Lumin

Thanks Nick. I will ask Sanjay. He's a great guy and very knowledgeable on this stuff.

I know the reviews are favorable too.
 
Nice looking unit. I like the all silver with the blue screen, has a quasi vintage feel. However, I'm at a loss for what part of $7200 is not over the top expensive, at least to me. That said though, I couldn't use one anyway since I'm not into DSD anytime soon or in future. Hmm, maybe they can make a unit without DSD ability and put a tag of about $900 or so on it? That would make me sit up and be all over it.:)
 
I'm also looking at the new Sony - but there is not much info on it. For example, does it support DLNA or more specifically, DSD over Ethernet? Or - must everything be copied to the 1TB drive.

FWIW - Sony did launch the accompanying app (called HDD Audio Remote) and it ROCKS!
 
Mike said:
I'm also looking at the new Sony - but there is not much info on it. For example, does it support DLNA or more specifically, DSD over Ethernet? Or - must everything be copied to the 1TB drive.

FWIW - Sony did launch the accompanying app (called HDD Audio Remote) and it ROCKS!
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I personally have a real aversion to Sony products having owned many of their products in the past and all of them a PITA. The Sony is probably 1/4 the price of the Lumin (don't know, haven't looked at it), but it's also probably not quality or built very well. (My opinion). My other problem with Sony is that they are so proprietary and their stuff feels cheap to me too.
 
I'm looking at this one, too, Mike. Gorgeous unit.

Another unit I'm looking at is the Weiss Man 301. I believe this unit can mount a NAS drive directly and thus may not need a DLNA/UPnP server and be restricted by what that software can serve up (I believe). I think I prefer this configuration, and the Man301 does support DSD file formats.
 
MusicDirector said:
I personally have a real aversion to Sony products having owned many of their products in the past and all of them a PITA. The Sony is probably 1/4 the price of the Lumin (don't know, haven't looked at it), but it's also probably not quality or built very well. (My opinion). My other problem with Sony is that they are so proprietary and their stuff feels cheap to me too.
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Have you seen and heard this unit? I have. It doesn't look or sound cheap. Sony seems to be the whipping boy for many - but without Sony, many technologies may not have been invented. I'm a big Sony fan. They screwed up Beta and a few other things, but many things they got right and their R&D is excellent. Their support overseas leaves a lot to be desired though.
 
socfan12 said:
I'm looking at this one, too, Mike. Gorgeous unit.

Another unit I'm looking at is the Weiss Man 301. I believe this unit can mount a NAS drive directly and thus may not need a DLNA/UPnP server and be restricted by what that software can serve up (I believe). I think I prefer this configuration, and the Man301 does support DSD file formats.
Click to expand...

Looks cool.
 
Thanks Norman. I heard this setup and it was really good. It was one of the few rooms I didn't want to leave. It was musically pleasing. Not sure if it was the Sonus Faber Speakers or the Wadia or the combination.
 
I will do my best to give a balanced opinion on the Lumin Music Server, since obviously we carry the line. Sonically, you will either love it or find it decent. This depends on what you are after. Highly resolving DACs like the Meitner MA1, EMM Labs DAC2X, Berkeley Alpha DAC2, Bricasti M1, MSB Diamond Stack, Weiss Medus, Viola Crescendo, etc. are about resolution and detail. All have different flavors, but their goal is to reproduce sound with exquisite accuracy, holographic imaging, superb sound staging, micro transient detail and a very low noise floor. They mostly get out of the way, like a good passive preamp, and report what's on the recording. As we all know, the best recordings sound magical with these DACs. The other crap recordings that represent 80% or more of what is commercially produced sound, well, weak!


The Lumin offers a smooth, liquid sound. It is something you just listen. Music sounds great, and your mind lets go and focuses on the music, instead of the equipment. With the more detailed DACs, you are probably more likely to listen to how resolving the equipment is, and if you want to hear lesser recordings with these DACs, you may search for a tube preamp or other harmonic-producing devices to fatten and sweeten up the sound.


Using the Lumin with its own DAC, in my opinion, is like adding some tube saturation into the chain. It takes the edge off and makes digital music very listenable. If you like hyper resolution, the Lumin's on board DAC probably isn't for you. But if you like a nice sound, it's a great device. It won't outperform $10-20k DACs, obviously. But the on board DAC is quite good.


The Lumin really shines in terms of implementation. It just works out of the box, which is more than I can say for many of the other music servers we have tested. It is truly plug and play. If you are a PC user (or an adventurous Mac user willing to use the beta version), use J River Media Center. Set up a generic DLNA server, ensure that data is passed through in full resolution (via a couple of settings in J River) and select the Lumin as the output device. You can then use J Remote (the BEST iPad app for music listening/browsing in my opinion) to play the Lumin. Any format you throw at the Lumin, it will just play!


And if you still want hyper resolution for your very best recordings. use the SPDIF output to feed your hyper resolving DAC. Of course, if you have the means, the Viola Crescendo is an absolute must-listen!
 
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