LUMIN - Audiophile Network Music Player

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I have an S1. It's lovely.

 

I use a Waversa hub to regenerate the ethernet before feeding it. Without it, it's not even the same streamer.

 

I also ground it with an Entreq Olympus.

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I thought DAC chips need at least 24 hours powered on to stabilize?

 

I leave mine on all of the time. One of the advantages of solid state.

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Definitely sounds better powered on all of the time, versus several hours of warm up for a listening session.

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On February 18, 2017 at 7:07 AM, kelly200269 said:

I use my D1 with a LDA/MCRU LPS, and IMO the results are literally breathtaking. The D1 is simply the most 'musical' digital source I have ever heard. It obliterates my Denon DCD-A100, something I was confident would never happen, and the D1 possesses a musicality and fluidity exceptionally rare in a source

 

I use my D1 with a Plixir LPS and I agree with you. It does possess a musicality and fluidity that is rare.

 

I actually like it better than the S1 I owned. 

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Anyone using the digital out on the D1?

 

I'm looking for a high quality BNC to RCA adapter.

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It turns out the DAC I'm using has a BNC input.

 

But there are cable companies who make BNC to RCA.

 

Also interesting is that the D1 is quite a cable streamer when hooked up to a DAC that is better than the one inside the D1.

 

 

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On June 12, 2017 at 2:55 PM, hcalland said:

 

There has been much discussion about external DACs and the Lumin. 

 

Can you recommend a DAC that would definitely improve the already tremendous sound quality I get from my A1? 

 

I use a Bakoon DAC-21 with the Lumin D1.

 

It's absolutely fabulous.

 

It's better than the S1 that I owned.

 

The SPDIF output on the D1 is very good. 

 

An elegant streaming solution with a small footprint.

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I also tried Roon using a Sonic Transporter (with a linear power supply) as a Roon server.

 

I was using a stock ethernet cable for the Sonic Transporter,  but there was no question, the Lumin sounds better in my system without Roon.

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I definitely didn't have the latest Lumin firmware.

 

But there was no comparison. I could easily tell the difference with and without Roon.

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On July 5, 2017 at 1:03 AM, wklie said:

Please be aware that after the currently available units of Lumin D1 are sold, future production will switch to an internal switched power supply, because Lumin has received customer feedback saying having an external power supply for D1 is inconvenient, and they prefer an internal power supply.  Using an internal switched power supply would mean eliminating the possibility of convenient external LPS upgrade.

 

Wow, I use the digital out with the D1 (and an LPS).

 

Sounds fabulous.

 

Too bad Lumin is moving to an internal switching power supply for convenience. 

 

I would not want to add a switching power supply to my mains.

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On 7/15/2017 at 11:16 AM, kelly200269 said:

 I think improve on the D1 on its own, although it may be more down to a different ' presentation', rather than a simple boost in performance. The 'jury's still out' with this, as the Chord has a very explicit, dense presentation, and I think the more 'laid back' presentation of the D1 appeals for some listening.

 

If it's just a change in presentation, I'm not sure it would be a worthwhile upgrade for me.

 

I'm running a Bakoon DAC-21 with the D1, and it's just on an entirely different stratosphere.

 

I agree though I would rather save the money and go without the nice case, if the sound is on the same level.

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Since upgrading to the latest firmware, my D1 doesn't seem to waking up from sleep.

 

Anyone notice the same issue?

 

Also, the app seem to be crashing a lot more often.

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I don't think I've had a single crash since switching to a 10.5" iPad Pro.

 

Whereas it was constantly crashing on a iPad mini.

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11 hours ago, dcas71 said:

So I'm one week in with my Lumin U1 Mini, and it's already sounding great connected to a Qutest DAC. I upgraded from a D1 which didn't quite do it for me as a pure transport (I've found that in my setup Qutest seems a little sensitive to RFI when using the spdif BNC input).

 

Were you using the D1 with an external linear power supply, or the newer D1 with the internal switching power supply?

 

I was all excited about the U1 mini until I read it has an internal switching power supply.

 

I use a D1 powered by an Uptone JS-2 with a Pranawire Vajra power cord and it sounds fabulous as a transport.

 

I don't allow any switching power supply into my audio stream.

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14 hours ago, One and a half said:

Lumin U1 impressions

Output was AES3 Canare Pro cable to a Grace Dseign M920 DAC. 

 

I have to be careful, since I'm evaluating the DAC as well, but it must be fed a great signal in the first place.  That's just 24 hours of burn in time, so what's next!!

 

Still using the D1 as a streamer with LPS to my Bakoon DAC.

 

I upgraded the BNC digital cable to the Black Cat TRON (which came highly recommended by a friend).

 

I understand the Black Cat cable costs as much as the D1, but OMG.

 

The D1 is very capable as a streamer after all with the right digital cable.

 

When the time comes I will have to try the U1 mini.

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20 hours ago, wklie said:

 

For digital output, U1 MINI gives better SQ than D1. ?

There were customer report(s) that confirmed it.

 

I look forward to upgrading to the U1 mini in time. Audio nervosa.

 

I'm sure it has better SQ than the D1.

 

But I will be stunned and very happy if it's as big an upgrade as the Tron digital cable.

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On 12/17/2020 at 2:38 PM, Liam said:

Not using Leedh I was not expecting much change, if any, but there was.  My perception is that there is a marked overall increase in clarity, dynamics and resolution.

 

I'm not using Leedh either, but I personally find the previous firmware to be more musical and enjoyable on my U1 mini.

 

I assume there is no way to roll back.

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On 9/11/2020 at 5:07 AM, BlueSkyy said:

I am hoping at some point that Lumin comes out with a 10GbE interface.................. just because I would like to keep the infrastructure all running at the same speed......

 

Still, no one has commented on whether or not expensive fuses in Lumin equipment are worth the while.  Is it a taboo subject or nobody has tried because it may negate the warranty?

 

I just replaced the fuse on my linear power supply powering my U1 mini. It is hard to believe a fuse change can make that much of a difference.

 

I bet many people would reconsider upgrading their components if they just had replaced the fuse first. 

 

I wish I had known about it earlier.

 

I am using an SR orange fuse.

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7 hours ago, BlueSkyy said:

Good to know.  Before I sold my X1 I was contemplating trying a fuse upgrade.  I had agonized about that prospect for several years and, unfortunately, the education I received in electronics engineering convinced my I was being foolish and it won out and I didn't try it. 

 

The debate used to be about power cords, now it’s switches.

 

Most audiophiles have accepted power cords make a difference.

 

The biggest advantage for modifying the U1 mini is then I was able to use a good power cord with it. 

 

I wish I had upgraded the fuse on the previous LUMIN streamers I owned.

 

The prat, dynamics, and transparency went way up after installing an SR orange fuse in my LPS.

 

It would be fun to buy older audio gear and experiment with changing the fuse.

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1 hour ago, BlueSkyy said:

I was never gifted with the ability to hear changes that many are able to hear sonic differences in things like fuses or contact enhancers or devices that elevate speaker cables off the floor etc.  For me I find that my mood or state of mind when I listen is as important to the listening experience as is the equipment that I am listening to.

 

The upgraded fuse sound is obvious in a Lumin. It would be hard to miss.

 

The dealer you bought from was clever. We always try to recapture that mood and feeling from a good listening session.

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For Lumin owners looking for a big upgrade, upgrade your cable modem to docsis 3.1.

 

It is a big step up from docsis 3.0 for audio streaming.

 

Supposedly a modem with the Broadcom chipset is the one to get, since it has lower jitter (versus Intel).

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I went from a docsis 3.0 to 3.1, and I am in shock at the performance jump with my U1 mini.

 

I bet many people upgrade their streamers without even knowing what they’re really capable of.

 

I read docsis 3.1 handles jitter much better than 3.0, and this is very obvious when streaming audio.

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On 10/16/2021 at 3:26 PM, BlueSkyy said:

I was never gifted with the ability to hear changes that many are able to hear sonic differences in things like fuses or contact enhancers or devices that elevate speaker cables off the floor etc. 

 

I put the stock fuse back in, and the noise was just unbelievable. 

 

Even the person listening to my stereo could hear it right away.

 

The SR orange fuse has settled in and it sounds incredible for the U1 mini.

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5 hours ago, rodrigaj said:

Regarding fuses:

I've been in this hobby since the '70s, off and on. When I jumped back in, in 2013 with the purchase of an LFD kit from a well-regarded dealer in CA, I remember him telling me, never, ever, deviate from the designed in fuses. He proceeded to tell me horror stories of wiped out audio equipment caused by designer fuses. He doesn't recommend them.

 

I agree it is a risk. Especially with audiophile outlets, etc. Who knows what the insurance company will do to reject a claim for a fire.

 

But the difference in the stock and SR orange fuse in the Uptone LPS for my U1 mini is just mind blowing. There is no way to go back to the stock fuse. One is better off not knowing what a good fuse can do.

 

I understand now why Farad offers the orange fuse as an upgrade for their LPS.

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5 minutes ago, BlueSkyy said:

I've also read that the SR fuses are unidirectional and it's possible they sound better installed one way or the other.  Is that something you've found to be true?

 

Yes, without a doubt. It is easy to hear when it’s in the wrong direction.