Lumin T2 SQ improvement over current setup?

Audio Gear Talk Lumin
1

So I am considering an upgrade from my present seperate streamer and DAC to an all in one streamer/dac combo…like the Lumin T2 ( also looking at Aurender products although as they do not play nice with Roon, the Lumin may get the nod)

Presently I use a Sonore ultraRendu as a bridge from my network to a Chord Qutest dac via an Audioquest Diamond USB cable.
Roon core is located on a NUC running rock.
All of these components benefit from external LPS units vs the original switch mode power supplies.

So I guess my questions are multiple…

Does anyone think that eliminating the rendu/chord duo and using the T2 as both the dac and streamer and going XLR to my Mark Levinson 585 would be a significant uptick in SQ?

Or stick with the Chord dac and just get a Lumin streamer like the U1?
Bearing in mind the output from the Chord is single ended RCA only?
Opinions and thoughts??
Thank you and stay safe!

2

I think you’ll find that the T2 will be an upgrade to your current setup. The Chord Qutest is a decent DAC, but not at the same level as the Lumin. Plus, you get to remove the USB cable from the equation and go direct from your DAC/streamer via XLR to your amp.

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The Qutest is no slouch at least to my ears so the T2 will have to be good for sure.
What is appealing is one less LPS, PC and the USB cable.
And if it does sound better ( my sincere hope) then it is a win all round.

4

I went from a Bricasti to the Lumin and was not disappointed.

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Well that is high praise indeed.
I did consider a Bricasti m5 at one stage but came across a new Chord Qutest at an unreal price so just had to buy it.
Looks like lightly used T2 going for between $3500 and $3900 or so.

6

I went from an ultraRendu to a T2. The T2 via XLR was a major improvement in SQ over the uR via USB to the Hegel’s DAC. I know people overuse the term “night and day” but in this case I’d say it is justified. The T2 did benefit from extensive running in (even though I’m sceptical of such a thing!).

It may not be a consideration for you, and I don’t want to bring on a pile of abuse, but FWIW the T2 does a stellar job with MQA encoded material.

Highly recommended.

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Just the sort of real user experience I needed to maybe push me over the top and plonk down some readies.
I am also skeptical of break in but cannot and will not rule it out.
My Mark Levinson 585 was a dealer demo with only about 30 hours on it and it did change in sq quite a bit over the first few weeks of my ownership…for the better of course!!
But of course it could also be expectation bias…

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I don’t think you’ll find any T2 owners round here that regret the purchase, even though it’s not an insignificant amount of money. It’s a lot more than I paid for my H190 but it’s been worth every cent in terms of SQ improvement.

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So I’ve owned the t2 for a few months now and its worth every penny in my opinion. It changed my mind when it comes to how many components I "needed " to have in my system. Every type of file sounds great, and its been rock solid, no issues at all.

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Outstanding!
Thank you for the confirmation that I am on the right track here.
I am actively pursuing a line on one right now.
This should be fun.
Because that’s what it is all about really.

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11

Just wanted to ask this as nearly ready to bite the bullet on a purchase.
Using Roon I would not even need to dl the Lumin app correct?
Everything should work through Roon or?
Thanks!

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For Roon you don’t need the Lumin App.
But: If you want to update the Firmware and/or setup your T2 then you must use the lumin app.

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So would just need to do the Lumin app for any updates and initial setup only.
If using Roon everything else should be taken care of via Roon.

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Yes, this is correct. The app is actually pretty good, but with Roon there is no need to use it apart from initial setup and any firmware updates.

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15

I’ve got a Lumin T2 and a MSB Premier.

I rate the T2 highly. It’s been extremely trouble free, sounds great and plays nice with all of the various streaming services you might want to play with (eg Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Airplay) and makes a very stable Roon endpoint. I like the fact that it is always “on” in Roon too.

My MSB gets turned off in between uses and it can create havoc with grouping of zones when it is the primary zone in the group.

I like the Lumin’s industrial design and stability. Very happy with that purchase.

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16

I just ordered one.
Now the worst part of any new toy… Waiting!:innocent:

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17

Nice, congrats on your purchase!

Don’t worry, from when it arrives you will smile. A smile that will last.

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Yes the wait kills me. Every single time!

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Already thinking further down the road and it is not even here yet…lol
As I have outfitted all of my other digital devices with separate LPS units I was curious if there was any way to bypass the T2 internal switch mode PS and use something better?
Anybody done this or know if possible?

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Have not tried it myself, but there are many positive experiences around.

1 Like