Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

@adasdad picking up on this response here from you

To me it just doesn’t make sense to put a $10K streamer in front of a $4,500 DAC.

I put the Grimm in front of a comparatively low cost Metrum Octave v2 DAC and even this lowly DAC sounded far better with the Grimm at the helm.

Having such a solid front end like the Grimm helps you find the best from any DAC you may have in your collection - and in fact will also help you choose and audition any new potential DACs you may want to buy, with the Grimm allowing you to hear them at their very best.

So starting with the Grimm and simply using an Octave DAC (as an example) until you can afford better makes for good foundations in choosing the right DAC further down the line. When you audition these DACs you can be sure you have no upstream bottleneck putting a throttle on the full potential of your new converter.

“When you audition these DACs you can be sure you have no upstream bottleneck putting a throttle on the full potential of your new converter.”

+1, @chopandchange

Exactly! You can always explore better converter at later date. That’s one thing I always enjoyed and appreciated about Aurender streamers. 

@ghasley , I believe you are referring to the new MK2 version of the Merason DAC 1, which is 50% higher than before? Supposedly it’s been totally redesigned, and there are no reviews or firsthand accounts of the MK2, so I guess we can’t say quite yet whether the new version still punches above its weight at the higher price.

In my case, I purchased my mint MK1 version at a very reasonable price, and have the option to upgrade to the MK2 version at a very reasonable cost.

@chopandchange , your rationale makes sense to me. I too have found that earlier components in the digital chain are not limited by later, lesser components in the chain. As I mentioned before, Innuos demoed their new flagship $28k (CAD) Statement Next Gen paired with the Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated with its DAC module that I have, with the DAC module costing $10k (CAD). Although my DAC module cost 40% less when I bought it in 2019!

The MU1 costs about 35% more than the list price of my Gryphon DAC, so it’s not wildly out of whack from that perspective.  Although I did hear that the MU1 price is going up imminently.

@chopandchange 

I put the Grimm in front of a comparatively low cost Metrum Octave v2 DAC and even this lowly DAC sounded far better with the Grimm at the helm.

Having such a solid front end like the Grimm helps you find the best from any DAC you may have in your collection - and in fact will also help you choose and audition any new potential DACs you may want to buy, with the Grimm allowing you to hear them at their very best.

So starting with the Grimm and simply using an Octave DAC (as an example) until you can afford better makes for good foundations in choosing the right DAC further down the line. When you audition these DACs you can be sure you have no upstream bottleneck putting a throttle on the full potential of your new converter.

 Agreed!  Excellent logic and explanation. It is not simply "All about the DAC".

The quality and contribution of the digital source/signal is at minimum, as important and possibly more. Grimm MU1 -Metrum Octave is an excellent example.

Charles

A couple of updates.

I sold my N20! I know. Too early as I hadn’t yet tried it with the Merason DAC1. Blind squirrel, three legged horse and all that…. But:

1. The N20 already taught me a lot as I said above. And the sound ultimately is not for me - I know… at least with my current DAC and in its three-legged horse masterclockless configuration.
2. A buyer who is a fan of Aurender approached me. And I know how long it can take to sell high value items.
3. I was able to get back my original expenditure, minus shipping, fees, etc.

Premature, I know, but an opportunity arose and I had to make a call.

Onwards. The MU1 and Merason DAC1 are inbound.

I am still without any AES cable or interconnects, and I need to return my overdue demo Audioquest Diamond AES! A dealer has valiantly tried and failed to become a Jorma dealer, to source a Jorma AES cable for me.

With that path a dead end, primary choices are to go with either Sablon or Shunyata AES and balanced XLR cables. Any suggestions which? I feel Sablon to be highly intriguing. But I also feel resale may be better with Shunyata. I feel either would be great. I want to go with Sablon but I feel a Shunyata might be wiser. After all, if I end up sticking with Innuos after all this, I’ll be selling both cables! Why not stick with the Audioquest Diamond AES that I’ve been demoing? Not sure. If I’m honest, maybe because I see a lot more buzz around a Shunyata and Sablon AES cables. Lots of people go on about the AQ Diamond USB but not really about the AQ AES or XLR interconnects.