Whether it’s a noticeable step up it will be system dependent so it’s hard to say. I do hope it should be better - if there’s a way to audition the U1 MINI with your DAC, please do.
As for functionality, we have built-in support for Qobuz Hi-Res that can be used, before Roon integrates it (if/when this rumor becomes a reality).
I think my system is pretty revealing. I’m running Magico A3s and a Hegel H160 with the Berkeley DAC. I use a ST i5 for Roon and storage. It may be difficult to demo the U1 MINI but I’ll give it a go.
I’d rather not say further, as this looks like a place to start a flame war since saying the wrong things will upset a large group of users, and other people chime in to say streamers cannot make a difference due to bits are bits, etc.
(Note that for AES or SPDIF we care about jitter, much more so than USB.)
Yesterday, I’ve received the Lumin U1 mini for demo purposes.
It’s connected between Roon ROCK (passive cooled NUC with SBooster) and a Devialet 400.
Before I played directly over ethernet from ROCK to Devialet, and was not too happy about the SQ.
Then I added a SOtM USBultra and connected over USB to the Devialet (AQ Diamond cable), that improved SQ.
Now I’ve connected the Lumin U1 mini using coaxial (Nordost BNC), and what a game changer !!!
The Lumin U1 mini will remain in my hifi rack (bye bye SOtM).
Next upgrades will be:
power Lumin with SBooster
connect it via AES/EBU to the Devialet
upgrade network cables to AQ Carbon with Telegartner connectors
I am very curious to know what arguments you use to “talk” to these people.
I know several people that use Chromecast Audio as a streamer with their five figure DACs, simply because they believe streamers are totally unimportant, bits are bits, bit perfect stuff, etc.
And tell them to try, goes to a deaf ear, as they always ask me to “prove it” with some type of measurements and / or electric engineering diagram or measurement
People have measured Chromecast Audio and found that its jitter is very bad - there are at least two such reports. If they don’t think jitter is important or consider jitter to be inaudible, that makes people wonder why they bought five figure DACs in the first place. [Unless they believe their DAC reclocking is perfect, as some designer(s) claimed, but that is not necessarily consistent with all user reports.]
A while ago a distributor told us that Devialet users have been buying U1 MINI. I was a little surprised by that, but after reading your post now it makes sense.
That’s exactly what they say — their DAC takes care of whatever issues the streamer introduces. I tell them “garbage-in-garbage-out”, but they keep telling me “prove it”.