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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...

 

 

nyev
nyev OP
1,031 posts
 

Thanks @ghasley , all makes sense with the DAC1.  At 2X OS I can compare the DAC 1 and the Gryphon DAC and see who wins.  That will still be a valid test of how a very well regarded outboard DAC compares.  The used DAC 1 cost me relatively little and I can always sell it get a different DAC if it happens to win the test.  Maybe the Tambaqui, who knows. 

If my Gryphon DAC survives and I’m left with that and the MU1, I will have an uber AES interconnect between them, the Omega.  As far as I can tell my Gryphon’s AES input will go to 192k.

If the DAC 1 wins, I have a unnecessarily premium interconnect.

 

 

 

ghasley
2,487 posts
 

@nyev 

Frankly speaking, I hope your jaw drops when you hear your Gryphon dac. It would be really cool if there is a unique synergy between a server/streamer and your Diablo/Diablo dac. That was your original goal and to most of us, it is irrelevant whether it is an Aurender, Innuos, Taiko, Antipodes, Grimm, etc, etc. Certainly there are fan boys of some gear and while I'm quite happy with my Grimm, anyone who has experienced a Taiko knows there is more there, there.

 

Everything comes at a cost and regardless of what we each can/can't/should/shouldn't spend, we each punch out where it makes sense for us. For instance, I have have a dedicated room on the lower level of our home. When the heater/air conditioner kicks on I can hear the air from the vents. If I am seriously listening, I adjust the thermostat so it wont come on but usually, I just could care less. I set up the system to sound great in a reasonably quiet room but houses typically have some occasional noise. Every time I think of going more elaborate with my setup, I ask myself how crazy will I be the next time the HVAC kicks on and then I pump the brakes.

 

I'm certain an Audio Note Ongaku sounds better than my amp...its just not relevant to my circumstance or enjoyment. Some Audiogoners may even squeal a bit and protest when you pick a piece of gear OVER the piece of gear they have. Who cares? While I hope the Grimm is a good fit for you, only you can decide what you like. As I've said earlier in the thread, none of the gear you are trying will sound broken...some just check your boxes, with your gear, in your room all run through the filter of your preferences. I've had good friends love something that I didn't and vice versa....horses for courses they say. I preferred Grimm in direct comparison to Aurender and Innuos. Others prefer the opposite....but something I have yet to see in the forums is "I thought the Taiko sounded broken, flat, horrible".

 

Regarding cables, If the difference made by inserting $5k interconnects into your system is worth it to you, then its worth it. Don't let anyone tell you any different. Its ok to bring a gun to a knife fight.

nyev OP
1,031 posts
 

@ghasley totally agreed.  I’m a fanboy of certain gear (my Diablo) but I’m also aware there are perfectly good reasons to go with a different amp that is equally good.  I’m also open to hearing other opinions and critiques of my prized amp.  I’m well aware of a couple shortcomings it has, but those shortcomings don’t bother me in the slightest.  I’m also aware that a Gryphon Essence setup would likely blow my Diablo out of the water, albeit with a different tonal presentation. And at a much higher cost, despite what people say about Essence being a “value” (which I don’t doubt).

Back to the DAC 1, I know Merason takes a “focus on the basics and nothing else” approach, but the AES limitation to 96k seems to be the only real limitation (arguably of course if you care about MQA and DSD support) of merit in modern times.  As such, I wonder if the DAC 1 MK 2 might support a higher bandwidth on its AES input.  I still have the option to upgrade to the MK2 for a very low cost.  @ghasley , do you happen to know?  I’ve sent a note to Merason to ask.

ghasley
2,487 posts
 

@nyev 

It states AES input at 24/96 on the website. I moved on some time ago and my current dac (Totaldac) is NOS 24/192 on that input, which aligns perfectly with the max of the Grimm. I was all in on DSD, never on MQA. A respected mastering engineer told me off the record (LOL) that he would never record in DSD unless it was "live". He explained its very cumbersome to edit in DSD. True or not, who knows. Convert final mix analog masters to DSD, he's all in...but if recording  digitally 24/192 is quite good.

smatsui
167 posts
 

Informative thread, I just read all 9 pages and I’m interested what nyev settles on. I have a W20SE and a MU1 in 2 different systems and I’ve never compared them in the same system. Currently I have the W20SE connected to a Holo May KTE as such:

Router > DX Engineering ethernet RFI filter > Sonore OMD with Uptone LPS 1.2 > Etherregen with AfterDark OCXO clock each powered by a Paul Hynes LPS > Aurender W20SE > Revelation Audio SPDIF coax with BNC connectors > Holo May KTE.

My MU1 is connected via a Revelation Audio Labs cyro silver AES cable to my Bricasti M1SE with the latest DAC board installed in November 2022. I have a Innous PhoenixNET connected in front of the MU1.

I enjoy the sound of both of my systems and the streaming SQ is outstanding. I have to say that I like Roon better than Aurender’s Conductor app for a user interface. I’ve had my W20SE for about 1-1/2 years and the MU1 for about 5 months.

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