Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

@nyev  Thanks for the additional comments on the perceived midrange dip with your Innuos setup. When I think of what makes a system sound warm, I think particularly about some emphasis in how it is handling upper bass and lower mids. So if an Innuos server/streamer (like the Statement) is described as warm by a reviewer, then I don't immediately think of a dip in the lower mids. Also, when you describe your Innuos gear as sounding pleasantly smooth, I think of a lack of emphasis in the upper mids or highs to the point where brightness or harshness is de-emphasized. Associated with this smoothness may be some deemphasis of higher frequency detail, including the harmonics of instruments (like guitar) that produce their fundamental tones in the upper bass and lower mids. Having said this, I wouldn't be at all surprised if both the MU1 and the Innuos gear have a fairly flat frequency response overall, even though they don't sound exactly the same in tonal balance and soundstaging.

And speaking of tonal balance, @fastfreight makes a good point about how cables can affect the sound of any of the gear we're discussing here. There is certainly the obvious difference that Innuos uses USB to connect to a DAC, while the MU1 uses a different DAC input and a different type of cable. In my own system, I use primarily Cardas cables, which are known to support a full and rich midrange, so my system may sound a little different than yours even when I'm using much the same Innuos gear. 

@fastfreight , @sdl4 there is a cable difference for sure, which I have thought about. I am temporarily using a very low end Cardas AES cable on the MU1 (the old green Cardas AES cable, not the current one. With my Innuos setup I have Audioquest Diamond USB cables. I did try swapping out the Diamond USB cables with generic USB cables and I still noticed the same tonal differences between Innuos and the MU1 (but the Innuos sound became inferior in other ways).

@sdl4 I agree it’s likely that both have fairly neutral measured frequency responses. Our ears are very sensitive to tiny changes in tonal balance which has a massive impact on how we perceive a piece of equipment. Maybe “smooth” is not as good as “relaxed” to describe what I perceive with Innuos vs the MU1. Because it’s all relative, the bass, upper mids and high frequencies “pop out” in a very pleasing way with Innuos, and the upper end detail is so easy to hear. Again, and the expense of the “meatier” tones of the midrange which are not as easy to hear with detail. Because of this, I think that things like electric guitars sound smoother with less texture and detail in the body of the tone. Of note this difference in tonal balance is the most profound of the differences I hear between Innuos and Grimm. The next biggest difference is the more gentle delivery of Innuos vs the more propulsive and energetic presentation of the MU1.  And lastly the smallest difference I hear is the bit of added texture, focus and detail that the MU1 offers over my Innuos setup.  But these last differences are far smaller than I originally had thought as I was getting them conflated with the tonal balance differences at first.

@lalitk , cool you met Eelco! Since he’s referenced this thread to me I would have asked him if sales of MU1’s are up because of it, just out of curiosity! You should also have asked him about the details of the next firmware release - I think you in particular would be very interested in the major new features than are coming. Eelco asked me not to share these details online since it’s still possible these features may have issues in testing.

“I have Nordost Odin2 for the rest of my system”

@svenjosh in that case I’m pretty sure I know which AES cable will win your shootout :)

Nevertheless, let us know how your testing with the Sablon and Jorma go!

The 1.5m minimum for digital cables is supposedly required to account for something to do with the synchronization between source and destination.  At least with USB cables, if you look it up you’ll find people talk about “reflections”.  I’ve not attempted to understand it; I’ve just noted the really big improvement when you go from a 1m USB to 1.5m or 2m.  Mark at Sablon told me he had heard this too.

@rc22 +1

At the risk of overstating the matter, I pretty much think you’ve not really heard what the Zenith can do until you have put a the Purple fuse in.  For context, I added the purple fuse a couple of months after adding an ENO filter and EE 8switch with a Supracat ethernet connecting the two.

Your setup is very similar to what mine used to be a few months ago. I was using Supra8, Eno (still have it) in conjunction with Zenith MK3 and purple fuse. I tried the 8switch but didn't notice any improvement so ended up returning it. I think it's downright criminal to own an Innuos streamer and not pair it with the purple fuse. Just like you, I was amazed the level of improvement a 'mere' fuse brought to the Zenith. Incredible!

@lalitk convinced me to replace the Supra8 with the Linkup cable (https://www.amazon.com/LINKUP-Ethernet-Screened-2000Mhz-Structure/dp/B07VVFC1XZ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1). It took about 100 hours to burn-in but it was a noticeable improvement in sound quality. It's very cost effective and worth trying. 

Yes, that LinkUp 8 cable is quite the value. I've been using it since 2021 and it is awesome, better than Supra Cat8 in my system. Another thing to consider, is after you've played the cable for that hundred hours, reverse the direction to listen for less quality or better quality sound. I know the Supra Cat8 was sensitive to it and it was quite easy to hear. Lalit is doing a great job spreading the word!