Lumin U2 or Aurender N200

@lalitk yup. Definitely.
short version….like it a lot!

it required a minimum of 200hrs of break in i made a playlist consisting of tracks with all possible bit rates. I had that on repeat with whatever else I wanted to hear. At 300hrs now and I really enjoyed a late night listening session yesterday.
Few things worthy of mention -

1. USB is the best interface in my system understandably so due to N200 clock implementation related to spdif out

2. great synergy with my Bricasti M3 DAC

3. high resolution without sounding analytical - however great care must be taken with Ethernet cable and other cables on the N200 as well as elsewhere in the system

4. it blew away the M3 inbuilt network renderer in every possible way exceeded my expectations as far as what’s possible by introducing a high quality streamer, but obviously the rest of the system plays an important part in all this

Currently running stock power cord on the N200. Waiting for the new AQ Diamond USB that’s arriving mid next week to replace the stock USB cable. Won’t be making any changes until the new USB breaks in and settles. Next move is a power cord (researching now).

P.S. I used a term “blew away” above. I normally refrain from making such statements but in this particular case I couldn’t find another way to describe the change. Every aspect of listening experience improved in a major way. This us just not a subtle change at all.

@audphile1 

Great outcome! I am glad to hear you’re loving N200 in your system. My experience jive with yours, better cabling is equally important and complementary in elevating performance of higher quality components.

Network renderer or endpoint is a good option (just like VC in a DAC) that offers convenience but they cannot compete with full blown, well executed components like a streamer or preamp. 

Among other things, N200 also offers external grounding that further lowers the noise floor. Once you settle down with N200, I recommend trying passive grounding from Entreq or Acoustic Revive. 

@lalitk thanks! 

it blew away the M3 inbuilt network renderer in every possible way exceeded my expectations as far as what’s possible by introducing a high quality streamer, but obviously the rest of the system plays an important part in all this

P.S. I used a term “blew away” above. I normally refrain from making such statements but in this particular case I couldn’t find another way to describe the change. Every aspect of listening experience improved in a major way. This us just not a subtle change at all.

Ok, but is it more musical than CD playback? 😉

@mclinnguy I will say that tonally it is in a totally different league from the audiolab 6000cdt cd transport that I returned. In addition to timbre and tone, the presentation is a lot more engaging with the N200 in my system. The music is back!!!

The network renderer in the Bricasti DAC is a $1,000 option which makes it a lot closer in competition to the audiolab 6000cdt

The N200 is a significantly more expensive dedicated streamer and I hoped it would deliver. I’m not disappointed is all I can tell you.

At this time I have no immediate plans to compare the N200 to a comparably priced CD transport or player. But if opportunity arises, I’ll post my thoughts.