Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

@lordmelton, not sure if it matters but my Dragons are both the high current versions (powering my amp and Torus). I am very familiar with the differences between the Hurricane and the Dragon, at least for my amp. The Hurricane is actually a pretty good cord as well. For me the Hurricane really just had less stage depth and a slightly elevated “glow” in the lowest frequencies, vs the Dragon. I’m also not sure how to disable the power on my AQ Diamond USB cord, without ruining it. In theory it won’t help, as my Gryphon DAC features a supercap acting as a battery to provide clean and stable power for USB.

For now I’m just letting it run and checking in once in a while. The real party begins when my demo AES cable shows up. Seems Aurender really pushes AES over USB, like Antipodes. It’s one of the first points on the features list on its web page. And MU1 but that’s different because of the FPGA oversampling. I’ll do way more intensive critical listening when my demo AES arrives. Trying to be patient as I figure the N20 needs some continued run time. In all likelihood though, the prior owner almost certainly must of run it over 200 hours in the two months he had it on his rack.

So far, I have solutions from Innuos and Aurender - both are truly great in different ways from one another, and both have drawbacks that are also different from one another! The more I listen to one the more respect I have for the other! I’ve never experienced an audition quite like this! Makes me wonder if the K50 or the MU1 might be the goldilocks solution. But yeah, the AES cable with the N20 should stir the pot. The fact that the N20 is helping spotlight what the Innuos does well is making me consider the Statement (not the next-Gen, too pricey). Not really a fan of the two-box solution. And, I feel like new models could possibly be around the corner? Possibly with AES support as the Pulse series has? Who knows. Probably a year or two still. Also, I have a hunch that putting the listener further back from the performers may be a “house sound” sort of thing for Innuos. Which is actually quite good. But, I think I’m looking for more of a front row experience. The Aurender does that. I’ve also read that the Antipodes really does that - puts you where the performers are and the soundstage envelopes around you. Moreso than the MU1. But all that is just a few common experiences I’ve read on HiFi Advice and also from some owners comments.

https://community.octoprint.org/t/put-tape-on-the-5v-pin-why-and-how/13574

I know it talks about printers but disregard that. Put the electrical tape on both ends of the +5v pins. Enjoy! You won't damage anything. If it doesn't work your DAC needs the powerline. No harm done.

Thanks for the tip, but I am paranoid about keeping my contact surfaces of my cables pristine! I’d prefer not to gum up the contacts with tape. I’ve actually purchased some Deoxit G100L to apply to all of my plugs and connectors, on the advice of some trusted professionals in the industry (and verifying that every enthusiast who uses it swears by it). We’ll see, it hasn’t arrived yet.

I read an unsubstantiated post on this forum that claims the N200 USB circuit is identical to the N20’s USB circuit. If true that would, in all probability but not certainly, put the N20’s USB performance on par with the Innuos Zenith, without the PhoenixUSB Reclocker. It stands to reason given that Aurender seems to nudge people towards AES which employs the high precision clock. I know every DAC is different though and in some cases USB may not be better. I’ll give the AES a go, give it a few weeks (I’ve read accounts for other devices that if AES hasn’t been used, it’s circuits must be burned in even if the rest of the unit is burned in) and decide either to list my Innuos boxes or the N20, whichever is in the lead, so I can try the next one.

I did throw some Herbie’s Tenderfeet under the N20. Made a huge improvement in coherence and the vertical size of the stage. But, they do that for all components you stick them under! I just expect and demand that effect when I use them now. You do need to be experiment with placement, as different placements can cause sound imbalances, rather amazingly.

Haven’t mentioned it yet but Conductor is rather good. Better be since it’s the only option! Works well; no glitchiness.

Oh and here is a weird thing - removing the PhoenixNET from the chain and plugging the N20 direct to the wall with an Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cable sounds best with the N20. Mid and top end opened up, just slightly. I did find with my Innuos chain the PhoenixNET added smoothness and relaxed things, so I guess with the N20 it is already relaxed and smooth (to my ears and in my system) and going further in this sonic direction is overdoing it.

Back to the master clock, I hear what you are saying and totally believe you in regard to the results, and if I tried one I’d probably want one. But I just don’t want an added box to my digital chain, just as I don’t want my reclocker as a separate box. Want to keep things simple, and reduce my cabling.  If AES totally does the trick with the N20 though, and I end up going with Aurender in the end, it would nevertheless be nice to have the master clock option in case I feel differently in the future.

“If AES totally does the trick with the N20 though, and I end up going with Aurender in the end”

@nyev 

If N20 survival hinges upon how you hear things through the AQ AES cable, I suggest you try atleast two-three different AES cables from the brands I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. 

This all helps to confirm that dac and streamer is best perceived as a package deal, kind of like speakers and amps. Match best output or rendering scheme on streamer output to optimal input on dac, this should result in optimal sound quality. Doing this along with optimizing network and you're done! The network should be the most complex issue to solve, so many reportedly excellent choices.

My only issue with ports on dac is manufacturers often don't make clear which port is optimal. I think it pretty clear with usb inputs, generally going to be XMOS or Amanero board, may be some proprietary solution, generally going to be nice filtering, dedicated power supply, quality clock. Not so clear what makes SPDIF or I2S optimized on dacs? Here's some interesting info found on that special forum some love to hate, https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/study-is-i%C2%B2s-interface-better-for-dacs-than-s-pdif-or-usb.7105/