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OPPO Sonica DAC to Lumin D2 Upgrade

I’m considering an upgrade from an OPPO Sonica DAC to a Lumin D2.  I’m generally satisfied with the OPPO sound and appreciate its simplicity of use (there is little doubt that it’s an absolute bargain at its price point).   

However, I briefly owned an Aurender A10 and found that it provided marginally better sound over the OPPO at a significantly higher cost.  Its only benefit, in addition to Aurender’s decent user app, was it’s on-board storage which was of little benefit to me.  So once again I’m considering an upgrade-this time at a more affordable level.   I prefer a unit that has similar functionality to the Sonica DAC.  

My basic question is this:  how much of a sonic improvement might I expect going from the Sonica DAC to the D2?  Also, how good is Lumin’s user app when used with Tidal streaming?  My OPPO was $799, the D2 lists for $2300.    The streamer/Dac (w/Tidal) will function as my sole source feeding a Belles Aria integrated and PMC twenty5.22 speakers.  I’ve found the Aria/PMC combo to be wonderfully satisfying and they will not be subject to change for the foreseeable future.  Any thoughtful advice will be much appreciated.
jreale
Post removed 
jackd
1,068 posts
 
@jreale

Another alternative to the D2, and I have owned both the D1 w/SBooster and the Sonica, is the Teac Reference NT-505. Like the Lumin and the OPPO it is a DAC/Streamer combination and like the OPPO but not the Lumin also has digital inputs so it can be used as a separate DAC also. It like it’s more expensive Esoteric brethren also uses the Lumin app. It can be found for $1999 at Sound Approach and HiFi Heaven. I bought one a couple of months ago to replace the Lumin and I prefer it’s higher level DAC chipset from AKM while the operation is the same as the Lumin.
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,778 posts
 
Jpdk the D1 with an S/booster is nothing like a Lumin D2 the D2 sonically is far superior sounding to the original D1 and benefits from a completely redesigned unit with improvements made accross the board with a revised power supply, analog board and digital board. 

Not saying the Teac isn't good just that you didn't do an Apples to Apples comparison. 

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ
jackd
1,068 posts
 
Wondered how long it would take you to put your salesman's two cents in.  The only differences between the two D's is the inclusion of an internal smps instead of a superior external LPS  option if you don't want to use the supplied wall wart and a modification to allow for DSD128 instead of DSD64 and that is direct from a Lumin spokesman who encouraged potential buyers who wanted the surperior LPS option to buy the D1 before the supply was gone.  
audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,778 posts
 
Actually no, the D2’s upgraded processor allows for higher rate DSD transcoding which makes the D2 sound better providing you are using the transcoding feature if you are not then yes their would be less improvements sonically.

Other improvements include new routing for the internal power supply and other circuit optimizations iin the board which make the D2 sound better over the D1 direct quote from the Lumin engineers.

Sorry if we were a bit presumtous and we never had the Sboster with our D1 the D2 in our shop sounded way better then the D1 we had initially.

As per major improvements the later T1 has substantially revised hardware and was a huge improvement over the D1 platform.

So you never did a D2 vs a Teac combarison however and AKM dac chip set sounds very different then the Wolfsons. If you prefer a more detailed sound then the AKM does that if you prefer a warmer sound then the D2 with its wolfson dac chip does that. 

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