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...
The 100mbps ports on the Rubicon and the 100mbps through the Muon to the MU1 the affect is negligible. Makes total sense that a gigabit version is in the wings. In fact, Im going to have to try my MU1 on the gigabit ports of the switch.
I am traveling but I will try my MU1 into the gigabit port of the Rubicon when I get back as well as I will see about possibly demoing the Muon Pro. I just found out yesterday that Network Acoustics added a MU1 to their demo system. peace.
@lordmelton Again, I have no affiliation with the seller of the MU! Nor should @nyev purchase anything he isnt ready to purchase. With that said, your pricing data is a bit dated as well as the supply chain/availability is quite a bit different today. It is my understanding that availability is ZERO. You might want to call a dealer to see if the rumor aligns with the facts. Next up would be to determine what a MU1 with the 8tb ssd and double the ram at 8gb is worth.
MU1’s dont turn up that often on the used market so its your call. I also believe q1 will be when most Americans begin to feel the recession that we have already been in for a couple of months. That usually frees up some used units from those who overspent in the recent past. |
“It’s up to you”. They are all great options, can’t decide, lol…. Maybe I will negotiate with all three and let the best result be the decider. On the other hand this could be my only opportunity to “trial” a MU1 without purchasing a new one. I was thinking that I would try a used N20, then a K50, and then see if a dealer (located across continent and in a different country) would loan me a demo MU1. What are the odds of a dealer agreeing to send a demo, knowing that there are just a small number of Grimm dealers in the US? If there is a good chance this won’t be possible, maybe that should be the deciding factor and just get the MU1. @ghasley good point on the recession. I may end up needing live with whichever I choose first longer than anticipated given the pending recession, with fewer buyers out there. I think there will be more units for sale not only because some people overspent, but also simply because there will be fewer people buying. Thankfully I will have the proceeds from the sale of my Innuos Zenith mk3 (2TB), PhoenixUSB Reclocker, Two Audioquest Diamond USB cords, and one Audioquest Hurricane Source cable to help offset this purchase. That said I’ll need to buy a decent AES cable. |
I believe your comment should be addressed to @metaldetektor |
@nyev Why don't you phone or email the sellers and see if that helps. They, of course have first hand experience and are not reviewers. Good Luck! |
