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...
“When you audition these DACs you can be sure you have no upstream bottleneck putting a throttle on the full potential of your new converter.” Exactly! You can always explore better converter at later date. That’s one thing I always enjoyed and appreciated about Aurender streamers. |
@ghasley , I believe you are referring to the new MK2 version of the Merason DAC 1, which is 50% higher than before? Supposedly it’s been totally redesigned, and there are no reviews or firsthand accounts of the MK2, so I guess we can’t say quite yet whether the new version still punches above its weight at the higher price. In my case, I purchased my mint MK1 version at a very reasonable price, and have the option to upgrade to the MK2 version at a very reasonable cost. @chopandchange , your rationale makes sense to me. I too have found that earlier components in the digital chain are not limited by later, lesser components in the chain. As I mentioned before, Innuos demoed their new flagship $28k (CAD) Statement Next Gen paired with the Gryphon Diablo 300 integrated with its DAC module that I have, with the DAC module costing $10k (CAD). Although my DAC module cost 40% less when I bought it in 2019! The MU1 costs about 35% more than the list price of my Gryphon DAC, so it’s not wildly out of whack from that perspective. Although I did hear that the MU1 price is going up imminently. |
Agreed! Excellent logic and explanation. It is not simply "All about the DAC". The quality and contribution of the digital source/signal is at minimum, as important and possibly more. Grimm MU1 -Metrum Octave is an excellent example. Charles
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A couple of updates. I sold my N20! I know. Too early as I hadn’t yet tried it with the Merason DAC1. Blind squirrel, three legged horse and all that…. But:
Premature, I know, but an opportunity arose and I had to make a call. Onwards. The MU1 and Merason DAC1 are inbound. I am still without any AES cable or interconnects, and I need to return my overdue demo Audioquest Diamond AES! A dealer has valiantly tried and failed to become a Jorma dealer, to source a Jorma AES cable for me. With that path a dead end, primary choices are to go with either Sablon or Shunyata AES and balanced XLR cables. Any suggestions which? I feel Sablon to be highly intriguing. But I also feel resale may be better with Shunyata. I feel either would be great. I want to go with Sablon but I feel a Shunyata might be wiser. After all, if I end up sticking with Innuos after all this, I’ll be selling both cables! Why not stick with the Audioquest Diamond AES that I’ve been demoing? Not sure. If I’m honest, maybe because I see a lot more buzz around a Shunyata and Sablon AES cables. Lots of people go on about the AQ Diamond USB but not really about the AQ AES or XLR interconnects.
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@nyev I presently have a Shunyata Sigma v2 AES/EBU cable. I also have in house a Network Acoustics Muon AES/EBU cable to compare. I can’t reliably tell them apart in A to B and B to A testing. What does that mean for your application? Maybe nothing, maybe something…
Regarding interconnects, I have in the past settled in with Cardas or Transparent for XLR interconnects when I was using Audio Research ref gear. I am also fond of Audience interconnects and speaker cable although, since my setup today is single ended, I use a mix of Audience AU24 SX, Auditorium 23 and Audio Note. What does this mean for your application? Maybe nothing, maybe something.
@nyev I think in this instance you may be worrying about a problem that isnt a problem. Pick up some well made XLR interconnects and call it a day. There isn’t a great deal of sound difference between XLR interconnects…that’s a compelling reason to go XLR whenever possible. I did hear a marked difference when I bought the Shunyata AES XLR digital cable to replace my previous one. The fact that the Network Acoustics AES XLR cable is very similar also speaks volumes given the price differential. |
