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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
malibu457
66 posts
 

thanks for the reply, could be that i should look at a new streamer.  friend sells Arunder.  i have an excellent Denafrips DAC and a Rega integrated, but could look into their latest offerings.  i attend the Symphony even though its a 3hr flight from where i live out in the country.  and yes i even my aging ears can tell the difference between live musicians.  so their is still hope.

ghasley
2,454 posts
 

@malibu457 I’m envious that you have access to wonderful live music and I’m further impressed by the effort you must make to do so. Kudos to you!

 

Seriously, if you are happy and content with your sound then you are doing it right. If you are curious though, the Aurender streamer/servers are terrific. There is no substitute for hearing it in your system. I believe your gear, depending on your speakers, should show you the next level of performance that an Aurender could deliver. Do make note, and I apologize for redundant info if that is the case, but if you utilize Roon then the Aurender will not run with Roon. The Aurender has a proprietary interface and software, which they believe sounds better.

 

Best wishes and even though our hearing evolves, sometimes in unwelcome ways, there is so much enjoyment with music played back through great gear that there are more discoveries in your future. For the record, I found that my hearing began to suffer greatly on my wedding day and has degraded precipitously since that time. Best wishes.

fastfreight
694 posts
 

@ghasley,  "Do yourself a favor though, if you are convinced you have an optimized setup then DO NOT go listen to a truly optimized setup…it will be a costly mistake."​​​​​​

Boy daddy is that true!  I have loved and listened to my music all my life. But I first heard the magic about 5 years ago.  I was looking for an integrated to make music in my basement -  a second system for working on my model railroad.   I visited a local dealer and was auditioning the Halo integrated.  It seemed to sound just fine.  then the dealer switched in an Esoteric DAC. OH MY.  I heard it.  And now, like you, I evaluate every upgrade with my ears and love and appreciate all the improvements, some small some huge.  And then I will often take it away, and the 'missing it' confirms things.  It is like turning my subs off, you just plain miss them.  We all value what we value, and it is indeed very individual.  The Node is a great example; most of us have had or heard one.  It does the job.  Great for many, inadequate for some.  

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

“For the record, I found that my hearing began to suffer greatly on my wedding day and has degraded precipitously since that time. “

@ghasley , you might be on to something. Someone should do a study! In the interest of science. There is also the phenomenon that I’ve noticed, where I’ve oddly found it has been more difficult to acquire new gear following my wedding day. I wonder if the issues are related….

Just met someone who bought a pair of Sonus Faber Amati’s, the brand new edition, and he’s not planning to tell his wife until after they arrive!  Brave soul!

nyev OP
1,026 posts
 

My time with the Merason DAC-1 has been truly enlightening. Pretty much everything I said above that I attributed to my Innuos gear I now realize was coming from my Diablo DAC module. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an excellent performer more resolution than the DAC-1 (which is unfair to say as my DAC-1 remains hobbled by my current basic RCA cable at its lower output voltage vs balanced).

But the significant bottom-up balance of the Gryphon DAC really constrains the midrange. The DAC-1 is showing me how expressive the midrange can be, with far more emotion. And as I mentioned, it’s nothing to do with performance of the DAC other than being neutral.  Some songs are now a fundamentally different experience with a fuller and open mid.

Nothing I haven’t said already as I continue to wait for the MU1 and cables, but my realization is, I think my focus on the DAC side of things is really increasing. Will wait to see how the MU1 does with the Gryphon DAC before doing anything drastic, but I’m not sure the MU1 would actually change the heavy tonal balance of my Gryphon DAC. @ghasley I think was predicting where this might end up. I’ve now been looking into the Tambaqui.

Will take it slow though - as I need to! A few things I need to take care of on the financial side of things before I go down that path. Will give me a chance to get to know the MU1 first. Which is apparently ready to ship next week, but shipping will take some time…. Might be a couple more weeks.

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