![]() 4” the balance between piano and cello was well nigh perfect, but the beautifully recorded piano’s decay went way back into the stage. From the first notes of Jan Vogler’s intriguing CD The Dvorak Album, specifically the track “Dvořák: Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op. Not as wide or high as dCS or my Aavik, but the depth was remarkably inviting. My first impression at the second audition session was the depth of the soundstage. Now, I could hear what the dealer had been talking about in that, it equals some of the streamers he’s heard at twice or three times the price. ![]() We gave the Mini the best accompaniment for the next review sessions-a broken in pair of Paradigm Persona 9H Loudspeakers in glorious Carbon Black. Whatever is up or downstream, you’re going to hear it. At my first session, the system was playing through a fine set of speakers missing the final few hours of break-in. I played a mixture of both MQA and HiRes files, and both sounded equally fine. Optical, Coaxial RCA, Coaxial BNC, AES/EBU: DSD64 (DoP, DSD over PCM), PCM 44.1kHz–192kHz, 16–24-bit Playback Resolution: Up to DSD512, up to 768 kHz, 32-bit PCM, MQA Decoding The cabling was all AudioQuest including USB Carbon, Diamond Ethernet, and Blizzard AC. And along with a Roon Endpoint, Spotify and AirPlay no fans of these will go unrewarded. As the Mini has MQA support and plays up to 384 PCM, both services offered great sound. I used the Lumin UPnP app (iOS, photo left), which worked well with Tidal and Qobuz. Not an insignificant system and comparable with my reference setup. They included Hegel H390 Integrated Amplifier, including its DAC section, the mighty Paradigm Persona 9H Loudspeakers and an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Noise Dissipation System. I reviewed the Lumin with the dealer’s associated products, all excellent, and many were reviewed in Audiophilia. And when you see the diminutive Lumin box in person, the metaphor becomes clearer.īut, not so fast. A straight-ahead comparison between my Aavik streamer (€10,000) and the $2400 Lumin would seem unfair. I’ve recently been blessed with a comprehensive, high-quality Danish streaming setup from Audio Group Denmark, specifically its subsidiaries Ansuz Acoustics and Aavik Acoustics, including the Ansuz PowerSwitch D2, Ansuz Digitalz Ethernet D2 cable (x3) and the Aavik 280 Network Music Player (streamer) and DAC separates. Lumin has stuffed the U2 with its new processing system, which they say “delivers greater flexibility and future-proofing.” The new Lumin processor can up and down from 44.1kHz to DSD256/PCM384.Īn aesthetic note: the display is minimalist much like the Mini’s box-a simple blue-green display with track number, artist, format, and elapsed time indications.Īnd a tech note: this Lumin model is Ethernet only. The Lumin U2 Mini is a Roon Ready streamer with MQA support, and AES, BNC, coax, optical, and USB digital outputs. Let’s get the “digital speak” out of the way first. My thanks to Atlas Audio/Video here in Victoria for the audition of the U2 Mini. Here are my thoughts on yet another audiophile streamer, the $2400 Lumin U2 Mini Network Player. I scheduled a review based on my experience, audiophile buzz and descriptions from the dealer. ![]() ![]() Our local dealer just took on Lumin and excitedly sent me photos announcing their arrival. Not only did the components look sexy, but they also sounded the part. The Chinese company had a sleek and modern room dedicated to digital audio. I first bumped into Lumin products at the Munich show a couple of years ago. ![]()
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