The new Lumin U1 mini looks very interesting , maybe an alternatieve for the Auralic Aries G1.
1 Like
Well, I am saving up for this streamer. I think it will be comparable to the G1 but then with the Lumin software and app (Android support). To me it does everything right: only digital out, good quality and a very stable softwareplatform.
1 Like
My audio dealer ordered one, so i can get a demo when it arrives.
1 Like
been very tempted and on the verge of actually getting one but… internal SMPS you can’t bypass (without heavily tampering with the innards)? no, thanks 
both my Aries Mini and “femto” got much better by using Auralic’s LPS with the Mini and a better LPS (Vinnie Rossi’s) with the “femto”
Maybe Sbooster will make an external lps. They have already made one for the D2. The psu of the u1 mini is propably not all that different
The internal power supply of D2 and U1 MINI are the same.
Note that in the rare case that they need to be shipped back for repair, the original parts must be inside without modification.
1 Like
Good that you mention it. It’s not the first thing I would think about when considering a modification like this, but it is important to know.
I got a Lumin U1 Mini loaner from my dealer.
Testing it at the moment.
First impression is Wow didn’t know the built in dac of my amp could sound that good.
4 Likes
Sbooster is already working on a powersupply for the U1 mini, Will be available in a few weeks time.
1 Like
There are so many people I know that believe streamers do not matter. DACs, yes, but streamers not so much.
In fact, they argue that bits are bits, so a Chromecast Audio would work just as good as a streamers (going digital to DAC).
What do you guys tell these folks? They are looking for me to scientifically “prove” it that streamers matter
1 Like
I don’t try to convince people who don’t believe that streamers matter, especially not here. That’s not my job anyway. It’s particularly difficult for engineers and computer literate people to accept that analog world is affected by noise outside 0 and 1, and noise can propagate in many different ways. I have visited a user whose vinyl setup SQ is affected by the network - and his network has already eliminated all SMPS and replaced them by LPS, and all LED in the network router and switch have been physically removed. He has to power down the network to get the best SQ from his vinyl setup.
We have multiple customers who posted online their experience of switching from a Mac as source to Lumin products, and reported a significant SQ improvement even if both are doing bit perfect USB transfer.
In addition, we also have many customers using Lumin U1 with Chord products and reported a SQ improvement, which is reported by a Japanese website phileweb . Chord Japan even certified us as compatible:
2 Likes
I tell them to listen to different streamers and base their conclusions on their own experiences in stead of what they read online or what sounds logical. I have heard a lot of different streamers and to me it can make a big difference in the way i experience the music.
My U1 Mini is on the way and i can’t wait to start using it and hear what it brings…
3 Likes
These people are not willing to try. They practically feed their $10,000 DAC with Chromecast Audio, and say no streamer can beat Chromecast Audio. Bits are bits. They asked me to prove it. Show info why a bit perfect streamer can make a difference.
Here is a story that illustrates this cannot be proven.
We tested a certain USB audio product from another manufacturer since we deal with USB audio too, despite our focus on network players with built-in DAC.
This particular product is noteworthy because an objective measurement-oriented reviewer measured it and concluded it yielded no benefit. Yet our blind test confirmed its improvement, using a $1000 USB DAC (2013) using ES9018.
The reviewer also claims that a switch in that product did nothing. Yet in another forum there are people using a certain brand of DAC that finds one position of the switch makes the DAC unstable, while the other position makes it stable.
Please do not ask me what product it is, not even in PM, since they also make other products similar to a few of our products, even though they belong to somewhat different price categories.
I got my U1 Mini today and my first impression is that it is very good. The only issue I have encountered is that when I turn the volume control to on, the player doesn’t remember the setting. So I can only use a fixed volume out. Is this perhaps a bug that needs to be sorted out or am I doing anything wrong?
1 Like
compared to… ?
Very tempted but not at all sure it will better the Aries femto I’ve been using so far 
Please make sure you are running Firmware 11.2 when you check the U1 MINI settings About using Lumin app. After you’ve changed a setting, it can take 60 seconds to save. So if you changed a setting, then cut the power quickly, it may lose the setting. I’ll retest this on Monday when I have a chance.
I have used a Bluesound Node 2, Allo DigiOne (standard and signature version), Chromecast Audio, Intel NUC with Schiit Eitr and a Lumin D1 in the same setup and the U1 Mini combines the musicality of the D1 with the clean sound of the DigiOne signature. It has only been playing for a few hours but it really impressed me so far.
At work I have used a variety of streamers (aurender, Auralic, linn, Cambridge audio, to name a few) and the one brand that always works is Lumin. Not to say that the other brands are bad but more to point out that Lumin has a really good hardware/software combination with their streamers.
4 Likes
The player is up to date and so is the app. I just tried it at work with our demo unit of the U1 Mini and it shows the same behaviour. With both players i used my Android phone/tablet and it didn’t save the setting. I just tried the same with an iPad and with the IOS app it saves the setting without any issues. It seems it is the Android app that is the culprit. I can change the other settings without any problems, just the volume control doesn’t respond.
I tried the same with the D2 and U1 and they act the same as the U1 Mini. With the Android app i can’t change the volume setting and with the IOS app i can.
Yes, the Android app has this bug. I’ve sent you a beta version that fixes this bug. Lumin iOS app is comparatively more stable than the Android app.
By the way, for digital output it’s best to turn the volume control off. This way the music is transferred to DAC in a lossless manner if upsampling is off. It’s best to adjust volume in the pre-amp. If you don’t have a pre-amp, then it’d be better adjusted in the DAC. Only if both are impossible should you adjust the Lumin digital output volume.
One more thing. If the volume control is on, U1 (MINI) will change DSD to PCM such that its volume can be adjusted.
2 Likes