As an integrated amplifier, the M1 is a stereo power amp plus volume control inside the same enclosure. On those counts, my Trilogy 925 is quite similar even though its circuitry is very different. Also, the Lumin includes a network streamer to be a truly complete package which requires minimal effort and investment to build a complete system around. A smartphone or tablet remote, some cables, a router and a pair of speakers are all it takes. That's brilliant—liberating even—and can save a lot of dosh. For now the M1 is the only integrated in Lumin's portfolio though I have a hunch that it won't remain so. The M1 is for people not into dedicated racks stacked with heavy audio hardware who prefer a single quality casing instead. This product has undeniable audiophile roots, is exceptionally easy to use and visually conservative. From the average consumer perspective, the M1 concept makes a lot of sense and it's highly likely that it was in fact designed to check if the mass market would embrace such a machine from Lumin. Additionally, I see an M1 under the roof of enthusiasts whi are fully cognizant of Lumin's existing reputation, perhaps already happy users of one of their upper-echelon machines in the main rig though still in need of something smaller and more cost effective for a secondary setup.

The M1 measures 361x323x58mm WxDxH and weighs no more than 4.5kg, hence is compact, light, flat and rectangular. Its enclosure is made of brushed aluminium. On the front are a power button, a central display with Lumin's logo below and a volume knob to the right. That's it. I'd only change one detail. Its power on/off switch protrudes quite a bit and can be pushed in only slightly to stick out no matter what. Something more modest would suit visually better but that's a minor niggle. The M1's display runs blue on black as the established Lumin colour scheme. It's also petite hence people with weaker eyesight won't be able to read it from afar though that won't be a deal breaker. All the information one might possibly want can be displayed on a smartphone or tablet neatly organized through the intuitive Lumin app.

The enclosure design is similar to other affordable Lumin models. Instead of machined-from-solid bricks like the U1, A1 and S1, the M1's chassis assembles from panels to lack some of the big roundovers. A thick fascia connects to a U-shaped cover which becomes the sides. Despite not being a top-range Lumin, the M1 looks elegant, minimalist and honest for the coin. Four aluminium feet with rubber bumpers on its underbelly we already know from all other Lumin products. The rear makes do without the company's trademark hood which actually makes the speaker terminals more accessible. The main power switch sits next to the IEC power inlet with self-replaceable fuse. The 5-way binding posts with translucent acrylic covers further to the right are big and easy to use. Then comes an RJ-45 socket, two stacked USB type ports for a separate HDD/pen drive and a small reset button. One might say that this socketry is stripped of the most popular inputs and outputs both digital and analogue, hence crippled. Not. This Lumin product was designed as a one-box cost-effective solution with minimal requirements. Today the M1, I'm told, is actually sold with an EzCAP audio grabber dongle which allows one to connect a separate power amp to it.

Getting at the innards wasn't difficult and proved uncrowded, being split into a single motherboard and a large SMPS beneath a cover. An outboard power supply remains reserved for upper-tier Lumin goods. This deck's heart is a CPU with small heat sink. An FPGA handles data housekeeping chores, TI's TAS558 and TAS5624A oversee PCM-to-PWM conversion. This explains why the M1 has no DAC chip. It doesn't need one. Its topology is almost entirely digital including attenuation and the TAS5614A power amp is a switching design. The volume knob on the front is just a physical interface aka optical encoder, not a regular pot. The signal becomes analogue only at the very end of this circuit in a coils/capacitors filter just ahead of the speaker terminals. All in all, audiophile devices like this 'power DAC' or 'true digital amp' are still quite rare.