Lumin U1 vs Lumin U1 mini + sbooster?

Hubbman, are you running the U1 mini in stock form?

I have a modified U1 mini powered by an Uptone JS-2.

Upgraded Beeswax fuse and Ghent audio NRG DC cable. Grounded with an Entreq Olympus Minimus.

When I powered the JS-2 from an Isotek Genesis, the performance took a quantum leap. 

The U1 mini is very capable when you optimize the ancillary components around it.

But most people aren’t going to hear what it’s fully capable of in stock form.

Chiming in on the Lumin U1 Mini Vs. the U1 discussion.

I finally took delivery of my new Lumin U1, and I placed right next to my U1 Mini with the SBooster.

Both set ups were the same.  AES connection to my Holo Audio Spring DAC 3 KTE  Edition with preamp module, feeding directly into my PS Audio M1200 Mono Blocks, feeding my Focal Sopra 2's.  I mostly used Qobuz and my Innuos ZEN Mini Mk3 for my legacy CD collection.

I listen to a lot of Electronic, House and Jazz music, Many of the tracks i listened to have been in the rotation for years, so I know them all very well.  

In a nut shell I have to completely agree with this assessment post by another poster here

. " The U1 is significantly better than the U1Mini, main differences being in the instrument separation, blacker background, deeper and wider stage, better resolution / clarity and overall a more refined presentation".

This was a complete no-brainer for me and the easiest comparison I've ever undertook.  As I mentioned, most of the tracks I listened to were well known to me, and I heard stuff in the background that I've never heard before!  The lyrics were more clear and intelligible than I've ever heard from my system.  The bass was bigger and more controlled than before as well.  I use two JL Audio Subs and a JL Audio CR-1 controller with my set up to supplement my Sopras,  and this new combination made the most of it. 

As others mentioned, I was also able to increase the volume on tracks without any glare what so ever.  Just more control over the content...period!  In my opinion, with my set up, I would say the U1 Mini is capable of about 75% of what the U1 can do.

What's most confusing about this comparison is the fact that these tow transports appear to be very close in spec on paper.  However, I can tell you with out any hesitation that the move from the U1 Mini to the U1 was an excellent investment in my system. Now I have to wonder.... what would the X-1 PSU do for the U1??? (this hobby is insane....)

The U1 can now be found on the used market for around 4K!  I would easily recommend this over the U2mini with booster.  

Does anyone know what the technical differences are vs the U1 Mini
I have the U1 mini with S booster II and it is pretty nice.
I am thinking of upgrading, but not sure.
Thank you

The problem is any comparison between the U1 and mini will be highly dependent upon the DC cable and LPS for the mini.

I will say the mini is incredibly good with the right supporting network and grounding components.

Despite what you might predict based on logical comparison of the specs, those that have actually compared the sound of the U1 Mini (now discontinued) with Sbooster to the U1 have found the latter to sound significantly better. Of course whether you'll consider the difference in performance to justify the price difference is ultimately a judgement call.

@hubbman And upgrading the DC cable for the linear power supply should close the gap significantly. I went from stock belden cables to Neotech copper and there was performance jump.

Looking at the spec of the U1 and the mini on the Lumin site right now.

The only difference in the spec is the power supply and the higher PCM support of the U1.  

 

It would stand to reason that those who are saying that the added aftermarket power supply would get you damn near the performance of the U1 have a pretty solid case.  Yes, I have the U1 Mini with the Sbooster, and I'm very happy with the results when connected to my Bel Canto DAC. 

I use Black Cat Tron BNC to connect it to the DAC.

I also ground the mini via the RCA coaxial with an Entreq box.

Question to everyone here using the Ui Mini with Booster (as I am).  Are you connecting to your DAC/preamp via USB or Dig coax?  

It will be interesting if mrcyrpuz and others who compared the U1 to the mini with sbooster, tried upgrading the DC cable on the LPS powering the mini.

I am willing to bet upgrading the DC cable will close the gap significantly between the U1 and the mini.

I have done this for my U1 mini and it is very good.

Has anyone tried the SR orange fuse on the linear power supply for the U1 mini?

I’m kind of in shock how much of a difference this has made.

Way more PRAT, slam, dynamics, transparency.

The orange fuse is warm in the midrange.

I tried replacing the fuse on the LPS powering the U1 mini and that has made quite the difference.

I will also try a Farad Super 3 LPS with it.

Amazing thread. Essentially no references to music. Just many unfounded opinions masquerading as facts.

Mike at Audio Arcon does the Sbooster upgrade and doesnot void the warrant 
You get discount on the Lumin ,not the booster and maybe a $50:charge.
I prefer a Good external dac much much better  . 

A T2 sounds good but it’s dac is not even close to say a Denafrips terminator, or Holo springs kre May dac ,that can be plugged in 
at a later date ,my friend has the terminator it destroys the inner dac in theT2

I agree, the mini is almost unbeatable for the money and a few tweaks/upgrades can go a long way. 
As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters the most - it’s reasonable and fair to not care (and your wallet will be safe).

 I was just sharing another upgrade path for the U1 (not mini) owners to make another leap forward on the performance of that already awesome streamer.

I'm using the mini with an Uptone JS-2.

It's grounded with an Olympus minimus.

And I use a Black Cat Tron digital cable.

It's absolutely fabulous. I'm sure the U1 is even better, or maybe a DCS bridge, but the mini in this setup is so good, I don't even care.

For anyone looking to get a mini, pick one up at the current used prices and you can't go wrong.

So the U1 Mini + S Booster finally found a new home, I though I would use it on my secondary rig but after getting used to the U1, there’s no way back to the Mini.

I’ve upgraded the power supply on my the U1 to the X1 power supply and the leap was once again drastic, the noise floor dropped and as a result, the background became darker which in turn made the stage wider and more cavernous, the bass became tighter and dug deeper, very well controlled, refined and life like midrange and treble. One noticeable thing with these improvements is that it feels like I can play the same tracks way louder than before without any hint of fatigue or ear piercing notes whatsoever.
Had the chance to A/B the U1+X1 power supply against the X1 digital section both outputting USB to a Chord M Scaler + Dave (later on a dCS Bartok) and there was no discernible difference.

To all U1 owners, if you want to get to the X1 digital section performance without dropping $13k, I highly recommend the X1 power supply for a “fraction” of the cost ($2.1k).

I wonder if LUMIN is going to provide a standalone DAC based on the X1 DAC...if they do, I’ll be all over that.

  

Goofyfoot, I understand the attachment to CDs. 

Streaming Tidal has a different sound than CD playback.

There are more variables to optimizing streaming. Many things we wouldn't initially think of.

Grounding the router with an Entreq box makes a big difference. And I run my router with the Uptone JS-2 LPS with a very good power cord that has noise absorption.

All of these upgrades will significantly improve the performance of streaming from the Lumin.

macdude, the cd's I heard in 1983 were poor transfers from an analogue source. Today with MOFI, Analogue Productions, etc... there is time and care given to making cd's as good as they can be. The art of digital recording, i.e. DSD recording, is also advanced when compared to just twenty years ago. And like you said, the equipment is becoming more technologically advanced. But for me, I personally do not believe that streaming is an optimal choice when it comes to sound quality. Quobuz and Tidal do not offer speciality labels like MOFI and I find that they are well worth purchasing. So I am more interested in a CD transport than a streamer. As ar as I can see, the Lumin U1 mini doesn't have a server for CD storage.

I use the U1 mini with a Black Cat Tron and Bakoon DAC 21, and this combination is just so musical and delivers so much insight into the music with finesse.

I remember the days when audiophiles said redbook CD didn’t have high enough of a sampling rate. Who knew we just didn’t have the right equipment to see what it could really do.

I’ll probably opt for the Uptone JS 2 amp linear power supply with their Mac Kit. Comes to around a thousand. In the long run, I’ll probably purchase a Naim Uniti Core and add the JS 2 to that. It’s precarious given whether I can find the Naim second hand but I’m on that path.

If anyone is interested in a u1 mini modded to accept other ext PSUs besides sbooster I have a black one in great condition with a keces p8 PSU and ghent DC cable. I am in Canada but would consider shipping to usa. Hit me up if interested.
Gonna try an upgraded ethernet cable (custom made, cat8 with telegartner terminations) on it. I really want to try the uptone though.

mrcypruz, this is why I brought up the Bricasti M5. It sells for a little over two grand and with a possible discount even less.

I can confirm that the U1 Mini mod is straight forward and relatively simple. I would recommend getting a used unit here on Audiogon or even my already modded unit (Lol) and not worry about warranty. 
I agree with all the tweaks being discussed here and they do enhance the performance of the U1 Mini but not to the U1 level. Also, those very same tweaks can be done on the big brother U1 to make it even better if you’re seeking the ultimate performance from a streamer. These tweaks when applied on the U1, will make it significantly better than the Mini, by a significant margin. However, if you’re just trying to get the most of the U1 Mini without spending a lot, then stick with the tweaks suggested here and be happy! $5.9k is a big chunk of change for a digital streamer. 

That’s what I was thinking but it sounds like the kit is well thought through. I’m guessing that cutting that red wire will negate any warranty from Lumin so buying second hand isn’t really a compromise.

Yes, you have to remove the switching power supply inside the U1 mini.

Then install a DC kit from audio sensibility so you can power it with an LPS. The LPS remains external. The kit comes with all of the instructions.

It's a little nerve racking since you have to cut the red wire inside the Lumin to remove the IEC. But overall, it's pretty simple, and you get a reference streamer at a fraction of the cost of a U1.

macdude, did you have to disable the Lumin power output and install the Uptone linear power supply? If yes, how was it done, how difficult was that?

Goofyfoot, I wouldn't spend $6k for the U1.

U1 mini's are showing up used now for great prices. 

I have one with an Uptone linear power supply and it's fantastic. 

It's easily one of best bang for buck upgrades I've done.

If you're upgrading from a Mac mini, you will be very happy.

macdude, it’s still six grand for the U1. If you already own one then great but for me, spending that kind of money should come with the peace of mind that I’ll be content for the next ten years.
From reading around, it seems that Bricasti owners have compared their M5 to other transport/streamers and claim that for around 2,000.00, it’s a better option.

Maybe I’ll start saving for the M5 and hopefully by the time I’m ready to make a purchase, Bricasti will have made more improvements.
I can say however that my stereo sounds very good given the quality of the recording I’m playing. Great recordings sound great and mediocre recording’s sound mediocre. The idea of making an average recording into a great sounding recording is for me, a fool’s errand.
With my Ayre DAC, I am using the Uptone Audio reclocker with the linear power supply. And, I added an xlr Akiko tuning stick as well as a Synergistic Blue fuse and I found nothing objectionable about them. Sure there is always something better and I don’t object to improvements but I don’t want to spend more than I have to.

Goofyfoot, Lumin seems to be pretty good about supporting their hardware. They've added MQA and Leedh volume processing to even the discontinued D1.

smodtactical, for a while I used a Waversa hub before the Lumin streamer.

I liked it for a while, but eventually I took it out and realized a bit of organic noise is actually good thing.

The Bricasti M5 has gotten good reviews!

@sfseay can you tell us what you heard from the Debussy vs Bricasti?

@goofyfoot no, I’m not using the Debussy anymore.  Replaced with a Bricasti M3 DAC w/MDX upgrade.

Just curious has anyone tried to use an uptone ether regen with their lumin streamer? I wonder if this will unlock the full potential of my u1 mini?

@sfseay wow Impressive. U1 is truly a marvel then.
By the way its weird but lately I am finding my DI20HE alone sounds better than u1 mini and sounds better than the di20he+u1mini combo in a chain. Using I2s out of di20he and coax out of u1 mini. So the vs is not totally fair because of the different outputs.

sfseay, are still using the Debussy?

I owned both the Lumin U1 and dCS Network Bridge.  For a number of reasons I don’t own either one now, I found the U1 sounded better to me than the Network Bridge.  I was using both with a dCS Debussy DAC.

macdude, yes of course everything in the chain matters, that’s why my stereo sounds so good. However the problem with changing technologies is a serious consideration, especially for the companies building DAC’s and digital streamers. Ayre is a company that continues to upgrade their components because they want to keep there customers current. If Lumin had a reputation for doing the same, then I’d be less apprehensive about buying their product. I don’t want to have to drop a few thousand every six years in order to play a larger file size. 

Audio sensibility sells a conversion kit for the U1 mini to run with linear power supplies other than the sbooster.

The kit has a 5.5 x 2.1mm DC socket.

I use it with an Uptone JS-2 LPS.

The U1 mini sounds fantastic in this setup.

I also ground the U1 mini with an Entreq Olympus minimus.

Goofyfoot, unfortunately everything in the chain can make a significant difference.

I just upgraded from the D1 to U1 mini and it was quite the leap. I would have never imagined a streamer transport could make that much of a difference.

Even after my eye opening experience upgrading my digital cable to the Black Cat Tron, the mind seems to be quite unimaginative when it comes to these things.

Mrcyrpuz, after seeing what the Tron can do, I definitely would not skimp on the digital cable if I had a full size U1.

There is where a one box digital solution would make life a lot easier.

Interesting topic. I just had my Ayre QB9 upgraded to a Twenty. I bought my QB9 after it was first introduced in 2010 and that was a big deal back then. I find the premise of the 432 EVO Master intriguing but I’m not in the market at 11,000 Euros. By the time I will be able to make a large purchase, everything technological will have changed. It wasn’t long ago that MP 3 was the only file format we could download, so in ten years, these transports might seem archaic. When I bought my reference stereo, I purchased an ASR Emitter 2 amp and have never regretted it but an amp is far from being a digital streamer or a DAC or even a CD player. I think I’ll buy one of Cullen Cable’s Mac mini power cables and see if that makes an improvement. It’s the law of diminishing returns at this point and since I don’t stream a music server just isn’t pragmatic. However, if anyone might recommend an affordable way towards making a DAC (being used with a server, or DVD player) sound exceptionally better, please let me know.

Out of all the tweaks you mentioned, the only I didn’t do was to ground the U1 Mini. Now imagine if you do the same to the U1, you’ll surely pull even further ahead of the U1 Mini.

Btw, that Black Cat Tron digital cable is the same price as the U1 Mini, I can only imagine it doing wonders with the U1.

The U1 Mini + Black Cat Tron digital came puts you really close to the U1 price.

I use a Lumin as a streamer to my DAC.

There are other ways to increase the performance rather than going from a U1 mini to a U1.

The power cord will make a big difference.

Grounding the Lumin with an Entreq box will significantly lower the noise floor.

And when I upgraded the digital cable to a Black Cat Tron, the Lumin took a quantum leap.

@mrcypruz

If you get your hands on dcs please let us know how it compares. I would be most interested.

Snuphy91 and smodtactical, you’re more than welcome. Just trying to contribute to our magnificent community, hoping that someone finds the information useful. 

Thank you as well, mrcypruz, for sharing your first-hand experience.