Ifi Zen Stream vs Lumin U1 mini, worth the jump?

I have the same question. I have the iFi Zen stream and their best power supply feeding a Holo May KTE, McIntosh MA-12000 and Sabrina X. I’m considering the Lumin U1, or U2 mini.

I did a lot of research on this before taking the jump to a full Lumin U1 and just added an X1 power supply. Night and day compared to my Node 130 with upgraded power supply feeding a Denafrips terminator plus. Granted I don't have direct experience with the Zen but imagine that and the Node aren't far off.

The Lumin app takes some getting used to but overall it's an amazing setup, and for me an 'end game' on the streamer side. I also listened to a Lumin U1 mini and T2. If you're patient, look for the full U1 used. That's what I did.

What's the difference between a U1 and a full U1 ?

I'll throw in the Auralic Aries G1 to the mix over the Lumin

I know Zen Stream can easily improve the sound quality with their own iPower Elite, 

just add on x2 iPower Elite, 1st for Zen Stream DC 12V power, the 2nd Elite is 5V for USB power combine with iDefender. 

these 2 iPower Elite upgrades on Zen Stream I'm sure is easily wins on sound quality with lower cost compare to Lumin.

op

i have not done a direct comparison to an older lumin, but my educated guess would be that to feed a denafrips pontus-level dac, a zenstream powered with good lps would be almost indistinguishable from a lower or mid tier lumin