“ I have two sets of toe in positions marked with a sharpie on the floor”
In that case, something else is out of place. Imaging is not a known issue with N20.
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...
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Could I suggest, respectfully, that you perform a couple of very important techniques.
First, the differences between servers will be material but at this level they are each very, very good. The fact that all you are changing with speaker setup is a little toe-in speaks volumes. With each material compnent change in my system comes a complete re-setup of the speakers. Once they are marked on my fllor then, and only then, can I reasonably compare the two presentations.
The Zenith is not at the same performance level as the N20, even with the Phoenix. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t like it more but it might also mean that with the Innuos chain being completely optimized for USB and the Gryphon dac board is certainly optimized for USB and your speaker setup optimized for that chain…which brings us to the N20.
Second, you might consider pumping the brakes and excerising more patience. Wait for the proper aes cable to arrive and settle in, take the time to reposition your speakers properly, take good notes. Mark the floor (not with a sharpie but properly notated painters tape LOL). Revisit and repeat. You are about to introduce a third and potentially fourth set of server/streamer variables and you are doing it at breakneck speed. Decide between the two high quality server/streamers you have on deck. A-B til you are sure which you like better and then, sell one on and demo/purchase the next one in the same manner. Then and only then will you possibly get where you want to go. Live with something a while.
Depending on the day, a Bentley is a more satisfying drive than a Range Rover…on other days, the opposite….over a longer period of time….you will prefer one over the other when all things are considered. Listen to bad recordings of good music…which setup makes that exercise more fun.
Perhaps the most important thing to inject into the process? While the inboard Gryphon dac board is quite good, you seem to be seeking a 10 out of 10 with a steady stream of $10-30k streamer/servers….they will each sound very different, especially if your speaker setup remains reasonably static. It isn’t a race so allow your right brain to guide the experiments and your left brain to evaluate the musical enjoyment.
As always, best wishes with the journey. |
@ghasley , and others, good advice - thanks. I have no intention to move on to another server anytime soon, even if I end up acquiring another right now. My thought is I can hook the K50 up to a cheap DAC I have and just run it for months. I’ve heard the K50 cand sound rough for a while. I definitely have not heard the N20 at its best yet, without the AES cable. I fully expect it will clearly pull ahead of my Innuos setup once I try multiple AES cables. The fact that in can almost tie my Innuos’ heavily optimized USB with its non optimized USB is very telling. I still wonder if the N20 will actually be just right in the end, for me, once I try the AES cable. It has a touch of warmth and that solidity I’m after. Just need a bit more transparency. @lalitk , i didn’t mean to imply the imaging was not good with the N20. What’s happening is purely related to the lack of upper end transparency and resolution compared with the Innuos gear. The imaging is all intact with the N20. But without that last touch of air and resolve, you don’t get that effect of suspended in space vocals and instruments as much as with the Innuos. It’s there, just not as much. Switching to the Innuos it’s more 3D - not to say the N20 is not 3D, it is for sure. |
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