner.
Finally, each audio system supply room correction algorithms. The technique of the Era 100’s superior tuning mode entails pinwheeling your cellphone along with your arm whilst you stroll across the room, but it surely achieves fairly credible outcomes. Testing it close to a wall, I discovered it introduced the excessive finish extra into focus and made the general sound extra cohesive. It additionally did a formidable job of taming the outrageously resonant bass after I positioned the speaker in the course of an acoustically reflective laminate flooring.
Although I gave the WiiM Sound a tough time for its room correction, it appears to have been tightened up for the Sound Lite in a latest replace. It might not be a sonic silver bullet, but it surely does appear to go a little bit additional, sometimes boosting weaker frequencies slightly than simply trimming extreme ones again. Close to a wall, it sheared off among the wooliness in its decrease frequencies, whereas in the course of the ground, it helped whip the overly doughy kick into form. It’s not fairly as subtle as Sonos’s algorithm, but it surely a minimum of provides the sound some much-needed spit and polish.
Honestly, with among the latest enhancements to WiiM’s characteristic set, this isn’t as massive a sweep for Sonos because it was after I examined the Sound. Honestly, in case you’re an Apple person or room correction is your greatest precedence, the Era 100 is your greatest guess. But that hi-res playback and parametric EQ implies that audiophiles would possibly now discover the Sound Lite takes the higher hand.
WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: sound quality
You’re very unlikely to get sound quality that’s utterly unimpeachable. Instead, the WiiM Sound Lite and the Sonos Era 100 each have their individual sonic strengths
When I played Listen by Pola & Bryson & goddard., the Sound Lite made its arpeggiated synth sound utterly gorgeous, and there was more than a hint of bass harmonics. However, switching to the Era 100, it became clear what I was missing – not only did the drop of that D&B bassline sound suitably snarly, but there was something delicious dubby about the way that sub bubbled up every couple of bars.
Unfortunately, like a tragic hero, the Era 100’s strength is also its greatest flaw. While listening to Peace Talk by Maribou State, I found that its bass too often encroached on the mid-range – the heft of the guitar and flabbier low-end sometimes overwhelmed the synth and strings. Conversely, the balance the Sound Lite strikes is far more judicious, allowing these melodic elements more time in the spotlight and giving that gorgeous vocal even more gloss.
Nothing shows up a speaker’s sonic weaknesses faster than poorly controlled treble, so I’m glad that neither of these devices lumbered into that bear trap. Playing Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac, the Sound Lite kept the brightness of its high end carefully in check, with the strumming of the guitars and transient hats and snares never feeling over-exposed. The Sonos Era 100 couldn’t quite strike this balance, though, with the guitar feeling less crisp and the toms focusing on heft rather than bite.
Cumulatively, this sonic profile means the Era 100 seems to offer greater cohesion, but sometimes that comes at the expense of precision. For example, when I tested it on Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar, I noticed some instruments were forced to fight for attention. By contrast, the Sound Lite was a lot more airy – the vocals erupted upward in the mix, with the piano subtly underpinning them. It’s not quite the surgically precise separation of a speaker like the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Pro Edition, but it surely’s undoubtedly respectable given its value level.
Perhaps one space the place the Era 100 is extra balanced than the Sound Lite is listening angles. While neither confirmed any egregious deadspots of their soundstage, the WiiM’s treble fell off a lot quicker as I moved to the perimeters of the system, whereas the Sonos was fairly constant up till I strayed into the bassier space on the rear 90 levels of the system.
Conversely, on the subject of stereo subject, I’d give the Sound Lite the slight edge. Playing The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel, I struggled to determine any panning in any respect, with a lot of the sound seeming to emerge instantly from the speaker’s middle. By distinction, the Era 100 doesn’t have the widest soundstage I’ve heard, however I might a minimum of understand a slight unfold to the drum and guitar elements, regardless that there was hardly a gulf between them.
Honestly, it’s onerous to select a transparent winner right here as a result of the most suitable choice for you goes to rely a lot on what you personally need out of a wi-fi speaker. Want spacious mids and thought of expression however aren’t offended by milquetoast bass? Then the Sound Lite is totally a stable selection. But in case your definition of a speaker is one thing bassy and brassy with omnidirectional sound, then the Era 100 will certainly be extra your vibe.
WiiM Sound Lite vs Sonos Era 100: design
Naturally, when it comes to design, the situation here is not all that different from my WiiM Sound vs Sonos Era 100 piece. Not only is the Era 100 the exact same unit, but the Sound Lite has an almost identical form factor as its more premium stablemate.
The one big departure for the Sound Lite is that it doesn’t have the Sound’s porthole-style display. However, while this was a fun addition that helped the Sound stand out a little more, I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker. It’s nice to be able to see album art or photos on your speaker, but the resolution and vibrancy weren’t so eye-wateringly gorgeous that it’s truly unmissable. If your biggest priority is getting the best sonic bang for your buck, the display is probably the easiest thing to let go of.
Elsewhere, the WiiM and the Sonos come from very similar schools of design. Both have a cylindrical build with controls on their top face, and both come in black or white colorways. The Sound Lite has a little more bulk, weighing in at 2.5kg compared to the Era 100’s 2.02kg, and it comes wrapped in fabric rather than the latter’s metal grille. But otherwise, at first glance, they give a similar general impression.
There are some small points of difference in that control scheme, though. Each has the same basic functions laid out on its surface, with touch-capacitive buttons for pausing or playing content, adjusting volume, or skipping back and forth. However, the Sound Lite’s buttons are hidden until it detects your hand nearby, at which point they light up. On top of giving it a slightly classier look when the lights are off, this also means it’s easier to use in darker rooms.
That’s a definite point in the WiiM’s favor. But while its glass top panel gives it a slightly more premium look than the Era 100’s matt black plastic, it also shows up way more marks from your greasy mitts. I only prodded the odd button here and there to test the Sound Lite’s functionality, as I mostly operated it from the connected app, but it quickly resembled a scene from CSI as it got covered in oily fingerprints. Fortunately, it wipes clean pretty easily, but better keep a microfiber cloth handy just in case.
Neither speaker draws the line at physical or app control. The Era 100 comes with built-in voice control via either Sonos Voice Control or Amazon Alexa, which is always an enormous help when you’re feeling too lazy to reach for your phone or the device. The Sound Lite doesn’t offer voice control built into the unit itself, but if you buy its separate WiiM Voice Remote 2 Lite, its push-to-talk button lets you control the device via Alexa or Google Assistant.
While I’m a little disappointed the remote isn’t included in the box as it was for the WiiM Sound, I’d argue it’s still a worthy purchase at $39 / £39 / $79. It’s robustly crafted from aluminum and has wonderfully clicky buttons, making it a great choice for anyone who prefers a more tactile way of interacting with their gadgets than yet another phone app.
Personally, when it comes to design, I just about favor the Sound Lite. Light-up controls can help when you’re operating it in darker rooms, and its fabric-and-glass build looks a skosh classier to me. But I recognize that if you prefer to use voice control for your speaker, the Era 100’s on-device mic is far more convenient than having to fork over additional money for a remote.
WiiM Sound Lite VS Sonos Era 100: verdict
When comparing the full WiiM Sound to the Sonos Era 100, I definitely came down in favor of the latter. So it may seem odd that I’ve changed my tune now I’ve swapped in the supposedly ‘Lite’ version. However, I’d argue the Lite is anything but.
It has the same drivers, the same audio quality, and the same features – plus it’s had a couple of recent quality-of-life updates. The only thing that’s changed is that the display has disappeared, and, as I pointed out in my intro, the price has dropped from $299 / £299 / AU$499 down to $229 / £229 / AU$399. Getting essentially the same performance for a lower price changes the equation for me and brings both speakers much more in line with each other.
In light of this, I’d say the WiiM Sound Lite and Sonos Era 100 are fairly evenly matched, albeit with different strengths. If you’re an audiophile, you’ll likely find the Sound Lite’s hi-res streaming support and more open, expressive sound compelling – not to mention its granular parametric EQ. However, should you be into substantial bass, smarter room correction, or Apple’s ecosystem, I’d say you’ll get a lot more mileage out of the Era 100 instead.
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