Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

After decades of having experience with breakin/warmup time with components, inevitably with every new piece I try my mind tries to convince myself that breakin/warmup won’t happen in this instance, and in every case but once I’ve been proven wrong (I didn’t notice any breakin effect with my Gryphon amp). The Aurender N20 has changed a lot already. Very glad I resisted the urge to comment on the sonics at first, as it’s much better now. It was doing some great things at first but the few weak areas I noticed during a very brief initial test are no longer an issue.

I should also emphasize this is not a fair face off between Innuos and Aurender.  The Zenith Mk3 and PhoenixUSB reclocker’s cost is lower than the Aurender N20. I expect Innuos would prefer if I was comparing a Statement (but not the new one with upgraded power supply which is double-uber expensive).  Statement was a bit more than I wanted to spend and there aren’t any used however.

“But as of now my biggest fear is that I will be unable to part with the Aurender N20”

@nyev

As a long time Aurender user, my suggestion would be to not let N20 go before you had a chance to compare it with MU1 and K50.

Once N20 settles in your system, you will hear clearly that it excels in terms of low frequency extension and slam. You will also notice an edge in terms of perceived detail. N20 doesn’t quite smear or soften the top end details as Innuos. In contrast, Innuos is little more gentle on top end. I found N20 to be ultra detailed without being etched or forward. 

You are in phase 1 of your audition, take your time. Phase 2 would be optimizing the N20 with cabling, isolation and after-market fuse. There is a grounding lug on N20 (more on that later). For now just listen and compare :-)

Both Innuos and Aurender makes great streamers and from here on your personal taste of the sonic signature in the context of the rest of the system will ultimately be the deciding factor in your choice of streamer.

@lalitk

Both Innuos and Aurender makes great streamers and from here on your personal taste of the sonic signature in the context of the rest of the system will ultimately be the deciding factor in your choice of streamer.

I am in agreement 100 %. Personal preference is the dominant determinant. All of the really fine components have trade off strengths and weaknesses. Listeners inevitably pick and choose.

Charles

While I recognize that the OP has purchased a pre-owned Aurender for trial, another Grimm user asked that I post (repost) my comments from another thread regarding the fabulous new Network Acoustics Muon Pro streaming system and my experience with it and the Grimm MU1. I had commented earlier in this thread my appreciation for the Muon streaming system when I owned an Innuos Zenith and my bewilderment that the Muon system didn’t seem to enhance the streaming experience with the Grimm.

Yeah it sounds pretty fantastic with the Muon Pro streaming system and I thought it sounded fantastic before, but I'm trying to get my arms around what is really happening. Some out there might scream confirmation bias...but they would be wrong. I have no skin in the game and further, the cost of these, while not insignificant to many, is immaterial to me. The Network Acoustics Muon Pro made a HUGE difference to an already exceptional presentation provided by my Grimm Audio MU1 Server/Streamer. Wow, just WOW.

From router to switch I have swapped in 3 different ethernet cables (AQ Vodka, Totaldac ethernet cable/filter, Network Acoustics Muon ethernet cable) and the Network Acoustics Muon cable sounds more effortless and "alive". Its probably my imagination but that's how it settled for me.

From my Network Acoustics Rubicon switch into my Grimm Audio MU1 server/streamer I tried the same three ethernet cables by themselves and I really couldn't tell them apart.

I then tried the same three cables with the Network Acoustics Muon filter and same result, no discernable difference. Now with my previous Innuos Zenith Mk3 server, the Muon filter/Muon cable made a material positive difference. As I've stated before, I figured the Grimm just didn't need the help or, put another way, I assumed the Grimm "solved" many/most of the same issues that the Muon streaming system addressed.

Next up, I inserted the new Network Acoustics Muon Pro ethernet cable and Muon Pro filter in between my Rubicon switch and Grimm MU1 server/streamer and ... SNAP! ... it was almost a component level positive change. Unreal.  So, the dilemma...and the question: why does ANY of this stuff make a difference? LOL. It does make a material difference but WHY?!?!?

The Grimm (and many other products of a similar nature) loads the entire song (or album) into its memory and then, in the case of the Grimm, it does its magic to the file and plays it back to my dac via AES/EBU. I can disconnect the ethernet cable from the Grimm "on the fly", then "hot swap" to the next cable and the music never stops playing. I can then queue up a new track, it travels through the Muon Pro system into the Grimm's memory so that I can A - B in a reasonably controlled way.

I hear what I hear and I would prefer the previous outcome with the other cables: no material difference....but there IS a material positive difference...but why? Many servers are optimized for 100mbps and it appears the Grimm and the new Muon Pro are both optimized for a Gigabit. Whatever the reason, the Muon Pro was developed for studio use and it has made an amazing difference. 

Aurender N20 is quite a bit more expensive than Innuos Zenith, even if you add the cost for USB reclocker. A better comparison would have been with N10. FWIW, I tried the N10 last year and did not find the Innuos Zenith MK3 lacking in any way. It was a coin flip and I only went with Zenith due to Roon support. Hopefully, someone can compare the N20 with Statement for a more fair assessment.