Lumin U2 vs Aurender N200

That Mac 8950 is sweet !!!   My Dad just picked one up.   It is a fine amp for sure. Congrats.  

I have an Aurender N200 and like it a lot.   They are actually getting ready to update the Conductor app, which is already quite good.   The N200 sounds great into my external DAC and is built li,e a tank.  Build quality is high on Aurender.  No experience with Lumin.  I tried finding a dealer to demo one near me and couldn't.    So I ended up with the N200.  No regrets

My Dad is using the Eversolo dmp A6 for the time  being.   It sounds really good but  I know it is not the sonic equal of that Aurender.    The difference between the N200 and the BS Vault 2i it replaced was not subtle.  Not cheap but some dealers will do better than list. 

No experience with Lumin or Aurender. However I will say that the post by lalitk mentioning the questionable thought process of OP wanting to upgrade his streamer but staying with the McIntosh dac is something worth paying attention to. FYI I use Innuos ZENith mk3 streamer with Gustard X26 PRO Dac. And many more upgrades such as master clock, ethernet switch, optical isolation and expensive cables. Good luck in your upgrade path.

I have a Lumin T2 with SBooster. I have found the dac inside of it sounds better than the dac2 in the McIntosh. I have read/heard that the dac2 in the McIntosh is on par with a standalone dac in the $1500 range. 

My test bed was Lumin into a Ma2700 preamp via AQ earth cables, versus an AQ Diamond coax cable feeding the Dac2 in the Ma2700 from the Lumin T2. 

My opinion is that the dac in the Lumin had better imaging. 

However I will say that the post by lalitk mentioning the questionable thought process of OP wanting to upgrade his streamer but staying with the McIntosh dac is something worth paying attention to.

Of course, but staying with it as an interim step and replacing the DAC2 at a later date might allow for both a better streamer and better DAC than what could be purchased all at once.