But once you latch onto what U2X brings to the table, it's unmistakable. If you know Lumin's philosophy of transparency, dynamics and internal illumination without harsh edges, U2X takes it all a step further although you wouldn't know there was another step to be taken if you just heard the half-priced U2. Take for example Chet Baker's 1959 recording Alone together, one of the best small Jazz ensemble ambiances ever recorded. With U2X they play for you right in front and if you pick the stereo over the mono recording—purists will tell you how much of a sacrilege that is—you get rewarded with a wall-to-wall very deep stage of incredible imaging. I've known this track for a long time but never felt it this immersive or intense. Every sound on that track I heard before. This wasn't a case of new information suddenly becoming available. It was about how more real and tactile the presentation became.
On Holst's The Planets recorded by Herbert Van Karajan leading the Berliner Philharmoniker, the effect came across differently. There is simply no way to recreate a sense of realism for such a massive orchestral piece in a normal domestic room but with U2X I had the feeling of listening to a very good set of headphones. The pizzicati opening Mars, The Bringer of War were more defined and intelligible as individual string pinches and the soundstage was positively cavernous with as much low-end definition as I've ever heard come out of the my Ocelia – usually not their strongest suit by any stretch. What U2X does best is let your DAC and amplification chain breathe. It provides the digital data so cleanly that what follows is pure – no added coloration, no tampering behind the scenes. Moreover, the resolved yet musical presentation is inviting. U2X doesn't aim for scrubbed-clinical antiseptic purity though the foundation allows for it. It seems more concerned with delivering musical truth: detail, dynamics, timing and coherence. The sense of timing, rhythm, subtle leading edges and decay tails are all more keen. If you are sensitive to microdynamics and inner detail, U2X rewards those sensibilities better than any other streamer I've heard thus far.
This was very obvious on Ginevra de' Benci, a beautifully recorded performance of the soundtrack to Ken Burns' movie Leonardo da Vinci. The interplay between the Attacca quartet and John Patitucci's bass is elegant, the instruments are captured in vivid detail but each occupies its rightful place and size. It's not demanding music but immersive, well crafted and superbly recorded. Similarly on Stravinsky's recording of his own Firebird with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. My YouTube link points to a similarly excellent recording with the New Philharmonic Orchestra but the sound quality is superior on the Columbia tapes with some of the most amazing orchestral colours of any recording. Not only did those intricate textures enhance but it became easier to hear how the instruments are being layered to create such vivid images. Then how U2X handled the brutal macrodynamics Stravinsky uses for cinematic effect throughout was even more impressive. I know this recording through and through and still was startled by the attack sharpness and magnitude compared to my Aurender streamer or Lumin P1 mini.
If you arrive from a lesser streamer that hasn't painstakingly hunted down all sources of noise as the Lumin engineers have for U2X, the difference will be more than you expected. It was for me. I expected to struggle hearing U2X's extra contributions but didn't. Whether it's worth the price of two regular U2 streamers is a matter of personal priorities and sensitivities but don't doubt that U2X is an audible upgrade from the $5'000 class of streamers regardless of brand. In short, U2X isn't just about specs. It changes what you hear when the rest of your system is capable of exploiting it. That's the second important point to ponder. Inevitably, a transport-only design shifts emphasis. The quality of the downstream kit (DAC, cables, power) becomes paramount to exploit the resolution gains wrought by lower source noise. As with any source, a phenomenal transport like U2X won't make mediocre downstream gear sound like magic. If the DAC is unimpressive or the analogue chain weak, we just expose flaws not fix them. Because U2X is not a full streamer with DAC, it demands more. We must connect it to a DAC of similar pedigree to preserve micro signals. Anything short of high-grade cables and power management will rob us of any audible gains. Only in such a high-end context will we hear the 'reference-class' advantage. Surprisingly though, high-end context doesn't automatically mean back-breaking prices. I had very good results pairing U2X with Holo Audio's $1'300 Cyan2 DAC.
That's obviously not a likely combo but even the Cyan2 did benefit from a cleaner input signal. It just lacked the intrinsic tonal beauty of the Mola Mola but certainly wasn't embarrassed being paired with a streamer 9 x its price. Advanced systems often comprise multiple digital devices. The 10MHz clock i/o can become a powerful feature if we actually need it. In a small setup with only a simple DAC, the benefit may be less dramatic. In my case, the Mola Mola doesn't support external clock signals so I wasn't able to test U2X as a master clock. That said, having the option is part of what makes U2X future-proof. Finally, let's address the elephant in the room. Today's $11K price is very high and made even higher by the latest extra US tariffs imposed on Japan. After Auralic's recent demise, the ultra streamer-only category is simply not exactly rife with options. I certainly hope Lumin continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible as they have for years already. Investing in U2X implicitly commits us to a higher tier of system. As such, U2X is not for everyone but for the right person/system, is a long-term investment.
In the spirit of 6moons — "I listen, assess, reflect and certainly don't chase hype" — reaching a balanced conclusion on U2X wasn't easy but if I were to summarize my thoughts:
Much of high-end audio is about vision: seeing and believing not just in the next upgrade but in optimum health of the entire chain from source, transport, DAC, amplification to speakers, room, cables, power delivery and resonance control. U2X is not a flashy look-at-what-I-bought gadget. It is a serious, quietly intense, almost monastic offering. In the right hands and system, it can contribute to shifting our entire listening paradigm from good-enough to revelatory. Lumin's U2X is perfectionist hifi done right. That's clearly not for everyone. But for those who listen and care, it could be the next step they didn't know was even possible.
PS: A day after publication, "we are pleased to mention that just recently, the US retail on the U2X has come down to $10'500. We just had a tariff reduction out of Hong Kong due to Trump renegotiating his 'Fentanyl penalty' of 20%." – Ed.
