Lumin Owner Feedback

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
Staff member
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
30,491
Location
Sarasota, FL
It's been 3 months since my review http://audioshark.org/dac-reviews-93/lumin-review-3787.html#.UzZEzie9KSM on the Lumin and my opinion hasn't changed one bit. My Lumin never gets turned off, so it's well broken in now. I thoroughly enjoy my digital and the Lumin represents one of my best audio purchases in 30 years. I really enjoy having two equally great sources (Lumin and my TT).

Lumin owners - how are you enjoying your Lumin?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I'm still smitten with mine. How they pack everything into an elegant one box streamer/DAC that performs well and offer it with proprietary software (this is how Meridian, Burmeister, Aurender and others justify their exorbitant pricing) is totally refreshing.

I love mine so much I bought one for my father. Is there better out there? Perhaps, but right now I'm not prepared to pay $30k+ to find it.
 
Mike,

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing the Lumin. I plan to go to a Linn demo in Dallas next Wednesday night and learn more about the music server and streaming business. My digital up to now has been a Mac into a full out Bel Canto system that I recently replaced witha sigle box AMR DP-777. I'm stunned with the musicality gain in my system. I have a toe in the DSD water with a $149 Shiit Loki DSD Dac that for the money is great! My habits are that I can listen to an LP all the way through both sides and relax. Where as, with digital, I skip all over the place. Less so since I just upgraded to the AMR. It might be my favorite purchase of the last 5 years. (Can't say 30)

To get to my point, it seems a little early in the game for me personally to commit big money to a one box digital solution...in light of all the change coming at us. The Lumin however seems like the box to have however and apparantly they will keep it flexible for future upgrades.
 
I've had several glitches arise over the past month that I want to at least bring up. If your server sleeps and you pull up a DSD album into the playlist, sometimes it will skip the first track while it caches the album into RAM (a single track can be hundreds of MBs) for playback even with a gigabit network. I've also had to reboot MiniMserver on a few occasions while transferring large blocks of music on to my NAS while playing - I think it's more of a MiniMserver issue. Also, when playing native DSD, I'll get a faint "click" or "pop" between tracks. I haven't had the patience to see if this is 100% consistent or intermittent. Last, with all the cords weighing nine tons these days, the Lumin's XLR outputs should click to hold the cables - I've had my right channel go out on me while tweaking things behind my rack. Solution: I made a sling out of blue tape, it works but it makes me crazy that I had to do that.

All fairly minor issues IMO.
 
I have the Lumin for 10 months now. It is probably the best digital gear I ever purchased. Of course I haven't considered the Vivaldi stack due the the high price, but the Lumin is so enjoyable that I really don't feel the urge. Since then I have been listening to my analogue front much less. Only last month after I acquire the Audio Desk vinyl cleaner I returned to my tt more often. Overall I still prefer my tt's sound slightly but the Lumin is getting very close. I am wondering whether a power supply upgrade can push its performance further in a meaningful way.
 
Charles - here is the feedback I sent to Jock (The Professor) last night regarding the stock PS vs the Ken Lau PS:

Did my own tests tonight. The Ken Lau Power a Supply is a pretty substantial upgrade. It had bigger bass ( agreed ) and a much bigger soundstage. More dynamic too. The stock PS has a more intimate, softer presentation. Vocals are better with the stock PS. Overall, the stock PS has a better top to bottom balance. Everything just seems more seamless. I think at the end of the day, it's very amp and more importantly, speaker dependent.

Both have their pros and cons.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I agree w Mike on the power supply. With my Raidho D3s, I like the standard power supply better but I can certainly see that with different speakers that one would like the other power supply better.
 
Glad to hear your thoughts Mike & Jock. Given them, I wish I had waited. Mine is at the post office waiting for me to pick it up Monday. I'll post if I experience something different.
 
I absolutely love my Lumin player. It's a great streamer, oh so musical and fatigue free. Amazing.
 
Mine is amazing !! I'd put it up against the Vivaldi, it might not win.......................but it would be very uncomfortable for DCS !
 
Thanks Mike, Jock. I think I will try to borrow one for test. My speaker is Magico S5 and hence would be interested in and look forward to Michael's view.
 
Anyone in Europe has one I can listen to? Here in Paris there's one shop that couldn't make it work and an importer who stood me up twice and isn't returning my calls. Maybe on the side of the Munich high end show?
 
my Ken Lau PSU is superior to the stock PSU in my system. I am sure, as has been noted, that it is system dependent,however.It certainly is worth comparing.
 
We have three Lumin music servers. Our current reference room system consists of KEF LS50 speakers and an Ayon Crossfire amplifier. The source includes a Mac Mini music server, Drobo disk array and Bel Canto reference stack.

While the Lumin is a very nice sounding server it does not transcend the Bel Canto stack and certainly is not better than a dCS Puccini (at least in this system). I would characterize its sound as pleasant and non-offensive. There is no digital harshness. The bass is full bodied and rich but somewhat muddled. Don't get me wrong - I really like the Lumin and use them for listening in my home and reference system.

SETUP:
Many people have already spoken about the setup. I recommend that you find a good IT guy to help you if you are not good with computers and network setup. It was a bugger and I had an ex-Boeing IT guy to install it. The problem is not technically with the Lumin but with the setup of the network disk server. We used a QNAP which worked fine once everything was installed correctly. Technical support from Lumin is first rate (in US). They are very helpful and friendly people.

OPERATION:
The app is one of the best I have used. Very easy to use. Playback response is almost instantaneous (less than a second). I have not found any clicks or inter-track noises or other anomalies even when playing DSD files. A suggestion would be for Lumin to provide a good app that tags the music files and handles cover art. This is especially a problem with DSD (.dff) files.

UPGRADE: The Kenneth Lau power supply
This power supply is a definite upgrade to the standard Lumin power supply. It substantially improves dynamic contrast and reduces opacity. It cleans up the bass significantly and improves pace, rhythm and timing. I did not hear any downside to vocals or anything else for that matter. All positives and worth the price. If you are looking to replace a top transport and DAC you will want this power supply.


Caelin Gabriel
President
Shunyata Research
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top