Lumin + Roon

[samirk]

Upsampling/MQA Decoding is one of the many features Roon Offer. Their Music Aggregating Service is the one I like the most. The way Roon manages my FLAC library and the amount of additional information it offers, it's worth the 10$/month.

Can’t agree more. DSD upsampling made significant improvement in sq

 

[vea]

I use Roon with my Lumin D2 streamer. The Lumin app is totally redundant if you select Lumin as your Roon endpoint. I take analogue out to my active speakers from the D2 and use Lumin built in digital volume control. In the last few years, I have used BlueOS, Bubbleupnp etc, but Roon seems to be the best in terms of the interface and user experience. Lumin app interface on iPhone is inferior compared to Roon, even when using minimserver as recommended by Lumin. I find that the best sound quality is obtained when I use a USB drive plugged into the Lumin and using Lumin app (probably not a Roon issue, maybe my home network). I still haven't figured out a way to play media plugged into the streamer USB port with Roon. So I use Roon for casual listening/discovering with tidal/qobuz/Flac files and use Lumin app with storage media for focused listening.

 

[samirk]

“I find that the best sound quality is obtained when I use a USB drive plugged into the Lumin”

this is very interesting finding. Can this be possible due to noise passed from Ethernet cable?

 

[OM_2K19]

“I find that the best sound quality is obtained when I use a USB drive plugged into the Lumin”

this is very interesting finding. Can this be possible due to noise passed from Ethernet cable?

Streaming protocols are mostly written over UDP (things are moving to TCP now) and UDP packets are supportable to packet loss, especially over Wi-Fi. So, technically it's possible to have a better sound quality over USB but how much, that's debatable.

 

[vea]

“I find that the best sound quality is obtained when I use a USB drive plugged into the Lumin”

this is very interesting finding. Can this be possible due to noise passed from Ethernet cable?

It is possible. I am using a pair of media convertors just before the streamer, but I have not noticed much change with and without the MCs with any streamer. I hope it will protect the device from lightning at least. USB plugged directly into the streamer has the shortest signal path and I believe that is the reason for the better sound.

 

[samirk]

It is possible. I am using a pair of media convertors just before the streamer, but I have not noticed much change with and without the MCs with any streamer. I hope it will protect the device from lightning at least. USB plugged directly into the streamer has the shortest signal path and I believe that is the reason for the better sound.

I got Cisco SG95-24 switch which has sfp port. Waiting for sfp module to be delivered. Need to compare how it sounds on x1. Your point about lightening appears a scary but possible

 

[samirk]

Few weeks ago I did one test. I connected iPad to Dac via lightening to USB adapter. Played Spotify. It sounded much better than Mac mini connected to dac. Diff in sq was very noticeable

 

[JaideepGiridhar]

Haha...each to his own I guess

A lot of money that goes into a streamer is mainly into its software and user interface. The smaller the number of people who buy it, the more expensive it gets. And has nothing to do with the actual build cost at all. Getting a lumin and plugging in as a roon end point seems like a waste of money to me...but that's just me

If I ever got back into streaming with slightly deeper pockets, I would get a pimped blue sound node 2i, with the LPSU mods, and stream into an external dac of my choice

 

[Arvind Mathur]

I have downloaded Roon recently as 3 months' trial for $3 under the extended Black Friday sale. Though I am presently using Roon from laptop to directly into my Luxman DAC, wondering it is worth spending money on Lumin U2 / U2 mini streamer vis-a-vis renting Roon.
Also I am not been able to browse folder wise in Roon, which I was finding very convenient in Foobar and also in my IFI Zen streamer.

 

[IndianEars]

Yes, Roon's lack of search by folder is a pain.

In my limited exposure to Roon, (which I stopped using after a trial) I feel Roon shines if your DAC has an Ethernet input.

If your DAC is used via a USB input, I did not like the sound via Roon. I prefer JRiver, which I use ... It provides me a super & instinctive visual interfaceas well as powerful search including folder search.

Incidentally reviews of Lumin products almost always prefer the Sound Quality, using Lumin's own app, to Roon.

Anyways, you now have 3 months to explore Roon, but do be careful in case you want to opt out of Room.... If you forget to cancel, your credit card will be automatically debited for 1 year's Room subscription!

 

[IndianEars]

I use Roon with my Lumin D2 streamer.

I find that the best sound quality is obtained when I use a USB drive plugged into the Lumin and using Lumin app (probably not a Roon issue, maybe my home network). I still haven't figured out a way to play media plugged into the streamer USB port with Roon. So I use Roon for casual listening/discovering with tidal/qobuz/Flac files and use Lumin app with storage media for focused listening.

I agree 100% with this.

 

[Yeraditya]

How you stream audio into Lumin also matters. Lumin with Roon will do better than Roon from Laptop, if your system is resolving enough. If you dont have the down stream optimised it will not matter much if you stream from Lumin of Laptop.

Roon vs Lumin App is a 19/20 question. Except if you are upsampling, the Upsampling is a tad bit better on Roon.

From my experience, the Audio stored on Lumin system/HDD - if you have to match that level, with streaming you wont get far. May be fibre Optics Input into Lumin plus USB out(isolated USB from U2) into LuxMan(well insulated) could bring you close. You have to work a lot to get streaming anywhere near the quality of Local Server Plus Dac(with fully isolated Physical connection in between them).