the wheel on msb a little cumbersone switching inputs this is more of a bnc input vs quad for the MSB usb converts it to a different DAC msb - have to keep volume at 0 for the vocals get a little grainy note that i'm using the wireless on my laptop as opposed to streamer takes lots of time and plugging in and out, etc. lumin vs rest - mostly a bigger sound is the biggest benefit maybe more detail You have to use a wireless bridge + sotm cable to get good sound from your laptop. builtin wifi sucks and was way too strident and harsh/grainy. tried with wifi, not much difference, maybe slightly better with the bridge. The quad has a blacker background, more string textures, lumin is just more organic warm but loses out some detail. the quad has a fuller sound, bigger head, bigger instruments. lumin still  has the best vocal reproduction, much more human. blood. you could hear more of the room, right amount of low end reverb. luscious. usb is definitely more detailed, esp strings, you could hear every micro vibration of the strings. the vocals being forward helps a lot too. the only thing that bothers me is taht the vocals don't sound beautiufl and seductive. it sounds detailed and illuminated. songs like the soundmaker, the usb sounds like a detailed bright mess while the lumin stays calm and controls the entire presentation, albeit with less detail and sparkle. heart of gold - the harmonica doesn't sound like one. overall a little more birght/glare bottom line - lumin is a beautiful more natural sound, less detailed. the usb has an enormous size sound with incredible detail and may work for many ppl for love to be tickled by strings. the usb also has a blacker background. the usb may go good with a good tube or warm amp. i do have to admit i love the forward mids and size of the players, height, etc. The vocals remind me of the La Scala The wifi on the laptop was warmer and not as resolving as connecting the bridge. sub-bass not as atmospheric. with the bridge it's a lot crisper, and with voluem at 0, vocals sound better. tigheter bass, blacker background. crazy slam and detail on bass., wider ss. mids are more forward with the laptop wifi. better separation with wireless bridge. prefer the bridge. imaging is better as well. better decay on thunder. trick to buffer it up and switch the cable. the wifi on the laptop flattens out the soundstage, dynamics are lost, no depth, and poor imaging (voices sound close together) but i think the vocals sound closer to accurate, warmer. overall, the quad usb is amazing. so much detail, so crazy height, big pictures, you could hear everything. I just wish there was a bit of warmness. a lot of tickling and not enough massaging. I've never heard so much detail out of my music before. the quad makes me realize there's extra space and air in the headphones and fills it up in all directions. over time, i would trade the extra height and detail for a more natural tonality. one that sounds real. Monica - Breaks My Heart

  • I didn't nkow there was a tapping of a cymbal in the beginning whoa
  • vocals you know who's singing but you know that's not their voice
  • luimin sounds better

Tempest (Live) - Jesse Cook

  • straight USB
  • For the first time ever i hear a difference in height. quad has a much taller soundstage with larger instrumetsn. larger presence overall.
  • Lumin - definitely warmer, more sweet, more live, more organic, but I believe less detailed.
  • Uptone
  • Extremely detailed, i never heard so many details in the notes of the strums
  • tickle factor max
  • you hear every little bit of the guitar,
  • bigger sound, wish the lumin had a bigger sound but keeps it warmness
  • I have to say, it sounds great.
  • much easier to hear what each person is doing at all times, effortless presentation
  • wider presentation
  • the usb is a completey difference experiences and it's not a bad one. it's actually quite nice and i wouldn't mind just usb it directly. it sounds very exciting.
  • lumin
  • from the start you know it's a live performance but with uptone, it's not clear because it's so clear and sparkly
  • definitely a smaller or shorter presentatino
  • more heft onthe hard low end strums
  • Recovery (using uptones adapter)
  • even wider than the uptone, pretty dam wide.
  • warmer than the uptone but duller as well
  • somewhat between the lumin and uptone as far as warmth.
  • The width of the soundstage is signifcant wider than the lumin bnc out.
  • a little analytics and difficult to listen to fatiguing, the decay sin't realistic, missing some low-end information, treble extension is good
  • I think the uptone is better with texture/detail but possibley more fatiguing
  • lumin
  • the players seem to be closer to each other but that could be do to the warmer sound
  • overall i think it's a much more natural and live prsentation, where as the recovery was just unrealistically wide and didn't covey the same kind of atmosphere
  • the strings and guitar losses the meat around it, not as chocoalte covered sweetness
  • good tickel factor

Ask About Me - Ice Cube

  • USB
  • This sounds better than using the regens
  • ss not as wide but the tonality is more true and closer to the lumin
  • Uptone
  • sooo detailed
  • you hear everything in the music, it's pretty crazy
  • vocals still aren't super accurate but not bad
  • less warm so atmospherics are a bit weak on low-end like the thunder
  • vocals/mids are more forward
  • lumin
  • a lot more heft and detail decay on lows
  • definitely more narrow than the uptone
  • uptone stretched almost unrealitically but it's kinda nice
  • warmer, more relaxed, but definitely not as outlined as the usb...both sound good, but prefer the more natural sound of lumin
  • W4S
  • low-end is seriously lacking detail and atmospherics
  • bass missing that weight, accurate reverb
  • very lean sound, rhtym is off? timing?
  • ice cube doesn't have that gangsta authority sound
  • lumin
  • now this is a head bobber, realistic tonality, down to earth

A Way - Lotte Kestner

  • USB
  • very clean, very full, chills
  • everything is more lifesize which could be a dealbreaker for some.
  • the trade off is more accurate tonality vs more lifesize sound. hard to decide really.
  • lumin
  • the lumin has a warmer tone and sounds almost squished in comparison to the usb.
  • you could hear more detail out of the quad, esp in the beginning plucks (you hear her fingers switch strings) but you could hear her shift her fingers more organically with the lumin
  • mids are more forward on the usb and you could hear details in her voice much earlier
  • high-end detail missing from the lumin, i could hear things from her voice i've never heard, how she carries her pitch, chlls
  • usb is much higher detail, much taller bigger sound, misses a lot of organics, and the lumin overall sounds more natural like a system you would want. her voice sounds human with blood.
  • Uptone
  • Get the edge off the USB but is less detailed, smoother and slightly warmer, non-fatiguing
  • Lumin
  • lumin wins here, just has that sweet low-end that the other modes miss.
  • not as detailed, an't her switch strings as clearly but her vocals are much more realistic with body and roundness
  • Recovery
  • warmer than the uptone, a bit fuzzier?
  • something about the sound i don't think tho
  • lumin kills it
  • low-end warmth weight unmatched

Cielito Lindo - Marta Gomez

  • USB
  • Not as detailed as uptone, a bit more dull, not as much clairty but vocals don't sound bad, smooth. prefer uptone
  • Uptone
  • the thing that is missing is that body and soul and warmth compared to lumin
  • uptone is more detailed, more sharp, crispy, and has a wider soundstage than the recovery, i like the sound better
  • it's brighter than the recovery, but crips and clear
  • lumin
  • mids more recessed but instantly more sweeter and desireable seductive, much preferred even if the sound is bigger, i want naturla and real.
  • Recovery
  • Very detailed, much wider soundstage and height than the lumin, tonality eh.
  • No competition against lumin. sweeter more natural sound. much more emotional.

The Soundmaker - Rodrigo y Gabriela

  • USB
  • fatiguing sound, onslaught, difficult to listen to
  • Uptone
  • Much more rythm and fun compared to the recovery, wider, more dynamic, more detailed, amazing.
  • not strident like the usb
  • lumin
  • more chill, down to earth, not as crazy exciting as the uptone, but super smooth and enjoyable to listen to.
  • not as detailed for dam sure, not as wide
  • more importantly, the imaging is far superior ont he lumin, you could tell where they're sitting, you could tell there's two ppl playing. on the uptone, it's a bit of a mess, signals get crossed and it sounds like they're competing for space.
  • Recovery
  • Much easier to listen to than the direct USB

Minor Blue - Hamiet Bluiett

  • USB
  • Not as impactful as the uptone
  • Not as dynamic as uptone
  • not as black a background, not as wide
  • brass still not realistic, dull ocmpared to uptone
  • Uptone
  • Scary soundstage, chiiiilllllls
  • the brass doesn't really sound like brass but extremely detailed
  • lumin
  • definitely a smaller sound, not as expansive but more realistic
  • have to admit, the soundstage and width of usb is crazy amaizng, hopefully this is just due to wifi
  • I much prefer the naturalness of the lumin
  • Recovery
  • Still sounds better than the USB for sure, super wide
  • uptone just has that extra bit of crispiness
  • not as much meat as the uptone or detail

Roses - The Chainsmokers

  • USB
  • sound has so much height it's amazing
  • treble texture is better than lumin
  • vocals are very artificial sounding
  • hurts my ears.
  • way up in the sky
  • lumin
  • vocals, slam, bass, and layering don't compare to the lumin
  • Uptone
  • More more smooth and refined than the Recovery
  • more coherent the recovery
  • smoother vocals, not as harsh
  • both recovery and uptone is wide but i think uptoone has a very slight edge
  • Lumin
  • Vocals are a lot smooht, more accuate, natural, much better coherrence,
  • not as much height, very obvious
  • width seems to be similar
  • yummier low-end response, a much more down to earth and natural persentation. the others don't compare.
  • Recovery
  • decent slam, slams harder than the uptone but not as coherent
  • wide wide ss
  • a bit strident at times, could possibly be brighter than the uptone

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold

  • The Lumin to MSB just sounds "right" it sounds like her
  • Quad vocals sound a bit artificial, actually a bit of grain in comparison, the warm dynamics are also lost in comparison
  • of course bigger sound
  • So switching a lumin s1 out for a analog with quad...might not be a good thing, unless you like classical.

Mat Kearney - Ships in the Night

  • The separation layering you get from lumin to msb is about 3 feet, it's noticeable
  • the quad stretches everything out in every direction but has this artificial tinge to it to my ears. metallic tinge.
  • width of soundstage is still similar
  • a lot of detail but from the bnc, a more coherent sound, i enjoy it off the lumin more. even lumin s1 dac is more preferable.
  • reminds me of the detail and artificial tinge i heard on the scala, i guess there's equipment out there to synergizes well with this.

9 Crimes - Damien Rice

  • The MSB + Lumin has more umph on the piano hits, i think with lumin s1 dac, our brain interopolates this anyway? lol subtle.
  • The quad just doesn't sound right but it does sound big.

James Bay - Let It Go

  • Lumin gets pretty close the the MSB, just add some separation, more realstic tonality, better sub-bass and treble extension, the right amount of delicateness, better vocals by 15-20%.
  • man the msb gets the sub-bass reverb right. It sounds softer but not by too much.
  • quad - tall sound, details but it just doesn't sound right. not as coherent. not as euphonic or musical. i don't think people notice this and thing it's how it's recorded but james's voice has a bit more body and soul to it. the quad doesn't present it well but the bnc and lumin s1 does.quad just has a plenty of sparkle

Would i trade the lumin? no way. the expanding height, bigger sound, and more treble textures..isn't worthh the lack fo naturalness and realism. final test: Red love 2:43 - dual voices, never noticed bass is a bit lacking quad/uptone those where the days - vocals more like la scala - la scala i think was more detailed more spacious 2:37, detail monster you could hear the male voice very clearly, 2 or 3 guys distinctly, crazy. yodel detail. you hear maximum detail almost is never enough - this song sounds too grainy, might not be a good test. voices are not smooth. mediterraneon sundance - the guitar doesn't sound accurate? hi zing sound. 2:50, man you could hear so much of the micro details, like how much they plucked that string for that split second. 5:50. 7:15. Pluckfest, a lot fo texture, man they play really fast. 10:00 conclusion: if you're a detail freak, go quad. it does miss some low-end umph but has plenty of texture across the spectrum. I noticed acoustic, rock, and classical music sounds particularly great with the quad. that tickle factor could be pretty fun. being able to hear each instrument in it's acoustic space in a technical way and every tiny pluck of the guitar...has its merits. I prefer the beautiful, seductive sound of the lumin s1 or lumin s1 bnc to msb. we try to achieve a sense of a sound that sounds right and i think that combination does it.