Tomorrow, Wiim is set to unveil its first wireless speaker, the Wiim Sound. Sporting a design reminiscent of Apple’s HomePod, it features a cylindrical shape clad in a fabric grille and is equipped with a touch control panel. However, the standout element is its built-in, 1.8-inch circular touchscreen, which offers high-resolution album displays and controls similar to those seen on the Wiim Ultra, the company's top-tier network music streamer.
As with Wiim's other products, the Wiim Sound is engineered to integrate smoothly within the affordable Wiim ecosystem, giving existing Sonos users an additional incentive to make the switch.
The Wiim Sound will have its debut at High End Munich 2025, an audio exhibition focused on audiophiles in Germany. Pricing details and specific availability haven't been disclosed yet, but the company has indicated it will launch in “Q3 2025 on Amazon and selected retailers,” and it will initially be available only in black.
Another Step Toward a Genuine Sonos Alternative
While the Wiim Sound is the latest addition, it isn't the company’s first foray into wireless speakers. Earlier in 2025, Wiim partnered with the Swedish brand Audio Pro to create Wiim Edition versions of their A10 Mk II and C10 Mk II wireless speakers. These can be discovered and controlled directly through the Wiim Home app. Nonetheless, the Wiim Sound represents a significant step forward for the company as it works toward building an ecosystem of self-designed products that can directly compete with Sonos.
It’s easy to speculate that Wiim will expand its offerings further, potentially entering other categories such as soundbars, Bluetooth speakers, and perhaps even headphones.
Between the HomePod and Era 100
The Wiim Sound’s dimensions place it between Apple’s HomePod and the Sonos Era 100, measuring 5.7 x 5.7 inches in footprint and standing 7.5 inches tall, slightly more than the Era 100 (7.18 inches). The addition of the circular touchscreen might reignite discussions about Apple's rumored next HomePod, which is speculated to feature a display.
In terms of internal components, the Wiim Sound is more aligned with Sonos’ design, incorporating a 4-inch woofer complemented by two balanced-mode radiator (BMR) tweeters. Wiim claims that this setup allows the Sound to reproduce two-channel stereo sound, although true stereo separation could be challenging to achieve. The amplifier configuration is yet to be detailed by Wiim, but they assert that the speaker can deliver a combined power output of 100 watts.
At the base, the speaker includes power ports, a 10/100 Ethernet connection, and a 3.5mm input jack. It supports wireless connectivity via both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Although labeled as a smart speaker, the lack of a built-in microphone and a native voice assistant might limit that classification. Nevertheless, it can serve as an Amazon Alexa device through the provided voice remote, which resembles a modified version of Siri’s remote and is called the Wiim Voice Remote 2. It is also compatible with Google Assistant, responding to commands from Assistant-enabled smartphones or devices.
The Wiim Sound boasts an impressive range of streaming and EQ features, which include:
- Hi-res audio support up to 24-bit/192 kHz
- Chromecast (Google Cast), Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, DLNA, or Alexa Cast
- 24 preset EQ profiles, a 10-band graphic equalizer, and an optional parametric EQ interface
- Room correction capabilities via a smartphone running the Wiim Home app
Users can manage the Wiim Sound within a larger multiroom audio setup through the Wiim Home app. This functionality allows for grouping the Sound with other Wiim components for synchronized playback, and even stereo pairing two Wiim Sounds. Additionally, a single Wiim Sound can function as a center channel speaker, and two can be configured for surround sound in a 5.1 setup, provided the audio source is a 5.1 mix either from a personal library or a TV connected to one of Wiim’s HDMI-ARC compatible devices (Wiim Ultra, Wiim Amp, Wiim Amp Pro).
Still Lacking AirPlay
For reasons known only to Wiim and Apple, the Wiim Sound is the third streaming product from the company to launch without support for Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol. When the Wiim Ultra was first introduced without AirPlay capabilities, it was presumed to be a temporary oversight that would be resolved through a firmware update. This correction did not occur, and the recent Wiim Amp Pro also launched without AirPlay.
While AirPlay is a valuable feature for iPhone users, enabling them to stream audio via home Wi-Fi networks from various apps, its demand among Wiim's user base remains ambiguous. Additionally, AirPlay 2 tends to employ lossy compression, which many audiophiles feel is unacceptable. The emergence of streaming apps developing their own versions of AirPlay (like Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect), alongside the availability of Google Cast, diminishes AirPlay’s necessity in many scenarios. Moreover, Bluetooth could serve as an adequate alternative even on iOS when streaming Apple Music through Wiim devices.
