Streamer advise - Lumin / dcs / auralic / other ?

[Mblu]

Hello,

i am looking for advice to upgrade the “streamer” feeding my Aries Cerat Helène DAC.

my current set-up consists in :
- a modified uptoned mac mini, acting as roon core
- a Qnap no-fan NAS, I mainly stream Qobuz but have some nice albums on the Nas
- an edison switch
- a microrendu v1 as roon endpoint
- a singxer F1 usb-spdif converter
- all powered by 2 uptone js/2, and plugged on a plixir balanced transformer
- there were some more tweaks like usb regen and regulators, but I went too far in the craziness and removed that when one box stopped working

According to forums, the upgrade of the microrendu might bring better result.
My idea is to replace the microrendu, either by a DCS network bridge, a Lumin U1 or U1 mini fed with one available uptone js/2, an auralic aries g2.1.
I don’t know what to expect compared to current set-up, and would really appreciate some feedback from those knowing these products.

Thank you !

 

[J007B]

i have a Lumin U1, (not the mini), and love it. Amazing SQ. I listen to a lot of DSD from my NAS, but also Qobuz and Tidal.

 

[sbnx]

You could explore Antipodes Audio -- K30 or K40.

Of course there is always the Wadax streamer. Or the SGM Extremem.

 

[Birdwatcher]

You should think about an Aurender, Innuos or Linn, too, but Lumin and Antipodes and dCS are comparable.

 

[7ryder]

You should think about an Aurender, Innuos or Linn, too, but Lumin and Antipodes and dCS are comparable.

While I'm biased due to the fact that I own one, the new Klimax DSM is outstanding, but a Linn in this situation wouldn't make much sense. While they call them digital streamers, they have DACs in them and are fully functional preamps. On top of that, they only have SPDIF output. So you'd be spending the a lot of money for functionality you wouldn't use.

As for the servers you mentioned, I auditioned an Innuos Statement and Antipodes K50 and went with the K50.

 

[Mblu]

Thank you for your advices, users seem to be happy with their choice, whatever the product. Few have tested different streamers. Very difficult to rank according to these opinions, but somehow based on what I read here and there, I am more attracted by DCS and Lumin U1. I can/will buy one to try - a used one then, as I have no clue what to expect compared to my basic streamer. To go for the next level of investment I would need first to test and hear another level of musicality.

 

[ecwl]

If you’re already using microrendu, why not just upgrade to Signature Rendu SE? It’s in the same price ballpark as the other products. And you have the option to move to an optical Ethernet connection in the future if you want.

 

[gleeds]

Very important to get the USB interface right and the Rendu Sig or DCS should work quite well with the U1. Optical via ethernet seems like a great move. Andrew at Small Green Computer is a solid source for information on the benefit of optical networking. Big fan of the Lumin U1 as it's built to broadcast standards and Lumin is always evolving their product.

Good luck with your search and yes, the Taiko Extreme is really something if you are searching in that rarified air!

 

[PaulB]

Grimm MU1. Lots of reviews.

**Dealer**

 

[Ozzy]

I have been very happy with a Lumin U-1 mini feeding a Denafrips Pontus II. I think the user interface is very good and the sound quality was a step above a Node 2i.

 

[AZWink]

Other?
I just purchased this Streamer/DAC after almost two years of searching…the HIFI Rose RS150B. Extremely good performance for its $5k price tag. Using the Sabre ESS9038PRO dac; it does everything extremely well. It is worth a look…

HiFi ROSE

Beyond Audio, HiFi ROSE

eng.hifirose.com

 

[jabbaman73]

I have been very happy with a Lumin U-1 mini feeding a Denafrips Pontus II. I think the user interface is very good and the sound quality was a step above a Node 2i.

Hi Ozzy,

I'm looking at the Lumin U2 Mini but I'm still carrying scars from last journey down the Ethernet chain improvements rabbit hole....can I ask, does the Lumin U1 have sufficient Ethernet isolation to make all the special black boxes, switches and cables irrelevant?

 

[gleeds]

My colleague from Lumin in Hong Kong suggested you will need only a quiet switch to get the most out of the U2 Mini. If you are willing to invest a little more a division of Jay's Audio makes an all-in-one switch with an integrated regulated power supply and clock that should do the job nicely. Apologies for not having the link or division's name but an email to Jay's Audio should do the trick.

 

[gleeds]

Jabbaman73, I did not want to leave you hanging. Here is the information on the switch I was referring to.

Ethernet Switch SW-8 | Beatechnik

www.beatechnik.com

I have not tried one yet but plan to as it seems to check all the boxes (in one box It also appears quite reasonably priced for the quality of materials used. Good luck and do let us know how you fair.

 

[jabbaman73]

@gleeds - that is fantastic information and that switch is a piece of art, especially with a built-in LPS!

I've got two Cisco 2960s with SFPs spare that I could deploy for free, plus some spare Audioquest Cat6a cables.

However, for the cost of a Lumin U2 Mini with an LPS plus that lovely switch, we are heading into Auralic territory and the Wi-Fi in the Aries series is second to none (with dual isolated LPSs built-in!).

 

[gleeds]

Best of luck whichever way you go.

 

[Mblu]

I finally went for a lumin mini with external Uptone power supply. Was very happy with the change but at one moment I started to listen less and less my system. I started to imagine many other evolutions : should I invest in a top digital gear like the Taïko, should I invest in vinyl, should I change my system completely, should I only listen to radio in my car, where I am never getting frustrated by the sound ??
instead, I plugged a printer USB cable. In previous set-up with mac mini and microrendu, I found the spdif entry to be the best and didn’t question that again with the lumin. ”Much better” musicality. I recently replaced by a better USB cable. I think I can live with this set-up, but time will tell.
Thank you for your opinions here, which helped me !

 

[Nuforce]

I very recently did a direct comparison between an Aries G2 and am Aqua LinQ UPNP and the LinQ is superior. Wider stage, more analogue and more dynamic.

The G2 was also upgrade with the German power supply, so not the stock version, but it still lost.

 

[Mark38]

Auditioning a T3, and it really is musical. The speed is addictive. The P1 though suits my needs better. Anyone with P1 experience?

 

[AThrillOfHope]

Other?
I just purchased this Streamer/DAC after almost two years of searching…the HIFI Rose RS150B. Extremely good performance for its $5k price tag. Using the Sabre ESS9038PRO dac; it does everything extremely well. It is worth a look…

HiFi ROSE

Beyond Audio, HiFi ROSE

eng.hifirose.com

I have demoed a HiFiRose unit—perhaps this very one, as it was in the $5K range (more like $7K actually). It definitely performed comparably to units several thousands more.