[thingswelike]

Well, the U2 Mini came early. One complication, is there a way to do initial configuration of the device outside of the app and/or get the app (running on an M1 Mac) to search for the Lumin device on the Ethernet network rather than over Wifi? I run Ethernet to my streamer from my Mac which then acts as a bridge to the Wifi network. I do this as the Wifi is corporate controlled but I can use my streamer local to the Mac and the Mac acts as a router.

I'm honestly not sure. I'm not part of the technical team and work remotely - email info@luminmusic.com to get through to the correct team members.
Edit: Obviously it works over Ethernet. I'm just not sure if what your describing is a normal Ethernet network or not. The requirement is that all devices are on the same network. You could try with a crossover cable, or a separate switch, but the support team will know more.

 

[alekc]

Well, the U2 Mini came early. One complication, is there a way to do initial configuration of the device outside of the app and/or get the app (running on an M1 Mac) to search for the Lumin device on the Ethernet network rather than over Wifi? I run Ethernet to my streamer from my Mac which then acts as a bridge to the Wifi network. I do this as the Wifi is corporate controlled but I can use my streamer local to the Mac and the Mac acts as a router.

@ardbeg1975 I am not sure I correctly understand your issue but:

• You can run Lumin app on M1 and M2 Macs, just search for mobile app on AppStore. It works but sometimes just quits.
• You can than access your Lumin streamer using ethernet connection. It may require some network reconfiguration in Mac OS X.

Hope it will help to solve your problem.

 

[ardbeg1975]

I'm honestly not sure. I'm not part of the technical team and work remotely - email info@luminmusic.com to get through to the correct team members.
Edit: Obviously it works over Ethernet. I'm just not sure if what you’re describing is a normal Ethernet network or not. The requirement is that all devices are on the same network. You could try with a crossover cable, or a separate switch, but the support team will know more.

The benefits and detriments of my being a former network engineer, I have a quirky layout. So, yes, the streamer is jacked directly into my Mac’s Ethernet port but I assume the Lumin expects to get a dynamic ip address assignment (via DHCP), as after launching the app it doesn’t see the device. So, I have to turn on “internet sharing” which turns on the DHCP service and turns the Mac itself into a router between the Ethernet and Wifi interfaces. In this mode, Roon sees the Lumin. I can stream away (sounds awesome btw) but app still cannot discover the device so I cannot change config, enable upsampling, turn off unneeded services, etc. so I assume the app isn’t able to do a UPnP scan of the Ethernet port. I’m bringing into the office today an ancient Apple AirPort wireless access point to see if I can use that to create a temporary bridge network, tweak the config, and then hardwire it back to original design as Roon is happy just not the app device management.

 

[ardbeg1975]

@ardbeg1975 I am not sure I correctly understand your issue but:

• You can run Lumin app on M1 and M2 Macs, just search for mobile app on AppStore. It works but sometimes just quits.
• You can than access your Lumin streamer using ethernet connection. It may require some network reconfiguration in Mac OS X.

Hope it will help to solve your problem.

Thank you. Please see my response on the post above and advise if my assumptions are correct.

 

[ardbeg1975]

Ultimately got the U2 mini working. Very nice device.

Different question, I have a separate DAC use case for a second location and was curious of any comparisons of DAC stage of T3 compared to say a Chord Qutest or Hugo 2? Thank you.

 

[davehg]

I found the Chord Qutest DACs to sound initially dynamic but eventually fatig on longer listening sessions. The Lumin T2 took a while to burn in, and now sounds very relaxed and musical.My friend just got the T3 and reports similar experiences.

I’ve set up a new system and need a second streamer/DAC. Thinking about putting the T2 into the second system and upgrading my main system. I’ve been curious about the tier above the T3, but this gets very expensive quickly. Eying a used X1, or a Bartok, or even considering a U1 or U2 but not sure about the DAC section. Either way it’s looking to be a $10k plus investment, so I’ll take my time. But the Lumin experience has been super positive - the devices just work well, no quirks when using with Roon.

 

[ardbeg1975]

I don’t believe the Us have DACs so T, P, or X are the Lumin options with embedded DACs of the current products.

 

[alekc]

I found the Chord Qutest DACs to sound initially dynamic but eventually fatig on longer listening sessions. The Lumin T2 took a while to burn in, and now sounds very relaxed and musical.My friend just got the T3 and reports similar experiences.

@davehg IMHO if you are looking for musicality and a bit relaxed sound signature with maybe a minimal hint of warmth in Chord DACs Hugo TT2 is the only way to go. Still some R2R implementation like Rocka will beat anything Chord has right now in offering in this area.

All Lumin Us products are transport only. Pairs very well with every DAC I've been able to throw at my U1 Mini starting from ifi micro iDSD Signature ending with TT2, Rockna WaveLight, Mytek.

 

[Flm09]

I found the Chord Qutest DACs to sound initially dynamic but eventually fatig on longer listening sessions. The Lumin T2 took a while to burn in, and now sounds very relaxed and musical.My friend just got the T3 and reports similar experiences.

I’ve set up a new system and need a second streamer/DAC. Thinking about putting the T2 into the second system and upgrading my main system. I’ve been curious about the tier above the T3, but this gets very expensive quickly. Eying a used X1, or a Bartok, or even considering a U1 or U2 but not sure about the DAC section. Either way it’s looking to be a $10k plus investment, so I’ll take my time. But the Lumin experience has been super positive - the devices just work well, no quirks when using with Roon.

I recently sold mine too! Sounds a bit bright and digital sounding. I moved onto Musician Pegasus with Gustard U18 DDC and iFi Zen stream and music bliss!

 

[normie610]

I found the Chord Qutest DACs to sound initially dynamic but eventually fatig on longer listening sessions. The Lumin T2 took a while to burn in, and now sounds very relaxed and musical.My friend just got the T3 and reports similar experiences.

I’ve set up a new system and need a second streamer/DAC. Thinking about putting the T2 into the second system and upgrading my main system. I’ve been curious about the tier above the T3, but this gets very expensive quickly. Eying a used X1, or a Bartok, or even considering a U1 or U2 but not sure about the DAC section. Either way it’s looking to be a $10k plus investment, so I’ll take my time. But the Lumin experience has been super positive - the devices just work well, no quirks when using with Roon.

Perhaps you could also consider upgrading to P1 (that’s the path I’m considering).

 

[BlakeT]

The full size U2 streamer was just released. Price is supposedly the same as a Lumin T3. It sits below the U1X and above the U2 Mini in Lumin's dedicated streamer hierarchy.

Looking at the specs, it seems that the new the U2 is basically a U2 Mini, but with an internal linear power supply in place of the switched mode power supply in the Mini, a nicer chassis and an audio-only dedicated USB port.

https://www.luminmusic.com/lumin-u2.html

 

[normie610]

The full size U2 streamer was just released. Price is supposedly the same as a Lumin T3. It sits below the U1X and above the U2 Mini in Lumin's dedicated streamer hierarchy.

Looking at the specs, it seems that the new the U2 is basically a U2 Mini, but with an internal linear power supply in place of the switched mode power supply in the Mini, a nicer chassis and an audio-only dedicated USB port.

https://www.luminmusic.com/lumin-u2.html

Plus it has the SFP (fibre optic) input, which U2 Mini doesn’t.

 

[Aspirant Audiophile]

I'm home-demoing a Lumin U2 Mini for the coming days, to decide whether to sell my Node and buy the U2 (mini).

I only have a headphone setup, and I notice that nearly all reviews for streamers (and everything else) focuses on SQ in a stereo system versus headphones. I'm no expert but there is also the question of whether headphones benefit from 'better' streamers to the same degree as a stereo system might. Are there any Lumin users who have experience using it in both stereo and headphones?

And, I'm extremely hopeful that folks can offer perspective on U1 vs U2 vs. U1 mini vs. U2 mini. Aside from differences in terms of power supplies, chassis, connectivity and so on, I don't really understand whether there's all that much improvement in SQ. I have one option to buy a U1 mini with an S-booster, one option for a new U2 mini as-is. The U1 mini is, of course, cheaper. The only difference I'm aware of with U2 mini is a 'more advanced' processor, but I have no idea whether this has any effect on SQ. Of course, 'more advanced processor' can just mean a minor change in order to market an 'all-new' product.

I could also just keep my Node, but I've read too much about Lumin to not at least try it out.

 

[thingswelike]

I'm home-demoing a Lumin U2 Mini for the coming days, to decide whether to sell my Node and buy the U2 (mini).

I only have a headphone setup, and I notice that nearly all reviews for streamers (and everything else) focuses on SQ in a stereo system versus headphones. I'm no expert but there is also the question of whether headphones benefit from 'better' streamers to the same degree as a stereo system might. Are there any Lumin users who have experience using it in both stereo and headphones?

And, I'm extremely hopeful that folks can offer perspective on U1 vs U2 vs. U1 mini vs. U2 mini. Aside from differences in terms of power supplies, chassis, connectivity and so on, I don't really understand whether there's all that much improvement in SQ. I have one option to buy a U1 mini with an S-booster, one option for a new U2 mini as-is. The U1 mini is, of course, cheaper. The only difference I'm aware of with U2 mini is a 'more advanced' processor, but I have no idea whether this has any effect on SQ. Of course, 'more advanced processor' can just mean a minor change in order to market an 'all-new' product.

I could also just keep my Node, but I've read too much about Lumin to not at least try it out.

Great that you get to demo it at home! It really is the best way. Make sure the LUMIN has a bit of time on it before you critically evaluate it (if it's been playing in the shop that's fine).

My experience with headphone systems is that the same improvements to a speaker system also apply but my preferences are slightly different. I.e. I might cope with a slightly edgier up-front sound in a room, but on my head I'm much more sensitive to it and will prefer the more refined smoother sound. But any improvement in detail, soundstage, noise floor, etc is equally audible in either.

Re: all the different U models of LUMIN. U1-Mini-to-U2-Mini is reported to be a small improvement. The only difference is the processor and operating system, which means a little more processing headroom and perhaps lower noise. I don't have any experience with 3rd party PSUs but people seem to report a useful improvement, so I would expect U1 Mini with S-Booster to outperform U2-Mini. The downside is that there is less room and processing power for us to squeeze in extra software features down the line. Currently the only feature to ever differ between models is TIDAL Connect which couldn't be squeezed onto A1/T1/S1/D1/D2 models, so it is something to consider, but perhaps not a deal-breaker. The other consideration is obviously warranty.

U1/U1X/U2 are a little trickier to compare. The build quality on U1 (and the X1 PSU with U1X) is definitely better (same as X1) as it's machined from a single aluminium billet. With will help with shielding and damping. However U2 features the newer processing system and also some other improvements such as the Fibre Networking and the direct-coupled USB. If you can make use of these, then it should offer sonic improvements over the U1.

Sorry that it's not totally clear-cut, but the good thing is that they all have the same sonic signature, so if you like U1-Mini, then you'll only love U2 more.

Enjoy your demo and please report back your findings!

 

[BlakeT]

@Aspirant Audiophile

1. Yes, the streamer quality makes a difference with headphones and speakers. Sonic improvements are roughly similar to improvements in DAC's and other components. I have U1X in my headphone system, and another U1X in my speaker system and I've owned and compared to my former Sonore streamers head to head against each other and also against a MacBook Pro just to check to make sure I wasn't fooling myself.

2. U2- it was literally just released so it is very doubtful anyone will be able to provide input. The cost of the U2 is reported to be about half of the cost U1X. U1 is now only sold as the U1X version, with the X-1 linear power supply. I assume the X-1 linear power supply is superior to the linear power supply in the U2 because of the large difference in cost between the U2 and U1X, but that is just a guess on my part.

3. Between a U1 Mini with upgraded linear power supply, or a U2 Mini with the stock smps, I'd take the U1 Mini with linear power supply, or buy the U2 Mini and do the LPS upgrade at a later date. The power supply quality is a big deal in terms of impact on sound and this is true whether we are talking about DAC's, streamers, and other components. There are tons of online reports about the improvements to a U1 Mini after swapping to a linear power supply. There are also reports comparing the U1 Mini with smps, U1 Mini with linear power supply and then comparing to U1. The reports are pretty consistent- U1 Mini with lps is clearly better than stock U1 Mini, and U1 is a big step up from the U1 Mini with lps. Of course, these are just online reports but the reports I've read are from users I tend to trust based on history with them on audio fora.

4. Whether the sonic differences are worth the additional expense to you, only you can decide. A "big" difference to me, may be a small difference to you, or vice versa.

I purchased a couple U2 Mini's, but never opened them and sold them to fund my second U1X, so I never had the chance to compare head to head myself in my system. All you can really do is comb through the internet to read reports and then ultimately try for yourself in your system, with your ears and preferences.