After some days comparing the Lumin U2 with Nds as dac vs bare Nds, I can confirm my recent impressions made 5 days ago.
The Prat is the same. This what not the case the first week or even the second. Now the Lumin is burnt in.
The Lumin gives a more refined presentation, clearer , lighter and airier, with more defined timbers and more differentiated.
More analog.
The bare Nds has more weight but the whole presentation is more compact and a bit more opaque. Sometimes I may prefer it , but not for long listening sessions.
There is more nuances and agility with the Lumin, and also better soundstaging.
Since the beginning I had not a single crash or freeze or difficulty to find my server with Lumin and Jplay.
So now I wonder why go for the Nd5xs2?
The BNC cable is in fact a Chord Shawline. I will buy next a DC1.
The ethernet cable on the Lumin is a basic Chord C Stream.
So I will certainly gain with a Chord Epic. The Diamond sounds inferior to the C stream on the Lumin. Didnât thought it could be possible. Maybe the telegatner contact doesnât match well the Lumin. So the Diamond is on the bay site.
Interesting - I have not been able to perceive much difference now between a Roon feed in via UPnP into the NDS using the SonoreUPnP Bridge (running on the UltraRendu) and one from the USB output from UltraRendu/UltraCap LPS into the UltraDigital and as a digital feed on the NDS - but the UPnP just has it, being slightly warmer, sweeter in the upper regions and marginal better soundstage.
Perhaps a Chord Signature Super Aray Digital BNC cable (one on the bay, at present and a Chord Indigo, and if you really want to go all out, a Chord Music BNC cable).
I have found Harmonic Technology Digital cable to be good, in the past, the Magic level but they are mostly RCA terminated, but I also have 2 Crystal Clear BNC cables using 7N silver. I have one on the external OCXO to the EtherREGEN, and the other on the Sonore UltraDigital into the NDS.
What about Power cable to the Lumin? Also fuse options for the Luminâs power cable and itself - this is now your front-end of the digital playback system, everything is downstream!
When lumen designed their steamers, I can guarantee they didnât tune the sound with a ÂŁ1000 ethernet cable, something that apparently sounds very detailed.They will have used an inexpensive, good quality, neutral and balanced sounding cable.
You now donât need a cable to add detail to the NDS, the streaming bridge is providing that.
When the NC300 series was released I went to what was basically a demo consisting of 5 or 6 different makes of speakers used with 300 series. Every system was using C-Stream, every system sounded excellent. So I bought a C-Stream cable.
Indeed, I have the Chord Music between the Nds and my pre. Bought it second hand 1 year ago or less. Was very lucky to find it.
It doesnât mean I will go full loom Music.
I found a second hand Indigo BNC to BNC. Added in the basket.
No Ethernet.
Today my thinking is , if I can do a last big upgrade before retirement in 6/7 years, it will be the top Lumin transport, actually the U2 X. It came at the first place, after the Nd555 at third place and 333 at second place.
Maybe. But hearing what my Lumin U2 mini does with the Nds as dac, I canât imagine why the top Lumin transport wonât do still much better.
And reviews todayâs ? Not sure itâs worth taking them seriously.
I found one on Audiophile Style. The U2x enhanced the sound of the already excellent DCS Rossini Apex:
Using its clean optical fiber network input and its isolated USB output, my dCS, Vinnie Rossi, Wilson Audio system sounded as good as I ever remember it sounding, and likely better. There is just something about the sound Iâm hearing through the U2x, that Iâve loved since the first second I heard it play music.
Solar panels may change things? But perhaps for the better. My set up has micro inverters, so feeds AC directly to my home power supply. When on batteries, ( evenings or dark daytimes in winter) im on my inverter.
Always amazed when you find something new on a piece of kit you have owned for nearly 10 years.
Was revisiting is the S/PDIF route better than the SonoreUPnP Bridge on the NDS with Roon - and I noticed that when playing DSD material on the digital input, the DoP stream is actually flagged as carrying DSD64 - hadnât seen that before.
