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

Live and you learn.  I love this streamer, BUT, I'm not convinced I'm getting the most from it's excellent DAC because my Anthem STR is converting the signal back to digital (for subwoofers and ARC) then reconverting using the Anthem's DACs. 

The Anthem does sound excellent mind you!  But I really wanted the pure Lumin sound and there's no way to not double process the signal if I want to use subs or ARC. 

So now the question is......  Would a Lumin U1 mini (streamer only) really be that much better than a Bluesound Node 2i just for streaming?
I do like BluOS better than Lumin's app but I also use Roon which is love/hate.
dtximages
dtximages OP
365 posts
 
rockrider, yeah I think i'll play around with that for a while.  

I think most people would be very "irked" to know their $$$$ streamer dac is being reprocessed and you're now hearing two dacs.  

Also, I think Anthem recommends NOT doing this which tells me there's something nefarious going on in the signal path.  

big_greg
6,670 posts
 
The Anthem is a nice piece, and ARC is kind of cool, but it doesn't sound natural to me when engaged. If you can't bypass all that crap in the Anthem, I would consider a different integrated that lets you enjoy the high quality source you have rather than downgrade your source. 
dtximages OP
365 posts
 
big_greg I can bypass it all... But I can't use bass management or ARC if I do.

crn3371
224 posts
 
The bottom line with the STR is whether or not you’re happy with the end product, I happen to be ok with all the internal machinations. The internal DAC in the STR integrated is pretty decent, but I had an appreciable increase in SQ when I upgraded my digital sources, regardless of what was happening internally with the STR. There’s a lot of people out there with good gear who are feeding that gear through some type of dsp and are quite happy with the results. To the OP, by your logic I wouldn’t invest much in a turntable or cartridge either, nor buy any LP that was digitally mastered.  
big_greg
6,670 posts
 
@dtximages What kind of subwoofers do you use?  They typically provide controls to allow you to shape their sound.  I use 4 subwoofers and don't use any type of bass management.  Of course using multiple subs helps eliminate the need for those controls.
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