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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

Showing 4 responses by charles1dad

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,236 posts
 

Bill (grannyring) you and sns  emphasize a sometimes overlooked/underappreciated factor which is optimization of signal connection of both the server and DAC. When people say AES is better than USB or RCA SPDIF (Or vis versa) or I2S is better than all others etc. This is not necessarily true. You need to know what the manufacturer deemed the optimized signal connection for the given unit. As we all acknowledge, there are a multitude of important variables that demand thought/consideration.

Charles

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,236 posts
 

@sns

Wise counsel and perspective by you that is par for the course. I understand the wish for an ideal comparison that would unequivocally sort out all of the upper echelon servers. This just isn’t realistic precisely for the reasons you logically presented. Simply too many variables involved.

Charles

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,236 posts
 

 

 

@jeffseight There must be someone in the audio world wise enough to do a thorough analysis

of the top streaming gear, fairly compared, and give us some intelligent insights?

I doubt that you’ll find anyone in a position to compare all of the “top tier “ regarded music servers. Probably the closest would be Christiaan Punter’s Hi-Fi Advice site (Netherlands). His reviews are lengthy but thorough.

He definitely does not shy away from doing direct comparisons to competing components. This is refreshing compared with many present day reviewers whom seek not to offend.

Jeff, keep in my even if one were to do this comprehensive comparative review you desire, it’s still only one individual’s opinion and impressions.

Charles

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,236 posts
 

Like many of us here on Audiogon, we just keep listening to and demoing gear and when we find something that outperforms what we have we switch. I did purchase @ghasley the Grimm and have no regrets. Unlike many here on Audiogon, I don’t need or seek confirmation bias or approval from the community at large to validate a purchase. Go listen to Aurender, to Grimm or Taiko or whatever. At this level its about what you prefer and then buy the one you like, not the one liked by me or anyone else. I can say that whatever is going on inside the Grimm is very, very good. Good luck.

Agree with the stated sentiment 100%!!!

You have to hear and then select audio components based on only one standard, what you like and enjoy the most, nothing else. No matter how superb someone finds an audio product, there is going to be a dissenter.

This is guaranteed to happen without exception. Subjectivity ensures that opinion and listening impressions will cover the spectrum one end to the other.

I strongly suspect that the Grimm MU1 is an outstanding product. Nonetheless it will not please every single listener, nothing does.

Charles

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