Wow. I get to speak to a firmware lead of Lumin. How cool.
I’ve actually been considering selling the Node 2i and getting a Lumin. I’m not sure which one to try. But when I visited a high end shop they had a Lumin streaming to a Rotel through JBL speakers and it sounded like the music was being performed live in the room. I’ve never experienced that before. I’ve only heard of it from a friend.
Anyway, if I decided to get a Lumin - which one would you recommend? I was thinking the T2 maybe? I’m still a beginner at this but the experience I had at the high end shop was amazing! I have never been a fan of jazz but that experience really made me want to have it at home too.
I started with the stereo my father gave me. Denon DRA-25 + Klipsch Kg2’s with passive radiators on the back side. Kind of like mini Forte’s. So, I did a little research and read some reviews and tried to Peachtree Nova 150 / Node 2i bundle a little over a year ago from Music Direct. But haven’t really been satisfied with it. Pairing the Node with the Denon DRA-25 gives me more of a thump for stuff like bass heavy‘80’s rock.
Anyway, what do you think? I really appreciate the chance to get your feedback.
You do know that speakers/room acoustics are most responsible for your listening impressions!?
Rather invest there first, as I’m 99% sure that no Lumin will change your sound that dramatically!
Lumin kit appears to be absolutely rock solid from a firmware/software perspective - there’s just no glitches, ever. I’ve had a D2 now for a while (lost track, maybe 3 years) which i bought to replace a BS Node of the same era. It was a massive step up in reliability and significant improvement in sound. I’ve recent played around informally comparing the sound to an RME ADI 2 DAC FS - I matched levels but fed it with the D2 digital out, so hardly a perfect test. I preferred the sound of the D2 in the mid-range, and the soundstage seemed clearer to me as well. However, the bottom end was much more clearly defined via the RME. For this reason, I’d be inclined to listen to the T2 (not withstanding the very reasonable point made by @Marin_Weigel ).
I have 2 D1’s and a D2… would love a T2 or better but funds dont allow. Peter is always around to help. If you can secure a home trial do that for the T2 - if the budget permits.
as noted your room will not sound the same even with the same gear as you heard in a shop. not knowing your room etc hard to advise, but T2 should eat & spit out a Node 2i IMHO
I started my streaming experience with the Node 2i. After about six months I upgraded to the Lumin D2. Then in discussion with my Lumin dealer on the Lumin T2 he facilitated a trade-in on the D2 to the T2. By then I was very happy with my system. The T2 was a significant upgrade. However one day browsing through Australian Stereo Review a Lumin X1 presented itself for sale at a price I couldn’t resist. So I’ve made a progression all the way through the product range. The Lumin T2 is a great product. Beautifully designed with top quality performance. It’s a rock solid performer and if you go that way you won’t be disappointed. And being a Lumin product you have probably the best customer support from Peter Lie Firmware Lead for Lumin who seems to be forever vigilant and present on these forums providing the best support in the industry in my opinion.
I would strongly caution you getting a T2 - it will cause you a lot of sleepless nights and potential social Isolation as you will not be able to stop listening to your favorite tracks.
I could not be happier with my T2, I have it almost 3 months and still I am amazed every day about the soundstage it produces in my system.
I auditioned both the X1 and T2 with my system, kept the T2 in the end as I preferred the slight additional sizzle in the soundstage plus the fact that the T2 supports RCA and XLR connections in parallel without any sound degradation.
Bluesound Vault 2i → Bluesound Vault 2i plus coax RME ADI FS2 → Lumin T2
Customer service is absolutely peerless. Peter is always incredibly responsive. I once had an issue with the Lumin app on Android and Peter organised a firmware patch for me to try within 1 working day.
I do agree with @Marin_Weigel on getting the basics sorted though.
Fully agree, forgot to mention in my previous post.
Speakers / Room / Amplification made the biggest difference for me.
The T2 added the icing on the cake.
I still have the RME ADI FS in my chain as second DAC and reference for A/B comparisons
Agree that the T2 is a great place to start. I started my Lumin journey with the T2 and graduated recently to the X1, which is the “ne plus ultra” of Lumin’s offerings. What you get with Lumin are a rock-solid performance, regular firmware updates and perhaps the most responsive manufacturer support in the industry in the person of @wklie.
Some advice then…demos in hifi shops are designed to be amazingly spectacular through choice of well recorded music with extended frequency response and fidelity (jazz being vastly better than most rock recordings in this respect) and great loudspeakers well matched to the room. A great sounding recording will sound good through almost any replay chain and vastly better of course on top quality equipment.
If possible, as a reference I would get hold of that jazz recording you heard and try to get a demo of the JBL speakers at home and see what that sounds like. It may be just as impressive as you heard in the shop.
From a fidelity perspective I think that your current speakers are maybe just possibly the weak spot in your system. The Nova and Node generally get good reviews so try them with some JBLs.
Personally and if I also had a CD player, a nice TT (or some other good sources) then I’d waive the Rotel goodbye and, if the new amp does have a great DAC, I’d go for a U1 instead.
