JaideepGiridhar
Member
My primary source of music is streaming audio. I use a turntable only for canonical records. My source has been Tidal for the longest time. I've now completely turned to Qobuz.
I began with a Yamaha digital audio player almost a decade ago, which I quickly abandoned because it was among the least intuitive devices I've every used. I then switched to a MacMini, an SOtM SMS 200, and went back to one of the last MacMini's with an Intel chip. I never really had a go at the SOtM because Eunhasu - the GUI that's used to start up and control it - was as buggy as as an ebola outbreak. I'm not sure if this is the universal experience. I was most happy with the MacMini - running Audirvana, with a couple of Jitterbugs fitted between it and a Chord MScaler.
I had settled on this as my final(ish) source set up until I read Sidvee's advert for the Lumin D2. I value his experience and advice, so I texted him about the D2 in particular and computer audio in general. When he said he'd "given up the DIY stuff 10 years ago", and that he was only going to upgrade from the D2, I figured it was time to change the status quo.
I bought the Lumin U2, which arrived last week. I first used the MacMini as a NAS - both to stream downloaded FLAC/DSD/WAV files as well as a UPnP device to send music from Audirvana to the Lumin. I switched between the NAS and Lumin a few times before it became apparent that the Lumin was dandy on its own. I swapped the MacMini for a SanDisk USB drive and began to feed the Lumin a broad swathe of music.
It sang. Transients were blade-sharp, dynamics climbed up and down, soundstage was like a million gallon fish tank, and there was so much air around the instruments, things got scary during near field sessions. I've ordered the LPS kit that goes with the Lumin. Things should only get better, hopefully. Things are only getting started, evidently.
I began with a Yamaha digital audio player almost a decade ago, which I quickly abandoned because it was among the least intuitive devices I've every used. I then switched to a MacMini, an SOtM SMS 200, and went back to one of the last MacMini's with an Intel chip. I never really had a go at the SOtM because Eunhasu - the GUI that's used to start up and control it - was as buggy as as an ebola outbreak. I'm not sure if this is the universal experience. I was most happy with the MacMini - running Audirvana, with a couple of Jitterbugs fitted between it and a Chord MScaler.
I had settled on this as my final(ish) source set up until I read Sidvee's advert for the Lumin D2. I value his experience and advice, so I texted him about the D2 in particular and computer audio in general. When he said he'd "given up the DIY stuff 10 years ago", and that he was only going to upgrade from the D2, I figured it was time to change the status quo.
I bought the Lumin U2, which arrived last week. I first used the MacMini as a NAS - both to stream downloaded FLAC/DSD/WAV files as well as a UPnP device to send music from Audirvana to the Lumin. I switched between the NAS and Lumin a few times before it became apparent that the Lumin was dandy on its own. I swapped the MacMini for a SanDisk USB drive and began to feed the Lumin a broad swathe of music.
It sang. Transients were blade-sharp, dynamics climbed up and down, soundstage was like a million gallon fish tank, and there was so much air around the instruments, things got scary during near field sessions. I've ordered the LPS kit that goes with the Lumin. Things should only get better, hopefully. Things are only getting started, evidently.