LUMIN - Audiophile Network Music Player

[F208Frank]

U1 mini gets my vote. 

[BlueSkyy]

It would get my vote too but not at the cost of having to surgically remove some of its "organs".

[stefano_mbp]

@Vangelis

 

It seems to me that the comparison is a little unbalanced. Sonore and SOtM are very similar in terms of functionality but Lumin U1 mini is a machine with many more features ... it would seem to me to compare apples and oranges.
I have SOtM SMS 200 Neo (not Ultra) and I find that it works very well despite not having linear power, the improvement of SQ compared to Mac + Audirvana has been remarkable for me.
Regarding the Sonore and SoTM features, they have very similar sw, it has the same origin even if SoTM then followed its own path, they offer MPD UPNP/DLNA roon Ready HQPlayer NAA LMS/Squeezelite Shairport Bubbleupnpserver and just the SOtM Librespot and Minimserver.
I think the comparison should be made on the availability of streaming services such as Qobuz, Tidal (MQA) etc ...
I am not very interested in Tidal and Qobuz but I have tried Tidal these days and, as far as I have been able to understand, the service is accessible only for cd quality, MQA is not available. Furthermore, the availability of navigation options is rather poor compared to the original Tidal app.
I can imagine that Sonore is also on the same level, but I could be wrong.
Very different is the Lumin U1 mini that I do not own but of which I have carefully read the specifications.

I use use the Lumin app which I find exceptional.
Lumin allows you to upscale to DSD, access the most popular streaming services and Web Radios and on paper it is perfectly compatible with Tidal MQA. Last but not least the fact that users talk about it very well also in terms of SQ.
The support offered directly by Lumin on this forum is also effective, precise and almost immediate (considering the time difference).

That said my vote is for Lumin U1 mini

[dark]

4 hours ago, Vangelis said:

Я стараюсь не покупать кучу коробок.

Sell your dac, listen to Lumin d1, you will be pleasantly surprised.

[VoicesInMyHead]

3 hours ago, BlueSkyy said:

It would get my vote too but not at the cost of having to surgically remove some of its "organs".

 

While I can understand Lumin's decision to put an SMPS inside of their lower-end units, it would have been cool to have a standard 2.1mm DC input which could override the internal SMPS.

 

39 minutes ago, stefano_mbp said:

It seems to me that the comparison is a little unbalanced.

 

I agree, I've had 3 Lumin's and been super happy with all of them, as a streamer they simply do things right, plug it in and it just works. I'm a Roon user so haven't really used their app, but people who do seem to like it.

 

My only complaint is that the app settings is quite ugly, I think they could spend some time making it feel a bit more modern and fresh for a better impression, but usually it's configure once and no need to touch again so no big deal.

 

35 minutes ago, dark said:

Sell your dac, listen to Lumin d1, you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

+1 indeed!

 

Vore definitely for Lumin.

[BlueSkyy]

2 minutes ago, rikard said:

 

While I can understand Lumin's decision to put an SMPS inside of their lower-end units, it would have been cool to have a standard 2.1mm DC input which could override the internal SMPS.

 

Two thumbs way up!

[wklie]

Another case study of a new Lumin X1 user (coming from a well known brand of DAC which lacks standard features) who was not satisfied with the SQ initially (turned out he had replaced the tubes in preamp at the same time), but now he reports:

 

Quote

the X1 is sounding incredible now I have 400+ hours on it.

I had new NOS tubes I installed in my preamp at the same time as I received the X1 and this was causing the harshness.

I removed and replaced with the original tubes and waited patiently and now it has come to life and my god, what power finesses and dynamics

 

[dark]

9 hours ago, wklie said:

Another case study of a new Lumin X1 user (coming from a well known brand of DAC which lacks standard features) who was not satisfied with the SQ initially (turned out he had replaced the tubes in preamp at the same time), but now he reports:

 

 

dc cable included lumin x1, very poor quality.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, dark said:

dc cable included lumin x1, very poor quality.

I reviewed the X1 and I must disagree with you on this one. 

[dark]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Я пересмотрел X1, и я должен не согласиться с вами по этому вопросу. 

I affirm because I compared with another cable, did you compare?

[rossb]

Twenty six posts, all taking pot shots at a single product. Someone seems to have an agenda.

[mav52]

Does the T2 upsample to DSD 512 or is its max DSD128.

[wklie]

1 hour ago, mav52 said:

Does the T2 upsample to DSD 512 or is its max DSD128.

 

Lumin optionally does internal re-sampling for X1 / T2 / U1 / U1 MINI from/to up to DSD128 only.

 

To upsample DSD512 re-sampling for playback by Lumin, please try Roon.

[wklie]

Just in case there are Lumin Roon users here who are not on Roon forum, a beta firmware for Lumin X1 / T2 / U1 / U1 MINI with RAAT 1.1.38 is available (PM me if you want to try it).

[F208Frank]

Loving my U1. I personally like to get updates if I absolutely have to because a few min updating is a few min of less music from the LUMIN. Love you Peter, your dedication is rare and refreshing to see.

[mav52]

12 hours ago, wklie said:

 

Lumin optionally does internal re-sampling for X1 / T2 / U1 / U1 MINI from/to up to DSD128 only.

 

To upsample DSD512 re-sampling for playback by Lumin, please try Roon.

Thank you Peter

[One and a half]

Lumin U1 Updates

 

The SRC in Roon isn't bad, but on some recordings, the results weren't all that engaging. The chain is Media-Server-> Lumin U1 -> AES3 -> DAC. Stage height and width were good, there's a grey (not dark) cloud over Roon's handling of DSP, let's remove it for now and see what happens.

The DSP in Roon is switched off, and in the Lumin App set everything to native, so no SRC anywhere. For the test, just used good recordings to 96, 176 begin the limit of AES3. Some gains in clarity, good step forward.

The DAC doesn't support DoP via AES3, so this meant switching to USB output from the U1 to the DAC. I tried this a year ago when the U1 first arrived and it wasn't great, but how else to play DSD... 

 

Steps

1. Change Networking connections in this post.

 

2. Add Acoustic Revive SPS (dual head) cable [similar to this one, previous model] U1 to DAC as is. like biting into a sour apple, the treble glare and what could be best described as too far forward. Something had to give.

 

3. Added a ifi MicroUSB3 with 9V 2A linear Acopian power supply. Retained the Acoustic Revive cable, and added a Nordost Blue Heaven from the U1.

Chain is now U1 -> Nordost -> Micro3 USB -> SPS USB -> DAC.

Wow, the treble glare is gone, far more neutral presentation, and on some recordings, I thought my hearing was getting bad in not picking up minute details and instruments, but with this chain, the details are back again

 

4. What put the icing on the cake was to swap out the very good Lumin U1 power supply with the X1's PSU. Now operating for a month and a very justified expense, that extra clarity is a nice boost. The effect was immediately noticeable, and didn't need that much of a burn in. I did notice, a rarity, in that the Lumin dropped out twice within 24 hours of first connecting the X1 PSU, rechecked the connections, and there's no more dropouts since.

 

 

X1 PSU is the same width as the U1 PSU, I prefer to keep them a distance apart. The DC-950 DAC has a 6mm steel baseplate, so nothing much gets past that, even a bullet. The boards under the equipment are from Acoustic Revive type RHB-20 Hickory supported by Quadraspire Q4S shelves.

[wklie]

There is a sound quality related change that we're experimenting on for Lumin T2 and X1.

I need users to tell me whether it sounds the same, better, or worse.

If you use a Lumin T2 or X1 analog output and are interested in participating in this test, please let me know and state your model you're using.

If you happen to be using a preamp that supports AV bypass feature, or using a direct-to-amp setup (i.e. using Lumin volume), please also let me know.

Hopefully I can send out the beta firmware by next week (or earlier).

[BlueSkyy]

I have an X1 and I do not use the volume control. I'd be willing to participate in the test for you.

[brw]

My X1 plays through a dedicated (non-AV) preamp. Happy to participate in the next and future firmware tests.

[steveoat]

Does lumin u1 mini support airplay 2?

 

[steveoat]

Note that the new amazon hd music app supports exclusive mode.  Will that improve the chances of including amazon hd in lumin app?

[roadCingKlassik]

7 hours ago, steveoat said:

Does lumin u1 mini support airplay 2?

 

Apple AirPlay, absolutely. Oddly enough, within the LUMIN app it's called LUMIN Streaming

[Liam]

Has anyone tried ferrites on the ethernet cable serving the Lumin UI Mini?  I would be interested to hear your experience.

[smodtactical]

I know a bit biased in this thread but bryston bdp3 vs u1 mini + sbooster?