Audiolab Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 I believe bro Audio will be best person to comment as he has some of the items u wish to have comparison.
SL Posted May 3, 2014 Posted May 3, 2014 Just found out that there will be other Lumin models. The S1 will play DSD128 which is higher than the original model of DSD64
Audio Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 Hi all, sorry to dig up this old thread. I'm keen to explore DSD music and sadly my current DAC is limited to 24/96 - I'm using the macmini with Amarra software. I'm quite keen on the Lumin to play DSD materials and I have a pending trip to HK next week where I think the price may be cheaper? I gather from the net that much rave might be attributed to the attractive intro price of US$4k but there seems to be some caveats at the current price level. Is this true? There also seems to be some competition from Sony (HAPz1ES) and Marantz (NA11). Any thoughts from users or bros who have heard and compared? Thanks. The Lumin sounded very much better than the HAP-Z1ES. It doesn't mean that the HAP-Z1Es is bad....the Lumin just have more clarity and precison in instrument placement. Please don't go back to the good old days when the Lumin can be obtained at about US$4K+. It is now being retailed at US$7.2K in the USA, no joke....and people are buying!! When I bought it, it was going at HK$36K. You will be very lucky if you can find a set now. My friend failed to get one when he was here last month. And if you can find the S1, it will cost more, I am sure. Good luck to you. (Audio)
naimster Posted May 5, 2014 Posted May 5, 2014 The Lumin sounded very much better than the HAP-Z1ES. It doesn't mean that the HAP-Z1Es is bad....the Lumin just have more clarity and precison in instrument placement. Please don't go back to the good old days when the Lumin can be obtained at about US$4K+. It is now being retailed at US$7.2K in the USA, no joke....and people are buying!! When I bought it, it was going at HK$36K. You will be very lucky if you can find a set now. My friend failed to get one when he was here last month. And if you can find the S1, it will cost more, I am sure. Good luck to you. (Audio) Audio, the comparison is based on the analgoue out from both the players right? I wonder how they fare against each other as a streamer.
Audio Posted May 5, 2014 Author Posted May 5, 2014 There is NO streaming mode (as of now, May 2014) for the HAP-Z1ES. You only play your files from the HDD within the unit or from an USB external drive connected to it. You can only transfer your music files into the HAP-Z1ES through the network and that's about it. (Audio)
SL Posted May 11, 2014 Posted May 11, 2014 Just got back from my overseas trip last night and set up my brand new Lumin. Replaced my MBL dac and played some DSD materials - wow! Very impressive player. Thanks to Bro Audio's advice, the Jriver Mac and. J Remote worked like a charm. Got my library set up in no time - no re tagging necessary. The best part is the sheer speed - it feels instantaneous and that you can play sacd ISO directly! I don't know how they manage to do this. The I remote I used previously pales in comparison. Will post again for unboxing pics and comments on the sound. Will conduct further burn in although the SQ experience is all positive so far.... By the way, got the Inakustik Cat 7 cable which the dealer swears by... May need more Cat 7 cables (longer runs) soon :)
Audio Posted May 12, 2014 Author Posted May 12, 2014 Nice to know we got another new Lumin user. Yah, if you never use JRiver before, you will not know just how easy it is. I wonder how bro composition is doing with his Lumin? (Audio)
composition Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 By the way, got the Inakustik Cat 7 cable which the dealer swears by... May need more Cat 7 cables (longer runs) soon :) Where to buy Inakustik Cat 7 cables?
SL Posted May 12, 2014 Posted May 12, 2014 I got mine from a dealer in HK. Planning to change the upstream cable from my switch. The cable I bought is not cheap and I wonder if there are more VFM options. The build quality of the Inakustik cable is solid though - especially the heads and the cable shields.
SL Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 Still running in my set. Played with it for 4 hours nonstop. This setup digs much deeper into my previous setup which consists on Macmini (Amarra)->Oyaide FireWire ->Weiss converter -> Wireworld Platinum Balanced Digital--> MBL Dac. On the redbook CDs, can easily hear the microphonics. Kind of reminds me of the time I used tube amp. Seems to bring one closer to the recording event itself. Soundstage wise, it seems wider but no deeper than the previous setup. Very rich sounding and can detect no digital edginess even on some tracks I used to have problems with. Listened to all genres eg classical, jazz, pop etc etc. On SACD, generally good results too. Not all SACDs sound as good or better than CDs. Maybe the Lumin is quite balanced in this regard. I then bought some DXD material from 2L and it made me grin from ear to ear!! The magic sauce - good recording on a hires format.
composition Posted May 14, 2014 Posted May 14, 2014 I used to own the Lumin but no longer. The sound quality is pretty good, as good as my customized PC setup. I eventually sold it off for 2 main reasons. 1. Lumin app cannot display and tag the Star Rating which is a very important functionality for me, unlike JRemote. 2. I cannot run Dirac Room Correction on my PC when using Lumin. So for me PC is the best, no more streamers and network players for me.
Audio Posted May 15, 2014 Author Posted May 15, 2014 I used to own the Lumin but no longer. The sound quality is pretty good, as good as my customized PC setup. I eventually sold it off for 2 main reasons. 1. Lumin app cannot display and tag the Star Rating which is a very important functionality for me, unlike JRemote. 2. I cannot run Dirac Room Correction on my PC when using Lumin. So for me PC is the best, no more streamers and network players for me. I am sorry to learn about this.......only saving grace is that you didn't give it up because of Sound Quality. :) (Audio)
SL Posted May 15, 2014 Posted May 15, 2014 Sorry to hear this Bro Composition. Still brewing mine...love it. In fact I just ordered the power supply upgrade together with upgraded umbilical power cord. Supposed to take it to the next level.
composition Posted May 15, 2014 Posted May 15, 2014 Sorry to hear this Bro Composition. Still brewing mine...love it. In fact I just ordered the power supply upgrade together with upgraded umbilical power cord. Supposed to take it to the next level. No regrets. If you never try you will never know. New stuff ain't always better.
HardGainer Posted May 15, 2014 Posted May 15, 2014 Any word if the A1 be upgraded to DSD 128 capability in the future?
SL Posted May 15, 2014 Posted May 15, 2014 Not sure if A1 can be upgraded to take DSD128 but there will be the S1 model which can. Heard that it may be released soon within a couple of months.
SL Posted May 17, 2014 Posted May 17, 2014 Played around with power cords for the Lumin this afternoon. Somewhat different sound from the different cables - I tried the Wireworld Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Was initially using Copper and I thought the sound was good. For some reason, i didn't like silver (muddier sound) and gold (somewhat bright) on the Lumin. Finally settled with the Platinum ( higher resolution but not as bright). So I figured the Lumin is quite sensitive to power cord despite the external power supply. Really looking forward to the upgrade power supply which I ordered and it should arrive in a couple of weeks! I also played with the DSD up sampling. To my ears, I thought it did smoothen some of the tracks. I can also imagine why some might want to keep sampling rates native to retain the RBCD "excitement". Quite happy with this purchase so far. Bro Composition, what is the issue with the star ratings? I don't use it much but quite keen to find out how it is useful. Does it reset the ratings randomly? I loaded some tracks and thought I saw some ratings next to them. Not sure they got there. I didn't pay much attention to them.
nfnc Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Sorry to hear this Bro Composition. Still brewing mine...love it. In fact I just ordered the power supply upgrade together with upgraded umbilical power cord. Supposed to take it to the next level. Hello SL, is this the Kenneth Lau version, and did you go for the 7N OFC or the OCC silver plated version? Any thoughts on the magnitude of improvement to the sound? Not sure if A1 can be upgraded to take DSD128 but there will be the S1 model which can. Heard that it may be released soon within a couple of months. The S1 is out now, with 4 Sabre ES9018 chips in place of the 2 Wolfsons and an upgraded PSU (the improvements appear to be bigger and upgraded caps). Pricing is supposed to be USD15k, which is more than twice that of the A1 (which remains at USD7.2k) Someone from CA has posted a link to the internal photos of the S1; see http://www.feversound1.com/140612-lumin-s1/
SL Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I received the Kenneth Lau Ultimate LPS on Sat. Been running in the unit (together with Lumin) since. Preliminary impression is that the sound signature is slightly different but will reserve further comments until fully burn in. Packaging and construction is good and matches the Lumin. it came with the silver hand braided umbilical cord so I'm effectively running that in too. Just bought the Netgear switch to replace my D Link switch. The Netgear runs on 12V standard DC jack and I realized I can power it with the DC outlet from my CSE ISO transformer. Trying to see if that makes a difference too.
SL Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Just popped into my AV room to listen to my setup still burning in (Lumin+upgraded power supply+silver cable+new net gear GS308 switch). Nice rich sound with holographic vocals. Wonderful. Looking forward to full burn in.
SL Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Nfnc, mine is the AG silver O type transformer. Recommended by KL himself.
nfnc Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Thanks, SL. Will probably get the KL PSU at some stage, once the A1 has fully burned in. Quite a number of Lumin A1 users are using it, including the Shunyata founder/owner, who had this to say: "UPGRADE: The Kenneth Lau power supply This power supply is a definite upgrade to the standard Lumin power supply. It substantially improves dynamic contrast and reduces opacity. It cleans up the bass significantly and improves pace, rhythm and timing. I did not hear any downside to vocals or anything else for that matter. All positives and worth the price. If you are looking to replace a top transport and DAC you will want this power supply." Have been informed that the S1 PSU is even better than the KL PSU but understand that Lumin no longer plans to sell that as a separate item. Then again, it could have cost more than the KL PSU.
Audio Posted June 13, 2014 Author Posted June 13, 2014 The new S1 is proced at US$15K. Quite amazing. I don't think I will go that route unless they are willing to upgrade my A1. (Audio)
SL Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Upgrade option for A1 would be interesting. Let's see how the S1 sounds when it's out. Quite happy with it especially the ease of playing DSD files.....for now at least :)
RAYRAY1624705929 Posted November 3, 2014 Posted November 3, 2014 Anyone know where to listen a Lumin T1 locally? Thanks.
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