2. digital
  3. 181927-125055

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
sns
3,003 posts
 

No doubt dac is critical to the entire equation. Don't know what port on Gryphon is best, but whatever dac one utilizes has great import as to streamer chosen. Optimized usb on dac is generally going to be XMOS or Amanero supplied usb board, some may use proprietary solution which may or may not be as good as the two listed above. If usb  not optimized on dac no sense in spending needless money on streamer with best usb utilization.

 

As for Sabre chip dacs, I've had 9018, 9028 and 9038pro chip dacs. The 9018 getting pretty long in tooth, newer Sabre chips easily win on resolution/transparency. Per usual, implementation is key.

 

My own streaming solution is bespoke and requires much diy so not for vast majority of streamers who require plug n play. With my streamer I have versatility to try optimized usb, aes/ebu or I2S rendering and choice of HQPlayer, proprietary Stylus and Roon music player software, also one box or multi box solution via Sonore optical.

 

 

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,076 posts
 

“Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

In one word - NO. ‘The Best’ is often contingent on your budget and rest of the system. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, one man’s garbage is other man’s…

I don’t fancy any DAC or Streamer that can’t play files natively. Upsampling or Downsampling is a non-starter for me.

nyev OP
1,023 posts
 

@adasdad , I’m surprised no one has mentioned my lowly Gryphon Diablo 300 DAC module before you did! You are right it is a bit of a mismatch. Cost wise the MU1 is only a little more expensive than my DAC module (although the DAC doesn’t have a big chassis so…) but that’s not saying anything really.

Not sure if there is anything to it but I’ve heard many say “It’s not the chip, but how it’s implemented”. That said I’m very familiar with the DAC’s strengths and weaknesses, and I’m sort of tied to it’s character, and the fact that I don’t need any extra cables or boxes. It does have a very slight hard edge in the upper midrange, but it’s offset by a dense and rich tone everywhere else (which I like) so it’s not really noticeable. Unless you crank it up, then it sounds hard/shouty, but I don’t listen loud.

In my experience, I’ve found that lesser components keep on sounding better and better if you keep feeding it with better upstream components - I’ve not found that lesser components hit a ceiling when fed by a component of a certain level or higher. Of course a world class DAC would sound better than my Diablo DAC module, but I’m fairly certain an MU1 class streamer/server would sound better with my DAC than a lesser class streamer/server. I’ve heard a school of thought that at beyond a certain level of streamer/server, the DAC stops mattering as much, and vice versa - at a certain level of DAC and beyond the streamer stops mattering as much.

Interestingly, Innuos seems to have launched and demonstrated it’s uber expensive Statement Next Gen (costs almost 2X the MU1) in Munich last year connected to a Gryphon Diablo 300 with its DAC module! At least it appears that is the case from the YT video. There is no DAC visible and just the Gryphon and an Isotek conditioner.

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,234 posts
 

 

@lalitk

I don’t fancy any DAC or Streamer that can’t play files natively. Upsampling or Downsampling is a non-starter for me.

I prefer the native approach but ultimately the product’s real world sound quality is the arbiter. I believe that with the Grimm MU1 the up sampling is defeatble if so desired.

Charles

 
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,234 posts
 

@nyev

A higher quality digital source be it music server or CD transport is going to improve the overall sound quality. I know that some believe the DAC is by far the most important but I disagree. Both of these components are vital for achieving good sound. They operate in tandem.

Charles

More to discover