U1 mini or U1

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hatateru

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Hi guys, my friend is currently selling his U1 (not the mini) and plans to get a new network transport. At the same time I am planning to buy a network transport to hook up with my external dac. Therefore I am thinking to get that U1 from him as he can offered me a pretty good deal as a closed friend. But another thing is I knew that the U1 mini is much newer in terms of the year released in the market and the MSRP still lower than the price my friend offer me on the U1.
As I read the comments on the U1, it comes with an external PSU but U1 mini is only SMPS. Is the external PSU worth to pay extra money?
How does sound quality for U1 compare with U1 mini?

Hope you guys can share me your thought so I can make my decision quick. Many thanks
 
The U1 Mini was released as a lower cost alternative to the U1, but of course there are compromises made like the internal SMPS in order to reach its price point. The U1 is still current in the Lumin lineup and its performance is at a higher level than the Mini. Lumin has previously discontinued models after releasing less expensive designs which outperformed the original, but that's not the case with the U1 which still holds their flagship position as a streaming transport. Hope that helps!
 
I have owned both and compared them extensively. The U1 is considerably more transparent than the U1 mini... how obvious this will be to you depends on your ears and the rest of your system.
 
dznutz said:
I have owned both and compared them extensively. The U1 is considerably more transparent than the U1 mini... how obvious this will be to you depends on your ears and the rest of your system.
Click to expand...

Right. Therefore just want to see if it is worth to pay the extra more just for the extra PSU. Since you have compared both does the improvement of U1 has 30% more compare with the U1 mini ?
 
Other than the output structure and the functionality the Mini was never intended to compete with the regular U1 from a sound perspective. Starting with the case they are just different in terms of parts quality irrespective of the external power supply. So in the end you have to decide whether you want to spend the money on the U1 for the better performance or are happy with the Mini and an external power supply to get the same functionality. Your budget and your system make up with determine that. You seem to be trying to convince yourself that the Mini and the external power supply are sufficient so just go that way.
 
hatateru said:
Right. Therefore just want to see if it is worth to pay the extra more just for the extra PSU. Since you have compared both does the improvement of U1 has 30% more compare with the U1 mini ?
Click to expand...

Its very difficult to quantify it that way. For me, it was worth it, especially if you are being offered a great deal.
 
I just upgraded my mini with the sbooster a few weeks ago. If you like your dac I would strongly suggest this route. It definitely added a level of refinement that already was stellar. Mating with a bryston BDA3 via AES
 
schmidtmike76 said:
I just upgraded my mini with the sbooster a few weeks ago. If you like your dac I would strongly suggest this route. It definitely added a level of refinement that already was stellar. Mating with a bryston BDA3 via AES
Click to expand...

I have bought the U1 mini at the end. I find it is more flexible to have the option to get an upgraded LPS.
 
I would like to use my Mac laptop instead of an iPad to control my Lumin U1 mini. I heard there is a website that we can go to do this. Does anyone know?
 
You can use the free Linn Kazoo app to control Lumin from a computer. Alternatively, you can try Audirvana Plus.
 
If I use Audirvana plus on my laptop, do I have to connect the laptop to Lumin Mini U1 with a USB cable?
 
No, you cannot connect the laptop to a Lumin using USB cable because current Lumin products do not have USB DAC function.

You can connect both the laptop and the Lumin to the network using Ethernet cable.

In the latest Audirvana Plus it should be possible to find Lumin in Audrivana as a UPnP device.

As for WiFi 6 router, I don't have specific recommendation, but I prefer Broadcom chipset, or Qualcomm chipset. Do not use any other chipset. To find out what chipset a router uses, you'll need to google.
 
Hi Wklie

I am not clear on your U1 mini/laptop set up. I can understand that U1 mini has to be connected via ethernet since it has no wifi capability. But, couldn't the laptop be connected to the router via wifi rather than ethernet?
 
The laptop may use WiFi if and only if your WiFi network is very good without much interference from neighbors. In case you use Roon, having the Roon Core on WiFi is not recommended.

I answered the WiFi router question with the assumption that you need a WiFi router upgrade for functional purpose. If your intention is SQ, you may look at LPS and fiber isolation (which also requires LPS) instead of replacing the router.
 
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