Roon Labs

Roon Community contributor Steven44 graciously contributed the following review. Roon Editorial staff added layout and minor editing to convert the forum posts to a review format.

Overview

Zuma Lumisonic is a state-of-the-art Roon Ready lighting and sound system. Each light/sound unit is an all-in-one audio system. It’s very sophisticated and supports multiple audio services onboard, plus Alexa voice control.  

This system may be the first to use Roon in a full home automation product. Zuma Lumisonic won the prestigious 2021 CEDIA New Hardware award (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association).

Use Scenario

I was originally looking for a new intelligent lighting system and a sensible way of putting surround sound in an open plan space. Big screens have rubbish sound quality, and I did not want a soundbar. 

What were the options? In-wall speakers? Sonos? Lightwave? Lutron? Everything I looked at was a compromise on installation costs, wiring, sound quality, and duplication of systems. 

Then Zuma opened a pop-up shop for the Lumisonic launch where I could see the whole system in operation. (They now sell through independent retailers.) Ultimately the system does not compare to anything else, as there is nothing comparable. The design and technical team have worked together since they did the B&W Nautilus, 30+ years ago. 

I installed the product throughout much of my house last year; in seven months we largely rebuilt the entire space. One of the main features is that it is incredibly cost-effective, much cheaper than putting in something like Lightewave + Sonos, and infinitely better. Each unit only draws about 8w, so on one circuit I have 22 units on a ring connected to a single rocker switch. 

It is designed to be self-installed because all you have to do is attach a 24v transformer to the existing lighting circuit. I was going to put the units in myself, but ultimately Zuma came round and offered to assist, as it was a large installation. My electrician installed all 50 transformers in half a day. That’s how easy it is.

Compatibility and supported services

Zuma Lumisonic supports multiple audio services; Roon Ready, Amazon HD, TIDAL, Apple Music, Airplay, Spotify, Radio, and Alexa voice control. 

Spending a few months using Alexa and Amazon HD for voice-controlled music was ultimately rather frustrating. It’s OK until you start to get specific; then, it throws up unexpected music quite often. Plus, I have a lot of downloads that are not on Amazon. The Amazon HD app is also rather horrible. It’s fine if you just want Mozart, Steely Dan, or very popular tracks. I’m much happier using Roon and have since canceled the Amazon HD subscription.

Lighting

My primary interest was in the lighting side of this product; it’s as advanced as the sound. You can buy one unit, expand an existing LED hole to 95mm, connect the supplied 24v transformer to the existing lighting circuit, and install the unit. That can be done in a few minutes.

Zuma has “well-being” settings that combine sound and light. It also has a Circadian setting that automatically changes the light intensity and warmth throughout the day. It’s made me want a Roon Circadian sound setting, changing the mood dependent on the time of day.

Another key feature is that you can connect them to Shelly relays. With a Zuma-programmed Shelley relay behind the wall switch, you can turn off the lights without cutting power – meaning they can still be used for sound. In effect, they are never powered down. If you want to power them down for a software update, the Shelly relays can be switched off using the Shelly app or Alexa.

Roon + sound quality

The Zuma Lumisonic audio system is wireless/Roon Ready and can be easily fitted into an existing lighting circuit. Zuma zones can be grouped in Roon or Alexa. Lumisonic was engineered by Lawrence Dickie (B&W, Vivid) and Trevor Wilson (Naim), who I assume was involved in the Roon implementation. 

As mentioned, the main sound requirement for this project was home cinema. For that, I use seven Lumisonic speakers in two zones using Airplay via an Apple TV+. The Apple TV+ can also group zones as easily as Roon. I have 50 Zuma units in total; 24 are for sound configured in about seven Roon zones. No problems at all. I can stream 24/192 all day long and have four bars on almost every unit.

These units can receive audio via Roon or with AirPlay, which is not as good for a couple of reasons, not least because these units operate at 24/192 PCM, and AirPlay is limited to only 16/44. Roon plays 24/192 native format (Roon calls it Lossless), and DSD files get converted to 176.4/32 PCM (Roon calls it High Quality). It certainly sounds better than AirPlay!

Roon provides phenomenal sound from a 95mm external diameter unit. I’ve always assumed a small speaker is a compromise. These units are very small, but listening to Shostakovich’s first violin concerto, they sound very good. 

For anyone who knows it, the main dramatic staccato theme in the second movement borrowed from Act 3 of Lady Macbeth (in the opera, it’s used when Zinovy’s body is discovered) comes across very well. There’s a kettle drum at the start of the 4th movement that actually sounds like a kettle drum when played through the Lummisonic. There is a lot to be said about filling a room with sound using this kind of system rather than using point sources for stereo. In some respects, it’s as realistic as real live music.

One of the big features of this system is the DSP and excellent sound dispersion! The patented spring mounting system is also fundamental, as it gives an extremely strong fix. There is no chance of the units rattling and distorting at high volumes. You get no sensation of a point source, so you get a very even, immersive sound. We bought a Devialet Phantom Reactor for the same reason, which is Roon Ready. My wife uses it in her work environment all the time. 

I also have a Roon Ready 2-channel system in a music room (Wilson/Devialet/Innuos), plus a six-speaker Lumisonic array in that room. In addition to those, there are 6 other Zuma zones, a Devialet Phantom in a garden room, and a Naim Mu-so QB2 zone for a total of 11 Roon zones. I have four more Zuma Lumisonic zones planned – Roon does everything, everywhere.

Conclusion

Roon certification is intended, first and foremost, to ensure ease of use and that Roon-enabled products work as they are meant to, simply and fault-free. That has always been my experience. I’ve used a Devialet Expert Pro for 6 years, and Roon Ready was the best thing that happened to it. 

If Roon were to design a multi-room audio system, Zuma Lumisonic would be it. For sound, the products are made for each other. 

-Steven44

Learn more

Full Specs for Zuma Lumisonic can be found on their product page. For more Roon Ready products, visit our Partners page.
Discover why serious music lovers call Roon a “must-have” by taking our free trial!

At Roon, our passion is to help you get the very best sound and performance from your gear purchases. Our Roon partner products guarantee seamless integration, stress-free reliability, and high-quality sound within every music lover’s budget. 

We understand that gear homework can be confusing and a chore, “will this X sync with my Y DAC/Amp” ad infinitum….. The excitement of gear shopping can evaporate pretty quickly.

Roon-certified gear takes care of all that for you and leaves you with only the fun tasks: shipment tracking, setup planning, and more quality time for enjoying music. Those are benefits we all can appreciate! 

Winner and Still Champion: Chord Hugo 2

Chord’s Hugo 2 sports an impressive winning streak and continues to rack up Best DAC awards for its design, aesthetics, and sound – even when matched against much more expensive units. It’s not especially difficult to understand why. It remains one of the best value upgrades you can add to your system for its price range. Like all things Chord, Hugo 2’s technical advances and innovation never lose sight of the ultimate goal – superior sonic performance. Let’s take a look!

Aesthetics and Design 

From its robust aluminum enclosure to its lovely polychromatic spherical controls, every element of Hugo 2 / 2go exhibits exceptional design thinking. These products deliver the features and functionality that music lovers demand, and they do it creatively and engagingly.  

Yes, some critics still grumble about Chord’s fondness for color-coded controls. For my tastes, they’re a brilliant, intuitive means for conveying a wealth of information without using an LED screen. Using the crib sheet in the manual, you’ll be up to speed with color translation in no time. We put the cheat sheet back in its box much quicker than expected. 

Grippy rubber feet keep Hugo 2 and 2go safely in place when used as a desktop headphone DAC/amp or streamer/server combo. The handy full-function remote eliminates having to leave your favorite listening spot to make adjustments when using Hugo 2 as an integrated component. Its feature set makes it ideal for that role. We realize design perfection means different things to different people. But we couldn’t find any noteworthy shortcomings in either of these devices that warranted further discussion. 

Hugo 2 and 2go, poised to satisfy every audio need

The Chord 2go is a high-performance streamer/server that adds Bluetooth, wi-fi, and wired network connectivity for Hugo 2. Together, they’re a solution for an impressive range of use scenarios. Here are just a few we were able to tackle with ease:

• An unmatched Roon ARC mobile headphone rig 
• A feature-rich Roon Ready sonic advancement for any legacy Hi-Fi setup
• A high-quality desktop and handheld head-fi audio solution
• A veritable digital audio player (DAP) slayer! 2go’s dual microSD card slots provide 4 TB of onboard high-res audio storage,
• A highly portable around-the-house RAAT streaming endpoint 
• Hugo 2 has all the device connection inputs and outputs you’ll likely need, making it a powerful contender for myriad applications beyond those we mention.

Use flexibility is a significant factor when I purchase gear. Hugo 2 excels in this capacity. Its small footprint, the size of a petite paperback, further accentuates its versatility.

Sound Impressions

Not surprisingly, the Hugo2/2go produce awe-inspiring sound that reflects their award-winning pedigree. Every genre we fed through the duo assumed a new level of spaciousness, dynamics, and fidelity. The highest praise anyone can give a piece of gear is to say it motivates its owner to find extra time for music listening. These devices do that effortlessly! 

Chord products achieve their unique sound signature with bespoke conversion, filtering, and processing chipsets designed by Rob Watts. 4 filter settings provide users with options for crisp, transparent presentation or a warmer, rounded analog vibe reminiscent of vintage gear. To clarify, Chord states that the filters’ purpose is to reduce high-frequency noise generated by the selected input. They aren’t designed or intended to act as DSP or EQ enhancements. To my ear, they do add understated coloration. It’s very slight, but it’s there. My favorite filter settings were Incisive Neutral, or Warm, depending on the music I was playing. 

I’m even more surprised to discover that I’m a big fan of Hugo 2’s crossfeed filters. Crossfeed gives headphone listening a more speaker-like soundstage by subtly blending left and right headphone channels, giving you a bit of both in each driver rather than distinct separation. I don’t typically use crossfeed features because they rarely produce the desired results for my tastes. Hugo 2’s crossfeed feature outshines all others I’ve tried. As a result, I used the Medium crossfeed setting for most of my casual listening – turning it off only for the close listening session below. 

Listening Notes

For detailed listening, I drove Hugo 2/2go with tracks sourced from Qobuz and TIDAL. All were rendered at their native sample rates, indicated below. Hugo 2’s EQ, crossfeed, and noise processing settings were toggled off for reference listening.

Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown from Sundown (24-bit/192 kHz PCM) 

This one gave me chills when I played it from Hugo 2 through the Meze 109 PRO. The combination instantly transported me to the early 70s when this song dominated AM radio.

The layered acoustic guitars shimmered as if they were in the room. The soundstage was enormous and airy with excellent depth, adding considerably to the perfect vibe achieved in this performance. Textural separation was also very impressive. Each instrument had plenty of room to be enjoyed distinctly in the mix. The bass and drums lock in wonderfully, exhibiting heaps of instrumental detail. Lightfoot’s voice was as warm and comforting as fine winter cognac – the plate reverb on the double-tracked vocal chorus becomes a star contributor in its own right. The Meze 109 PRO’s detail retrieval dovetailed divinely with the Hugo 2. If you’re a detail junkie, this combo deserves consideration. 

Tom Waits – Alice from Alice (24-bit/96 kHz PCM) 

Tom Waits is a musical enigma who shape-shifts between a skid-row carnival barker, a whiskey-soaked crooner, and a tin-pan alley apparition.

On this track, he leans heavily into a sweet tube mic and lays down a spoken jazz vocal that the Hugo 2 delivered absolutely brilliantly. He’s accompanied by a Paul Desmondish sax line, stand-up bass, vibes, piano, snare brushes, and other assorted magic. In my Massdrop Sennheiser 6XX cans, this song transmuted into a moody film noir with undercurrents of loss and unrequited love. 

Orchestra Baobab – Mouhamadou Bamba from Bamba: (16-bit/44.1 kHz PCM) 

Orchestra Baobab comes across as a powerhouse Afro-Carribean ensemble rather than a Senegalese music institution. Bamba compiles several of their early 80s sessions.

Mouhamadou Bamba opens with ethereal guitar and an ocean of plate reverb on the Sengalese vocals before being joined by Afro-Caribbean percussion and a pulsating reggae bass motif. A stinging tremolo-drenched overdriven guitar solo lights up the bridge with a bit of Afro Rock flavor. It’s an intoxicating blend! With the Hugo 2/2go powering the Meze 99 Classics, I noticed a touch of tape hiss sizzle in the track as I was carried blissfully away to West Africa. Meze audio cans pair exceptionally well with the Hugo 2.

John Coltrane – Afro-Blue from Live at Birdland (24-bit/192 kHz PCM) 

This track is a favorite for spotlighting the John Coltrane Quartet’s emotional and visceral power in live performance. The group drives headlong into a passionate reading of Mongo Santamaria’s classic.

Coltrane’s soprano sax soars above and inside McCoy Tyner’s fluid runs and block chords. Elvin Jones’ electrifying percussion propels the ensemble ahead while Jimmy Garrison’s double bass holds the foundation and answers Elvin’s cymbal attack. It’s genuinely mind-blowing to imagine experiencing a performance of this caliber and intensity in that tiny intimate space.

My crossfeed curiosity got the better of me when listening to this track. Using maximum crossfeed to mix channels through the warm voice of the Meze 99 Classics, I felt as if I was there when listening with my eyes closed. I’ve heard this track innumerable times and was amazed at the detail I experienced using this combination. I’ve had the opportunity to listen to some of the most esteemed headphones in existence over the last several months. The Meze Classic 99 always satisfies, even when following on the heels of Audeze’s flagship models.

Our Conclusion

The Chord Hugo 2 / 2go delivers brilliantly refined detail and warm, lush sound via its expertly designed sonics, filters, and soundstage. If you’re looking for a superior DAC/amp for headphones that also shines as an integrated component, you can’t do much better than Chord’s Hugo 2 at this price. Add Chord’s 2go, and you can easily take those sonic qualities anywhere. 

Click here to see the Roon Store’s full line of Chord devices.

Additional Observations

• Hugo 2 enters RMS line level mode by simultaneously holding down the power button and X-PHD buttons during power up. Though not easy to accomplish, I accidentally activated this mode while sitting down for some relaxed headphones listening. It was painfully memorable. Please use caution to avoid having a similar experience.
• The Hugo 2’s dual headphone outputs lack individual volume controls. Volume changes affect both outputs.
• Hugo 2’s clean design leaves no room for either an I2S or HDMI output. If either is needed, a low-cost coaxial to I2S or HDMI adapter will do the trick.
• Hugo 2/ 2go is a tad chunky for in-pocket on-the-go use. Mojo/Mojo2/Poly is a better match if frequent mobile use is a critical requirement. 
• Some coaxial cables may require an adapter for optimal coupling with Hugo 2’s connection points.
• Chord products don’t offer MQA support; fans of the format will need to consider other options.

Chord Hugo 2 and 2go FAQs

Are the Chord Hugo 2 and 2go Roon Ready?

• Yes, the Hugo 2 and 2go are Roon Ready! The Hugo 2, when used alone, requires a USB connection. Adding the 2go provides wireless Roon Ready streaming over your home network. 

What file formats and resolutions do the Chord Hugo 2 / 2go support?

• Hugo 2 offers future-proof format support up to 32bit/768kHz PCM, Native DSD512, and Encapsulated DSD256.
• 2go supports gapless PCM to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD via DoP to DSD256, and SD card DSD playback as well as FLAC, WAV, ACC, AIFF, OGG VORBIS, ALAC, WMA, and MP3 file formats. Tidal, Qobuz, Internet radio, and more with the GoFigure app.

What type of input and output connections does Hugo 2 / 2go have?

• Hugo 2 offers four digital inputs: optical, dual configuration coaxial, Mini-USB, Roon RAAT, DNLA, AirPlay, and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity.
• Hugo 2 analog outputs include two headphone outs: one ¼” (6.35mm) and one ⅛” (3.5mm), plus Stereo RCA out. The RCA outs remain active when using headphones.
• 2go inputs include long-range 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1 A2Dp, Hotspot mode, and a Gigabit (GbE) ethernet port. 
• 2go features dual MicroSD card slots capable of 4 TB of music storage.

How much play time do I get from a fully charged Hugo 2 / 2go?

• Hugo 2 and 2go are each equipped with Mini-USB battery charging ports.
• Hugo 2 provides 7-8 hours of music with a full charge. 
• 2go provides about 10 hours of use with a full charge.
• Hugo 2 / 2go allows around 7 to 8 hours of playback time when paired.
• Intelligent desktop mode protects the Hugo 2 and 2go internal batteries from overcharging damage.
• Hugo 2 will automatically power off when dormant for 15 minutes. This feature is deactivated when charging in desktop mode.
• Hugo 2 and 2go allow tandem charging during use. A 2A (amps) or more charger is required. 
• Hugo 2 has two charging modes: fast charge in 4 hours with a 2A charger and 8 hours with a charger rated under 2A.

Tech Specs:

Chord Hugo 2

• Chipset: Chord Electronics custom-coded Xilinx Artix 7 (XC7A15T) FPGA
• Tap-length: 49,152
• Pulse array: 10-element pulse array design
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.2dB
• Output stage: Class A
• Output impedance: 0.025Ω
• THD: <0.0001% 1kHz 3v RMS 300Ω
• THD and noise at 3v RMS: 120dB at 1kHz 300ohms ‘A’ weighted (reference 5.3v)
• Noise 2.6 uV ‘A’ weighted: No measurable noise floor modulation
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 126dB ‘A’ Weighted
• Channel separation: 135dB at 1kHz 300Ω
• Power output @ 1kHz 1% THD: 94mW 300Ω, 740mW 32Ω, 
• 1050mW 8Ω
• Dimensions: 5.11″ (W) x 3.97″ (H) x 0.82″ (D)
• Weight: 12.5 ounces

Chord 2go

• Compatibility: For 2go to perform as a fully functional streamer, a connection with Hugo 2 (DAC/Preamp/Headphone amp) or 2yu is required.
• Power supply: Internal battery with up to 10 hrs (approx) playback. Desktop mode activated upon insertion of Micro USB charging cable).
• Wireless connectivity: Long-range 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, A2Dp
• WiFi modes: Connect to (allows 2go to connect to an existing 2.4GHz WiFi network) or Hotspot mode (activated within the Gofigure app, which enables 2go to broadcast its own WiFi network with SSID and password in the eventuality that the device cannot connect to a static network).
• Wired connectivity: Gigabit (GbE) ethernet
• PCM and DSD Support: up to 32-bit/768kHZ PCM, DSD256
• File format support: ACC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, OGG VORBIS, ALAC, WMA, MP3, and more…
• Initial setup, configuration, and updates: Via the free Gofigure app for iOS and Android
• Music storage: 2x Onboard Micro SD card slots (up to 4TB of total storage)
• Playback: Roon Ready, DLNA (server and render), AirPlay, Bluetooth audio (A2DP), Tidal, Qobuz, Internet radio, and more coming…
• Gapless playback: Supported
• Dimensions: 1.96″ (W) x 3.97″ (H) x 0.82″ (D)
• Weight: 5.6 ounces

What comes in the box?

Chord Hugo 2

• User Manual
•  Safety instructions
•  Drawstring bag
•  5V 2A Switching Micro USB power supply
•  IR remote control
•  Micro USB to Type-A USB cable
•  Micro to Micro USB OTG cable
•  Optical cable
•  Optical to 3.5mm optical cable
•  2x AAA batteries

Chord 2go:

• Get started with the 2go guide
•  Safety instructions
•  Drawstring bag
•  Micro USB to Type-A USB cable
•  Ethernet cable
•  2x locating screws
•  Allen key 

Click here to see the Roon Store’s full line of Chord devices.