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Streaming Quality Test - Lumin U1 vs. PS Audio Direcstream DAC vs Bridge II

I recently acquired a Lumin U1 Network Player (no internal DAC) and have it connected to a Directstream DAC via USB. I have A/B tested the U1 and the Direcstream DAC w/Bridge II by simultaneously streaming the same DSD file on the U1 and the Bridge II and used the Direcstream remote to switch inputs between the USB and Bridge II connections. Bottom line, my initial reaction is I don’t here a perceivable difference in sound.

Anybody else compare these two devices or are surprised by this initial test?

I really like the U1, but it doesn’t make financial sense to have it in my system I’m not getting a substantial increase in the quality of the sound.
128x128sfseay
pwhinson
158 posts
 
I've been going back and forth between the bridge and the usb input fed by a microRendu and LPS-1 and while they are very close, I think I prefer the sound through the usb input.  The difference I'm hearing is a little bit more tonal density and liquid smoothness through the usb fed by the microRendu.  It is a very close call though.  Of course if you care about MQA you'll only get the full unfold by feeding the dac over ethernet into the Bridge II.  I have noticed NO functional difficulties with either the dac or the bridge II. I just prefer the sound of the usb fed by the microRendu.
astelmaszek
125 posts
 
You're not going to see much of a difference in a DAC like DirectStream or any of the latest Chord DACs. They are more or less immune to jitter and other streaming artifacts as they feed the data into memory first in the FPGA chip. For all intents and purpose my Chord DAC sounds identical whether fed by Auralic Aries or $35 Chromecast. I use Chromecast to be able to stream directly from the iOS Tidal app without using the Roon or Lighting wrap around the Tidal API. Anyone that says otherwise does not understand basics of what happens to the signal once it's fed to the FPGA's memory cores. 
danimaz
60 posts
 
It may be possible for a $20,000 dac to sound ’better’ than a $7500 dac but that depends on so many things (cables, room, speakers etc).

Even if I made a million dollars a month I would never spend so much money on a dac. Around 2-3k$ may be ok but 10,000$ for DAC!? Really!? It will be worth nothing within a year.

BTW I am shopping for dacs. I have Dynaudio contour 20 speakers. Want a good dac for less than 4k? Lumin, PS Audio, Chord? the cheaper the better but I would prefer to be able to stream directly (tidal / deezer) OR connect my Sonos streamer to the dac. Any Suggestions?
helomech
1,694 posts
 
Replying to hemotech comments about dacs sound the same they dont.
Most certainly do when level matched. Well designed units will measure the same as well. But go ahead and be a sucker for a heavy/shiny chassis. I'll put my money in speakers where it pays real dividends.
sfseay's avatar
sfseay OP
496 posts
 
DACs don’t sound alike level matched or not.  Well designed units won’t measure the same either.  Ever read a DAC review by John Atkinson?  

I have owned at least seven different DACS and they definitely didn’t sound alike.  However, I appreciate bold statements spoken from ignorance by people seeking attention.
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