Jump to content
  • The Computer Audiophile
    The Computer Audiophile

    Lumin Network Music Player Review

    thumb.jpgPixel Magic's Lumin network music player is really something special. The Lumin simply works great, sounds great, and looks great. Every audio component should at least fall into the "it works" category. Unfortunately when network audio is involved most players have issues. Some network players can't handle gapless playback, others can't handle DSD playback, yet others can't handle files with larger than average embedded album art. The list of issues or deficiencies of network audio players could literally go on for several pages. A search of the Computer Audiophile forum, Linn forum, PS Audio forum, or even Google should give readers an idea of the headaches many users go through with network based audio solutions. Contrary to popular belief the network and player setup part is relatively easy. The hard part is running into issues such as lack of gapless playback and being powerless to fix the issue. Sometimes it's a hardware issue that no amount of firmware updating can fix. Other times firmware can resolve the issue but may cause an unforeseen issue with another aspect of playback. Network audio users know exactly what I'm writing about, whether they want to admit it is another story altogether. The Lumin suffers from none of the common network audio player ills. I streamed high res, low res, medium res, sky-high res, you-name-it res to the Lumin over my network and it simply worked. Gapless DSD? Check. Gapless 24 bit / 192 kHz? Check. No hiccups? Check. Lumin is without a doubt the most polished DLNA network player I've used to date.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

    LUMIN-gallery-5.jpg

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

     

     

     

    Ethernet Data In - Analog Audio Out

     

     

    The Lumin network player is built like a tank. The player begins life as a solid block of aluminum. A CNC machine carves out only what is necessary to fit Lumin's internal components and shape the external aesthetic. The finished product is smaller than photos lead one to believe, but the weight of the Lumin is substantial at nearly eighteen pounds. The external finish is smooth to the touch and without unsightly screws or obvious points of entry into the chassis. It's build quality is what one would expect from a $7,200 high end audio component.

     

    Inside this aluminum fortress the digital and analog circuitry is kept separate by individual compartments. The digital input side of the chassis is literally a computer running a specially tailored embedded Linux operating system. Under a finned aluminum heat sink sits the MIPS core CPU, surrounded by four gigabytes of Single Level Cell (SLC) flash storage and two gigabytes of RAM (based on chip numbers). The system also has a custom high speed FPGA processor. I have a strong suspicion this architecture is why the Lumin works so well. Fast flash storage and enough memory to locally cache large playlists places this unit head and shoulders above many network players. Gapless audio isn't a problem when all the files for the next several tracks are sitting in memory rather than streaming over the network just in time for playback. When operating all processes are stores in RAM as well. On the digital circuit board between the RJ45 Ethernet jack and the Realtek RTL8201CP Ethernet chip is an IEEE 802.3 compliant H1102NL Pulse Electronics LAN Discrete Transformer Module. This module provides electrical isolation for sensitive applications such as a high end audio component. The analog side of the Lumin chassis is where the dual Wolfson WM8741 DAC chips and Swedish made Lundahl LL7401 output transformers reside. The Lumin features both 2 Volt single ended RCA and 4 Volt balanced XLR analog outputs. I used the RCA outputs exclusively during this review.

     

    The Lumin player has a single Ethernet port for audio input. The two rear USB ports are currently reserved for maintenance type operations like manual firmware updates. Even so these USB ports are host type A ports, not type B usually found on USB DACs. In the not to distant future these USB ports will be usable for direct attached USB drive playback (USB flash drive, SSD, HDD). The Lumin offers both HDMI and S/PDIF (BNC) digital outputs. I didn't use the digital outputs because I don't have a use for them. The internal Lumin DAC is great and it supports all formats and sample rates I need. Plus, the S/PDIF output now supports PCM and DSD audio, but very few DACs can accept DSD over S/PDIF even if it's DoP compliant. Thus, I considered the digital outputs a step backward. I can see validity in using the HDMI output to send audio into a different processor, but the supported audio is only two channel so I recommend using the internal Lumin DAC.

     

    LUMIN-gallery-13.jpg

     

     

     

    The Velvia of Digital Audio

     

     

    LUMIN-gallery-12.jpgListening to the Lumin network player is really a pleasure. This player sounds as close to vinyl playback as I've heard from a digital component. Nat King Cole's The Very Thought of You on both 16/44.1 PCM and 1/2.8224 DSD sounded vivid and rich, very analog. The sound was less neutral than playback through the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Series 2, but it was very analog-esque. Nat's voice floated in mid air out in front of the speakers in an almost touchable illusion.

     

    Switching to Natalie Merchant I again was pleased by the richness of her reproduced vocals. The Lumin put a bit of body or weight to her vocals that other DACs haven't done in my system. Natalie's voice and the acoustic guitar on the title track to Motherland were to ears what Fuji Velvia 50 slide film is to the eyes. Neither is the final word in accuracy but the lush, vivid, rich tones are undeniable. Today many photography applications have what's called a Velvia filter to impart the wonderful look of Fiji Film Velvia on digital photos. In a similar fashion many audiophiles are seeking a way to reproduce the sound of their vinyl rigs with a convenient digital based system. Based on my experience the Lumin player does as good of job as anything I've heard at doing just that, turning digital into vinyl.

     

    The Lumin player handled both native PCM and native DSD playback with ease. Both formats sounded great and were reproduced without a hiccup. Early adopters of DSD playback know very well that switching from PCM to DSD on the fly is a tough transition for many DACs. Often times loud bursts or pops can be heard. Through the Lumin these transitions were silky smooth. I heard a very faint pop sound one time, but I was really trying to hear this or other sounds. Testing network players I always go right for the jugular. I figure why screw around with the simple stuff that any player worth its salt can handle? I created a playlist on the Lumin with gapless 24/192, gapless 24/96 with huge album art, and gapless DSD material. To my honest surprise, not "reviewer surprise", the Lumin didn't skip a byte, bit, or beat. I've neither seen nor used another network player that handled such a playlist without issue. The Pixel Magic team did its homework and implemented a stellar design that works near perfectly and sounds great.

     

     

     

    Fast, Polished, and Stable

     

     

    app-icon-3.pngA great DAC with great sound is one part of the Lumin equation. The other part is interfacing with one's music through the Lumin iPad application and streaming this music from a DLNA server to the player. In the DLNA / UPnP ecosystem the Lumin is a Renderer that requires both a Server and a Control Point to function. (See the Complete Guide To HiFi UPnP / DLNA Network Audio for more information - Link ex.png). Pixel Magic has both the Lumin player and the Lumin control point iPad application under control. The company highly recommends use of the MinimServer application as the DLNA server. MinimServer runs on nearly any platform from Mac and PC to Synology and Netgear NAS drives. Installation on a desktop computer is fairly simple. Installation on a NAS drive is a bit less than simple. The MinimServer website offers pretty good instructions to the several step installation, but it's still a geek fest. It's hard to complain when the price of MinimServer is $0.00. Maybe Pixel Magic will license an OEM version of MinimServer that comes complete with a next-next-finish easy NAS installation (hint, hint Pixel Magic). Once installed the MinimServer / Lumin iPad app / Lumin player combination is terrific.

     

    During the review I used a few different apps and DLNA servers. The Lumin app with MinimServer was a very tough combination to beat. Readers used to JRiver Media Center and JRemote on the iPad can also use this JR/JR combination to serve and control the audio streaming to the Lumin player. The benefit of using the JRiver / JRemote combo is it offers a great way to manage one's music collection through the Mac, PC, or iPad interfaces and customize views seen through the JRemote application. Within the JRemote interface the user simply selects the Lumin player as the playback zone and "configuration" is complete. I used the Lumin / MinimServer combo for 90% of the review as I wanted to follow the manufacture's recommendation to have the best experience with app and player.

     

    The Lumin iPad application is very polished. I needed no instructions to get up and running and to understand 99% of the options. Pixel Magic wisely used somewhat universal symbols for adding music to playlists rather than words that require translation into many different languages. The application consumed about 1 GB of space on my third generation iPad because it caches the entire library of album art locally. This cache of artwork enables smooth scrolling through thousands of albums without waiting for artwork to load. Once an album or track is located and selected by the user, playback commences immediately. The Lumin player is lightening quick at starting playback, switching tracks, and even switching from PCM to DSD.

     

    One feature that I haven't seen on any other iPad application for audio control is pinch to zoom. This has been around for years in other apps, but possibly overlooked or discarded by most manufacturers in this area. I love this feature because it enables the user to view as few as one album's cover art per page as the user scrolls or as many as forty album covers at one time.

     

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]7271[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7270[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7269[/ATTACH]

     

     

    As good as this Lumin system is, I found a few items that could use improvement. The first item is a bug that has since been acknowledged by the Lumin team and will be fixed in the next software update (already submitted to the App Store). The problem arises when adding an album to the playlist as the Next To Play. The iPad app places the album directly below the currently playing track, but the album tracks are in reverse order. This bug is reproducible every time and not present when using any other playlist features.

     

    The second items that I found a bit frustrating, and stopped using because of this frustration, is the Find / Search feature. This feature is very fast but displays results in an awkward fashion. When searching for the artist Pearl Jam the search feature doesn't pair down the results as one types or pre-populate the search box with possible search terms. Rather the app requires the full search term to be typed in and the Search button on the keyboard to be tapped. Not the end of the world. The real annoyance is the search results are actually not search results. Perhaps this is why Pixel Magic named this feature Find rather than search. After typing in Pearl Jam and tapping search the app moves to the first album with Pearl Jam in the title or moves to the first album by Album Artist Pearl Jam depending on the view in use. The results still contain all other albums, it's just the focus of the app is put on the first item matching the search terms. Finding the other items that match the terms requires tapping a tiny left or right arrow next to the Find / Search box. Searching the Composer view for Pearl Jam's singer and main song writer Eddie Vedder moves the focus to the first album in which he has a composer credit in the metadata tags. Where this is even a larger issue is searching for an album that contains a popular word in the title. For example, I was looking for an album and the only thing I knew was the word Solo was in the title and the album cover was blue. I couldn't remember the artist. Searching for Solo the app focussed on the first album with the word Solo in the title. I had to click the right arrow to find the next album with Solo in the title. Tapping this arrow and virtually visiting every album with a similar title is a bit odd rather than viewing search results of only albums containing the word Solo. I give credit to the Pixel Magic team for one nice feature of the Find function. When typing a search term the letter turn the color red if the library contains no material matching the search term. For example typing Pearl Jan rather than Pearl Jam the letters turn red indicating I misspelled the word or I just don't have any albums from Pearl Jan.

     

    The final item I have an issue with is more about MinimServer than the Lumin app, but because of the strong recommendation to use MinimServer I think it's valid to discuss it in this review. When adding new music to one's library MinimServer, and thus the Lumin iPad app, don't automatically update the library with this new music. I added a new album and tried the Reload and Update features within the Lumin app to see if the album would appear. No luck. I found out there are a few ways to force MinimServer to add new music which in turn appears in the Lumin iPad app. The shotgun approach can be used. This requires restarting the NAS. Another method is to restart MinimServer either on the NAS or through the MinimWatch app. The last way to update the library is to install another NAS package (for Synology only) names MinimServer Auto Restart that watches for changes and restarts the MinimServer app automatically. My library contains about 4500 albums. MinimServer must scan each album upon restart. This can take maybe fifteen minutes on my Synology DS1812+ NAS. Fortunately the Lumin app can still play music while MinimServer is restarting, but the new music won't be available until MinimServer has finished scanning and completed startup.

     

    None of these issues are showstoppers for me. All three can be fixed or changed with software updates if Pixel Magic or Simon from MinimServer deem necessary.

     

     

    Conclusion

     

     

    cash-logo-black-thumb.jpgThe Pixel Magic Lumin network player is the most polished network player I've ever used. The sound quality is exquisitely analog much like spinning a vinyl album. Lush and vivid are terms that describe the sound of music streamed through the Lumin player. What makes this player so polished is the terrific design and implementation of its software. This is a DLNA renderer / DAC and that's all the device is designed to accomplish with its embedded Linux operating system. Playback of high resolution PCM and DSD files is a breeze. Gapless playback that eludes so many players in this category works flawlessly with the Lumin. The iPad control point application is intuitive and simply works every time. Lumin is the network player by which all others should be judged. A definite leader on the Computer Audiophile Suggested Hardware List ex.png.

     

     

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Lumin Image Gallery

     

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]7281[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7280[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7277[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7278[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7275[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7286[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7283[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7290[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7287[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7284[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7291[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7272[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7288[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7285[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7282[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7279[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7276[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7273[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7274[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7289[/ATTACH]

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Product Information:

     

     

    • Product - Lumin network player
    • Price - $7,200
    • Product Page - Link
    • Where To Buy USA - Link ex.png (CA Sponsor)

     

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

     

    Associated Music:

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1-Pixel.png

     

     

     

    Associated Equipment:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1-Pixel.png




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    As a reformed Linn DS user, you speak the truth. When things work, it is a great system. Things can get pretty frustrating, however.

     

    The buzz seems to suggest that the Lumin team have focused on making things work. A lot of DS users are now using the Lumin control app.

     

    I remember why I keep a turntable around. It always works.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I received my Lumin this evening and agree this thing just works. I wish I would have read your review earlier as I had the same situation with adding new albums, they would not appear until I finally restarted the NAS. Going to install Minimserver Auto Restart now. Thanks.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Newbie question here.

     

    Can the Lumin be directly connected to my MAC Mini acting as my music server?

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    From a purely sound quality perspective, how does the Lumin compare with the Aurender S10/W20 based on your setup in the review. Thanks.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Newbie question here.

     

    Can the Lumin be directly connected to my MAC Mini acting as my music server?

    You can install MinimServe on your MacMini but not "directly" as in via USB.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    From a purely sound quality perspective, how does the Lumin compare with the Aurender S10/W20 based on your setup in the review. Thanks.

    Not really an valid comparison as the Aurender outputs digitally to a DAC where as the LUMIN (primarily) outputs analogue direct to an amplifier.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    From a purely sound quality perspective, how does the Lumin compare with the Aurender S10/W20 based on your setup in the review. Thanks.

     

    You can't really compare a Lumin (Streamer + DAC) with an Aurender (Streamer without DAC + storage, more expensive).

    Some friends listened to the Aurender, I did once, we now have our own Lumin...

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Pixel Magic is based in Hong Kong and many Hong Kong CAS audiophiles have been using Lumin for many months already.

    Some of them have itchy hands. Tweaking Lumin's powersupply unit can achieve significant sonic improvement.

     

    For example, here is the most popular source of improved linear powersupply for Lumin (#9; #18; #22; #23) :

    訂製各類型Audiophile Linear Power Supply - 第2頁 - 全新音響器材買賣區 - Hiendy.com 影音俱樂部 - Powered by Discuz!

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Nice review, Chris. What kind of warranty is offered on the Lumin? And for how long? Couldn't find this info on their site.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Nice review, Chris. What kind of warranty is offered on the Lumin? And for how long? Couldn't find this info on their site.

     

    From Lumin site : "Worldwide 24 months warranty"

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Thank you for the review! So Lumin works like Linn DS players, playlist is read to players memory and even if you close all Control Points playlist keeps playing?

     

    I use Majik DS-i + Minimserver (qnap) combo at home. Works great. I have tested Majik DS, Akurate DS, Marantz NA-11S1, NA-11S1 +

    Benchmark DAC2 HGC combo and PS Audio PWD MKII. PWD MKII sounds best to my ears! What is your feeling (without direct comparison),

    how's Lumin performs against Akurate or PWD?

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    nice device.

    I considered one when it was 4000$.. Eventually went for computer + USB DAC..

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    $7200 plus tax, really??? This hobbie is nuts and its very close to losing me.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    $7200 plus tax, really??? This hobbie is nuts and its very close to losing me.

     

    Fortunately there are cheaper options in this wonderful hobby. I wouldn't look at a Lamborghini and say the auto hobby is nuts and I'm going to start biking :~)

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    $7200 is still a lot cheaper than $20,000 for a Linn Klimax DS with which it shares a certain machined-from-the-solidness and the same WM8741 DACs .. A pre-amp variant with a few digital inputs and a volume control could be worthwhile.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    $7200 is still a lot cheaper than $20,000 for a Linn Klimax DS with which it shares a certain machined-from-the-solidness and the same WM8741 DACs .. A pre-amp variant with a few digital inputs and a volume control could be worthwhile.

    The Lumin has volume control.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The Lumin has volume control.

     

    Oh, sorry, didn't notice that in your review. Is the volume control digital? Is it dithered? Given there is a volume control, it would make even more sense to have a variant with some additional digital inputs - enough to connect a blu-ray or dvd and a tv or even a (digital) keyboard/synth.

     

    And do you know whether it/minimserver/the Lumin app supports Spotify integration?

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

     

     

    And do you know whether it/minimserver/the Lumin app supports Spotify integration?

     

    Airplay is supported so you could run Spotify and have it play through the Lumin. I was using Airplay with Amazon Cloud Player from iPad Mini and worked without issues.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Fortunately there are cheaper options in this wonderful hobby. I wouldn't look at a Lamborghini and say the auto hobby is nuts and I'm going to start biking :~)

     

    Chris,

    Interesting that you took the time to respond to my post. I must have struck a nerve. I wonder what nerve it was?

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Chris,

    Interesting that you took the time to respond to my post. I must have struck a nerve. I wonder what nerve it was?

    Hi mbain - I just hate to see people lose interest in this great hobby because certain equipment is expensive. In reality all hobbies are the same. Some stuff is expensive. Other stuff isn't.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Chris,

    To lend some perspective, I have been at this hobby since the late 60's. During all this time I have come to realize that improvements in the world of home audio reproduction come in an evolutionary manner( read very slow ) rather than a revolutionary one. Would that this was the reverse. The problem from my perspective remains that life presents many opportunities for the discretionary dollar, calling into question the wisdom of the quest for audio improvement that only is obtainable in small bite sized morsels.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Hi mbain - I just hate to see people lose interest in this great hobby because certain equipment is expensive. In reality all hobbies are the same. Some stuff is expensive. Other stuff isn't.
    D

     

    The Lumin Network Player may seem high in price and apparently they ran a factory to consumer direct program from December 2012 to very early this year. From what I have been told and what I have read, that was done to test the waters and was never part of a long term plan to build a retail dealer base. Factory to consumer is very different from retail to consumer, especially from an overseas company. Many companies have done this over the years to determine the best way to really build a market and to determine if their products are viable beyond the test lab and in this case the "hobbyist." My employer has even done this in several commercial applications.

     

    I could kick myself in the xxx that I did not buy back in January. I was not convinced until I read the 6moons review (and this new review by CA really confirms what I learned in that earlier review). By the time I was ready to buy, I was referred to a dealer who sold me a unit at the best price he could, (So he says), because I told him I had heard about the factory intro pricing of early this year. From more research I have recently learned that the Lumin, even at its current factory MSRP or retail price definitively outperforms the Chord, the Weiss, dCS and even Esoteric. 6moons mentioned hands down that it blows away the famous $12K-$13K Esoteric K-03. That means the Lumin is a good value and an outstanding engineering achievement even at $7K.

     

    The best part of my buying experience was my dealer. He and his staff gave me personal support and in home set up guidance that was second to none. They came to my home and walked me through the entire process to integrate the Lumin into my audio system, set up and partitioned a new 4TB HDD and a new NAS. Then they configured into my wired and wireless home network. Set up was not an easy task (at least for me), and without my dealer’s help, I could never have had such a smooth operation. The Lumin app is also a joy to use and they even configured that for me and showed me how to use it. If I had to do all that on my own, I may have returned the unit out of frustration. For those of us who don’t know networks beyond a few PCs and printers, or a NAS and its operating software, a dealer who knows what they are doing was invaluable to me. I doubt the help I received could have ever been done from overseas.

     

    I congratulate Lumin for setting a new standard, at a lower cost while outperforming several of their high end competitors. I now have a friend who is selling his Chord (paid $12K or something close to that) and as soon as he does, he will own a Lumin. We did a one on one comparison and the Lumin really shined. The analog output stage of the Lumin blows away anything else we have ever heard that plays back digital media. (My friends Chord can't even do native DSD as it converts to PCM). My dealer also sells the Weiss and that unit also came in a poor second. I told my Chord buddy that when is ready to use my retailer, and he will get the set up help he will need (and to ask for a discount). You don’t get what you never ask for! Thank you CA for reconfirming my opinion, and for such an outstanding product review.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Great review of the problems of network streaming players.

     

    And what a gorgeous solution the Lumin is!

     

    But my 2cents?.. Dealer or not, make sure you plug "Lumin" into the CA search button before you pay over 7K..

     

    Anyway. What do I know about marketing? All the best to Pixel Magic and their Lumin. Party on.

     

    Wap

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    $7200 plus tax, really??? This hobbie is nuts and its very close to losing me.

     

    Some of the prices do seem nuts. But especially today in digital, you can put together a complete "audiophile" level system for $1000, including speakers. Of course it won't give you bass at 20hz or fill a large room with realistic sound levels, but the SQ will be there.

     

    Above that, it is a question of diminishing audio returns for the dollar and how much each improvement is worth to you.

     

    The Lumin is clearly intended for the higher end of the hi-end of the market. It's out of my price range, but that's fine. I'm glad others can afford and enjoy it. I try to get the best stuff I can afford and enjoy it. I daydream about having, say, $750K to use building a dedicated audio room and the "ultimate" :) system, but I don't let the fantasy ruin my enjoyment of what I've got.

     

    Look at the new Olive One coming out. It is similar in basic conception (sort of) and will cost a few hundred dollars. Will it sound as good or be as convenient as the Lumin? No, but I'm sure it will be quite good. A product like that will give you most of the performance of the Lumin for a fraction of the cost. The range of options for every wallet is there. Each of us who has limited funds has to decide where to draw the line.

     

    Listen to your music, enjoy it, and don't worry about what you can't afford.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Some of the prices do seem nuts. But especially today in digital, you can put together a complete "audiophile" level system for $1000, including speakers. Of course it won't give you bass at 20hz or fill a large room with realistic sound levels, but the SQ will be there.

     

    Above that, it is a question of diminishing audio returns for the dollar and how much each improvement is worth to you.

     

    The Lumin is clearly intended for the higher end of the hi-end of the market. It's out of my price range, but that's fine. I'm glad others can afford and enjoy it. I try to get the best stuff I can afford and enjoy it. I daydream about having, say, $750K to use building a dedicated audio room and the "ultimate" :) system, but I don't let the fantasy ruin my enjoyment of what I've got.

     

    Look at the new Olive One coming out. It is similar in basic conception (sort of) and will cost a few hundred dollars. Will it sound as good or be as convenient as the Lumin? No, but I'm sure it will be quite good. A product like that will give you most of the performance of the Lumin for a fraction of the cost. The range of options for every wallet is there. Each of us who has limited funds has to decide where to draw the line.

     

    Listen to your music, enjoy it, and don't worry about what you can't afford.

     

    The fact of the matter is that I can afford it, I just refuse to pay the price. My problem.

    Share this comment


    Link to comment
    Share on other sites




    Guest
    This is now closed for further comments




×
×
  • Create New...