Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

I’m embarrassed I didn’t think of trying this earlier with the N20 but I totally forgot to try changing my Gryphon DAC module’s filter from the default slow setting to fast. With the Innuos setup, a long time ago I concluded that “fast” produced an overly sharp and thin sound, and just changed back to slow and left it alone since. But with the N20, the effect is really pleasing. Given the overall rich tonal density I’ve been getting with the N20, with the DAC set to “Fast”, the top end is now more naturally crisp, but not sharp like it was with this setting on the Innuos. Vocals are also freed up a bit, are a touch less veiled, and are just a touch more 3D. It’s REALLY quite nice now. Still nowhere near the level of high frequency detail and transparency as the Innuos, but I find so far, I’m not as constantly aware of missing upper detail with the N20 as much as before. This is good! Very enjoyable sound now.

I thought maybe now I’d hear a difference between AES and USB, but nope! Maybe something is capping the AES performance, or my DAC’s USB and clock implementation is so good it makes no difference. I know, extremely unlikely…  I thought I’d hear a difference by now, at the very least simply from the brand new cable burning in vs the well-used equivalent Diamond USB cable.

I read once that changing from slow to fast filters, you gain something (higher upper frequency response) but you also lose something (less stable frequency response due to the more aggressive response). Not sure I have that right. Anyways if I lost anything, I haven’t noticed yet, and I gained more with “Fast” engaged.

Grimm Audio MU1 owner here, and truly like how it fits sonically in my system. Came from Lumin streamers and sigma dacs. Decided to separate things out a bit and having a great time with the journey…Buy what fits your requirements and whatever sounds good to you.

Bluesound Node 2i with an outboard DAC like the Pontus 2. its the DAC that counts.

@nyev 

Sounds like you are having fun!

You've mentioned dCS and just thought I'd mention, if you are not already aware, the Bartok will be upgraded to APEX in March, so it'll have the same upgrade, in name at least, as the Rossini and the Vivaldi got a year ago. Hoping that'll make it a much better proposition. My experience with the Mosiac streamer is that it can do a lot of what Conductor can do, but it isn't as sophisticated - keep in mind that I just used if for a few hours because I might consider doing a home demo of the Bartok later this year. In the end, I have an N10, so if I don't like the Mosaic streamer, I could just use the N10.

Very interesting to read about you switching the Gryphon module to "fast". Hoping that works out for you.

Thanks @pokey77 . Yes down the road I’ll be testing a DAC, as @ghasley has convinced me. Good to know about the Bartok upgrade! We’ll see about that route when the time comes. But it might be too costly for me - unless I use it as a one-box solution and sell all my servers. I might consider dialing it back and trying a more basic but good DAC, like the Holo May.  Not sure which approach would be best, but I did set out on this path with a vision of a one-box solution.  The Holo May, by the way, costs quite a bit less than my Gryphon DAC module. I know that NOS DAC sounds aren’t for everyone, but I’m curious.

With the minor revelation of switching to the Fast filter, so far, I can say that the N20 with my system gives me all I need to be happy. Do I want a bit more? Yes. But if everything else I try fails, I can fall back to the N20 and be perfectly happy with this setup. Really enjoying it now, despite the few things I still am missing from the Innuos. The Innuos has more HiFi magic, but the N20 has a bigger more solid center stage, and this just makes the experience more about the music. If my focus was to have a system to impress HiFi friends with flashy spatial imaging, great immersion, detail and air, the Innuos would be the ticket. The N20 might be duller in my system from that perspective. There are “fine detail” elements of some songs that are really highlighted on the Innuos, but on the N20 you need to pay attention to notice them. But “HiFi” was never the reason I got into this…

Also - it’s too early to say for sure, but I MAY finally be starting to hear a slight benefit of the AES interface over USB! There could be the slightest bit less flatness and more dimensionality to drums and bass - like they are a bit more fully formed. Or I may be imagining it - it’s hard to say at this point….