Better to buy a high end network player with a DAC?

Ironlung,

very helpful comments, so it seems a dac inside a player is appropriate in light of all the stuff that goes on inside box that most have no clue about...

Neg comments about Lumin see abit unfair.

Neg comments about Lumin see abit unfair.

You'll have to forgive me, as I was there in the beginning and saw exactly what Lumin did, which is essentially copy-cat Linn (in nearly every respect they could at the time). It's surprising to me that they have gained the popularity they have within the audio community to the point that a typical conversation about network streamers on any number of threads on this forum are filled with references to Lumin, and yet no mentions of the folks who so obviously inspired everything that Lumin did at the time.

And possibly by now Lumin can be very competitive with Linn.

should i feel comfortable buying Lumin?  Is it really a Linn product?

should i feel comfortable buying Lumin? Is it really a Linn product?

It is most definitely not a Linn product. Essentially what they did was see what Linn were doing with the category and their Klimax DS at the time, and attempt to copy it in terms of build, architecture, etc.

I think Lumin has done a good job at trying to compete with Linn and as far as overall product build, support, and performance they are something worth considering, and I wouldn't personally feel uncomfortable purchasing and/or representing their product in the right application. However, to consider something like a Lumin without also looking into what a Linn DSM can do (and how they perform), along with other more established HiFi brands such as Naim, Sim Audio Moon, T+A (not as well known), etc. is sort of leaving a lot on the table.

Of course I am speaking of all-in-one streamer/DAC combos, getting into mixing and matching streamers and DACs is a whole other ball game.

The only advantage of internal DAC is convenience.  YMMV.