Headless MacMini vs Lumin U2: I'm never going back

[sidvee]

Not sure what others are experiencing but I use Qobuz studio plan and it sounds excellent through my Aurender n200 or lumin u2 mini. In fact I have many 24/192 files stored on my Aurender, and there is very little difference when same files are played through Qobuz streaming - compared to the local storage. Yes local storage sounds better, but not so much that I can't listen to streaming. In fact the bulk of my listening is streaming via Qobuz which is 360 degree change for me because 3-4 years ago, I used to only listen to locally stored files. Haven't used a computer in a long while for streaming, so not sure about that as a source.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

I also did a lot of finagling with router set up, lan isolators, Linear psu's etc etc. but after I switched to a mesh network and the ISP to ACT fibernet service, I have excellent connectivity & speed. Now all I use are 4 linear PSU's (HDplex/smsl), one for the main router and 3 where the mesh units are connected and find this to be more than adequate for my needs.
If I want top sound quality, for any particular album that I like a lot, then I just play a locally stored file - there is no router, streaming etc etc. involved, so there is no question of noise etc. being introduced by the playback process (And this is recommended as the best method by Aurender as well). Although I am doing this less and less now and just listen to streamed files most of the time.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

I went through the review and it does what it is supposed to do but I will never spend on this seeing an SMPS inside. These guys make most of their profit from this area, and are definitely, not serious about music how I want them to , in my personal opinion. Though it is hard to put a number, but just for the sake of convenience in fathoming the gap, an SMPS, degrades the potential performance of a piece by almost 50%.

A casual browse on ebay china shows decent LPSU's at 200 usd with a nice metal case. For lumin to include one inside and save on the fancy case, will probably cost 100 usd, considering their manufacturing scale. So omitting one at the L2's price point is unforgivable in my opinion too. And it is my biggest bone with the L2.

 

[Sugar]

Am also using Mac mini with Audirvana for streaming - mainly Tidal and ripped CDs. Have two of them - one for each system. Just keep sitting on the fence to pull the plug for a proper streamer. Anyone experienced the Eversolo DMP A6 Master Edition? Looked good on paper and reviews.

 

[jai1611]

Am also using Mac mini with Audirvana for streaming - mainly Tidal and ripped CDs. Have two of them - one for each system. Just keep sitting on the fence to pull the plug for a proper streamer. Anyone experienced the Eversolo DMP A6 Master Edition? Looked good on paper and reviews.

Depends on the use case. The onboard dac has the typical sabre sound. Whether you like it is dependent on personal preference. As a transport it retains some brightness in tonality but manageable. As a transport it’s a bit better than a Bluesound Node but not by much. Which feature set and software you prefer is individual choice.

I sold my Eversolo in a couple of months. Found it overhyped as a transport

 

[Arvind Mathur]

Depends on the use case. The onboard dac has the typical sabre sound. Whether you like it is dependent on personal preference. As a transport it retains some brightness in tonality but manageable. As a transport it’s a bit better than a Bluesound Node but not by much. Which feature set and software you prefer is individual choice.

I sold my Eversolo in a couple of months. Found it overhyped as a transport

So after Eversolo which other alternative is good only as a transport? Lumin U2 mini is even prices than Eversolo DMP A8?

 

[jai1611]

So after Eversolo which other alternative is good only as a transport? Lumin U2 mini is even prices than Eversolo DMP A8?

Competitive would be the Bluesound. Cheaper and very close in performance

U2 mini is generally discounted in India. I picked mine up used for a good price. The new purchase invoice showed it was originally bought for 1.5. Have heard 1.65 from others. It’s still much more than an Eversolo though

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

So after Eversolo which other alternative is good only as a transport? Lumin U2 mini is even prices than Eversolo DMP A8?

Another option is to consider adding a DDC before the dac. It usually gives very good results when it comes to cleansing usb feeds.