By Juan C. Ayllon In the fall of 2010, I was sitting in the Chicago Loop office of Phillip Saville, partner at New York Jewelers, designing a wedding ring for my upcoming engagement to Belle, when I glanced up and there it was: resplendent in red, the actual nose of Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F1 race car mounted on the wall! Despite the lack of utility, I just wanted one. Bad. Boys and their toys! On a smaller scale, the Lumin T2 Audiophile Network Player has a similar effect. Sporting a curved, wedge shaped aluminum billet faceplate, it conjures the front wing of Schumacher’s F1 chassis -- or, reaching way back -- the Jupiter 2 from the 1960s Sci-Fi TV series, Lost in Space, with its recessed display resembling the cockpit’s window. And since the release of the Lumin A1 audiophile network player in late 2012, I’ve longed to hear one in my own system. The A1 has since been replaced by the X1 as Lumin’s flagship, but, at $4,500, the T2 is considered by many to be in the “sweet spot” of their offerings, integrating many of the X1’s strengths and looks in a more pocket-friendly package. The Build Weighing 13.2 lbs., the T2 features a CNC paneled chassis that’s 13 ¾” W x 2 ⅜” H x 13 ½” D available in a black anodized or raw brushed aluminum finish. Centered on the machined faceplate is a recessed rectangular OLED screen listing the song title, artist, file format, resolution, track number and elapsed time on the current track. Make no mistake about it, the T2 is a designated network music player and does not have any RCA, TOSLINK (optical), or balanced inputs; if you are looking for a device to render CDs, vinyl, TV or other extraneous media, look elsewhere. Its maximum resolution capabilities are 32 Bit/384kHz PCM, DSD512 through USB, with 24/192 and DSD64 for the BNC SPDIF outputs. The rear of the T2 sports thick, protruding sidewalls and a protective, overhanging ledge for extra shielding, with balanced and unbalanced (RCA) output connectors, a BNC S/PDIF output, ethernet input, and a USB port below to connect an external hard drive or DAC. Under the hood, the T2 features dual ES9028PRO DAC chips, a fully balanced layout with high quality components, a completely redesigned analogue buffer with an audiophile grade output capacitor, ultra-low noise, discrete clocking for precision timing, a dual stage regulator, precision 32 Bit internal digital volume, and a low noise Digital and Analog switching power supply. Now about that overhanging shield at the rear: it makes plugging and unplugging cables more challenging. Lumin’s local wholesaler, Brian Tucker of Barrington, Illinois’ Pro Audio, Ltd. suggests holding up the T2 unit for better visibility, connecting them, and then placing it on your electronics rack. And another thing -- that overhang can make removal of locking balanced cables difficult; connected directly below, the gap between is small and tight, and as the sliding XLR cable release buttons face upwards, if you have fat fingers as I do, you may find this both difficult and frustrating. It took me the better part of 10 minutes to disconnect them. A Smooth Operator One of LUMIN’s latest marketing features is the recent addition of Leedh Processing. Designed to govern digital volume control, it’s the brainchild of Gilles Millot of Acoustical Beauty, a French high end loudspeaker manufacturer holding several patents for his technologies and designs. Now, it’s a given that some digital processing increases the necessary number of bits for coding the signal, which can exceed the limits of the DAC conversion, truncation of the signal and degrading a portion of the information contained in it. For example, applying a 30dB attenuation on 16 bits audio samples would leave an output dynamic range of only 11 bits, which is insufficient. However, the Leedh processing minimizes the number of additional bits and eliminates or reduces the loss of information due to signal truncation (read more about it in this white paper HERE). Highly touted by Lumin for improving the sound quality of their players, it does indeed make for smooth and seamless volume attenuation. There are several modes in which you can run Leedh processing. First, you can set it at 100 percent volume in the LUMIN App and attenuate loudness via preamp or integrated amplifier. Second, you can set your preamp to unity gain and use the LUMIN App’s volume control. Third, you can connect your T2 to your power amp directly and use the App to bypass a preamp to control volume directly. And fourth, you can set the volume on your preamp or integrated amp at the loudest setting with which you’re comfortable, then use the LUMIN App to adjust the volume as the mood suits you. Preferring to keep my life as uncomplicated as possible, I either left the LUMIN App's slider at 100 percent, attenuating loudness with the Pass Labs XP-12 preamp's remote, or set the XP-12 at around 70 and made adjustments with the App. I never set the preamp at unity or connected the T2 directly to the powerful Pass Labs X250.8 amplifier, fearing tweeters and drivers might burst like mouth-blown hot water bottles in strength displays by the late Mr. Olympia, Franco Columbu -- the casualties of turning them on with the App's volume at 100 percent (that, or accidentally swiping it there in an unguarded moment). That would be bad! Either way, Leedh dovetails nicely with the LUMIN App, where it's attenuated via a virtual slider knob. Designed to be used in an iPad or cell phone, unlike infrared remotes, with the LUMIN App, you don’t need an unobstructed line of sight to the T2 in order to use it. I found this especially convenient when listening from my home office just down the hall; with the LUMIN App on my iPhone, I could save a few steps and adjust the volume from my desk. Convenience and Complications The LUMIN App, itself, is touted as being intuitive and, for the most part, it is. However, I had to read a pamphlet that came with the T2, as well as other online resources, to really get it. Having used ROON Labs for the last five years, the transition was similar to a longtime PC user being handed a MacBook Air for a new job assignment. The graphics and information contained in the LUMIN App were nice; downloading and using it exclusively on my iPhone, I was told it looked much nicer on an iPad, but ‘why bother using yet another controller?’ was my thinking (coincidentally, during my review, Brian Tucker dropped off a new, sleek and luxuriant metal LUMIN remote controller with an infrared sensor that plugs into the T2 that’s extremely nice). Using the LUMIN App on my iPhone was convenient, but sometimes a bit clunky; swiping from a playlist page to another menu item sometimes threatened to delete a song, prompting me to gently flick backwards and try again. With practice, I got better, but never quite mastered it. No doubt, by using an iPad, with its larger screen, my thick fingered swipes would pose less a problem! As advertised, the T2 renders digital music files of all sorts and sizes (including MQA), and streams internet radio and high resolution services like Qobuz and Tidal with great aplomb. It does not come equipped with WIFI, so it must be connected to your router via ethernet cable either directly or through a WIFI extender with an ethernet port. Having already deployed such a device to my Intel NUC server equipped with ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit), I simply ran an extra long CAT 5 cable from my router in another room to the T2 in my listening space. Then, connecting an external 6TB hard drive to the T2 via USB link, I was able to access my music library, Qobuz and Tidal with ease. However, when I tried connecting the T2 to my Intel NUC via USB cable with the HD tethered to it to run ROON (a spectacular music server software), initially I was met with failure. I had assumed that I was supposed to use the LUMIN App with the T2 as master controller to the NUC to use ROON. I had read that if my music was stored in a computer or NAS (network attached storage), I would need a Universal Plug and Play UPnP) media server application. I wasn’t sure what that was, but it sounded like ROON, which I already have, might be that. Then, I spoke with a programming friend who runs an advanced network at his home office and also streams music over it. He told me to access the Intel NUC as my ROON CORE via my iPhone's ROON App and set the T2 as its audio output in Settings. After several tries, I succeeded. Having very little experience with playback using a network, this was a little bewildering (previously, I had tethered a separate Digital to Analog Converter via USB cable directly to a server/streamer with its own built-in WIFI). However to my elation, now everything was working at full capacity. Initial Impressions and an Acoustic Caveat Prior to my review, I read conflicting reports on the T2; some claimed it was very warm, yet detailed in its presentation, while others said it was a little harsh. However, after hearing it in my own home, I can’t help but think that other factors like room acoustics and component interactions may account for the negative impressions. For example, a local Lumin retailer suggested that unless acoustic issues such as reflections and slap echo are properly addressed, people won’t truly appreciate the improvements of upgrading from an entry level streamer to a top shelf model. By using absorbent materials like sofas, books on shelves, curtains and rugs, absorption panels (or diffusers) at first reflection points, as well as bass traps, comb filtering and other acoustic distortions can be reduced significantly, resulting in much greater clarity. Some years ago, a Foster Electric executive suggested a ratio of 40 percent soft to 60 percent hard surfaces in my listening room, and his advice was sound. Now with Pass Labs electronics and Straight Wire reference cabling channeling audio through my Ushers, it was time to explore the Lumin music experience. I was not disappointed. The Lumin T2 Network Music Player with its streamer and built-in Digital to Analog Converter imparts a balanced, full and slightly warm, yet detailed aural experience devoid of the tube sheen of my former reference DAC, the vaunted Lampizator Big 7 Mk1 (it was bold and linear, but with a wetter, glistening presentation facilitated by the RCA 5U4G rectifier tube and the 300B tubes in the output stage). The T2 packs all the detail and most of the warmth, but is a tad drier. Is It an Innie or an Outie? Interestingly enough, when I compared the Lumin T2’s playback with its internal DAC versus using the highly regarded Ayre QB-9 Twenty DAC externally, the two were virtually indistinguishable when adjusted for volume (the loudness level had to be raised to 69 with the Ayre to match the T2-internal DAC combo set at 65 on the Pass Labs XP-12 preamp in A/B tests). In Michael Franks’ “As Long as We’re Both Together” (Michael Franks. The Music in My Head. Qobuz FLAC 44.1kHz, 16Bit), for example, Franks’ silky vocals, the percussion, acoustic guitar, and soprano saxophone are all well resolved...equally. Now, that’s impressive because, in a Computer Audiophile review, the author claims that the Twenty “absolutely held its own against...the likes of dCS (Rossini), EMM Labs (DV2), and Berkeley Audio Design (RS3).” (audiophilestyle.com). Whereas I cannot substantiate the veracity of this claim, considering the source and my own experience, a T2 can be a real money saver, as unlike some popular audiophile streamers, purchasing a separate DAC for premium sound quality is completely unnecessary. For weeks, the Lumin T2 served up hours of luscious music from my Intel NUC server and, quite frankly, I grew spoiled being able to adjust the volume from my home office down the hallway while remote teaching during my workday. But after enjoying the T2 for over a month, it is time to put it through a formal evaluation. Those are a pair of Usher Mini Dancer 2 DMD speakers flanking the system, where on the second shelf you can see the black Lumin T2 sandwiched between the Ayre QB-9 DAC (left) and the Pass Labs XP-17 phono stage (right). The Pass Labs XP-12 preamp sits on the top shelf next to the VPI Prime Scout turntable at the top while, up front, the Pass Labs X250.8 amplifier drives everything. At the right of the media stand is the Hsu Research ULS-15 Mk2 subwoofer. The premium speaker cables is by Straight Wire, Inc. The Listening Session You can almost smell the stale beer, perfume, cigarettes and body odor in the crowded venue as the T2 transports you back to Los Angeles’ Whiskey a Go-Go in 1977. A woman howls, followed by resonant tom taps, bass drum kicks, chuck sounds on the guitar, the ringing on the emcee’s hot mic as he introduces the band, and then they’re off! Loud cheers, Rick Nielsen’s growling electric guitar, Bun E. Carlos’ snare strikes and Robin Zanders yells, “Hello there ladies and gentlemen...are you ready to rock?” It’s all delivered with verve and clarity (Cheap Trick. “Hello There.” Out to Get You! Live 1977. Qobuz FLAC 44.1kHz 16Bit). Enjoined by Tom Petersson’s bass, the grunge, the feedback, and the power rock of this emerging super band is delivered into your listening room with oomph and vitality. Next up, the rich, dense tone of Brad Merritt’s piano on “Samba de Maracalu” (Joe Chambers. Samba de Maracalu. Qobuz FLAC 48kHz 24Bit) is spotlighted and Joe Chambers’ tom strikes and rimshots on the snare are palpable and surreal, delivered with weight and presence, yet even more astonishing are the shimmery notes of Chambers’ vibraphone hanging and wafting about the airspace at the front of the room in an expansive soundstage; comped by Merritt’s piano and undergirded by Steve Hanes on double bass, his mallet work in this Afro Brazilian tune is an aural delight and a vibrant testimony to the brilliance of these sessions men. Bottom line, delivered by the T2, well recorded jazz is enchanting with its vivid detail and superb realism. And lastly, the T2 renders a rich and luxuriant presentation of excellent classical recordings. For example, the strings and brass sections of the orchestra are rich, vibrant and expansive with plenty of weight, notes blooming and decaying giving you a sense of the hall space, while Pedro R. Diaz’s English horn -- lush, sonorous and tender -- is well articulated as it unfurls its mournful melody in “Scene for the English Horn and Orchestra” (Bel Canto: Concerti for the English Horn. Qobuz FLAC 44.1kHz, 16Bit). Clearly, the Lumin T2 is more than capable of delivering the sublime classical experience into your living room. Concluding Remarks Some people enjoy exotic cars. An old friend, Adam, likes shopping for Porsches like I used to shop for audio gear. Another, Michael, likes tooling around in his convertible BMW Z3 Roadster. Meanwhile, I slink about town in my ten year-old Toyota Corolla, but enjoy experiencing Pass Lab electronics driving my Usher Loudspeakers. Whether you go as far as mounting an F1 Ferrari racer on your office wall or not, we all have our trophies. And sitting on your media rack, the Lumin T2 fills that role nicely. Now at $4,500, the Lumin T2 Network Music Player isn’t cheap, nor is it on the same level as their $13,390 flagship model, the X1. However, using some of its technology, it delivers a healthy slice of its performance, and when compared to pricier offerings in high end audio, it’s actually not unreasonable -- especially when you consider that it packs a warm, full bodied and detailed sound that, unlike some other popular hi-fi streamers, does not need augmenting with an external DAC to get that luxuriant aural experience we all crave. Bottom line, if you are in the market for a gorgeous and high performance network music player, the Lumin T2 is worthy of your consideration. EDITOR'S NOTE: I wish to thank Brian Tucker, a wholesaler who operates Pro Audio, Ltd. out of Barrington, IL, for loaning me the Lumin T2 for the review. Lumin T2 Network Music Player Retail $4,500 Lumin Music https://www.luminmusic.com/ U.S. Distributor: Source Systems, Ltd. http://sourcesystemsltd.com/ The Reference System LOUDSPEAKERS
Usher Mini Dancer Two DMD floor standing speakers atop Soundocity outriggers. Hsu Research ULS-15 Mk2 subwoofer. ELECTRONICS Lumin T2 Network Music Player, Ayre QB-9 Twenty DAC, Pass Labs XP-12 preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-17 phono preamplifier, Pass Labs X250.8 amplifier, Vizio E65-E1 65" flat screen TV, Sony BDP-S5500 Blu Ray player. SOURCES Analog: VPI Industries Prime Scout turntable. Digital: Intel NUC10i7FNH with 8 GB RAM, 256GB M.2 SSD and Roon Optimized Core Kit (ROCK) CABLES Straight Wire Virtuoso balanced interconnects, Vituoso, Expressivo, and Serenade II RCA interconnects; USBF 15 filtered USB cables; Crescendo 3 speaker cables (bi-wired) and Pro Thunder and Black Thunder power cords. WK Audio "The Air" and "TheOne" power cords. Audio Art e2 Statement power cable. ACCESSORIES Apple Mini iPad II (music server controller), Apple iPhone XR (music server controller), Netgear N300 WiFi EX2700 Extender, Panamax M5300 EX power conditioner, Simpli Home Skylar 60" TV Media Stand, AV RoomService Equipment Vibration Protectors, two pairs of Soundocity .375" thick outriggers up to 14.5" with 1.50" gold nickel cones, Herbie's Audio Labs Extra Thick Titanium Cone/Spike Puckies and Cone/Spike Gliders, Toshiba external hard drive, Living edge wood turntable isolation platform & custom shelf for DAC and turntable by Juan C. Ayllon.
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