Lumin D2 v Aurender N100

AJR

AJR

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Does anyone have any views on this comparison?

I am thinking of buying the D2 and using it as both a streamer and a DAC for now. My plan is to wait for a year or so to save some dosh and then buy a cutting edge DAC which I can pair with the D2’s streaming function.
 
Lumin supports Roon Ready MQA Tidal Qobuz Spotify TuneIn AirPlay. In case you'd like to use an external DAC in the future, Lumin D2 / D1 / T1 / A1 / S1 can also decode MQA to MQA Core in 88.2kHz or 96kHz and send it to your future DAC via BNC-SPDIF.

For more users' opinions check out the manufacturer forums for both brands here.
 
If you want to wait on the DAC part then the Lumin is the obvious choice. Whether to go D2 or find a D1 with Sbooster is another choice. Another option with DAC included is the Auralic Altair.
 
Are there pros and cons of sending a digital signal from a streamer/renderer to a DAC via USB vs BNC-SPDIF?
 
USB dacs would mostly be asynchronous. Meaning the clock is from the DAC. The higher end Aurenders like the N10 and W20 have a high end build in clock and using the AES outputs lets you use these clocks.

Of course, how the dac manufacturer optimises their USB or AES inputs matter a lot as well.
 
If my DAC was the Diablo 300 DAC, what would be the best digital input from a streamer/renderer?
 
I am considering a Diablo 300 DAC plus either the Aurender N100 or the Lumin D2. The Aurender comes with a USB output option whereas the Lumin is SPDIF. Not sure whether there is a difference.
 
Aurender has an N100C now, with both USB and SPDIF output options. You might want to go for that, and try both outputs with your DAC.
 
Understood. My question is whether the type of digital output/input matters.
 
It does, but as with just about everything in audio, implementation matters, and thus, your choice of which port to use will depend on the DAC. Some prefer USB, some don't.
 
AJR said:
I am considering a Diablo 300 DAC plus either the Aurender N100 or the Lumin D2. The Aurender comes with a USB output option whereas the Lumin is SPDIF. Not sure whether there is a difference.
Click to expand...

Could you get the Diablo 300 and loan the dac module before trying it out with the Lumin or the Aurender? Plenty of dac options out there and you might not want to be tied to the internal one. Though for a completely integrated solution it does seem tempting.

Then there is the much cheaper options like the Microrendu to consider.
 
Hi AJR, I have listened to the D2 and it was good but if you could afford the T1 Lumin you end up with an excellent streamer with a great dac / chip ,sounds amazing.
 
Thanks CraiH - have you compared the T1 with other one box streaming/DAC solutions, eg Esoteric N-05 or Aurender A10?
 
AJR said:
Thanks CraiH - have you compared the T1 with other one box streaming/DAC solutions, eg Esoteric N-05 or Aurender A10?
Click to expand...

T1 is warmer and more analogue sounding than D2. N-05 may be more neutral with details. It's best to audition them to see what type of sound you like.

Lumin and Esoteric N-series use almost identical apps. Since both are OpenHome compliant you can use other apps such as Linn Kazoo, Bubble DS Next, JRiver as well. Lumin is already MQA and Roon Ready certified, and offers Spotify Connect. Esoteric - not yet. Both support Tidal and Qobuz Hi-Res. Esoteric has digital inputs and can be used as a DAC.
 
AJR said:
Thanks CraiH - have you compared the T1 with other one box streaming/DAC solutions, eg Esoteric N-05 or Aurender A10?
Click to expand...

Hi AJR,
I haven’t compared either brands you mention.Streamers have only just become more readily available in New Zealand. I still own the Bluesound Node 2 which for the price is very good and as long as you don’t use their dac. I used my KS Expression directly to my EAR dac and KS interconnects into my EAR v12.
 
AJR

Before you decide on a streamer you need to decide if you are going to buy the Diablo 300 with or without the DAC module. If you buy with then you just need a streamer without a DAC which could include the Lumin U1, one of the Aurenders or the new Auralic Aries G2 among others. If you think you have to have MQA then buy the plain Diablo and look at one of the complete MQA certified DAC streamers from Aurender, Lumin or Esoteric. If you want the option to do both then the Lumin D series is the answer. Use it's analog outputs for MQA and it SPDIF output to the Diablo DAC for everything else. In today's constantly changing digital landscape only buy what you need.
 
Thanks for that. A good decision tree. I want MQA and need streaming files from my NAS, so to me the question then is which is the better DAC?

1. Diablo DAC (using Lumin D2 analogue out for MQA and digital out to the Diablo DAC for NAS playing).
2. Esoteric N-05.
3. Lumin T1.

#1 is a couple thousand more expensive than #2 and #3 which I can buy for roughly the same price. Happy to pay the extra for #1 if it has better sound.

All seem like good options. I will try to demo them all with the Gryphon Diablo 300 to see which sound I like the best.
 
wklie said:
T1 is warmer and more analogue sounding than D2. N-05 may be more neutral with details. It's best to audition them to see what type of sound you like.

Lumin and Esoteric N-series use almost identical apps. Since both are OpenHome compliant you can use other apps such as Linn Kazoo, Bubble DS Next, JRiver as well. Lumin is already MQA and Roon Ready certified, and offers Spotify Connect. Esoteric - not yet. Both support Tidal and Qobuz Hi-Res. Esoteric has digital inputs and can be used as a DAC.
Click to expand...

Peter,

If I bought the Diablo DAC and the Lumin D2, can I cable-up both the D2s digital out to the Diablo DAC (for NAS playing) and the D2s analogue out to the amp (for MQA playing) at the same time? Will the D2 automatically select the appropriate output or is there a switching mechanism in the app? Or will I have to unplug cables to switch sources?

Andrew
 
Lumin D2 / D1 / T1 / A1 / S1 digital output and one set of the analog outputs can be connected and used simultaneously. Sound will be output to both for PCM playback, except:
- MQA: When playing MQA, either analog output (Full Decode) or digital output (MQA Core in 88.2kHz or 96kHz) can be chosen in the app.
- DSD: When playing DSD, either analog output or digital output via DoP can be chosen in the app. For SPDIF output of DSD64 to work, this requires the DAC to support DoP over SPDIF.

Note: the RCA and XLR analog outputs should not be connected at the same time.
 
Hello
I own an Aurender N100H , and a Lumin U1
I am using the Chord Dave as a DAC
Some things to know
1. It depends on which output you are searching for , the USB / AES / BNP , and whether an external DAC is a need
2. Sound presentation may differ , and you'll need to audition

My personnal views :
What is your need ? Dac or all in one ?
If all in one is the answer , then LUMIN is just fantastic (looks nice , sounds nice , great app , lovely after sales)
Is MQA important ? , then again it's better to go for all in one solution (not some many DACs out there being totally mqa compatible)
The sound is really different , to the point that I still own both of them , not being able to choose

Cheers (good luck)
 
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