2. digital
  3. 181927-125055

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
 

“I tried alternating between LEDs on and off and lo and behold the highs and details returned with them turned off”

Innuos has a thing where they are always saying how noisy led’s can be.  It’s why they go “stealth mode” for the most part.  But this sounds like they must be really noisy!

grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,479 posts
 

LEDs hurt the sound. I learned this long ago. I have disabled all the LEDs (possible) in my gear. 

pokey77
1,267 posts
 

I've read that LEDs are noisy and think it was over on AS. Everything matters for sure.

 

@fastfreight 

I started using the LinkUp 8 Network cable in 2021. I put it in my system one 1M section at a time. Each time I did, the system just got better. I am using the 22 AWG Yellow version. This cable has excellent bandwidth performing well top to bottom - the noise floor is significantly lowered. I've not heard cables in the $250-$1,000 range, but I've had other value cables and the LinkUp 8 is on-another-planet better. -I will be interested in your Muon AES cable observations. I'm also thinking about going to the Muon Pro to see if it can beat my ER + LPS - I like that it is passive (I know grannyring likes it better and that was on the Muon and I think Lalitk also liked the ENO better). And so if the Muon Pro works out, I could use my Paul Hynes SR4T LPS on my ONT & Router.

clearthink
1,421 posts
 

"I've read that LEDs are noisy"

Don't believe everything you read an LED is a semiconductor and no more subject or vulnerable to noise than any other semiconductor. Most diodes including LED's are dead silent although they are often used in improper, flawed, poorly designed circuits so that the result is noise but that is the circuit not the diode.

grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,479 posts
 

LEDs add noise. Bypass and listen. In a well resolving system with a person who cares about such sonic things the sonic impact can be heard. Yes I am a crazy audiofool so try for yourself and let your own ears and system decide. 

More to discover