I interpreted it as rating the Aurender N30SA to be within 10-15% (or 85-90% as good as) Taiko Extreme, with the Grimm performing well behind and not even close to the N30SA.
Kuzma is listed as being in the Elite AV Distribution exhibit, room 312. They're the US distributor for Kuzma among other brands.
Elite AV Distribution at AXPONA
(Found them by using the option to 'Filter by Brands' on the AXPONA Exhibitors page.)
Not actually a review, more of a product overview. States that "a more comprehensive and in depth review of the Magnezar will be conducted in the near future by Michael Fremer."
It's very likely that with the increased resolution and lower noise of the Oladra feeding them, DAC performance would need to be reevaluated. Please keep us informed of your progress. :D
As you well know by now, there's no end to the madness in this hobby/obsession. There's always something better out there to be discovered which can reveal new nuances in the music we treasure. All the best to you!
Not clear why some dealers are listing it as in stock since according to the AURALiC site "G3 products are expected to be available for shipping in mid-late 2024." Most recent update I heard as of a few weeks ago was that they're not even in production yet, with their G3 production facility in...
I'd suggest arranging an in home demo of the U2 before making that change. The Lumin U1X is still in their line as their top network transport, so while the U2 has their newer hardware design and chassis finish it's not necessarily an upgrade from your U1. I expect there will be a new top model...
I also couldn't verify the source of that announcement, but was previously told by Aurender that when Roon certification was complete it would only require a firmware update on the supported models.
While it is commonly a requirement for a dealer to purchase and display specific models in order to properly feature the brand, that multiple product purchase requirement should not be passed on to the consumer. They should be buying both models for display as a dealer, but then should be able...