Lumin U2 vs Aurender N200

@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.

Von- I agree that upgrading the Streamer will improve my sound, so many have said that it will.   Just trying to figure out which one of these two fine pieces,  hence my original questions and theme of discussion.  Thanks for you