Considering a new purchase and wondering if anyone has any thoughts. Can purchase a second hand DS/1 for similar price to the T2 and have the option later to upgrade to Organik. Has anyone compared sound quality of the DS/1 to a T2?
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I donāt know anything about Lumin T2, but I can say that Organik is on a different plane than earlier Klimax streamer/DACs. The previous Katalyst DAC was good, but a bit too āpoliteā for my liking. Organik brings out all the grit and depth of an actual performance is a coherent spatiotemporal image, even at lower volumes. Iāve listened to lots of systems and lots of pricey DACs, even own some for my headphone systems; Organik is in a class of its own.
Which is to say, comparing the DS/1 with the T2 if what you really want Organik seems a bit besides the point.
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Have not compared, but Lumin T2 is absolutely top drawer Roon endpoint. Massive soundstage with the right material.
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If you want primarly use Roon, then I would prefer the Lumin (Iāve only the Lumin U1 mini and the T2, but not compared with the Linn), because Linn isnāt Roon Ready (they are using there own protocol and not RAAT).
Linnās integration with Roon works just fine for me - used all the time.
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It does not matter, at least to me, whether a streamer or a DAC is Roon Ready or not, what matters at the end is which one sounds better.
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As far as Iām aware the only difference between Roon Tested and Roon Ready from a userās perspective is that a Roon Tested item canāt be grouped in a multi-room setup with Roon Ready endpoints as it doesnāt use RAAT.
Weāve been using Roon with our KDS for almost three years without issue. Itās a huge step up from Linnās control points.
Michael
PS The Organik upgrade is superb.
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Lumin streamers are wonderful. I have owned the D1 and the A1. They sound fantastic.
I too have recently upgraded my KDS/3 to Organik. I never really warmed to Linnās Katalyst, but as has already been said, Organik is on a different level. And at Ā£5400 for the upgrade, I consider it a relative bargain.
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So based on your experience how does LINN compare to LUMIN? What devices so far in your audio journey were you able to compare ?
Hi Markus,
Over the years Iāve had quite a few digital sources in my setup.
My first āseriousā streamer was a Lumin D1, which I had for a couple of years. I loved this streamer. Great sound, and a relative bargain at the price.
I than upgraded to a Lumin A1, which was leagues ahead of the D1. I always remember my thoughts as I heard this one for the first time in my system. It just felt like I was āhearing the master tapeā at the time.
I than got into headphones. A necessity with a young child in the house! I eventually ended-up with a Chord Hugo TT2 and M Scaler stack, which sounded sublime, especially with RB 16/44.1 material. Used in āDACā mode through the main system/speakers, I think this eclipsed the Lumin A1.
Owning a Linn system, I eventually picked-up a Katalyst Klimax DS/3. Unfortunately, this was a disappointment. It just didnāt āmove meā in the same way that the Chord stack did, and I was very close to getting rid of it. Thankfully, Organik upgrades were made available for legacy KDS streamers a few months ago, and I plumped for it. And Iāve never looked back! Organik is probably some of the best digital Iāve ever heard. So much so, I sold my Chord stack. Iām now using a Chord Mojo/Poly for headphone listening, which is more than adequate for my occasional headphone listening.
I think in choosing between Lumin & Linn, it comes down to a matter of preference - both are great products. However, Lumin steamers are far more accessible and better VFM. I think Lumin streamers are sensibly priced, and Linn prices are a bit higher than they should be IMO.
The only thing that rivals Organik is my Esoteric K-01X/G-02 combo. It has a huge sound.
Iām still tempted to see what a U1/U2 Mini would do upstream from this combo 
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