naim vs lumin?
Lumin X1 latest Review like we have been saying
For many years we have been touting the Lumin products as being one of the best sounding and best implimented paths to creating a fantastic sound in your system.
We sought to be a Lumin dealer after the A1 came out and pretty much got rave reviews as being the best sounding streamer out there, each successive product was better the new T2 is amazing at its price point and challenges $7k streamer/dacs/
The lastest review https://hometheaterreview.com/lumin-x1-network-player-reviewed/
sums up Lumins history and even offers a comparison of the X1 vs the Total Dac, and DCS and the Aqua Formula, we actually have tested the upgraded Formula V2 with the Statement and it does sound even bettter.
Summation the best sound the reviewer ever accheived was with the X1.
We sell some of the worlds best dacs, including T+A, Light Harmonic, Aqua Hif, Naim, Mytek, Bricasti, and with the X1 you have to spend $30-50k to better the X1, it is nice to see that other people are agreeing with exactly what we have been saying all along.
If you are looking for the best sound for the money, rock solid reliability, a fantastic feature set, Tidal, Qbouz, Spotify, Apple Airplay to play Youtube or Soundcloud, OTA upgrades, Roon endpoint, full Mqua, DSD and High data rate upsampling, upconversion and playability, solid build quality, built in volume control, the Lumin products are hard to beat.
Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ Lumin dealers
151 responses Add your response
Has anyone compared the Lumin X1 to their prior flagship streamer the S1? Also, I also can't find any reviews on the X1 as a pre-amp going direct to an amp via XLR. This is an area where many dCS Rossini and Vivaldi owners have discovered the Rossini and Vivaldi possess pre-amp sections good enough to replace many high-end pre-amps, allowing us to save money on pre-amps and cabling. This is especially true if digital are the only sources needed. |
Are there any plans for Lumin to incorporate digital inputs on any future products? Seems ridiculous to spend 14K on a DAC that can’t accept digital inputs. I use my system for different things other than just straight streaming music. A high quality one box solution like the X1 is enticing, but without a SPDIF input or two it’s not very practical. |
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@ozzy I believe you can simply connect your hard drive to your network and Lumin will see it. At least that’s the way Lumin’s own L1 network attached storage works. Does your hard drive have a network connector? http://www.luminmusic.com/lumin-l1.html https://i.postimg.cc/B6mHtkR5/Capture.png |
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@ozzy No it just has a powered ac/dc wall wart plug. Surely it has a USB output? You should be able to connect your hard drive to the USB input on the X1. http://www.luminmusic.com/lumin-x1.html#product-gallery-4 |
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So I have the Lumin U1 and use the Lumin app. I occasionally will play files off a thumb drive plugged into the USB input and the Lumin app sees the files just fine. It should see your hard drive fine. I would check with Angus Leung with Lumin (Global Sales & Marketing Manager). He's been very responsive to any questions I've had. angus@pixelmagic.com |
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@audiotroy Great review on X1, by the way. Let me pitch in here, as I am looking for a streamer/DAC and going through quite a bit of posts on this topic. I have Naim Uniti Nova with aerial acoustics 7T and combo is very good. I wanted class A and recently purchased Luxman 590AXII. These sound fantastic and they are different level. Now I am using Naim Nova as a streamer/DAC connected to Luxman. I am thinking of trading in Naim Nova for a good streamer/DAC. One of my dealer who sells both Lumin and Aurender is suggesting me to buy a Aurender a10. He swears that A10 is better than any Lumin, except for X1. X1 is out of budget for me. I have Roon life time subscription and Aurender does not support Roon. Do you have any comparisons between Aurender A10 and any other Lumin, especially lumin T2. Also, a bit odd that stereophile does not have class A+ recommendation on any Lumin products. I hear great things about Lumin products from both consumers and dealers. Little odd, as I rely very much on reviews before I short list to audition them. Of course Audiogon discussion helps. |
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You can’t connect a CD player directly to the X1. You also cannot (to my knowledge) directly connect the USB output of a computer to the X1. The connection is through the network. Why would you want to? Depending on the size of your library, a computer is a better way of storing and organising a large collection of music files, particularly if it is updated frequently. Using the network the X1 is isolated from noise from either the PC or the hard drive. You can use other software such as Roon or JRiver rather than the Lumin app. I use Roon primarily and stream from my PC. |
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Hi @audiotroy sorry to join late on this thread. I currently own the Lumin T2, and am really enjoying it. I've been getting the upgrade fever lately and considering the X1. I'm sure the X1 is a much better player. Just curious if you think it's worth that extra almost $10K over the T2? Thanks very much. |
@xcool I'm also a Lumin dealer, so perhaps I can offer a little insight on this. Let me start by saying the X1 truly is a world class streamer. But I'm a huge fan of the T2. The performance it offers at it's price class is simply outstanding. The answer to your question is really not an easy one. Would you notice the difference b/t the two on back to back tests....likely. Is the X1 the higher performer of the two....absolutely. Is it worth the price difference.....maybe. Like every change in this strange hobby of ours, your incremental gain in sound quality will be in small percentages. So think of the X1 being, say, 8-10% better than the the T2 overall. (just throwing those numbers out there as an example) Is that worth the price difference in your setup....If you have the money, and don't mind spending it, then it may. |
Thanks @goldprintaudio and @audiotroy for the replies. One more question if you don't mind. Does the X1 sound bright at all on the high end? Nothing bothers me more than bright sounding systems. Although I do own a pair of B&W 804 D3 which many people think can sound bright. :-) I think I paired it well with Parasound pre and power amps and the speakers never sounded bright to me. Anyway, just to give a little context. I recently upgraded the T2 with the SBooster power supply, and I'm now regretting it. The highs are sounding brighter and more forward, giving me listening fatigue. I think I prefer the slightly lay back sound of the original T2 better. That's what lead me into considering going for the X1. Thanks! |
@xcool I've not heard a T2 with a Sbooster upgrade.....Interesting that you are finding it brighter in sound. I don't find the X1 bright at all. But you are going to have somewhat increased detail, that could potentially come across as a more forward sound (and that may be what you are also experiencing in your upgraded T2). |
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Thanks @goldprintaudio You've got a good point on details. There does seem to be a little more details with SBooster. I wonder if that contributes to the brightness. I've only had the power supply for one week. I wonder if a little more burn in can calm down the highs. Good to know your impression of X1 not being bright! |
I have owned the D-2, A-1 and X-1. I just purchased the U1 mini for my theater room from the Audio Doc. Needless to say I think I can speak to the Lumin qualities. There is a substantial sound difference as you go up the ladder. Definitely from the D-2 to A-1 to X-1. The X-1 is phenomenal. The sound quality is symphonic. I would not say the sound is bright at all. When I hear the guitar frets and cello and piano's ping, it sends shivers up my spine in musical enjoyment. I am listening to Nils Lofgren right now....guitar bliss. The other item I absolutely love about Lumin is the ease of use of the App. You don't need roon, Jriver and Tidal and Qobuz are great additions. I just moved into a new house with a totally new 2 channel system except for the Lumin X-1. I also had a near death experience this summer which left me functionally blind. Due to this illness, I am thinking about giving myself a gift. I would be willing to sell my Lumin X-1 in order to purchase a Tube DAC to go along with the rest of my system. Send me a private email if you want more information on Lumin or the X-1. |
This thread needs a bump... Those that are running their X1 into their amps direct is who this question is directed toward. I have a PASS 30.8 and am running PS Audio Direct Stream Sr. direct into it right now. I am having to use the low output setting because the noise (hiss) from the high setting is just too much. The voltage output in the high setting on the Direct Stream is 2.818 VRMS balanced, where the low setting is 0.282 VRMS balanced. Don’t get me wrong, the low setting sounds fantastic, but I am worried about the 6 VRMS balanced on the X1 and the noise (hiss) issues it would have with no lower setting. I prefer the sound of the PASS without a preamp... Any issues with the 6 VRMS on the X1 and hiss guys? Does LEEDH compensate for the noise if there are issues? I am really wanting to get the X1, but this is holding me back. Any input would be appreciated. |
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I have the U1 mini now, and the option for "analog output" is not there, because it does not have it. I looked up the settings last night, and saw what you were talking about. Thanks for the heads up. I do really like the LEEDH on the U1 mini. I can imagine how much better on the X1. I will most likely be ordering my X1 this week. Thanks OZZY! |
I have some pretty expensive XLR's, so I probably won't go that route. I will hook it up and then play with settings and LEEDH volume control. I am just soooo tired of all the boxes and PC's and USB's and AES's and all that stuff. One box to rule them all...(and one PC...and one set of XLR's...) you get the picture. I am planning on trading my U1 mini in an upgrade type of deal with the dealer I bought it from. |
Maybe try the new Cary DMS 700. Digital inputs for future integration. Real cool integrated SD card player. 30 day trial. Goners have said the Cary DMS 600 sounds better than the X1 . I have a DMS 600 that I moved too from a LUMIN T2. Half the price and you wont lose your ass when you sell. Very analog sound. |
So i listened in a solution power-driven paradigm speaker system. On some music you might have heard a difference e.g. Dead can Dance Anastasia sacd, JAZZ is noticeably airier and has some intangible sense of difference. On classical music, the x1 sounded airier again. I would say - if i can put it that way - the difference is 10-15% (for me). |
Hello, are the some LUMIN X1 users out there, using whatever server for roon core and using the OPTICAL Ethernet input?
for context, data reaches X1 via wifi with a wifi tower receiver located by the stereo l. The stereo is on a different floor (living room) in a home where the room core is run on a PC left on all the time (in the office) , and it’s connected to the stereo in the living room with a wifi tower connecting into LUMIN with a regular Ethernet cable. Would it be helpful to try to implement the optical Ethernet connections either before it reaches the wifi, or from the wifi tower to the LUMIN, or both?
basically, the question is, do you need to be using a fully wired connection to bother trying to utilize the optical or can it be used in addition to the fact that the lumen connects to the network through Wi-Fi? |
I wouldn't personally put the optical before the wi-fi. If I was going to do it with wi-fi at all, I would put the optical cable leading up to the X1. |
