Roon Endpoint Streamers - Direct Comparisons between Current Offerings?

It depends if this endpoint is going into your main rack or solo headphone rig.  I’m a Roon lifetime and have been since it started, which led to years of progression to where I’m at today. Today i run Roon on NAS. 
 

- Mac mini ssd and memory modified (shelved)

- Oppo 205 (early end point just use for CDs nowadays) Active

- Project S2 Digital Box - Sold

- Matrix Audio Mini Pro 3 - great little unit and enjoyed - Sold

- Brooklyn Bridge 1 (received new Brooklyn Bridge II but selling here on Audiogon, loved 1, love 2 but don’t need it anymore) Active but unplugged.

- Eversolo Master DMP-6 - Love with my Woo Headphone rig - KEPT

- Eversolo DMP- 8 (a Swiss Army knife had in main system for a few months, just sold on the Roon Community Forum.

- Meitner MA3 (Current Main, simply love, and done chasing for what works well and balanced in my system given components, cables, speakers and room).  A significant, pricey upgrade but joy.  
 

Hi @mitch2 :

Isn’t the Grimm MU1 a server/streamer combination? Any sonic advantage to using it in the streamer, or Roon endpoint, capacity only?

The Grimm MU1 is definitely a Server (Rooncore) and Streamer.  You can now see them for just under 10K lightly used.  It is far and away superior to my old Auralic Aries G2, or any embedded bridge in a DAC I have heard.  And you save quite a bit not needing a different Roon Core and its associated cords and power supplies.  It is incredibly stable as Core, again much more so than my finicky Auralic unit.  It sounds very organic and natural, and many have called the pairing with the MM Tambaqui a perfect match.

The MU1 sounds amazing with my MM Tambaqui.  But it is not as yet functional as a Roon endpoint ONLY.  Per my conversations with Grimm, it soon will be.  This is really only an issue if you have two systems, where one runs Core and the other needs to be endpoint only.

I also would look at an Aurender N20 or one down, but again for me it needs to be Roon Certified as an endpoint.  Aurender has repeatedly stated this is coming, but not yet.  I personally would not buy an Aurender N series (the only ones touted as soon to be roon endpoints) until it happens.  It's Interesting to me that I have seen more N20's for sale in the last 6 months than ever before.

You will continually hear that other software sounds better than Roon.  I believe this but love Roon, so I want to have both available.  Hence, no Aurender until Roon certified.

@fastfreight @mitch2 

The MU1 sounds amazing with my MM Tambaqui.  But it is not as yet functional as a Roon endpoint ONLY.  Per my conversations with Grimm, it soon will be.  This is really only an issue if you have two systems, where one runs Core and the other needs to be endpoint only.

Nice posts. To be very clear regarding the above quote, the Grimm will feed Roon endpoints on your network just as any other Roon core server and the device/dac connected directly to the Grimm receives the proprietary optimized feed. In other words, I have the Grimm in my main system feeding my main dac and the other deivces/systems around the house serve as Roon endpoints from the Grimm. 

Im not sure why anyone would want to use the MU1 as an endpoint only however I suppose a $12k upsamplers/optimizer Roon endpoint isn't out of the question in our hobby.

Hello @ghasley ,  Yes, 100%.  I use my Grimm MU1 as Core / streamer in my main system and my second system uses my onboard Tambaqui in my Makua as Roon endpoint.  But the internal Bridge / Streamer in the Makua (Tambaqui) is not as good as the Grimm MU1.  So I could conceivably have one MU1 as Core / streamer in one system and a second MU1 in my second system as endpoint only.

I will likely keep waiting until Aurender gets Roon certification for their N series regardless, as I can then pick which endpoint is better suited for each system.

Having two good systems can be problematic, as every time one gets better the other seems left behind!!  Quite a first world issue, but makes comparisons much easier and noticeable.

@fastfreight haha...about every two years I sell off my second system, upgrade my main system further and then...begin building a second system all over again. Self loathing is commonplace in my house while doing so. Hope you are well!