Ditching Lumin T2 - Lumin U1 Mini or Bluesound Node 2i

The Anthem STR integrated is still going to benefit from a good DAC, this coming from a happy STR owner. I’m currently using a Bel Canto e.One Stream feeding a W4S DAC-2DSDse and love the sound. I briefly tried the Node2i but returned it as I preferred the sound of my MacBook Pro and the Anthems internal DAC over that of the Node. I try not to overthink the whole digital conversion process of the Anthem, as the benefits I gain from the room correction and subwoofer integration far outweighs any possible signal degradation inherent in the digitizing process. YMMV

Thanks for the input.. I think i agree with you and all, but I can't get past spending Lumin T2 money, then having my Anthem just reconfigure the Lumin's great signal and sending it through it's process.  I'm thinking I should have saved money and not paid for a streamer/dac and just gone with a streamer. 

I don't see how the Anthem DOESN'T disconbobulate, rip apart, render null, the Lumin's dac flavor. 

So ultimately, I'm paying thousands for this Lumin dac just to have it trumped by my Anthem's dac in the end. 

I wish i could not think about it but I need to consider my pocketbook and be wise here too. 

Did you try setting the T2 to low output from normal?  The normal voltage of 6 volts was too much for my processor, and made it sound harsh and distorted.  I switched to low, which is 4 volts, and it was much better.

The Node 2i is a solid choice generally at its price point but in your case given your budget and your experience with a good streamer, I think you'll be happy with it only if you upgrade the power supply.  This makes a substantial difference for the Node 2i as the crappy SMPS it has from the factory is really holding it back (it sounds a lot better just using a better SMPS like an ifi).  You can go from high two figures for a quality Chinese LPS all the way up to something top of the line like the Paul Hynes SR4 which is mid three figures.  To use a new PS you'll need to swap out the PS board in the Node 2i (10 min of work with a screwdriver).

If you are running the LUMIN’s analog out into the Anthem, you could try the SPDIF out or USB out, and set the streamer to “pass through” the digital signal to get a very similar experience to the U1 MinI or U1.