Lumin U2 or Aurender N200

@julie_priest 

Weiss 501 is a dac with a built in network renderer. I wasn’t looking for a DAC upgrade. Also, I wasn’t interested in the twice as expensive as the N200 Grimm MU1. So, no, I didn’t audition these units. 

@audphile1 curious how in general you’d compare Lumin to Aurender.  I’ve had various Lumin products, D2, P1 and I’m now using a U2 mini with an S-Booster.  I’ve had an Auralic G2 streamer only as well.  I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing or hearing a Aurender streamer.  My experience with Lunin has been great, build quality, customer service, app have been great, they seemed to be a level above Auralic, sound quality wise, Lumin seemed to be a bit quieter but if one was choosing between Auralic be Lumin, didn’t seem like it was a one was better than the other, more a personal preference.  I have a system in 40 k range, wondering if the U2 Mini is a bottle neck.  Also wondering on a general front, when you compare Aurender to Lumin, would you put Aurender a level above Lumin, not product specific but their streaming products in general.  

@mm1tt77 I used Auralic Aries G1, Lumin U1 Mini and the built in network renderer in my dac. The Aurender N200, sonically, is in another league. I will make a safe assumption that even with Sbooster the lumin mini won’t reach close to the N200. I also think the U2 is a worthy upgraded over the Mini Sbooster or not.
Aurender design and implementation is top notch. I don’t think anyone can argue this point. But the Lumin U2 is also a great streamer. I would say buy with return policy if possible. Hear it and “feel” it in your system

I will add that the Lumin native app just sucks. Of you use Roon, you’re good. The Aurender as you probably know is not roon ready but the Conductor app is very good overall and presents not much of learning curve. I was up and running in minutes. 

I have two Aurrender and have had the Grimm in my system, and listened to Linn in several systems. So… that kind of gives me a feel for things. I have not heard the Lumin… I had eliminated it via extensive research.  I also owned a Aurlic Aries G2 for about a year… not in the same league.

I think I would put it this way, all are good at their respective prices… organized by best sounding first: Aurender N20, Grimm, Aurrender N200, Linn. Aurrender has the lower noise floor and a a more natural treble. It is important to have a DAC that is up to the task, so you can benefit fully from the sound quality of the streamer.