For much of the last decade, Sonos has defined wireless multi-room audio. The company’s easy and intuitive software helped it grow its business from a few small speakers and hi-fi add-ons to a behemoth with multiple soundbars, subwoofers, portable outdoor speakers, and even a pretty fantastic set of noise-cancelling headphones. Then, in 2024, disaster.
A botched software redesign rendered some people’s Sonos systems nearly useless, while many more complained of missing or broken features, usability concerns, and general instability.
More than a year later, things are much better, with Sonos even agreeing that its speakers now sound better following a firmware update, but the fiasco has still not been entirely resolved. Trust in Sonos as a company is far lower, leading many Sonos faithful to look at alternatives.
Instead of switching to similarly priced offerings from Bose, Denon, and Bluesound, disenchanted Sonos owners have taken notice of WiiM, a comparatively tiny brand with two big advantages: an app that reminds people of Sonos in its heyday, alongside hardware prices that seem impossibly low.
WiiM still has a ways to go before it can duplicate Sonos’ broad offering, but given its pace, now’s a great time to compare the two platforms and see if you should switch – or perhaps begin your multi-room journey with WiiM instead.
Sonos vs WiiM: Hardware
Since the best wireless speakers (ie. those with Wi-Fi support baked in) are the cornerstone of most multi-room systems, let’s get one big obvious difference out of the way: WiiM doesn’t make wireless speakers. Yet.
That’s about to change. WiiM has announced its first wireless speaker, the WiiM Sound, which is expected to launch in the fall of 2025 – and it honestly looks a lot like the HomePod ‘hub’ with screen tipped for a 2025 release that still hasn’t materialised. In the meantime, a partnership with Swedish audio firm AudioPro has created two WiiM-compatible speakers: the WiiM Edition AudioPro A10 MKII and the excellent Audio Pro C10MK II (which you can read more about in our full-fat Audio Pro C10MK II review).
But for the most part, WiiM’s device lineup is made up of network music streamers. Some, like the WiiM Mini, sell for just $99 and need to be connected to an external amplifier and speakers. Others, like the WiiM Amp ($299), combine streaming, amplification, and an HDMI input, turning them into full-fledged audio receivers — you only need to add your own speakers.
Virtually all of these devices have been met with very positive feedback from buyers and professional reviewers alike. And it’s hard to ignore their prices. In terms of sheer functionality, there’s little difference between the $99 WiiM Mini and the $449 Sonos Port, or between the $299 WiiM Amp and the $699 Sonos Amp.
Another thing that’s hard to ignore: all of WiiM’s devices not only provide Bluetooth connectivity (something Sonos has only adopted on its newest products), but they’re two-way as opposed to receive-only. This gives WiiM products the ability to stream to wireless headphones, something Sonos can only do when you combine its Sonos Ace headphones with one of its Dolby Atmos soundbars.
WiiM sells a wireless subwoofer – the recently introduced WiiM Sub Pro – but in a seeming case of putting the cart before the horse, there aren’t any WiiM soundbars (again, yet). Sonos, on the other hand, does it all, from speakers to subwoofers to soundbars, and as we mentioned in the intro, even headphones.
And despite its ongoing software woes, Sonos’ hardware has typically been met with unbridled enthusiasm. Its current entry-level speaker, the $199 Sonos Era 100, doubles as an Alexa-powered smart speaker, works with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and can be connected to external analog sources like turntables or TVs.
The step-up Era 300 ($449) does all of that and is one of the few non-soundbar speakers that can play Dolby Atmos Music. Its Move 2 and Roam 2 portables work as Bluetooth speakers when on the go and then transition back to Wi-Fi when you’re home. And its flagship soundbar, the $999 Arc Ultra, thanks to Sonos’ built-in expandability, is simultaneously one of the best single-speaker and multi-speaker home theater products you can buy.
It’s a hardware ecosystem that arguably has no equals, at any price.
Sonos vs WiiM: Software
As impressive as Sonos’ speaker lineup is, plenty of other wireless audio choices exist. In fact, it’s hard to name an audio brand that doesn’t have wireless options. What has always allowed Sonos to differentiate itself from these alternatives is its software.
Until 2024, the Sonos app was miles ahead of the competition. It took all the headaches out of setting up a new speaker (including room calibration), it gave quick and easy management of all the Sonos components in your home (including device grouping), and it had an exceptional universal search capability. Handy extras like alarms and sleep timers expanded what you could do with your speakers.
From the beginning, Sonos provided easy access to your personal music collection, whether it lived on a network storage device or embedded into an iTunes library on a laptop. But Sonos also struck deals with every major streaming music service (and dozens of minor ones), letting it integrate their music catalogs directly into the Sonos app. Want to create a playlist with songs from your personal library and Spotify? Sonos lets you do that. Want to skip between an internet radio station and your current Audible audiobook? You didn’t need to leave the Sonos app.
Apple device owners could also opt not to use the app, as most Sonos devices support Apple AirPlay, which lets you stream directly from any audio app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
In short, there was almost nothing you couldn’t do via Sonos’ highly intuitive software.
Since 2024’s infamous app update, that’s all still true in theory. In practice, the app still isn’t as responsive or reliable as it should be, and the redesigned user interface is much less intuitive. Instead of the previous, tab-based layout, which provided dedicated spots for the most commonly used functions (like devices and search), there’s now a semi-customizable, rows-of-icons home screen with a heavy focus on content. Search and devices must be accessed via drop-down or pull-up menus.
The one major improvement to Sonos’ software architecture is the addition of a web-based interface. Even if you have more than one Sonos system, you can manage all of them from one console.
In many ways, WiiM’s software is a throwback to pre-2024 Sonos. You’ll find nearly every feature has been duplicated, including quick setup, room calibration, device grouping, universal search, alarms and timers, and native support for both personal libraries and streaming music services.
The WiiM Home app uses tabs just like the previous version of the Sonos app, with activities like accessing favorites, browsing music, managing your devices, and searching organized into discrete pages. Want to flip back and forth between searching and browsing for music? One tap is all you need.
It’s not just the layout and menus that will feel instantly recognizable to longtime Sonos users. The WiiM Home’s snappy performance is like a breath of fresh air, compared to the sluggishness of the new Sonos app.
Sonos vs. Wiim: Music sources
I don’t know how many Sonos owners routinely listen to multiple music streaming services, but it’s nice knowing that with support for over 130 services, no matter where you get your tunes, it can be added to the Sonos app.
Sonos also remains one of the very few multi-room audio companies that has permission to embed Apple Music into its software. This is vital for Apple device owners who want to experience lossless and/or hi-res playback on their Sonos speakers.
On most wireless speakers, Apple requires you to stream directly from the Apple Music app via AirPlay 2, which doesn’t support lossless or hi-res playback. The only other way to do it is on an Android device (assuming your speaker supports Google Cast.)
With 21 compatible services, WiiM’s native music integration can’t compete with Sonos. Still, of all the major players, only Apple Music isn’t on that list – but of course, that’s a big issue for Apple Music subscribers.
Sonos vs. WiiM: Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, and ‘Connect’ apps
Since we just covered the differences in how Sonos and WiiM handle Apple Music, here’s a quick caveat about Apple AirPlay on WiiM devices: some support it, while others don’t.
We don’t know why, but WiiM’s first four devices (Mini, Pro, Pro Plus, and Amp) all included support for Apple AirPlay, while its three newest devices (Amp Pro, Ultra, and Amp Ultra) lack this feature. WiiM hasn’t provided any guidance on the future of AirPlay support.
What does this mean? Given the lack of native Apple Music support within the WiiM Home app, unless you want to use Bluetooth, the only way to stream Apple Music from an iPhone to a WiiM device is to buy one of Wiim’s older models or one of the WiiM Edition Audio Pro speakers.
Every Sonos (and Sonos-compatible) speaker and component made since 2017’s Sonos One supports AirPlay.
On the flip side, none of Sonos’ products work with Google Cast, making ad-hoc streaming from an Android audio app difficult or impossible, whereas Google Cast is supported on all WiiM devices.
Similarly, Tidal Connect works on WiiM but not Sonos, and the same is true of Qobuz Connect. Spotify Connect works on both platforms, even with the free subscription tier.
Thanks to Sonos’ massive number of natively supported music services, its lack of compatibility with Google Cast and Connect-enabled apps might not impact you, unless you’re focused on getting the highest resolution possible.
For instance, Tidal subscribers can access hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz. But Sonos’ native Tidal integration is limited to CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz). Without alternatives like Google Cast or Tidal Connect, this limitation can’t be avoided.
Sonos vs. WiiM: Advanced audio settings
If there’s one area where WiiM solidly eclipses Sonos, it’s the platform’s support for audio formats and EQ.
Sonos is compatible with major lossy and lossless audio codecs, but only up to a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48kHz. The Arc, Arc Ultra, Beam Gen 2, and Era 300 also support Dolby Atmos Music.
For tuning, each Sonos component has a bass and treble adjustment, along with an optional loudness mode. For those who aren’t interested in deeper tweaks, this is likely more than enough control.
WiiM, by contrast, has a huge range of adjustments. Except for Dolby Atmos Music, it supports all of the same formats as Sonos, and can also handle DSD files (albeit non-natively). It can decode these files/streams at up to 24-bit/192kHz, giving audiophiles a level of hi-res playback that Sonos can’t match.
Within the settings for devices like the WiiM Pro music streamer and Pro Plus, you can define the maximum resolutions for both the digital inputs and outputs – a handy feature that ensures your upstream and downstream equipment gets the best possible signal.
WiiM also lets you choose between three kinds of equalization: 24 EQ presets, a manual 10-band graphic equalizer, or, for those who are comfortable altering their EQ Q values, there’s also a 10-band parametric equalizer.
If you’re a fan of Roon’s subscription-based music management and streaming software, Wiim is a much better choice – all of its devices are Roon certified except the Wiim Mini. While some Sonos devices have been tested to work with Roon, Sonos doesn’t officially support the platform.
Sonos vs Wiim: Should you switch?
If you’re a longtime Sonos user, with multiple speakers and devices throughout your home, you’ve likely invested thousands of dollars in your system. If you’re also a power user, you’ve probably invested a lot of time too, creating custom playlists, setting up alarms, and adding multiple streaming services. In short, you would have to be really unhappy with the Sonos app to make switching feel worthwhile.
Even then, you’d have to make a lot of compromises. With no WiiM soundbars or speakers (either fixed or portable), you’re looking at replacing your Sonos speakers with AudioPro’s two WiiM Edition models, and/or WiiM’s streaming amps with a set of passive wired speakers.
If this sounds like you, my advice is to stay the course. The Sonos app still isn’t as stable or easy to use as it was before the redesign, but it’s leagues better than it was when the company launched it. And since Sonos has every incentive to keep improving it, I have every reason to believe it will.
However, if your Sonos setup is simple – perhaps a couple of Sonos Ones and a Sonos Port – and you’re frustrated by both the app and the technical limitations of the platform, now’s a good time to think of moving to WiiM. You can probably get a good price for your Sonos gear on Facebook Marketplace or elsewhere, which will help to offset the cost of the new WiiM devices. Just remember that if Apple AirPlay matters, you’ll need to select your WiiM products carefully.
Finally, if you’re new to streaming and wireless multi-room, you owe it to yourself to check out WiiM before jumping on the Sonos train. Existing hi-fi owners will love WiiM’s expansive technical feature set and its ease of use. Those just starting to assemble a home audio system will appreciate WiiM’s lower cost of entry, making it an attractive alternative to Sonos.
WiiM’s device lineup is tiny compared to Sonos’, but my gut tells me it won’t stay this way for long. The WiiM Sub Pro is here, the WiiM Sound is almost here, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that the company will eventually mirror Sonos’ entire lineup.
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