Good questions hgeifman. Also good considerations Audiotroy (about the Gryphon DAC module having the older chip in it). However, another HUGE dimension for me is not only sound quality, but sonic signature. The Gryphon DAC module had a sonic signature that I really enjoyed when I auditioned it, vs other external (albeit much lesser) DACs I tested. My takeaways were were aligned with pro reviewers who said the Gryphon DAC had a midrange that was well “grounded” and solid vs a more light and airy signature. Also I noticed the sheer 3D largeness of the vocals to be highly enjoyable. So even with a potentially outdated chip I find that these sonic signature qualities are most important to me. I also found all the other “quality” metrics to be excellent as well. Also, I don’t have any Lumin dealers near me so an audition wouldn’t even be possible. Finally, this could be psychological bias on my part but I feel like the Gryphon DAC signature is perfectly matched to the Diablo 300 amp. Which is probably true and no accident. In fact, in some pro reviews of the Diablo I think that some qualities mentioned are more specific to the DAC than the amp itself. For example I had know clue what one reviewer meant by vocals having a “golden” quality to it when auditioning the Diablo with an external DAC. But it somehow immediately made sense when I heard the Diablo with it’s DAC module. So, given that the Diablo DAC seems a firm decision at this point, the Innuous seems to do all I need it to do: Tidal integration, internal storage, good sound with good detail, at half the cost of the N10. The Ripper and Roon support are bonuses, but to be honest I don’t get what is so great about Roon vs other players unless you really care about meta content (I don’t). It’s not like it has better sound. Maybe someone can explain why I should care about Roon? Lack of AEB/EBU is a minor drawback for me on the Innuous, but a trade off I can live with because it seems to have everything else I need at a good price.
