My New Lumin

joeinid said:
AirPlay can be a little wonky for me with frequent drop outs. I'd love a digital input for my Sonos but not at the expense of sound quality. I still love to stream but until I can get AirPlay to work perfectly I'm quite content to use the Lumin for my ripped music and DSD files and my EAR/Sonus combination for streaming background music.
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Exactly !
 
MDP said:
Exactly !
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Hi Mark,

I do have to admit that the Lumin is SUPERIOR in every way on all the music that goes through it. I shake my head in disbelief. Lumin makes everything sound better. Add the Shunyata digital AC cord and be prepared to be blown away. :)
 
Mike said:
Yup! I reported on this at CES (guess no one read that!). The S1 is the new one. I spoke to Li and he felt the A1 still sounds best, but for those who must have double DSD (for all 12 titles :) ) - then they will have that option.
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Hey, there are 13 titles. LoL
 
When i go the the Lumin website i cant seem to find a breakdown/list of the diff models they make...........its may be in front of my face, but what link do i click to see the diff models?
 
volks said:
When i go the the Lumin website i cant seem to find a breakdown/list of the diff models they make...........its may be in front of my face, but what link do i click to see the diff models?
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I don't think the newer models are being released yet.
 
joeinid said:
Hi Mark,

I do have to admit that the Lumin is SUPERIOR in every way on all the music that goes through it. I shake my head in disbelief. Lumin makes everything sound better. Add the Shunyata digital AC cord and be prepared to be blown away. :)
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Exactly :D
 
volks said:
When i go the the Lumin website i cant seem to find a breakdown/list of the diff models they make...........its may be in front of my face, but what link do i click to see the diff models?
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Mike - the different models aren't due out until Q2. There will be one model priced above the A1, called the S1 (specs below). There will also be two or three models below the A1 (the A1 is the one we all have). The S1, will not use the Wolfson DAC's, but the SABRE DAC. The designer told me he prefers the sound of the A1 (Wolfson DAC), but the S1 will play double DSD (for all 13 titles). :). So, if having double DSD functionality is important - then that's something you may want to wait for. For me, it's not worth the extra $3000 (approx) and the loss of the terrific sounding Wolfson DAC chips.

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Mike said:
Mike - the different models aren't due out until Q2. There will be one model priced above the A1, called the S1 (specs below). There will also be two or three models below the A1 (the A1 is the one we all have). The S1, will not use the Wolfson DAC's, but the SABRE DAC. The designer told me he prefers the sound of the A1 (Wolfson DAC), but the S1 will play double DSD (for all 13 titles). :). So, if having double DSD functionality is important - then that's something you may want to wait for. For me, it's not worth the extra $3000 (approx) and the loss of the terrific sounding Wolfson DAC chips.

zydudede.jpg



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ok good to know Mike....................i wonder what the price for all 4 models will be?
 
I'm very curious what the S1 will sound like with non-dsd material. Not sure I care what is in side. :)



Mike said:
Mike - the different models aren't due out until Q2. There will be one model priced above the A1, called the S1 (specs below). There will also be two or three models below the A1 (the A1 is the one we all have). The S1, will not use the Wolfson DAC's, but the SABRE DAC. The designer told me he prefers the sound of the A1 (Wolfson DAC), but the S1 will play double DSD (for all 13 titles). :). So, if having double DSD functionality is important - then that's something you may want to wait for. For me, it's not worth the extra $3000 (approx) and the loss of the terrific sounding Wolfson DAC chips.

zydudede.jpg



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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So the designers at Linn and Lumin apprently agree that adding a digital input degrades the end result. I'd really like to understand why. I tend to believe people who are committed to awesome music and just try things, even when they don't understand them. Still, if they have a theory as to why adding a digital input degrades the end result, I'd like to hear it.

(At that point, I think it is established anyway that strange things happen when streaming digital music)
 
Ok...it's been almost an hour and Mike hasn't posted about how much he loves Lumin so, I'm going to post and say I LOVE LUMIN! :exciting:

My initial impressions were that it was very smooth yet very detailed…a sort of liquid HD if you will. My bass tightened up a touch while losing a hint of punch but there was an airy floating of note decay that I found intoxicating. Stage width/depth are equal to my Aurender/DAC2X and there is, like others have said, a naturalness to the music…I call it less hifi sounding.

Now, I initially thought I had lost some 3D depth (instrument depth in relation to one another not stage depth) and detail. For example, I couldn't hear Clapton's shoe tap as vividly on Unplugged as I used to. I also thought the vocal images were flatter. I then thought to myself, "You see! How the hell can it better my Aurender/DAC2X! I've got one-off ceramic chips in my DAC!" I trudged on with the Lumin break-in wondering how much I'd lose selling it.

After listening to the Lumin for a few days I put my Aurender/DAC2X in this afternoon and let everything play for a few hours before sitting down to "compare." There is no loss in dimensionality and the vocal images are fine through the Lumin. Now, I did lose some minor detail but it's not masked by rounding or excessive warmth…just not as detailed (and we're talking a very small amount). The shocker, I couldn't make through Dave Matthew's Crash (one of my reference go to albums)…it was obvious to me after 15-20 minutes that my Aurender/DAC2X - which retails for more than triple the Lumin NOT even including cables - had been bested. There are a lot of instruments at play in Dave's album and I found it more chaotic than it was through the Lumin. I'm really a bit taken aback at how good this little streamer sounds…with off the shelf parts no less!

I did have a scare when my right channel fluttered out and lost signal. I disconnected and re-connected the interconnect and all is well although I think my image as slightly off to the right now. If it doesn't resolve itself I will have it checked out but this little machine (or its replacement) is staying. In fact, I'm already thinking of what to buy with my savings after I sell off my Aurender/DAC2X!

I know it sounds like I'm towing the company line but you really need to hear it to believe how good it is. Mike, Joe, Jock thanks for recommending this unit.
 
Michael,

I am truly happy for you. The Lumin is AMAZING!!!!!

And don't forget Mark the turtle. If he bought one, you KNOW it's great!
 
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rrwmd said:
Just got an email that my (black) Lumin will be delivered Monday the 17th.

Woo hoo!
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Congrats!! You might be the first one here to order the new sleek looking black model! Nice!!


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mdkim said:
Ha! Mark slipped under the radar!! Thanks Mark!
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Glad you like your "Toy" !!

It really is hard to believe the quality of the music that flows out of that little machine. Maybe the DCS stack is better, but I'm not so sure it is.
But one thing I do know is that at the price, the Lumin is way too close for comfort !!
 
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