Lumin U2 vs Aurender N200

+1, @vonhelmholtz
“My DAC is the module that comes in the McIntosh MA 8950. ”

@john1629

I wouldn’t waste money on a better streamer like Aurender N200 or Lumin U2 unless you are planning to upgrade the DAC. The DAC module inside the MA8950 is not day n night better than the one inside Node 2i. Reach out to a dealer that can allow in-home audition…that’s only way to know!

@lalitk 

@john1629 

Regarding the McIntosh DAC2.  Mine malfunctioned and I really didn’t go back once I got it repaired.  I moved to the Aurender and Holo May DAC KTE during the long down time of my DAC2 and the combination Aurender/May DAC were a major upgrade, but here is a pretty good evaluation of my integrated the MA12000 (with DAC2)  against much more expensive equipment.  They also compare the DAC2 to the new PS Audio DAC.  Worth a look.

McIntosh MA12000 Dan D’Agostino Progression Integrated

I was this comparison and they all spoke highly of the MA12000 DAC (DA2).

I have a Lumin U2 mini hooked up to a McIntosh C2700. I am using the DAC2 module. My only comparison is against a Mac Mini as Roon core/streamer that I original had connected to the C2700. The sound improvement with the Lumin was absolutely worth the money. I could not go back to using the Mac Mini to stream as I was doing before. I would not hesitate to invest in a better streamer. 

I think the next step for me would be to get a standalone DAC instead of using the DAC2 module in the C2700. I am not certain which DAC to even consider at this point. 

I purchased the MA12000 because the Sabrina X has a 2.6 ohm dip at 135Hz, but with a bit easier to drive speaker, I would expect our integrated amps to sound much the same and these guys really praised the DAC2, so leave upgrading the DAC for the future and put money into a great streamer, balanced interconnects and put some money into the right Ethernet cable and power.