Hands-On With WiiM Sound: Can It Really Rival Sonos and Apple?

WiiM’s first smart speaker is here, but does it have what it takes to rival Sonos and Apple?

FAQS & Tutorials - Updated 30th September 2025

Hands-On With WiiM Sound: Can It Really Rival Sonos and Apple?

Written By

Elliott Peeters-Vanstone

Our First Impressions of WiiM Sound And Why We’re Excited About It

WiiM has done it. After years of building its name on streamers and amps, the California-based brand has finally launched its first-ever wireless speaker.

Going into our hands-on session at UK Hi-Fi Show Live, we had a few big questions about the WiiM Sound. Would the screen on the front actually be useful? Could the fabric design feel as premium as its rivals? And perhaps most importantly, would the £299 price tag make sense in such a competitive market?

After spending some proper time with it in person, its clear WiiM’s first speaker is being positioned as a genuine challenger to the Sonos Era 100 and Apple HomePod, and it shows that WiiM is aiming much higher than anyone expected.

We’ve also shared our first hands-on impressions in the video below, so if you’d rather watch than read, you can dive straight in there. But if you’re here for the full story, let’s break down exactly why this launch matters...

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WiiM Steps Into the Speaker Game

If you’re not familiar with WiiM, the brand has quietly become one of the most talked-about names in affordable hi-fi over the last few years. Its streamers and amplifiers are loved for their excellent hi-res audio support, seamless multi-room playback, and a genuinely brilliant app that makes controlling your system feel effortless.

Until now, though, aside from collaborations with other brands like Audio Pro, WiiM has left the speaker side of things to other brands. The WiiM Sound marks a bold shift in strategy.

This isn’t a small side project; it’s a direct challenge to some of the most popular smart wireless speakers on the market, and a clear sign WiiM wants a slice of the multi-room audio space too.

With a price point that goes head-to-head with Apple’s HomePod and a feature set designed to compete directly with something like the Sonos Era 100, WiiM isn’t just entering the wireless speaker space, it’s coming in swinging.

Tech Specs at a Glance:

Connectivity:	Wi-Fi 6E \| Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC, AAC, LD3) \| Ethernet \| 3.5mm Aux
Sound Performance:	35 Hz - 20 kHz, 100W total output
Streaming Platforms:	Chromecast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, DLNA, LMS
Multi-Room Audio:	WiiM \| Google Cast \| Alexa Multi-Room
Dimensions:	5.7” x 5.7” x 7.5” (146 x 146 x 193mm)
Weight:	5.5lbs (2.5 kg)

WiiM Sound: Design & Build

At first glance, the WiiM Sound doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and that’s not a bad thing. The overall shape and size immediately bring Apple’s HomePod to mind, though WiiM’s speaker stands slightly taller and has a bit more presence on a shelf or desk. It’s also noticeably larger than the Sonos Era 100 too.

The speaker comes in two finishes, black and white, and is wrapped in a woven fabric exterior. Admittedly we were a little sceptical about this choice at first. Fabric finishes can sometimes feel a bit cheap or lack the premium feel of more traditional materials. But in person, this one’s solid, tightly woven and much more high-end than expected.

On top, there’s a smooth, touch-sensitive panel for volume and playback controls, but the real talking point is on the front. WiiM has built in a 1.8-inch high-resolution touchscreen, and it’s more than just a gimmick. Like many others, we questioned its purpose when we first saw the press shots. Why not put that money into sound components instead? But in use, it’s genuinely useful.

The screen lets you quickly access your library, switch inputs, tweak EQ settings and browse presets, all with a swipe. You’ll also see album artwork and playback info at a glance, and the whole experience feels intuitive, more like navigating a smartwatch than a speaker. It’s a clever feature that gives the WiiM Sound a personality of its own and sets it apart from anything else in this price range.

Overall, this feels like a confident first attempt from WiiM. The build quality is solid, the design is understated yet premium, and that touchscreen adds an extra layer of usability that you quickly start to appreciate once you’ve lived with it.

WiiM Sound: Price & Positioning

The WiiM Sound is expected to launch in October 2025 with a price of £299, which puts it right up against Apple’s HomePod and around £100 more than the Sonos Era 100.

On paper, that’s a bold move for WiiM’s first-ever speaker. Matching Apple and coming in above Sonos is a statement of intent, but it also shows that WiiM is confident in what it’s built here.

At first glance, the price might feel high, but when you look at the feature set and overall flexibility, the value starts to become clear. This isn’t just a speaker for casual listening. WiiM has packed in premium components, high-end features and some genuinely unique functionality that helps it stand out in a competitive space.

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WiiM Sound: Features & Connectivity

Inside, the WiiM Sound packs 100 watts of power driven by a 4-inch woofer and dual tweeters, giving it plenty of punch for a speaker of this size. It supports hi-res audio up to 24-bit/192kHz and works with more than 20 music streaming services, including the newly added YouTube Music.

Wireless connectivity is equally strong, with support for Chromecast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and Alexa Cast, along with voice control via Alexa or Google Assistant. It’s worth noting there are no built-in microphones, so you’ll need to use an external device like your phone or a smart speaker to use voice commands.

One big question many of us had going into this launch was around AirPlay 2. It was missing from WiiM’s most recent devices like the Ultra and Amp Pro, and unfortunately, the WiiM Sound is currently not AirPlay 2 certified either (or at least the samples we’ve seen so far aren’t). It’s something we’re hopeful could change in the future, but for now, it’s worth keeping in mind as it could be a deal-breaker for some users.

The WiiM Home app is another big selling point. It’s one of the most user-friendly platforms around for multi-room audio, EQ adjustments and managing presets. It’s also where you’ll find RoomFit, WiiM’s room optimisation software, which analyses your space and automatically tunes the speaker’s performance to suit your environment.

When you look at everything on offer, £299 starts to feel like good value. The feature set is broader than most rivals, the connectivity options are excellent, and that touchscreen adds a layer of functionality you rarely see at this price.

WiiM Sound Lite: A More Affordable Option Coming Soon

WiiM isn’t stopping with just one speaker. Alongside the launch of the WiiM Sound, the brand has confirmed a second model called the WiiM Sound Lite. It’s designed to offer the same core audio performance but without the touchscreen, giving buyers a more affordable way to join the WiiM ecosystem.

We don’t have a confirmed price yet, but WiiM has hinted that it will sit below £299 likely to target competitors like the Sonos Era 100. That makes the Lite an intriguing alternative if you’re less interested in the smart display or simply want the best sound quality possible for less money.

It’s a clever move that will broaden WiiM’s line-up and gives users more choice, whether they’re looking for a fully-featured flagship or something simpler and more affordable.

WiiM Sound: Sound Performance (Our Early Impressions)

So what about the sound? Well, from what we’ve heard so far, it delivers a performance that’s bigger and more dynamic than you’d expect for its size.

Early impressions are really promising. The speaker sounds big and bassy, with plenty of weight in the low end and a nice sense of clarity and separation through the mids and highs.

It’s worth noting that we were listening to a pre-production unit, but we’ve been told this is very close to what customers will experience out of the box. And based on what we’ve heard so far, that’s good news. It’s a confident, well-balanced sound profile that we can't wait to do some more testing with.

The inclusion of RoomFit, WiiM’s room optimisation software, is another big plus. It automatically analyses your space and fine-tunes the speaker’s sound to suit it, helping deliver a more consistent performance no matter where you place it in the room.

We’ll still need more time for critical listening before giving a final verdict, but from what we’ve heard so far, the WiiM Sound feels like a strong performer for the money, and one that could hold its own against the competition.

WiiM Sound: Home Cinema and Multi-Room Potential

The WiiM Sound isn’t just another smart speaker for streaming music. One of the biggest takeaways from our hands-on time is just how versatile this speaker can be when it comes to home cinema and multi-room setups.

Thanks to updates coming to the WiiM Home app, you’ll be able to integrate the WiiM Sound into a full 5.1 surround sound system. For example, we’ve already seen a setup where a WiiM Ultra powers a pair of front passive speakers, a WiiM Sound is used as the centre channel, and another Ultra powers the rear channels.

It’s a clever approach that means you can combine the WiiM Sound with existing speakers you already own and love, rather than having to replace your whole system.

Alternatively, you could go all-in on WiiM’s ecosystem by using multiple WiiM Sound speakers together. Imagine having one as the centre channel, two more as your left and right fronts, and another pair as the rear surrounds.

Add in the new WiiM Sub Pro for extra low-end punch, and you’ve got a complete surround system built entirely within the WiiM family.

What makes this even more impressive is how RoomFit ties into the experience. The software doesn’t just optimise the sound for a single space. It can also recognise and remember different setups and applications.

That means you could have one preset for your WiiM Sound as a standalone speaker in the kitchen, and another for when it’s part of a 5.1 setup in your home cinema. It’s smart, flexible and shows how much thought WiiM has put into making this system adaptable.

Our Verdict: Does WiiM Mean Business?

After spending some proper hands-on time with the WiiM Sound, our early impressions are positive. WiiM has built a strong reputation for its streaming hardware and amps, but this first step into the wireless speaker space suggests the brand is ready to compete with some of the biggest names in the game.

From the premium design and useful touchscreen to the extensive feature set and flexible ecosystem, the WiiM Sound feels like much more than just another connected speaker. The performance is bigger and more capable than we expected, the connectivity options are wide-ranging, and the potential for multi-room and home cinema setups is genuinely exciting.

There are still a few question marks to keep in mind. The lack of built-in microphones might be a drawback for some, and the absence of AirPlay 2 certification could be a sticking point for Apple users if it doesn’t arrive down the line. And of course, we’ve only had limited time with a pre-production unit, so we’ll need to spend more time testing before we draw any firm conclusions on sound quality.

For now, though, the WiiM Sound looks like a very promising start. It’s premium, powerful and impressively versatile, and if these first impressions carry through to the final product, WiiM could have a serious contender on its hands. It might not dethrone the likes of Sonos or Apple overnight, but it's definitely one to keep on your radar.

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Hands-On With WiiM Sound: Can It Really Rival Sonos and Apple?

WiiM’s first smart speaker is here, but does it have what it takes to rival Sonos and Apple?