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Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

I've recently become interested in the Grimm MU1.  While reviews of top end players from Innuos, Aurender and Antipodes and others are typically all very positive, the tone of the many pro reviews of the Grimm MU1 go far, far beyond, with some reviews resorting to using superlatives and gushing of positive system transformation and not being able to stop listening to material, etc..  HiFi Advice and Steve Huff (actually calls it "magic") have such reviews.

Given the delay in availability of the Innuos Pulsar which I'm told will be better than my current Zenith Mk3 + PhoenixUSB reclocker, I am interested in replacing my streaming setup with a one-box solution that includes a high-precision clock.  The new streamer will continue to feed my Gryphon Diablo 300's DAC module, which I have no interest in replacing.

I'm actually a fan of Innuos, after they improved the sound of my Zenith with firmware updates and after I added their PhoenixUSB reclocker. I appreciate this commitment to improving sound quality which is why I was so interested in the Pulsar.

The trigger for considering an upgrade is not for improved sound, but rather, to solve some issues I have with too many Audioquest power cords coiled and clumped together. I will get to lose one of them and one of my USB cords with a one-box streamer. I've noticed my sound is very sensitive to positioning of my AC cords and find I often need to re-adjust the PC feeding my amp to get proper sounding vocals at center stage.  One of my subs also seems to be picking up AC noise when the crossover is set above 60Hz. The second trigger is simply system simplification, removing one box.  All that said I don't really have any complaints regarding sound, and the PhoenixUSB reclocker truly did improve the sound of my Zenith.

While the Grimm MU1 has it's 4X upsampling up it's sleeve with reviewers absolutely glowing over this feature and it's extreme ability to separate tones to the left, right, front, and back far better than the rest, I don't see that Grimm has gone to any lengths with regard to power supply management in the way other brands do including Innuos. The MU1's ultra-simplistic interior doesn't bug me, but the lack of transformers and power management makes me wonder....

Are there any updates from folks who have directly compared the MU1 vs similarly classed streamers from the competition?  Did you find it to be as revelatory as the pro reviewers found it? And, how does it compare to other streamers with it's 4X upsampling disabled?  Does it sound like it suffers from it's lack of power management?  I do see that the clock should be very good...

 

 

nyev
ghasley
2,506 posts
 

@nyev 

Alot depends on our goals but you posting "but need to draw the line on cost somewhere!" is particularly relevant. Optimizing what we do so that it aligns with our sonic values for the $$ we wish to invest is intelligent. Each one of us can probably "afford" whatever we want within reason. I read alot on this site where someone has obviously overspent and we are wise to leave that kindof thing to someone else.

 

For me, I just don't want my hifi rig to be relevant in any way financially. That's me...other's may choose differently and that's their decision. We have a dedicated listening room but we also have the occasional car that drives past, the HVAC system cycles on/off and our golden retriever will occasionally bark or at least stop by to take a nap...and she snores....and like many here on Audiogon, she will occasionally pass gas.

 

I mention all of this because its wise that our investment in the gear should never be the end game, we should strive to maximize our enjoyment. The money is secondary. These are appliances that we can appreciate the job they do but they shouldn't be some shrine. In short, it isn't that we can't hear the difference between a Taiko and a Grimm...we can. Same goes for a Grimm and a Bluesound....is the gear going to serve the purpose we want it to serve or not...

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,575 posts
 

“our investment in the gear should never be the end game, we should strive to maximize our enjoyment”. 

+1, @ghasley

I couldn’t agree with you more! 

adasdad's avatar
adasdad
145 posts
 

@nyev, if you’re in the market for a $10k Grimm music streamer, then you’ve got better problems that I do. Lol. Yes many folks are looking for a one box solution to cut down on all of the plethora of accoutrements that can proliferate in a dedicated listening chain. The fact that you’re apparently wedded to your Gryphon Diablo DAC module is IMO the place where your digital signal is going to be tied up, because no matter how great your streamer is, the whole setup is not going to sound fantastic unless you’ve got the absolutely best DAC that you can justify having. To that point, the ESS Sabre ES9018 DAC chip in the Diablo 300 is bettered by several other manufacturers options. To me it just doesn’t make sense to put a $10K streamer in front of a $4,500 DAC. Ideally I think the other way around would be more effective. Just my $0.02

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

 

our investment in the gear should never be the end game, we should strive to maximize our enjoyment”.

+1, @ghasley

I couldn’t agree with you more!

+2 😊

Charles

vinpic
34 posts
 

Sound advice here.  The MU1 is one of the best out there, only your ears can tell if it is the right one for you.   I’ve selected it as my reference streamer, my best results are thru AES with a Jorma digital cable. 

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