LUMIN D3 > Product of the year award 2024, Stereonet
Hong Kong-based LUMIN Music has made an impressive name for itself over the past few years, with a formidable range of streamers that cover the high-end and middle sectors of the market. It's only eight or so years ago that Pixel Magic Systems – a company that specialises in the playback of UHD video files – decided to design its own specialist, DSD-capable audiophile product, and thus the company was born.
Warp back to the present, and LUMIN offers a welter of products, with range refreshes taking place regularly. The D3 is the latest addition to the network streamer range, replacing the highly regarded D2; it's the entry-level model in the company's main streaming line-up, said to bring audiophile streaming “within everyone's reach”. The D3 is more than just a quick makeover, though, as significant hardware improvements have been implemented, with upgrades to the main processor, DAC, analogue output stage, software and finish.
UP CLOSE
The headline news is LUMIN's latest central processor. This has not been carried over from its D2 predecessor but, instead, is entirely new – with the software it runs also being bespoke for this application. The processor boasts increased processing power and storage capacity, meaning that there is greater flexibility for resampling and future-proofing, the company says. The D3 provides upsampling and downsampling to every supported format up to 384kHz PCM and DSD256. As you would expect, it's TIDAL Connect and Airplay 2 compatible, as well as being Roon Ready; Spotify Connect, MQA, TIDAL, Qobuz, Plex and TuneIn functionality are offered.
The company is obviously a fan of ESS silicon, so this new model receives the ES 9028 Pro chipset, a DAC with a reputation for smooth but crisp sound. It drives a fully balanced analogue output stage with LUMIN's analogue buffer, including the company's X1 technology. This is said to be ultra-low noise and claimed to offer a wide dynamic range.
THE LISTENING
The new D3 is a most impressive performer – especially considering its selling price - while boasting beautiful build quality and operational panache. Just as it doesn't look like an average streamer, it doesn't sound like one. It has an easy, smooth and open character, yet is a dynamic and grippy device too. There is none of the brightness or even harshness associated with some less expensive streamer designs, and nor does it sound bland, boring or opaque. The result is a product that doesn't draw attention to itself; the listener can just sit down and get into the music.
THE VERDICT
Don't be fooled by the LUMIN's minimalist exterior – its appearance is completely at odds with its great depth of functionality. Sonically, the new D3 is a winner, too – with a crisp, smooth and open sound that doesn't privilege one type of music over another. It's not perfect, of course, and the company's more expensive products better it in terms of outright sound quality, but it is still extremely competitive in its class. Better still, should you so wish, you can feed its digital output to a high-end DAC and further improve the sound.
- Michael Evans, Stereonet, November 2023
Lumin D3
Stereonet