LUMIN S2 Network Player

Your streaming system is probably better than your CD player setup. But your CD collection is not going anywhere, and neither is the transport you spent real money on. The problem most network players create is a forced choice: stream beautifully, or connect an external digital source and watch the signal pass through a converter that was not designed with the same care as the internal DAC. The LUMIN S2 removes that compromise. It brings the X1's architecture — dual ES9038PRO DACs, Lundahl output transformers, dual femto clocks — into a network player that also accepts optical and coaxial digital inputs. Your transport, your television, your computer: all of them can now use the S2's DAC. That is the point.

X1 architecture, now in the S-Series

The X1 is LUMIN's flagship. Its dual-mono ES9038PRO DAC implementation and Lundahl output stage set a reference point in network streaming that earned it sustained critical attention. The S2 inherits that architecture directly — same chips, same transformer topology, same fully balanced layout — updated with a newer processing platform and the addition of digital inputs that the X1 did not have. This is not a scaled-down version of the X1. It is the X1's most important engineering decisions in a revised chassis at a different price point.

Two ESS SABRE32 ES9038PRO chips, one per channel, running in dual-mono configuration. Eight-channel DAC chips operated as dedicated stereo converters for each channel produce a level of channel separation and crosstalk rejection that a shared chip cannot achieve. The conversion stage is fully balanced throughout, feeding the analogue output stage without a single-ended step in the chain.

The output stage — Lundahl transformers

The analogue output stage uses dual Lundahl LL7401 output transformers. Lundahl is a Swedish precision transformer manufacturer whose products appear in professional recording equipment and the most serious high-end audio designs. Transformer coupling in a DAC output stage is not common because it is expensive and requires careful implementation — but it removes the DC-coupling capacitors or servo circuits that other topologies rely on, and it provides galvanic isolation between the conversion stage and whatever follows. The result is an analogue output with a naturalness and harmonic texture that capacitor-coupled stages typically cannot match.

XLR balanced output is 6Vrms, pin 2 hot. RCA unbalanced is 3Vrms. Both are available simultaneously. A precision FPGA handles clock distribution to the output stage — the femto clock system feeds the conversion and output circuitry with the timing precision that low-jitter playback requires.

The digital inputs — why they matter

The S2 is the first LUMIN player in the traditional S-Series format to accept external digital sources. Optical and coaxial inputs handle PCM up to 192kHz at 16 to 24 bits, and DSD64 via DoP. A CD transport, Blu-ray player, television, or computer audio interface can now feed the S2's internal DAC rather than a separate converter. The USB digital output supports native DSD512 and PCM to 384kHz at 32 bits, for those who want to use the S2 as a transport feeding a downstream converter.

This matters to any listener who has been maintaining two separate signal paths — streaming through one DAC, physical sources through another — and living with the difference between them. The S2 collapses that into one converter of genuine quality, handling both sources with the same hardware.

The power supply

Two toroidal transformers, internally mounted and individually shielded. Separate supplies for digital and analogue circuitry, with low-noise linear regulation throughout. The dual-toroid arrangement is the correct solution for a combined streaming and DAC product: the digital processing circuitry generates switching noise that a shared supply would inject into the analogue stage. Physical separation, with shielding between the two transformers and the chassis they sit in, keeps that interference out of the conversion and output circuits.

Streaming and network

Roon Ready. TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Audirvāna, AirPlay 2, Plex, JPLAY, KKBOX, TuneIn Radio, FLAC Lossless Radio, UPnP/OpenHome, Songcast multi-room. Network playback reaches DSD512 and 384kHz at 32 bits. Optional upsampling to PCM 384kHz or DSD256 is available for all files. Leedh Processing lossless digital volume control allows direct connection to a power amplifier or active speakers without a preamplifier in the chain.

Network connectivity is dual-path: industry-standard SFP for optical fibre alongside RJ45 gigabit Ethernet, usable simultaneously — one to the router, one to a NAS or LUMIN L2. The LUMIN app runs on iOS, Android, macOS, and Chromebook.

Where it fits

The S2 is the right answer for a listener who wants a single, genuinely high-end DAC at the centre of a system that includes both streaming and physical or other digital sources. It is also the right answer for someone who has been running a separate streamer and DAC and wants to consolidate without compromising either function. The X1 architecture means the DAC performance is not a concession made to fit the form factor — it is the same hardware that defines LUMIN's reference standard, adapted for broader connectivity.

Paired with a quality network switch — the LUMIN L2, the Matrix SS-1 Pro, or an audio-grade alternative — and a preamplifier or power amplifier with balanced inputs to take advantage of the 6Vrms XLR output, the S2 represents a complete and coherent digital front end that does not ask you to choose between your sources.

Press recognition

The S2 is a recent introduction. Press coverage is developing and we will update this page as substantive reviews are published. The X1 architecture from which the S2 is derived has received sustained international critical recognition — the S2 inherits that engineering foundation with the addition of digital inputs and the latest processing platform.

Specifications

• Type: Network player with internal DAC and digital inputs
• DAC chipset: Dual ESS SABRE32 ES9038PRO (dual-mono, one chip per channel)
• Output stage: Fully balanced; dual Lundahl LL7401 output transformers; precision FPGA clock distribution
• Clock system: Dual femto clocks
• XLR output: 6Vrms balanced, pin 2 hot
• RCA output: 3Vrms unbalanced
• Network playback: Up to DSD512; up to PCM 384kHz / 32-bit; MQA full decoding
• Upsampling: DSD256 option for all files; PCM 384kHz option for all files
• Digital input (optical / coaxial): PCM 44.1kHz–192kHz, 16–24-bit; DSD64 (DoP)
• Digital output (USB): Native DSD512; PCM 44.1kHz–384kHz, 16–32-bit
• Network: RJ45 1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet; industry-standard SFP (optical fibre); usable simultaneously
• USB ports: Shared; storage use (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, single-partition)
• Power supply: Dual internal toroidal transformers; separate digital and analogue circuits; low-noise linear regulators
• Roon Ready: Yes
• Streaming: TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Audirvāna, AirPlay 2, Plex, JPLAY, KKBOX, TuneIn Radio, FLAC Lossless Radio, UPnP/OpenHome, Songcast (multi-room)
• Supported formats: DSF, DFF, DoP (DSD); FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MQA, MP3, AAC (M4A)
• Volume control: Leedh Processing lossless digital volume control
• PCM filters: MQA QRONO d2a filters for all PCM (excluding AirPlay)
• Control app: LUMIN app — iOS 15+, Android 6+, macOS 15+, Chromebook
• Finishes: Silver or black anodised aluminium
• Dimensions: 350mm W x 350mm D x 60.5mm H
• Weight: 8kg
• Firmware: Upgradable — Programme of Continuous Development

If you want to talk through how the S2 fits into your system — whether it replaces a separate streamer and DAC, how to pair it with your transport, what the Leedh volume control means for running it direct to a power amplifier — we are happy to think it through. Call us or start a conversation on the site.