Lumin X2 Has anyone used this device yet?

Lumin X2 after 100 hours.

As I did with the X1, the X2 is running direct to my amps (no Preamp,Dac etc. in the chain)

At first listen the X2 seemed very similar to the X1. That is, in soundstage and depth. Did I spend my money wisely? Buyer’s Remorse?

One thing I did notice right off was that the bass was weak, almost missing. I have 4 subs in my room and I actually went over to the rear ones to feel the cone to see if they were on, and there was little that I could feel. Hmmn.

I only occasionally listened to the X2, just allowing it to break in with streaming music 24/7 and with the amps off.

So, today, after about 100 hours of the X2 activity, I can again hear, and feel the bass that was missing. I can feel the bass in the cone! So much for the Break- In, “is imagined theories”. Clearly, purely a sonic change has occurred.

At this time, I think I can now compare the sonics of the X2 to the X1.

The X1 is a great machine, and I have had many hours of pleasure using it. The soundstage floats in the room. Hard to believe it could get any better. If you find a used one at a good price, grab it!

The X2 however is now separating itself from the X1. The soundstage that was floating with the X1 is being replaced with a hard locked image within the sound. Depth of image is deeper and more lifelike, and there is much more presence. Guitars/ Instruments are locked in, be it left, right, center they sound so much more real.

More hours on the X2 may change things even more, I’m not sure of the break in endpoint, we’ll see..

ozzy

Ozzy,

Break-in is real and I believe once the X2 is fully broken-in, you will be amazed at how good it is.  I was gone from my home for about a week and when I returned and listened to the X2, I was really pleased with my decision to upgrade from the X1.

I hope--and trust--you will feel the same!

all best, Michael 

I’ve got 250 hours on my X2 and echo the sentiments expressed in this thread. More depth, realism, tighter imaging, richer sounding instrumentation, and for me, more punch in the 60-90 Hz range. I’ve also noticed orchestral selections are more natural sounding.

QRONO benefits may be individual/system dependent. What I like about it is the option to listen to the first 60 seconds of a track then switch the QRONO option on (which restarts the track) and take a 2nd listen. While some tracks sound improved, especially if they are sibilant in nature, most tracks sound less “live” and somewhat sterilized. 

Interesting about the Qrono d2a filter. It does do something, but I too believe it smooths out the dynamics.

And at this point in break in, the bass is better than at first but is still lacking that bottom oomph that the X1 had.

ozzy

@ozzy 

I am glad you’re enjoying the upgrade. Looks like LUMIN did it again. I noticed that you are using a hard drive plugged in directly to your DAC, I too started that way because less is more, right? Then one day I tried a Melco music server and will never go back. Still doesn’t make sense why it’s much better than the bare drive but I couldn’t deny the fact that it wasn’t even subtle. Not even a tricked out MacMini could compare. You should try one sometime just to make sure that you can still squeeze some more drops of performance from the X2. I doubt that you will regret it. Good luck and enjoy.