Look at this thing — the Wiim Vibelink amp is the same size and only slightly heavier than the Mac mini, and it only costs $300.
All that, and it's got 100W of power on tap, so that you can power super-demanding speakers and subwoofers without it breaking a sweat. It's an absolute marvel, and I absolutely adore my unit and the place it now has in the house as a compact music unit.
I also think, thanks to its relatively affordable price, decent array of inputs, and speaker-blowing power, that it also happens to be one of the best ways to get into HiFi and stereo in 2025. I've been testing the Wiim Vibelink Amp for the last few months, and here are my findings.
Compact box of tricks
Even down to the box that the Vibelink comes in, you can see the design inspiration for the little amp. The metal frame's shape and size are very much modelled around the previous generation Mac mini, and it makes the amp look simple, and I think pretty cool as well.
I love the knob on the front for the volume, and it feels lovely under the finger as well. It spins with a nice, smooth resistance and provides plenty of feedback to ensure it has a satisfying feel. This is your only way to control the volume as well — there's no remote control in the box.
The only other control you'll find on the front is the source select. Click the button, and you cycle through the various inputs on the back of the device. Simple, effective, and easy to use. No settings to play with here, just the amp and the inputs. Where's the power button? It's on the back, above the power connector.
All the inputs you need
There are a grand total of three inputs on the back of the amp — an RCA connector, a coax connector, and an optical port. That's what you'll likely use to connect to a streaming device like the Wiim Ultra, which would also give you more potential inputs, including a phono, something lacking from the device itself.
There aren't that many plugs on the back, but then it gives you pretty much everything you need to get playing some music. Just plug an aux cable into the RCA connector, a dongle into your phone, and you're away. If you want to plug in one of the best turntables, make sure you either buy one with a built-in pre-amp (like the excellent Rega Planar 1 Plus), or get a separate model.
Phenominal sonic power (in an itty bitty living space)
Most small amps tend to top out at around 30 watts. That's enough to power most bookshelf speakers, and plenty for smaller applications. "No," says the Wiim Vibelink. "I want to power all of the speakers."
The Vibelink has 100W of output, so there's plenty of power available for even very large floorstanding speakers. That also means there's more juice for better sound at lower volumes for less power-hungry speakers — think better, smoother bass response, wider mids, and, you guessed it, better highs.
The result is a small amp that plays much harder than its size and price would suggest. I've tested more expensive products that don't manage the same sound quality at lower volumes, so it's nice to see something like this be so cheap.
That means, however, that you'll want to be careful with the vibelink. If you've got 4-ohm speakers that don't need loads of power to run, then you'll almost certainly blow them if you turn the amp up too high. Restraint with the volume control is key.
The sound quality of the Vibelink will depend partly on the speakers that you plug in, as you might expect. Thanks to the power, it allows most speakers to sing at their best, and it presents a fairly neutral tone for the speaker to work with.
That means good detail, great mids, and solid low-end. It's not going to hold a candle to multiple thousand-dollar amps, but pair it with some solid, inexpensive bookshelf speakers and you've a setup that's going to show the Sonos Era 300 the door.
$300 compromises
Look, when something costs as comparatively few dollars as this, there are going to be some compromises. It's very much designed to work with the Wiim Ultra, like I said above, because that fills some holes that amp alone is unable to fill.
A lack of inputs and sub out for one are both solved by a Wiim Ultra. If you're willing to shell out another $329, that's not much of a problem, but it is if you don't want to spend much extra or if you've already got a streamer.
It also has a habit of getting a bit toasty during use, although this is a 'problem' with just about any amplifier you'll lay your hands on. They get warm.
All of these problems are very easy to forget when you consider the price. Toss in some $100 speakers or something second-hand, a $10 aux cable, and you've the beginnings of a very capable stereo system indeed.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
