Enjoying LEEDH Processing….

Does the LEEDH processing work with Lumin products that don't have an onboard DAC? I notice my U1-mini has this processor, but I always keep the volume control fixed. Can this work with an outboard DAC?

Ozzy, apparently yes is the answer to your question. Please go to the Roon community website and open the LUMIN hardware discussion group and you will see someone who asked this exact same question and you can see how he has configured things

While this speaks well for LEEDH processing, I think what you are really enjoying is the absence of the primaluna pre.  Primaluna has a full featured preamp that isn't as transparent as the simpler ones.  

OTOH, it is good to hear that Primaluna's amp gives a clear and detailed soundstage without the pre.  

--Jerry

Carlsbad, as you know, there are many in our hobby who like what a pre-amp does sonically for their system. And then there are others who like to run direct into an amplifier. I think we would all agree it’s the  gear and ears dependent on the choice that’s made. I have only one combined source unit so this simple set up seems to be working for me

@tuberist Sorry I wasn't trying to disagree with you.  I'm listening to a similarly simple system right now.  

However, I find the preamp in my DAC is inferior to the simple volume control in my integrated tube amp so I leave it bypassed.  Glad yours sounds great.  I guess I should have started with that.

Jerry

Carlsbad, absolutely no offense taken.

@tuberist 

This weekend I tried the LEEDH processing. Wow, this is really good. I wish I had done it sooner. Like you said, more organic and transparent at the same time. Anyone with a Lumin streamer should give this a go.

Ozzy,

Because the sound is so much improved I am now thinking of just changing to a power amplifier without any need to ever use a preamp

That is exactly what I am doing. I now run my Lumin X1 directly to my mono block amps.

Awesome in sound quality. I sold my Ayre preamp and all the associated cables, footers etc. That helped pay for the X1.

ozzy

The X1 into quality amplification my sound awesome

Timely discussion, I just noticed the Leedh option in the app recently (don't use the Lumin app much as I am a Roon user) so got curious and just today removed my beloved McIntosh C2500 tube preamp from the chain and much to my surprise a noticeable improvement in all aspects. I have yet to detect a sonic downside to going straight from the Lumin S1 to my MC452 amp. I will be switching things back to confirm my initial impressions, but it is pretty obvious to me and frankly I didn't want it to sound better. I only stream so the preamps only function was to process the sound (for the better I hoped) and volume control. I will need the lumin remote if I stick with this because using the ipad for volume control sucks for me. Obviously, everyone's associated equipment will vary the end results, however I think the Lumin and I guess the leedh volume processing is an important part of the equation. I have never tried a dac/streamer without a preamp prior to today.

Torxx

This is what makes our hobby fun, experimenting with our gear and seeing if we like sonic changes. I never would have thought removing the preamp would have changed the sound to my liking but it sure did

The LEEDH processing theory is really interesting; in that what is the cause of the sound improvement?

To vastly simplify, for each step of the digital volume control LEEDH uses a whole number. i.e instead of 3.14141414141414 into infinity they use 3.141

So does using exact numbers mean greater accuracy and thus better sound? Or is it the whole number has far less math overhead, so the substrate of the chip itself is not working as hard, leading to lower noise and thus better sound?

The math theory is very interesting.
Either way finally we can have digital volume control that sound decent, because it never could compare to an analog volume.