Lumin vs Auralic

The Node 2 or 2ci are not in the same league as your other two choices and it sounds like he had an Aries Mini which I have never had an issue with in three years and it was better sounding than the Node which I auditioned.  

calgarian you can do either hard-wired or wireless with the Auralic I was just pointing out Lumin is hard-wired only if that's an issue.

The Vega G2 only has wired Ethernet.  However, I wouldn't let that stop me. You could always use a power line Ethernet network to get a wired connection from your router to your equipment rack and there are also wireless network extenders that have Ethernet ports on them.

The Lumin is wired Ethernet as well.  My plan was to go wired, so wireless isn't an issue.   Any thoughts on which brand would sound better....as well as which brand would have less warranty issues?  Specifically, I read that the Auralic has a buffering system in place; would this create more possible servicing issues in the long term?  How sturdy are these storage devices in these units?   

Calgarian, my comment about wired vs. wireless was to clarify the comment that Jond made.  I suspect there is confusion between the Aries series and Vega series and Auralic didn't do themselves any favors when they came up with the current naming scheme.

I've not heard either so I can't comment on sound.  I'm in the same boat as you - looking for my next step, which is why I've been following this thread.  Both units are probably out of my price range but I've been watching both companies and reading reviews.  I will say that I've not seen anybody complaining about service issues with either company and I can't imagine the buffering system would affect the reliability of the Auralic in any appreciable way.  Dick