Lumin U2 or Aurender N200

I was hoping to demo a Lumen and that didn’t work out.   Have heard a lot of positive things about the hardware and SQ.    
 

I bought a N200 and have zero regrets , it is a great machine 

I have two Aurrender and auditioned others. I research Lumin and went with Aurrender… I have also owned a Auralic Aries G2 and auditioned in home, Grimm, Linn. I love Aurrender… it is all they do and includes the very best streamers, great and quick customer service.

@audphile1

I may sound like a broken record but given your rest of the system, I honestly believe N20 is a much better fit and return on your overall investment. If you’re buying new, ask your Aurender dealer to arrange N200 and N20 audition side by side. IME, N20 edges N200 in terms of low frequency extension and slam. And slight but very noticeable edge in perceived detail and noise floor; it is spooky quiet. Should you choose to further elevate the performance of N20, there is an option to add external clock. In my system, adding an external clock to N20 was no less than a revelation.

Also check with Aurender support if you can ‘slave’ your Bricasti DAC via Ethernet. This will eliminate the need for a USB or AES/SPDIF cable. Aurender selectively offers this capability in their advanced menu settings for MSB and Merging DAC’s.

Good luck!

I will echo how great Aurender support is.    These are basically computers so support is key.  Aurender can correct some issues over the network.   

I was having an issue with internet radio stations and they took care of it remotely. 

@lalitk no worries. I realize the N20 is a step up from the N200 but unfortunately it’s currently more than I’m willing to drop on a streamer.

Appreciate everyone’s advice. I didn’t think that anyone ran the U2 and the N200 side by side for a comparison but was hoping I was wrong.

 

FWIW, I use the U2mini in my 12k office system  and the N200 in my 40k large room system. Both are perfect for their application. If they were swapped around it would be a mismatch.

Doodle I had a U1 Mini and it was decent but not on the level of my current system. I wouldn’t expect the U2 Mini to be that much better than the old version. 

You are correct! Sounds to me like you need to snag the Aurender. MC!

I was curious about the U2 vs N200, not the U2 Mini vs N200. That would not be a fair comparison. 

audphile1

I recently posted a similar topic Lumin, Aurender and Hifi Rose.  Check it out there is some good information in it.  I have since eliminated the Hifi Rose because there seems to be so many problems with the software.  I am looking at the same two units Lumin U2 and the N200.

I like the Usampling to DSD 256 with the Lumin.  Does anyone know if the Aurender has a similar feature?

The upsampling in Lumin always sounded processed to me when I tried it with U1 Mini. I wouldn’t make that a deciding factor. 

Interesting anyone else have experience with Lumin Upsampling?

@efoo it’s fun to play with to hear what it does. Takes a few days to get a hang of it. 
Same with Roon DSP sample rate conversion. Sounds good for few hours then I switch back. The Auralic Aries G1 that I owned also had upconversion and once again I preferred the original bit perfect version every time.
I guess there may be some who like the effect. I don’t. 

FWIW I too have been very happy with my N200 and Aurender Support has been extremely quick and responsive. Good luck with your decision.

Aurender is great for all the reasons cited, have owned several. Recently switched to Innous mainly because I like the sense app so much, useability and sonics. These are the best choices in digital IMO, unless you move way up in pricing.

Just noticed there are several N20s for sale on A’gon in the $8K range.  One by long term member porsche123 turned dealer.

Update - picked up an N200. Breaking it in. Forming my thoughts. 

Congratulations! 

Thanks!!!

I can use some tips on how to get the artwork on the albums I have on my drive. With Roon it goes out to get the artwork from the sources on the internet, which the streamer native apps don’t seem to do. Any tricks there? Oh and I have installed a Samsung SSD inside the N200 that has all my cd rips. 

Curious to see if this will improve the musicality you claimed was missing from your streaming vs. physical media playback. 

@mclinnguy it did! I will post my thoughts after I get some more milage on the N200 but so far I’m impressed! The Bricasti M3 DAC kicks major butt with the N200 feeding it. 

@audphile1

The only way I know of capturing artwork by accessing SSD on your network and adding artwork. You may wanna email aurender support and ask for better way. I don’t have this issue as I also own ACS100 which allows me to edit artwork and metadata right from my iPad.

PS: Glad to hear synergy between N200 and Bricasti DAC.

Lalit…not a bad idea to hit up support. I can also pull the SSD out and mount it on my mac to edit the artwork. It isn’t a deal breaker. Just thought there’s a much better way to accomplish it. Not my highest priority - it doesn’t get in a way of enjoying the music  

Next step is to improve the link between the N200 and the M3. I’m currently using the Aurender included USB cable. I have an AQ Diamond USB on order.
 

Enjoy !    If you go into the Aurender menu there is a tab for it to scan the drive(s) for new content.   In my experience it did a great job on the files I had on my SSD.    I copied a bunch of stuff from my Vault's drive and the Aurender filled in the missing Meta Data.   

Thanks @oddiofyl 

I did that scan after the initial load and there’s still a ton of missing artwork. But I’m not gonna sweat it. I’m just enjoying the new sound I have now…it’s pretty cool what it did 😎

It may take a few times.  I do have several titles that were done on a certain CD ripper that it just recognizes the artist/tracks but overall it cleaned things up a bit. 
 

There is also a utility to “mount” your computer to the Aurender , that worked well when I copied a hard drive to the N200

I actually think I should be able to access the SSD from my mac as a nas storage. I’ll try it at some point.

@audphile1

Check out album art exchange for missing artwork.

https://www.albumartexchange.com

And as far USB, AQ USB would be a definite improvement over generic cable. If I may suggest, couple of my favorite USB cables,  NA’s ENO USB III and Kimber”s KSUSB - HB (Hybrid).

@lalitk thank you for the link and the USB recommendations. I’ll look into it. 

I looked into the kimber hybrid usb cable. @lalitk by any chance have you compared it against the AQ Diamond?

@audphile1 

I have not compared AQ with Kimber. 

Cool. I will start with the Diamond and see what it does. Everything I read about points to it being really good. I’ll report back when I get it. No ETA yet. 

@audphile1 

Any further updates on 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.

Oh, I didn't realize the CD transport was a new one, I thought you bought an older one on a whim. Nice you could return it without a $ hit. 

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

I think a streamer would be my next move, but I sold all my USB cables so I guess I would have to get the Grimm. Yes, I am trying to talk myself into it. 😏

I haven't listened to any other streamer other than the exasound playpoint, but I think I would have to do better than the N200 to better the one integrated into my Weiss 501? I have some time to research as I just got this DAC and everything sounds pretty good for now. 

The only other item I had on my list was a Rhodium Furutech GTX-NCF and I just ordered one. If you don't mind me slightly hi-jacking this thread I believe you have one- still happy with it? (After the claimed ridiculously long break in )

Additionally I see the Antipodes K21 is similar in price to the N200. Did you consider this unit? 

@mclinnguy I have not heard Weiss 501 but I’m fairly confident that the N200 will beat its network renderer. As I stated earlier, I use stock USB cable and it sounds excellent. I don’t know what the AQ Diamond will bring to the table and will report later. But…I could easily live with the stock USB cable.

I considered two streamers - Lumin U2 and Aurender N200. I already owned Lumin a while back, a U1 Mini, and was always curious about the Aurender. Looking at design and implementation of the N200, I chose it over the U2. Right, wrong or different. Had no plans to experiment with boutique brands so Antipodes wasn’t on the list. 
 

As to the Furutech GTX-D NCF outlet…still like it. Have two now.
It starts out impressive so you will hear it right away. It then goes into a 💩 mode about 10-12hrs in. All kinds of bad sound and combinations of bad sound is what you should be expecting for few weeks. It will be fun. 

OP,

Thanks for reporting your results. I’m very happy to hear your results. 

@ghdprentice thanks! Staying up till 2am listening I’m sleep deprived but happy 😃 

There are few minor annoyances with the conductor 4 that aren’t deal breakers but nevertheless something that could be fixed. 
In example…when the iPhone locks or I’m in another app, the conductor loses connection to the n200. Have to reconnect to change tracks. 
It’s slow to update what’s playing - the track had already changed but it’s still showing either the artwork or the bitrate or both from the previous track. 
No resolution is displayed in the album covers. 
The app is practical and functional and easy to navigate/operate. It is few levels below Roon UI though. Not too far behind but far enough to notice these differences. Again, nothing deal breaking and it actually looks really nice on the iPad. Sound is what I’m after and it delivers. 

Conductor works well on the iPad as the OP says. This version of conductor is very new… a month or two, so it still has some bugs… fortunately I haven’t run into any of them. But there is enhanced access to cover art and album info… which over time as the data gets populated will get rid of the problem created when the art of vinyl was reduced in size, to be too small… on an iPad it looks great. Also, I think it is better for discovery as well. It is getting better.

@audphile1 

The Conductor V4 still ‘work in progress’. I am still using V3 version majority of the time until V4 version has all the kinks worked out.  I do like the new fresh ‘look’ of V4 :-) 

Yep none of these gripes are of any significance.
One other thing I would love to have is similar to what roon does, show me all albums for the artist in both tidal and qobuz when I search. List it all from both providers and a library!

One other glitch I found is it pulls up albums that don’t exist. Search for Patricia Barber in Qobuz and it will show her Live “Fortnight in France” album but it’s unavailable - can’t be played.

@audphile1 

Qobuz often uploads upcoming albums that are ‘not ready to stream yet’. Don’t know why they do that, may be this is their way of announcing upcoming albums.