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Is This Affordable Hi-Fi Speaker the Next Great Sonos Rival?

It’s designed to help you create an elite multi-room sound system, but not cost quite as much.

Close-up of a white smart speaker with mesh fabric exterior and touch controls on top against a blue background.WiiM
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By Tucker Bowe

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Less than two months ago, WiiM introduced its first smart speaker, the WiiM Sound, which costs $299 and is basically a rival to Apple’s larger HomePod ($299) and Sonos’s entry-level speaker, the Era 100 ($219).

Now, the California-based hi-fi company is introducing a more affordable version of that speaker in the WiiM Sound Lite.

WiiM Sound Lite

Black cylindrical smart speaker with fabric cover and yellow top on a gray table.
The WiiM Sound Lite is the same speaker as the WiiM Sound, but with a more minimal design and a lower price.
WiiM

A smart, but stripped down speaker

The WiiM Sound Lite is essentially the same speaker as the WiiM Sound— it’s the same size and promises the same acoustic performance — but has a more minimalist design.

Most notably, the WiiM Sound Lite lacks the charming color touchscreen on its front, which is used to display things like album artwork and playlists while the speaker is playing. Also, it doesn’t ship with the WiiM’s voice remote, which is now sold separately.

Top view of a black smart speaker with mesh fabric sides and touch controls including volume, play, and skip buttons.
The playback controls on the top panel of the WiiM Sound Lite.
WiiM

Aside from those two differences, the WiiM Sound Lite is identical to the WiiM Sound. It features the same divers, pairing a custom 4-inch long-throw woofer with dual 1-inch silk-dome tweeters, and outputs the same 100 watts of power.

And the speaker can be configured with a voice assistant. It’s compatible with either Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant.

White cylindrical smart speaker with mesh grille covering and rounded top edges.
Despite what some of the pictures show, the WiiM Sound Lite isn’t portable and requires constant power.
WiiM

Like its prettier predecessor, the WiiM Sound Lite can be used in a stereo pair or grouped in a larger multi-room system with WiiM’s other speakers, wireless streamers or streaming amplifiers. It can even function as a center channel or rear satellite speaker in a WiiM home theater setup.

Obviously, the WiiM Sound Lite is positioned as a more affordable option than WiiM Sound, designed for people who don’t need (or want) the fancy touchscreen on the front of the speaker.

White cylindrical smart speaker with fabric cover on a reflective dark marble table next to an open book.
The WiiM Sound Lite comes in the same black or white finishes as the WiiM Sound.
WiiM

Price and availability

The WiiM Sound Lite is $70 less expensive than the WiiM Sound and comes in the same black or white finishes. It costs $229.

It’ll be available for purchase starting on Christmas Day.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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