Just posted today at 6 Moons is this highly positive review of the P1 Mini by Frédéric Beudot.
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Thanks. Here are other reviews:
https://www.luminmusic.com/reviews-p1-mini.html
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I realize the P1 Mini is a scaled down version of the P1 in terms of size and inputs. Aside from this, are there differences? Would the P1 Mini sound identical to the P1 or not?
No they don’t sound identical.
Differences include:
- Lundahl output transformers on the P1
- Dual-toroidal power supply (one toroid for analogue and one for digital - same as X1). P1 Mini has a single toroid for all.
- Much thicker CNC aluminium plates (and therefore increased isolation and damping) on the P1 chassis.
There are other minor differences including single circuit board on P1 Mini.
That being said, the P1 Mini does get remarkably close to its bigger brother. The best thing to do is try and listen to both and see if the price difference is worth it for you and in your system.
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This paragraph from the review catches my attention (along with several that mentions competitors but I won’t quote here):
Switching to fibre-optic LAN yielded more refinement than expected over my regular Audioquest Ethernet cable. Since my LHY Audio SW6 switch includes an SFP optical port like the Mini, I purchased a pair of SFP LC modules and 10-meter optical cable as recommended by Lumin to check on any audible differences that may arise from electrically decoupling the Mini from the network. Those turned out to be subtle yet meaningful. Overall the already quiet background got even quieter, small textural detail became more audible and a very fine layer of upper-midrange glare I hadn’t even noticed left. The effect was very similar to what you hear with a high-quality USB noise filter; or to invoke bird-watching as another hobby of mine, switching from very good Nikon binoculars to Svarovskis. The birds are still birds but their colours more vibrant, they look more 3D and it’s a lot easier to differentiate the finest feathers. That’s what switching to optical networking does. If you don’t try it you won’t miss it but once you try and listen in, the differences take the P1 Mini another rung up the refinement ladder. A LHY Audio, a pair of LC modules and 10m cable will set you back about $600. If you already own a decent power cord and pair of interconnects, moving to optical is likely the most meaningful upgrade available for the P1 Mini.
Lumin has native SFP network support on X1 U2 P1 P1MINI.
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I’ll echo the sonic benefits of fiber-optic with my X1, especially now that I’ve added the L2, which enables me to go router>FMC>L2>X1. Kudos to Lumin for adopting fiber-optic as an option!
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I’m also an optical network convert, though using an SOTM switch in my case.
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