Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

@ghasley , thanks and yes I am sticking to my guns. I am not going to go the masterclock route, even though I don’t doubt the benefits that @lordmelton ​​​​and @lalitk report. I am merely curious about the approach and relative value.

Also, I decided to purchase one of the mint condition lightly used Merason DAC-1’s for a good price. Thanks for the suggestion. Considering the $ it’s no big deal if it doesn’t work out. Especially when you consider the amount I’m spending on severs not knowing if they will work out lol! I wanted to try this DAC in particular because it seemed to be one of the best bang for the buck options, and I couldn’t find an option in Canada where I could demo one. The only downside of the DAC-1 that I can see is it doesn’t do MQA or DSD. Not really concerned with that however as I don’t have DSD files, and haven’t really paid attention to MQA before. Although I hear it is supposed to be better.

I am still hoping I will end up selling the DAC1 and succeeding in my original goal of only one box feeding my Diablo 300 DAC module, but I’m really interested in seeing how the DAC 1 sounds. If the “worst case scenario” happens and the DAC 1 sounds better than my current DAC, the seller told me Merason told him he could upgrade the unit to the MK2 version for a very reasonable price (considering the MK2 costs 50% more than the MK1). The seller ended up instead getting a very expensive EMM DAC.

No clue at the moment what to use for balanced XLR interconnects.

Back to the masterclock topic for a moment, I did notice that the original seller of my N20 just very recently listed a After Dark masterclock that is a two box option, for what seems to be a reasonable price. What a weird model naming convention - Double Emperor or something. Not sure if this is compatible with the N20. Again, not going this route! I’m just curious.

@sc2, @rockrider

I have not tested N20’s USB or SPDIF outputs when N20 is being slaved to external clock. Since my DAC is a Network Attached DAC, the recommended configuration by the manufacturer is through RAVENNA network. In this configuration, I did hear substantial improvement when N20 slaved to my Merging +clock. So contrary to what Aurender manual says, a direct user experience always carries more weight in my opinion. As I said earlier, in my system adding a master clock was quite a revelation thus prompting me to bring in N30SA / W20SE for audition. For many out there, N20 should suffice. For me, I want to see how far I can push digital by upgrading the streamer and even a better clock down the road (yes, merging makes clocks at 3 performance tiers).

@nyev

I hope you view this conversation as another tool to further enhance the performance of your N20. Having said that, at this point in your journey where you’re still figuring out DAC’s, streamers; you needn’t worry about adding the Master Clock or additional cost associated with it. To answer your earlier question about “in terms of the degree of sonic improvement per dollar spent”, IME a better DAC, Streamer or even Master Clock yields much higher returns on your investment over a fancy Valhalla 2 USB cable. Of course, your rest of the system should be appropriately balanced to take advantage of ultra high performance of upstream components. Cheers!

@lalitk , 100%, I am very interested in all of the avenues we could choose to take with the products that I am choosing to spend some time to experience, even if I’m not planning to charge ahead and follow these paths. You and others on this thread obviously have a lot of knowledge and experience, not only on gear but the approach.

For me my time with the N20 has taught me more about me I think, than about the N20 itself. It taught me where my sonic priorities are, even when other presentations can be very alluring. I know I might “get there” following the path you have charted, but, I want to see which server takes me the furthest without going those extra steps. And to see what the external DAC can do. Not to mention that I prefer a simpler system, lol…

It was @ghasley who convinced me to try a good standalone DAC, as of course, I care about the sound of my system. But, I’m hoping it’s nothing but a learning experience and I get to sell my Merason after my time with it. I will however accept that my digital chain needs to include three boxes, as it is today (with my network switch, server and reclocker as it stands today), if the Merason wins.

I can even see a possible end to this particular journey being that I circle back to Innuos in the end - if I do I will go with the Statement. The difference with my N20 and my current Innuos setup has me wondering if there is some magic happening with my Diablo DAC module and the PhoenixUSB reclocker (which the Statement includes). Hoping when it arrives the MU1 will either confirm this, or it will be the one I prefer, but either way ideally without the Merason!

That said, I want to give the Merason the best chance I can. What are people using for XLR interconnects at this level?

@nyev

Others may differ but I would suggest using reasonable XLR interconnects but to not go crazy. If you read up on the XLR standard, the standard was developed to minimize cable differences. I’ve had alot of good ones...did I hear differences between Mogami and Blue Jeans? No. Did I hear differences between Kimber and Transparent Ultra? Well....maybe? In other words, there may be some differences but certainly not enough (IMO) to merit a XLR interconnect cable quest at this stage of the game. If you have a pair of XLR interconnects, try those first.

RE: the Merason Dac1. I hope you enjoy it. Its a fine dac that punches well above its weight class. With that said, at its new retail price, it is a fair value for the money but no longer the "deal" that it was previously. This exercise will tell you where your Gryphon dac falls in a two dac shootout. What would be awesome, of course, would be if your Gryphon is preferable to the Merason. That would keep your goal of a two box, high performance setup in play.