[audiobill]

  With the new ESS ES9038PRO DAC Chip available now, there may be soon a new LUMIN  music server ?  Indeed the Lumin S1, their flagship, uses the "old" 

ESS Sabre 9018. 

That's what I'm anxiously expecting as well, but there has been no announcement about such an upcoming product. In time I suppose it's likely to happen...

 

[bmichels]

That's what I'm anxiously expecting as well, but there has been no announcement about such an upcoming product. In time I suppose it's likely to happen...

At least on the DAC side they have anounced the AYRE QX-5 and the MYTEK Manhattan 2 with ES9038pro chip.

 

[audiobill]

At least on the DAC side they have anounced the AYRE QX-5 and the MYTEK Manhattan 2 with ES9038pro chip.

Also at a much lower price (and likely a lower level of performance) Oppo has announced their new Sonica DAC at $799 using that DAC chip.

 

[project86]

I happen to know that even though ESS released the info about their new PRO series chips a while back, actual product has been tough to come by. There were some quirks that were not discovered until later, which meant delays in shipping. I can even imagine some designers who had gotten far on new products built around ESS prototype chips.... only to have minor changes in the final production chips, and therefore modifications required to whatever product is being cooked up. This last part is speculation on my part and perhaps it's all purely due to shipping delays.
 
The good news is that they seem to have it all worked out. I've had two products here for a while with the new 9028Pro and it has a lot of potential. As always though, implementation is everything.
 
Back to servers/streamers - I've got a few new things headed my way for review. One is the Clones Audio HOST which is a relatively affordable device. Worth noting is that it runs full Roon rather than just being an endpoint like so many of these things are. So you can HOST (get it?) your music with this thing and stream locally as well as to other devices around the house running Roon. Seems to have potential, especially given their expertise in linear power supplies. I also like that they did their own custom USB output card. Yes, they could have gone with a SOtM card, but having the know-how to build it from the ground up is impressive. Less impressive is the off-the-shelf motherboard but I guess if it meets the criteria it shouldn't be an issue, and it certainly helps keep the price low.
 
Next is the SOtM sMS-200 which is a perfect compliment to the HOST above. Stream Roon to it, or use with HQplayer, or just as an MPD player with mPad controlling it (mPad works well again for me thanks to recent updates). Under $500 if I recall correctly, and it even looks really great aesthetically.
 
Last up is one I'm not sure if I can name yet. This one is also VERY high in value, though not necessarily cheap. Appearance is up there with dCS and Esoteric as far as I can see based on pics.... we'll see how it looks in real life. Key point here is a very nice DAC built in (based on a highly regarded existing product but updated using the new ES9028PRO) for significantly less money than my Aurender X100L, though it doesn't include storage (which can be added later internal or external). This is the one I'm most excited about. Will update when I can.

 

[bmichels]

Has someone compared the SQ of the LUMIN A1 or S1 with the new Aurender A10 which also has a DAC inside ?  
 
is the DAC inside the Aurender A10 as good as the LUMIN's DACs ?
 
 
thanks
 

 

[project86]

I have only minimal experience with the Lumin stuff. It seems good if not the best, and personally I like Aurender more in general. But that's based on somewhat limited exposure to both brands considering how many models they both have in their lineups.
 
I do have the little SOtM sMS-200 running in my system now. Killer way of adding Roon capability without spending a fortune. It sounds far better than I expected for the price too. Easily as good as the more expensive Auraliti player with matching linear PSU - and that's just using the basic wall-wart with the SOtM. They sure do know a thing or two about power filtration and quality USB outputs...
 
The other thing is the upcoming Matrix Audio X-Server. This thing is a beast! Lumin level build quality (perhaps better), extremely well thought out design running an Intel Skylake T-series CPU with passive cooling (no cheap ARM core here), built-in version of the upcoming Matrix X-Sabre 2 DAC featuring the new ESS ES9028 Pro DAC chip, and running a custom audiophile-oriented Linux build called Euphony which is just a joy to work with.
 
Price will be very reasonable for what it is, though it seems Matrix is still deciding a few things. 
 

 

 

[bmichels]

  I have only minimal experience with the Lumin stuff. It seems good if not the best, and personally I like Aurender more in general. But that's based on somewhat limited exposure to both brands considering how many models they both have in their lineups.
 
I do have the little SOtM sMS-200 running in my system now. Killer way of adding Roon capability without spending a fortune. It sounds far better than I expected for the price too. Easily as good as the more expensive Auraliti player with matching linear PSU - and that's just using the basic wall-wart with the SOtM. They sure do know a thing or two about power filtration and quality USB outputs...
 
The other thing is the upcoming Matrix Audio X-Server. This thing is a beast! Lumin level build quality (perhaps better), extremely well thought out design running an Intel Skylake T-series CPU with passive cooling (no cheap ARM core here), built-in version of the upcoming Matrix X-Sabre 2 DAC featuring the new ESS ES9028 Pro DAC chip, and running a custom audiophile-oriented Linux build called Euphony which is just a joy to work with.
 
Price will be very reasonable for what it is, though it seems Matrix is still deciding a few things. 

 
Thanks a lot for the infos.  
 
Since it is running Linux, I guess the Matrix Audio X-Server will not allow ti use Roon ? 

 

[project86]

 
It actually does let you switch to LMS mode which handles Roon. Very well I might add. 

 

[bmichels]

 
 
It actually does let you switch to LMS mode which handles Roon. Very well I might add. 

 
thanks but, what is LMS mode ?

 

[audiobill]

deleted

 

[project86]

Sorry, LMS stands for Logitech Media Server which stemmed form the Squeezebox systems but has since become a stand alone thing that can run on non-Squeezebox machines. LMS has Roon capabilities so the Matrix X-Server can switch from LMS mode to Euphony mode and also HQPlayer mode for those users who like software upsampling from PCM to DSD. You can switch between modes, not quite "on the fly" but it only takes about a minute to reboot in a different mode.
 

 

[nepherte]

   
Thanks a lot for the infos.  
 
Since it is running Linux, I guess the Matrix Audio X-Server will not allow ti use Roon ? 

Roon Server also works on Linux.

 

[bmichels]

Roon Server also works on Linux.

On Linux ????

 

[soundquest]

Subscribed. 
It will be very interesting to see what develops with these music servers in the next few months. Technology is running the gamut from budget Raspberry Pi variants to expensive Aurenders. Perhaps the Matrix Audio X will be serious bang for the buck. Thank you Project86 for your comments in this thread. 

 

[project86]

On Linux ????

 
 
Yep, see their download page for all the possibilities. Linux systems should be able to run Roon Server as well as the Roon Bridge software - Bridge being great for a lightweight system streaming to a second zone (or 3rd, or 4th....)
 
I never thought I cared about "multi room audio" until Roon. They make it so seamless to store everything on my main computer but stream it to different rooms or even my phone (as long as I'm on home WiFi).