Lumin or Aurender

I have the Aurender N100H. The thing that most impresses me is that Aurender tech support can log into your player and correct software related issues. That is one reason, and a big reason, I am hesitant to seek out upgrades outside the Aurender product line. Not to mention the build quality is outstanding, which to me means a great deal of attention to everything else.

My vote is for Lumin. I’ve had a T2 for a little over a year and loved it so much I recently purchased an X1. The T2 gets you 80% of the X1 performance for about one-third the cost so there’s a lot of value there.  It has an integrated DAC and is within your price range. The Lumin app is my personal favorite too out of the three I have streamers using (Lumin, BluOs, iPeng). 

I have an Aurender ACS 100 and an ifi Pro DSD dac and I am very pleased at the overall sound and quality and ease of use with the conductor app.

Roon is a must for me. Therefore Aurender out. It’s a nonstarter. I have a Lumin U1 Mini and it truly is very powerful with great SQ. Plus you can upgrade it with an SBooster LPS. I have also added Noico to the interior to dampen EMI. A nice little DIY project. But if you must have an internal DAC, Lumin has those units too. 

I started streaming 5 years ago with a LUMIN D1 - the streamer and DAC ran great - and held there value ( bought the D1 for $2,000 - sold it on Avon 4 months ago for $1,200). Upgraded to the LUMIN T2 - much improved sound stage and vocals vs the D1. The T2 has the Sabre DAC- a real step up. Lumin’s app on my I Pad mini works great. I get any software upgrades automatically from LUMIN. You need an Ethernet connection to get the LUMIN on line. I stream Tidal MQA - retired my turntable - my sound quality is so good.