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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
smatsui
166 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.

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

Wow @smatsui if I had two systems like that I’d want to mix and match to compare different configurations!  Would be interested in the Aurender/Grimm face off.  Try both in one system and both in the other….

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

And same for the Bricasti and Holo May KTE!

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

@ghasley , a big correction on the DAC1. Merason got back to me and said this:

“the information that the AES input is limited to 96k is wrong. In fact, the AES input (like the SPDIF and USB inputs) understands 192k.”

In their documentation “(USB)” appears next to 176k (but not beside 192k) as follows:

INPUT FORMAT

44.1 kHz@16 bit, 44.1 kHz@24 bit
48 kHz@16 bit, 48 kHz@24 bit
88.2 kHz@24 bit
96 kHz@24 bit
176.4 kHz@24 bit (USB)
192 kHz@24 bit.

I’ve asked Merason what is meant by (USB) here.  It is odd that (USB) does not appear next to 192k.  I believe this is the part of the documentation is causing the confusion.  I will post an explanation of what this means when Merason get back to me.

 

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

@ghasley I have to thank you for convincing me to try an outboard DAC and suggesting the Merason DAC1.

My DAC1 arrived a bit early. I’ve quicky unpacked it and connected it using the very basic cables I have on hand. The unit is really in mint condition. With my Innuos gear, I can confirm the sound is very enjoyable and natural. The reviews I think are largely accurate. It is a hair less resolving than my amp’s DAC module, but it more relaxed, easy going, and less “wound up”. In comparison my amp’s DAC module has a tension to it that makes it less relaxing. Vocals and all sounds are bigger and less pinpointed/edgy than with my Gryphon DAC module. Vocals are also properly presented boldly and up front instead of being set too far back in the mix and made to be smaller when using my Gryphon DAC. Another quality I was unsure whether my Innuos gear or my Gryphon DAC was responsible for, until now. Now I know! I think my Gryphon DAC has a touch more of a full and bigger bass sound. I’m also noticing the slight smoothness of sound that many of the reviews mention. The highs are not rolled off at all, rather, upper mids are just easier going. Snare drums hit with clarity and crispness but they don’t jump out like a gunshot anymore when the volume is cranked. All of this makes for a very easygoing but engaging listen without resorting to a closed in sound.

The DAC1 is cold still from being delivered - it’s 41F outside now. Between that the basic Audioquest RCA interconnects (bought for $500 25 years ago), I think it’s likely I’ll get some better transparency once it warms up and once my fancy Shunyata cables arrive. And, I can always upgrade to the Mk2.

Just my very early and preliminary impressions. An interesting thing is, like when I had the Aurender N20, the DAC1 seems to address my nits with the Innuos setup. Or more accurately would be to say my nits with my Gryphon DAC module now that I know. The question is, whether I could get the degree of bass and transparency to be happy with it. Between warmup, replacing my basic RCA cables with the new balanced cables, and a possible upgrade to the MK2 version, I can see myself getting there potentially. Not to mention the introduction of the MU1 in a few weeks. With the Shunyata Omega AES. Fun times….

Update: by the end of this long post I am already hearing greater transparency one one song I had first played about an hour ago.

Update2:  Just realized the MU1 had better beat my Innuos gear.  Otherwise I’m at +1 boxes with an outboard DAC, regardless of whether I were to stick with my current Innuos gear or go with the Statement! Pulsar is an option I suppose but I do now value having a server…

 

 

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