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Streamer Advice Lumin, Auralic, Innuos Others?

I have just purchased a Denefrips Pontus DAC and will be looking to get into streaming. I am considering the Lumin U1 mini, the Auralic G1 and one of the Innuos either the Zen or Zen mini (if you upgrade the mini's power supply you are not far off in price to the Zen). I have also considered just getting a Bluesound to get my feet wet. I would like to eventually convert my CD collection, about 600 to storage but at least for the time being I will keep using a CD transport. I am a vinyl guy and play records at least 60% of the time. I don't know if a good streamer would change that. I have about 1000 LPs. I do have a nice idler drive TT setup. Space is getting to be a problem. Going forward I don't plan on buying more CDs and will limit LP purchases. I would have a max budget of $3K, but I really don't want to spend over $2Kish if I can help it. Any other suggestions or comments on the streamers I have mentioned? Also,I don't mind getting something less expensive or even used to get accustomed to this arena. On another note, looking at the Lumin D2 which sells for $2300 and has a DAC (but as I understand it, the DAC in the Lumin D2 would not be accessible to my CD transport) and the U1 Mini is $2K with no DAC. I have read the DAC in the D2 is older technology but am I looking at the same DACless product for $300 less with the U1 Mini? I am not chasing the holy grail, but would like something nice. Currently I am running a 300B tube amp and Zu Omen speakers just for reference.
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thyname's avatar
thyname
3,107 posts
 
Innuos ZEN. And it’s not only a great USB streamer, but also a Server, CD ripper, and storage (minimum 1 TB). I have the ZENith MK3 for over a year now, and couldn’t be happier 
hsw
37 posts
 
Regarding Innuos, I think the Zen has greater richness than the Zen Mini. So much so that I think it’s worth the upgrade to the Zen if you can afford it. The Zenith brings delicacy compared to the Zen, but quite a bit more expensive. So YMMV 
ianrmack
227 posts
 
So many recent threads have covered this topic and I still remain unclear on why and how a “premium” streamer increases SQ.

so, just as jazzman suggests, I have a Bluesound node 2i running into my DAC of choice (chord Qutest) until that point where I learn more about Innous, Lumin, etc.

WiFi streaming with BluOS seems pretty easy and sounds damn good.

How do you quantify better with a streamer head? Besides the control,app?
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jazzman7
347 posts
 
When it comes to SQ it's all about the precision of the clock, the cleanliness of the signal, and lowering the noise floor.  Quieter is better.
Everything in your digital food chain counts. Router, switches, ethernet cabling, how your music is stored, the renderer, the DAC, and all cabling inbetween.   A Bluesound Node 2i is a wonderful piece of kit for the money.  It's enjoyable on its own.  Add a better DAC and you can take it to another level.   The Node beats a plain vanilla PC as a renderer because it is quieter, purpose built for the task.  The better streamers are quieter still, better clocks and power supplies, but that refinement comes at a cost that we the customer must pay for.  You can store your ripped CDs and downloads on any discoverable network share, but a purpose built storage device like an Innuos or Melco can yield whole other level of refinement.  It's all a matter of how important it is to you and how much you are willing to pay for.
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hoopster OP
184 posts
 
Thank you thank you all for your responses. As luck would have it I found a good deal on a Cambridge CXN v2 so that’s where I’ll begin this journey. I’ll try to audition up the food chain when I can.
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