The horns of a new dilemma: Lumin t3x vs Aurender N200 & Yddgrassil+ w/JRDG pre & amp
Many of you were very helpful recently in my avoiding a foolish lateral amp/pre-amp move. I now would like to move my NAD M33, that I am using just as a streamer/dac into a JRDG Corus pre-amp and JRDG 625 S2 amp (powering DALI Epicon 6s), out of my main system so it can power a pair of Revel Performa 226Bes in a secondary (basically dining room) system. This means, as my exclusive source of music is TIDAL/Qobuz/Roon, that I need a new digital source and DAC.
Research thus far —without the ability to audition anything at a dealer’s showroom — with the goal of keeping the budget under $9k, has led me to narrow down the virtually unlimited options to (a) a Lumin T3x or (b) an Aurender N200 (or maybe the N150 to keep the costs comparable) with the Schiit Yddgrassil+ (more is better model, I guess?).
I was leaning toward the 1 box solution, and the Lumin has the advantage, besides being less expensive if i go with the N200, of having a fiber optic SFP input option which would be very nice as my Ubiquiti switch similarly has fiber SFP ports, but some commentary I’ve seen suggest that the Yggi’s tone might be better suited to the Rowlands’. I don’t mind neutral or detailed DACs, but I don’t want to veer into having the net result being overly analytical or dry. (I will say that the M33 feeding into the Rowlands gives a very musical and rich result while still being detailed, precise and controlled. Would going with the Lumin risk a harsher net sound? I was assuming not. And perhaps more importantly, would the N200/Yiggi combo be a significant improvement over the T3x? I would love to get your collective reactions to these questions.
And should I be considering the Sonore Optical Rendu deluxe instead of the N200?
I’d appreciate any advice or experiences with these or similar pieces & combinations.
Many thanks!
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. |
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). |
