Aurender A20 or Lumin X1


I considering one of these as my next DAC/streamer. From a purely technical perspective, which one should I buy?

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Technical? I would think sound quality would be the criteria.

 

I am a big fan of Aurrender. I own two. Lumin is highly regarded but when I researched streamers, Aurrender came up with reviews and a reputation for being better. But someone that has compared these two specifically would be more qualified to verify.

 

Personally, I am a a big advocate of separate Streamer and DAC, unless there is some constraint.

+1 @ghdprentice At this level you should really be looking at a separate streamer and DAC. 

If you must have Roon then the Lumin. Otherwise , my $$ would be on Aurender. To be honest though, I would grab the N200 and a Weiss 501 or Denafrips T+ for close to the same money.

Both are great but as @ghdprentice stated, how they sound in your system and to your ears takes precedence over any of our opinions. Beyond that, look for features that are more important to you.

You asked for opinion, so here is mine. A quick glance at the features tells me A20 is a better product, especially the analog section, better proprietary app (unless you prefer ROON, which requires a separate computer to run ROON core). Critical Listening Mode, dedicated Headphone section and User-Installable Storage option which eliminates the need for external NAS. Aurender, IMHO offers the most elegant one-box solution.

I am not going to get into the debate of one box vs separates. Separates are to be pursued if you like flexibility and chasing ultimate SQ. Otherwise, one box offerings like A20 are pretty darn good to keep things simple and uncluttered.