Media streamers choice.

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
Hello to all members of the Forum.

I decided to open a topic regarding the purchase of a Media Streamer without Dac, I don't need it, as I have the Chord Hugo tt2 and in a few days I will receive the Farad super3 power supply.

Specifically, I would like to buy a media streamer, and I'm looking at 4 models. Two of Auralic:

a. Aries G1

b. Aries G2.1,

and two lumin:

a. U1

b. U1 mini.

Guis I'm a little confused, can you offer some help?

Aries G1 vs Lumin U1 mini? What do you say?

Aries G2.1, vs Lumin U1? Also what do you say?

Unfortunately they don't exist like Demo in my country, so I can't hear anyone. I only read their specs ...
 

tmallin

WBF Technical Expert
May 19, 2010
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375
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I owned the Auralic Aries G2 and Lumin U1 Mini. I now own the Lumin X1. All these are Roon-Ready, by the way.

I suggest going with a Lumin product. I found even the U1 Mini to be sonically competitive with the much more expensive Auralic Aries G2.

But the real difference is in the stability of the software. The Auralic Lightning DS is comparatively buggy and frustrating. It seemed like there were always problems. I lived with many of these problems for awhile, but eventually I got tired of dealing with them and move on to the Lumin equipment.

For me, the Lumin software has been both easy to use and rock-solid reliable on both machines and there have been frequent helpful updates. In a streaming-only system like I have, the most recent update, the incorporation of Leedh DSP volume processing, would make driving my amplifiers directly from the U1 streamer the best sounding option. I do that with my X1 which directly drives my Benchmark power amps.

I suggest that you check out the user community forums for both Auralic and Lumin. I think you will see the clear difference in satisfaction with the software and the responsiveness of the manufacturer in fixing problems noted by users.
 

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
I owned the Auralic Aries G2 and Lumin U1 Mini. I now own the Lumin X1. All these are Roon-Ready, by the way.

I suggest going with a Lumin product. I found even the U1 Mini to be sonically competitive with the much more expensive Auralic Aries G2.

But the real difference is in the stability of the software. The Auralic Lightning DS is comparatively buggy and frustrating. It seemed like there were always problems. I lived with many of these problems for awhile, but eventually I got tired of dealing with them and move on to the Lumin equipment.

For me, the Lumin software has been both easy to use and rock-solid reliable on both machines and there have been frequent helpful updates. In a streaming-only system like I have, the most recent update, the incorporation of Leedh DSP volume processing, would make driving my amplifiers directly from the U1 streamer the best sounding option. I do that with my X1 which directly drives my Benchmark power amps.

I suggest that you check out the user community forums for both Auralic and Lumin. I think you will see the clear difference in satisfaction with the software and the responsiveness of the manufacturer in fixing problems noted by users.
Thank you very much for the answer. I confess that I did not know about the problems of the operating system.
Maybe that's why they released version 2.1, hoping that they will solve it.

I'm interested in roon, so I'm playing now from Nuc i78th gen / win 10. lumin u1 is an excellent product, but I think it lags behind dsd, it goes up to 128, or am I wrong? I would like it to go up to 512. Maybe in the near future this sampling will be common.

what is your opinion? I must also tell you that I mainly listen to Tidal, and qobouz...
 

tmallin

WBF Technical Expert
May 19, 2010
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Chicagoland
I'm using the Nucleus+ to stream from Roon. It will resample everything to DSD 512 if you want it to. I do not believe that the plain Nucleus will resample to DSD 512 without running out of computational power.

But beware that many DACs will not handle native DSD 512 and will either not play it or will resample it at the input to something the DAC can handle. My Lumin X1 handles DSD 512 and PCM 768 just fine. Note that while the Lumin U1 handles DSD 512 and PCM 768, the U1 Mini tops out at DSD 256 and PCM 384. You are correct in my opinion that DSD 512 sounds better than all the lower sampled versions of DSD.

But frankly, after a short love affair with the sound of resampling everything to DSD 512, I've now concluded that native resolution is overall the best sounding in my system. DSD may sound more open and airy, but it also emphasizes the highs, de-emphasizes the bass and generally strips away true-to-life harmonic structure. Everything sounds lightweight, with less meat on the bone. I have the same basic criticism of resampling everything to higher-rate PCM, but I will grant that DSD resampling sounds better than resampling to higher PCM rates. Since I don't have any native DSD recordings, that means that any DAC which will handle PCM 24/192 is fine and of course the Lumin X1 or any of the Lumins handle that rate.

I listen to my own music files converted from CDs to uncompressed WAV files via dBPowerAmp. Those all fit on a 1-TB USB stick inserted into the back of my Nucleus+. I also listen to Qobuz, Tidal, and lots of internet radio. My Lumin X1 produces the best MQA sound I've heard. But, with exceptions, I generally find the hi-res PCM version of any given program on Qobuz to sound better than the MQA version on Tidal on my system.
 

DSkip

Industry Expert
Aug 26, 2013
442
194
350
Arlington, TX
www.audiothesis.com
The native app for both products should sound better than Roon so consider that. As for the brands, I was not happy when auralic wiped out all their smaller dealers like me in the US, but I then got on the Lumin train. If WiFi isn’t a need, Lumin is superior in every way from my experience. The U1 Mini is my best selling Lumin product and a fantastic transport. The U1 does have some improvements but research what you get before deciding.
 

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
Thank you very much for your answers. Help me clarify some things. If I understand correctly, you approve of the lumin, either the u1 or the u1 mini, always in relation to the two Auralic models. Correctly?
 

tmallin

WBF Technical Expert
May 19, 2010
968
375
1,625
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Chicagoland
I agree that the native Lumin app sounds better, but the difference is very small in recent versions of Roon, especially since I switched to the Nucleus+ with an aftermarket Keces P8 linear power supply. The Lumin Leedh DSP volume processing is used regardless of whether you are using Roon or the native Lumin app. And Roon is just so much nicer for exploring music than anything else that I'm aware of.

I totally agree that the Lumin U1 Mini is a fabulous transport. No, it won't do full MQA unfolding like the U1 or X1, so if you want the best from MQA, you will need an MQA DAC. But, even with my X1, as I said, I usually find the Qobuz Hi Res version sonically superior anyway, so I'm not sure how important the best MQA decoding is anymore.

Back to Roon: Two features I would not be without are (1) the instant ability to compare all versions of any album you find on Qobuz or Tidal and (2) the ability, with just a couple of clicks, to go from a listed song playing on an internet radion station to the CD or even high-res version of that song on Qobuz or Tidal; while not available for more than about half of internet radio stations, this function can really be handy if you want to add that album to your library or just hear that song in better fidelity. That is impractical to do at all via the Lumin app.
 

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
I agree that the native Lumin app sounds better, but the difference is very small in recent versions of Roon, especially since I switched to the Nucleus+ with an aftermarket Keces P8 linear power supply. The Lumin Leedh DSP volume processing is used regardless of whether you are using Roon or the native Lumin app. And Roon is just so much nicer for exploring music than anything else that I'm aware of.

I totally agree that the Lumin U1 Mini is a fabulous transport. No, it won't do full MQA unfolding like the U1 or X1, so if you want the best from MQA, you will need an MQA DAC. But, even with my X1, as I said, I usually find the Qobuz Hi Res version sonically superior anyway, so I'm not sure how important the best MQA decoding is anymore.

Back to Roon: Two features I would not be without are (1) the instant ability to compare all versions of any album you find on Qobuz or Tidal and (2) the ability, with just a couple of clicks, to go from a listed song playing on an internet radion station to the CD or even high-res version of that song on Qobuz or Tidal; while not available for more than about half of internet radio stations, this function can really be handy if you want to add that album to your library or just hear that song in better fidelity. That is impractical to do at all via the Lumin app.
I will agree with everything you say about roon. I've been using it for about 1 month, and I don't think I'll give it up. I bought a subscription for 1 year, but I will keep it forever!

Chord Hugo tt2 doesn't play mqa, but I think - and you're right here - qobuz sounds great in hi ress files.

Is there another streamer of similar quality to the lumin that I could consider?
 

DSkip

Industry Expert
Aug 26, 2013
442
194
350
Arlington, TX
www.audiothesis.com
Thank you very much for your answers. Help me clarify some things. If I understand correctly, you approve of the lumin, either the u1 or the u1 mini, always in relation to the two Auralic models. Correctly?

Yes. AURALiC are great products and not being a dealer won't change my feelings towards that. Their house DAC 'sound' is not my cup of tea but I did sell many of the Aries Mini and Aries. All the AURALiC products (including the Aries G1 I had) have a slight digital edge that really showed itself once I got Lumin in the door. None of the Lumin products I've had (U1 Mini, D1, D2, T2, S1) have exhibited this same edge. It's just presented naturally.

Professionally, there were three key aspects that drew me to Lumin. They were my guiding principles and are surprisingly hard to hit all three:

1. No hard disk drive. SSD is ok, but no HDD.
2. Roon support. It's THE app to use for everything tmallin commented on above and its interface is second to none. It's sound isn't optimal though.
3. Native, dedicated, and supported app. With both Roon and a native app, you have the option to choose interface over sound quality. It also opens the door to longevity of the product in case Roon or the native app does not have support years from now.

Shockingly, Lumin and AURALiC were the only ones that hit these three aspects. If there are others, I would LOVE for someone to point me to the brand.


As for the Lumin app vs. AURALiC, the comparison could be made of android and iOS. AURALiC is easy to jump into and just play music. Lumin takes more time to learn, is slightly less intuitive, but once you get the hang of it, its really hard to go back to the Lightning app. Lumin is also much more stable than the AURALiC app and also offers support on the android.

The ONLY reason I would recommend AURALiC over Lumin would be if a client simply must have wifi and does not want to deal with the hassle of a wifi bridge with the Lumin ethernet port.
 

Roasty

Well-Known Member
May 28, 2020
13
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But frankly, after a short love affair with the sound of resampling everything to DSD 512, I've now concluded that native resolution is overall the best sounding in my system. DSD may sound more open and airy, but it also emphasizes the highs, de-emphasizes the bass and generally strips away true-to-life harmonic structure. Everything sounds lightweight, with less meat on the bone. I have the same basic criticism of resampling everything to higher-rate PCM, but I will grant that DSD resampling sounds better than resampling to higher PCM rates.

That's a good observation and I completely agree with this. Less meat on the bones, less dynamism..

I did find that using hqplayer upsampling to DSD with the EC filters did help to remedy the above, somewhat. But ultimately I still prefer pcm (up to around 384), thought 768 was OK, and didn't like 1.536m.
 

Brucemck2

Member Sponsor
May 10, 2010
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The Sonore UltraRendu works really well at a competitive price. It supports Roon and HQ Player.
 

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
I'm using the Nucleus+ to stream from Roon. It will resample everything to DSD 512 if you want it to. I do not believe that the plain Nucleus will resample to DSD 512 without running out of computational power.

Good morning.
..would you like to describe to me the performance of roon nucleous, as well as innuos mkiii if you know it? There are two devices that would also interest me, especially for the lowest cost. Can you tell if, and where is lumin u1 superior, or G2.1 versus them?
The ONLY reason I would recommend AURALiC over Lumin would be if a client simply must have wifi and does not want to deal with the hassle of a wifi bridge with the Lumin ethernet port.
I'm not interested in WiFi, as I'll use Ethernet. It is close to the Modem Router.
All the AURALiC products (including the Aries G1 I had) have a slight digital edge that really showed itself once I got Lumin in the door. None of the Lumin products I've had (U1 Mini, D1, D2, T2, S1) have exhibited this same edge. It's just presented naturally.
..I would like you to explain to me what you mean, sorry but I can't understand exactly what you want to tell me.
 

Hyperion

Well-Known Member
Oct 3, 2011
441
231
950
Stockholm/Sweden
Adding to the discussion, I agree with DSkip regarding the differences in between Auralic and Lumin. We're somewhat biased though representing Lumin in Sweden (as well as Aurender, Innuos, Rockna etc. within this segment).

A great option would be the Innuos servers if you want to use Roon and prefer to not separate the Roon core and endpoint.

The Roon Nucleus makes little sense in comparison with Innuos in my opinion where the Innuos ZENmini or ZEN gives you much more for the same investment in terms of functionality and performance.

Worth mentioning is that Innuos will be releasing their own application soon - hopefully in fall.

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se
 

Varadero xl 1000 v

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2017
57
21
113
Adding to the discussion, I agree with DSkip regarding the differences in between Auralic and Lumin. We're somewhat biased though representing Lumin in Sweden (as well as Aurender, Innuos, Rockna etc. within this segment).

A great option would be the Innuos servers if you want to use Roon and prefer to not separate the Roon core and endpoint.

The Roon Nucleus makes little sense in comparison with Innuos in my opinion where the Innuos ZENmini or ZEN gives you much more for the same investment in terms of functionality and performance.

Worth mentioning is that Innuos will be releasing their own application soon - hopefully in fall.

/ Marcus, www.perfect-sense.se
Good morning.

Please can you explain the following to me:

a. What are the sound differences between lumin u1 & lumin u1 mini? One difference is that in u1 there is an external power supply, and another is that in u1 the dsd is up to 512.
Tell me this big money difference is justified; And if so, how?
I don't know, I'm honestly asking you.

b. The innuos zen mkiii is a very good device. Which lags behind a "pure" media streamer such as lumin u1? That is, what will I lose if I buy the innuos, instead of the u1?

Forgive me, I don't know them well and I would like your help. I want to take advantage of the money I will give in the best possible way.

Thank you very much!
 

Thieliste

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2014
815
295
285
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I owned the Auralic Aries G2 and Lumin U1 Mini. I now own the Lumin X1. All these are Roon-Ready, by the way.

I suggest going with a Lumin product. I found even the U1 Mini to be sonically competitive with the much more expensive Auralic Aries G2.

But the real difference is in the stability of the software. The Auralic Lightning DS is comparatively buggy and frustrating. It seemed like there were always problems. I lived with many of these problems for awhile, but eventually I got tired of dealing with them and move on to the Lumin equipment.

For me, the Lumin software has been both easy to use and rock-solid reliable on both machines and there have been frequent helpful updates. In a streaming-only system like I have, the most recent update, the incorporation of Leedh DSP volume processing, would make driving my amplifiers directly from the U1 streamer the best sounding option. I do that with my X1 which directly drives my Benchmark power amps.

I suggest that you check out the user community forums for both Auralic and Lumin. I think you will see the clear difference in satisfaction with the software and the responsiveness of the manufacturer in fixing problems noted by users.

Hi tmallin, I'm looking at the best option for Qobuz streaming only.
Do you think the Lumin U1 not the mini would be good enough in a very high end system ?
Do you need some sort of a NUC with Roon or is the U1 capable of streaming with it's own app and connected to a router ?
I will be using Dual switchs from Paul Pang between router and streamer.
Thanks.
 

Macattack

VIP/Donor
Aug 21, 2014
221
142
395
SC Low country
...
Do you need some sort of a NUC with Roon or is the U1 capable of streaming with it's own app and connected to a router ?
....
I think the question is :

— Does the Lumin function as a ROON core? If not, you still need a computer of some sort.
 

JGlacken

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2011
64
20
913
Craig,

Need to change your signature! Haha.
 

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