The horns of a new dilemma: Lumin t3x vs Aurender N200 & Yddgrassil+ w/JRDG pre & amp

I owned the Lumin X1 but sold it after a year or so. The Lumin streamers are great, but the DAC is so-so and about the level of the Schitt Yggi+ LIM (a warm rolled off DAC).

The X1 is both a streamer and DAC. The Leedh volume control on the Lumin streamers is the best digital volume control I have heard. My Benchmark HPA4 preamp still is better, but that Leedh is great for a DAC.

I compared 3 great streamers head-2-head, the Lumin X1, Sonore Optical Rendu, and PlayBack Designs STREAM-IF. They all sounded different but great. The Lumin is loud and brash, the Sonore is polite and refined, and the PBD in-between. 

I ended up going with the Sonore because it was the cheapest (especially used these days). It maybe a little bit more technically challenging than the other 2. For example, if you have a power outage in your home and need to reset the streaming. It maybe a little trickier with the Sonore. I am a computer person so I can handle it. I also have a little bit more complex setup with PowerLine adapters to move the bits via the copper wires inside the walls of the house. I also have a cheap ROON Core computer. 

Since the Sonore uses Optical it does not matter how sonically bad my setup is BEFORE the fibre optical (and DAC).

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I think the Schitt Yggi+ OG DAC is the best DAC under $15k. I use price as a factor in this evaluation, but the Yggi+ does not suffer much sonically to the more expansive DACs at $15k.

 Over the past week my friend dropped off the Allnic D-15000 OTL/OCL Signature DAC. This DAC is the best DAC I ever heard and is significantly better than the Yggi+ OG, but it costs 10x more money. I did not think a 10x more expensive DAC would be that much better, but this one was, likely because of the unique output stage.

I put the Yggi+ OG back in the system once the Allnic DAC was returned and I enjoyed the heck out of it again. The OG is an excellent DAC.

I also have the Schitt Yggi+ MIB DAC in my system. I do not like it as much as the OG. The MIB is in-between the LIM and the OG, with a nod more to the OG's clean sound. Since I do not like the MIB I am going to upgrade it to the new Schitt Byggi, which is going to be introduced at Los Angeles CanJam this weekend. That DAC will cost $3500 and is supposedly the best DAC that Schitt has made. It will cost me $1500 to upgrade. I converted my LIM to MIB and now to the Byggi.

People like me that upgrade will be selling their old Yggi+ boards, which can be a cheap way to get the LIM or MIB Yggi+. Buy an older Yggi and install the LIM or MIB board yourself.

I’ve owned four Lumin streamer DACs, and only the T2 and D2 would I remotely describe as brash or harsh. They both exhibited a haze or glare. By contrast, the X1 is wonderful and won out in my comparison to the DCS Bartok (non apex). The T3x I added to a second system and it sounds like a mini X1.The T3x did take time to settle in, and care is needed when choosing the SFP module, as most sounded very brittle and bright, whereas the Finisar was great but took a day to break in.

A longer thread here is helpful: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/fun-with-the-wonderful-new-lumin-t3x-streamer-dac.1219258/

I listened to Aurender and it was nice, but I felt not quite comparable to the Lumin.

I considered the Sonore early on but it is not plug and play like the Aurender and Lumin. 
 

Lumin’s support and updates are phenomenal- they continue to update software for 10+ year old components. I’ve had zero complaints and updates for both are a breeze. Works great with Roon too, but the basic Lumin app is great and sounds great too.

I am not a fan of Schitt gear. My demos of their DACs and phono stages were not especially impressive. They have fans of course, like all gear, just not including me.

My main gripe with Lumin now is that tariffs have increased prices a bit high, but the used market or a demo is a worthy consideration. My D2 was used, and my X1 was a demo, purchased for a very reasonable price (and traded in for great trade in value). 

I never said it was harsh. I said loud and brash (meaning in your face) and I meant that in the best way possible. I was also comparing it relative to the PBD and the Sonore. I loved the streamer part of the X1. Infact, when my 2 remaining Sonore Optical Rendu’s die, a third died recently after many years. I will get the new Lumin U2X streamer. Which seems to be exactly the streamer in the X1. 

I am also taking about the streamer part of the X1 not the DAC when I said it was loud and brash. The DAC part of the X1 is another matter and not what I am talking about. You can use the X1 without using the DAC part. 

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.

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…

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/best-dacs-under-10000-series-denafrips-terminator-15th-review/

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!

I replaced Aurender N200 and Bricasti M3 with Meitner MA3i. Just some food for thought…

Running Roon streaming Tidal and Qobuz. 

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.

Since I was not super clear. 

The Lumin X1 STREAMER was the loudest and most in your face of the 3 streamers I owned and listened side by side. As I said before I would love to own the new Lumin U2X streamer (has no DAC).

The Lumin X1 DAC is very much like the Schitt Audio Yggi+ Less Is More DAC. The LIM is considered the most musical DAC from Schitt. I find it rolled off on the top end like the X1. My test showed that the LIM was a bit more detailed than the X1.

You can use the X1's streamer only and turn off the DAC part. Which is one way I tested my 3 streamers.

@jaycee12 I also owned the Audio Mirror III or maybe IV. I liked it but it had that tube sound that hides some details. Most people consider that a feature and not a bug. The new Byggi DAC that is being introduced today at LA CanJam is supposed to be a warmer and detailed DAC.I hope to have that in the house within the next 2 months.

I have recently posted a lot about a tube DAC that I had in the house for 4 days. It is the Allnic D-150000 OTL/OCL Signature. I am still thinking about that DAC. It has even more detail than the Schitt Yggi+ OG (which I love) and all other DACs I owned but also has that tube magic of the Audio Mirror. Spectacular sound.

It will take me some years, but I will buy that DAC.

(117) The CanJam SoCal 2025 Impressions Thread (September 13-14, 2025) | Page 2 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

If you’re looking at Gustard the R30 looks more interesting than the X30.  Here’s an interesting review…

https://soundnews.net/reviews/sources/gustard-r30-dac-review-the-r2r-perfection/