Yyzsantabarbara , I don’t understand why Mike Moffatt is not making a tube DAC? Many yagdrassil owner sold their unit to buy Audiomirror Trobadour.I heard both the AM and yaggy I prefer the audio mirror. Don’t get me wrong thee yaggy is excellent. But the AM is very musical and holographic.i own gungnir though.
The horns of a new dilemma: Lumin t3x vs Aurender N200 & Yddgrassil+ w/JRDG pre & amp
Many of you were very helpful recently in my avoiding a foolish lateral amp/pre-amp move. I now would like to move my NAD M33, that I am using just as a streamer/dac into a JRDG Corus pre-amp and JRDG 625 S2 amp (powering DALI Epicon 6s), out of my main system so it can power a pair of Revel Performa 226Bes in a secondary (basically dining room) system. This means, as my exclusive source of music is TIDAL/Qobuz/Roon, that I need a new digital source and DAC.
Research thus far —without the ability to audition anything at a dealer’s showroom — with the goal of keeping the budget under $9k, has led me to narrow down the virtually unlimited options to (a) a Lumin T3x or (b) an Aurender N200 (or maybe the N150 to keep the costs comparable) with the Schiit Yddgrassil+ (more is better model, I guess?).
I was leaning toward the 1 box solution, and the Lumin has the advantage, besides being less expensive if i go with the N200, of having a fiber optic SFP input option which would be very nice as my Ubiquiti switch similarly has fiber SFP ports, but some commentary I’ve seen suggest that the Yggi’s tone might be better suited to the Rowlands’. I don’t mind neutral or detailed DACs, but I don’t want to veer into having the net result being overly analytical or dry. (I will say that the M33 feeding into the Rowlands gives a very musical and rich result while still being detailed, precise and controlled. Would going with the Lumin risk a harsher net sound? I was assuming not. And perhaps more importantly, would the N200/Yiggi combo be a significant improvement over the T3x? I would love to get your collective reactions to these questions.
And should I be considering the Sonore Optical Rendu deluxe instead of the N200?
I’d appreciate any advice or experiences with these or similar pieces & combinations.
Many thanks!
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At that level I’d go separates. Given what you’re looking for I’d wait for a good used N200 or Innuos Pulsar and a used Denafrips Terminator 15th (and look to add a Hermes later), and if any don’t work out you can sell them with little risk. Here’s a review of the 15th just fyi… Another idea for a DAC would be the LTA Aero DAC, and they offer a trial period. Just some ideas FWIW, and best of luck. |
This is so helpful, all of you, thank you. I feel I’m maybe a few steps farther from a decision than I was though, which is OK. @soix, your specific advice is, as always, super helpful and appreciated. On the LTA Aero, the review (2 that i saw) look great, but does it matter that it only processes up to 24/192? I look at the other DACs promising 32 bit depth and sampling up to 768k kHz and wonder what do these numbers really mean in terms of what one hears. And let me toss into the mix the Gustard X30, which has gotten some great press and also some mixed reports from users on this site going back a few years. Anybody have any recent experience with that Gustard model? (All things being equal, I am more persuaded by the reviews of the LTA Aero than the X30, but just trying to be complete(ish).) Thanks!
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With DACs, it’s super important that you try to hear them. I hear Lumin X1 and T3x as warm, I’m not sure “loud and brash” would ever be terms I would use for them - those terms I would apply to Chord and Moon. As @yyzsantabarbara and my impressions show, you may have your own impressions. |
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