Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

I hate to say this, but Grimm was totally absent in CAF. I looked for it. Zero. I think the fad is dying up pretty quick. I love to be proven wrong. All the OG Grimm enthusiasts I know gave up on it. Admittedly my sample size is small 

Ah… I was at Bill’s room twice. I missed it. Maybe because Bill kept bringing up the Mola Mola only, especially the new amp (or preamp, sorry I don’t quite recall)

@mapman my map man…

I just looked up the Grimm MU1. Retail price $12,500 without any internal SSD included. Wow! Pricey. A couple of observations:

1) Processor: Intel i3 2-Core. Definitely sufficient for Roon with no DSP, and with not a huge Roon library. But certainly not very powerful for those who use DSP (not me) and with big libraries

2) Memory: 4MB RAM. Again, not impressive.

3) No USB audio (to DAC) output. Hmmmm…. 
4) I don’t see any proprietary streaming software/ music management program (like Innuos Sense). Roon OK, I get that, but then you are at the mercy of Roon for everything.

I am definitely curious about Grimm, given the reports & reviews, but these observations give me pause. A friend of mine ordered one a few days ago, so I should be able to learn more from “real life” experiences in a few weeks.

 

ghasley

2,215 posts

03-19-2023 at 01:57pm 

Yes, it replaced my Innuos Zenith Mk3, which I was quite happy with.

Thanks. I am reading this thread from the start now

@nyev : of course, we all make purchase decisions based on what matters to us. I fully understand that. I will be curious to learn about your experience once you get it, especially as it pertains to comparing with your Innuos ZENith MK3. I have to say though, you change & swap things around so often, in a very short period of time (by my standards). I would personally have a hard time fully grasping how something sounds for such a short period of time, especially when so many other components in the chain are also being swapped at the same time 🤷‍♂️

How do you plan to connect the Grimm MU1 to your Tambaqui?

@ghasley : thanks. Sorry, I don’t remember, do you have a Grimm MU1?

My MU1 should arrive in a week or a few days later (really this time). It will be connected to the Tambaqui via AES of course.

The reason I was asking is the Mola Mola Tambaqui has a network bridge built in. Meaning you can “connect via Ethernet, RJ45 cable” so to speak, to your upcoming Grimm MU1 too. It will be easy to compare & contrast one vs. the other.

Of note I was not happy at all with my Zenith Mk 3 which I bought in 2019.  Last year I added the PhoenixUSB and this was a pretty major uplift.  The Zenith sound really wasn’t recognizable after adding the PhoenixUSB.  Not everyone has this experience with the PhoenixUSB though, as it is DAC dependent. 

The Phoenix USB did not do much for me when paired to the Zenith MK3. Sound changed a bit, but I was not sure if for better or worse. As you said, it must depend on the DAC, and ‘or we all hear differently.
 

@fastfreight :

BUT, I have so far failed at being able to restore my roon database from a backup.  I have a bunch of playlists so I want to do this.  I have found the instructions for this confusing.

That’s because you did not restore from back up initially when setting up your Grimm as the new Roon Core:

1. Since this is your first time launching your new Core, you will be asked to log-in. Instead of logging in, click "Restore A Backup" in the lower-left hand corner 

However, you can still restore from existing backups (of the database). Go to Settings (on Roon), then Backups, then pick at the bottom Find Backups/ Browse. I hope this helps

@fastfreight : if your Roon database is in your network, then I think you will need to do "add network share" in your Grimm before you can access your files. I am sorry I cannot help much not being there. You can also try to copy the Roon database from USB hard drive to the internal storage of your Grimm, but I really don't know whether this is possible. 

Unexpectedly, the Innuos gear has a fuller and more natural depth presentation

Right there….

I would personally NOT want to replace a piece of gear with those two attributes with an alternative that yields a lesser result. Less full, and less natural depth.

But that’s just me.

On another note, my friend who was getting the Grimm MU1 is going silent. I don’t want to bother him with questions. Give him the proper time to evaluate 

A friend of mine got the Grimm MU2: 

According to him, best DAC he ever had. Yes, he is male gender 😂🤦‍♂️. And that thing is also a Roon Core (server) and streamer as well

@lalitk : happy holidays my friend

@nyev :

I would disagree with Grimm’s position that high end audio network cables shouldn’t be used.

They all say the same. Completely understandable. They are there to sell you their stuff. Not cables. Make it all one-stop solution, with no need to buy anything else. Solid marketing strategy.

As you eloquently put it by the following, which is spot on:

It’s funny how almost all HiFi gear companies say not to use fancy power cords

Also:

I would also disagree with the notion that the MU1 is “immune” to things like Ethernet switches.

Yup! Same thing. One-stop solution, no need to buy anything else other than $10K for Grimm you are about to shell out. Marketing department working “very hard”. 🤯🤦‍♂️

vocals were clearer and better defined with the generic cable

This is getting very confusing 🤷‍♂️

The very reason Amir M and Cin Dyment win it every single time

So I’m looking forward to trying the Muon with a different cable.

What do you mean? Muon from Network Acoustics comes with the Network Acoustics own Ethernet cable

@nyev : thanks for explaining. I am sorry I misunderstood you. I follow this thread with great interest. Thanks for sharing 

@fastfreight : every single YG speakers owner I know, personally or virtually online, also has Kubala Sosna cables. What a coincidence! Or is it a coincidence? I have no idea.

Giant Slayer! a.k.a Gustard 😂