@nyev Hi, this is a long thread so I didn’t read every post. I noticed you tried out an Arunder N20 recently that I am interested in. Which USB cable did you use to pair with it? Did you think the N20 is not as detailed as Innuos MK3 plus PhxNET? I have a Shunyata Omega USB that provides great details, and I think it maybe a good match with N20. Thanks!
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...
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@dchang05 I tried the N20 with an Audioquest Diamond USB and also a Diamond AES. While the Omega is certainly better than the AQ Diamond, I would not expect the Omega to have more detail. In the past (with my Innuos gear) I’ve tested a Nordost Valhalla 2 USB and found it to be better than the AQ Diamond, but it didn’t have any greater detail (but I didn’t think it was worth the cost). The Diamond is known to be a revealing cable. With that said the N20 had less high frequency detail and dimensionality than the Zenith and PhoenixUSB. However, I’m starting to think my Innuos setup may achieve that be slightly boosting these frequencies or presenting them in a more forward way. Either way, there were certain instruments, high hats etc that I heard loud and clear with my Innuos gear that was very difficult to hear with the Aurender. I also noted above how Aurender says their AES interface will be better than their USB interface, due to the high precision clock that is only used with AES. It’s stated right on the N20’s web page in the first feature bullet. That said I could not reliably tell the difference when comparing the Diamond USB and AES cables. I thought the AES sounded better, but if it was it was so close that I couldn’t be certain. |
My initial thoughts on the MU1 (streaming until I get my hard drive issue resolved) - fantastic. As expected. Perfect solid tangible detail. I’m also using an old, non-current generation Cardas AES cable until my premium cable arrives. The dealer who sold me this old cable (purchased while traveling) wasn’t even able to identify the model - we only know that it is green! We found a few examples of sales on Audio Mart to figure out that it was pretty much the most entry level AES HiFi cable you can get, and it was old. With that HUGE caveat - and I can’t stress that enough - I really enjoy the sound of the MU1 and I really enjoy the sound of my Innuos gear, both feeding the Tambaqui. The MU1 is clearly more capable when it comes to detail - the details and texture of electric guitars leap out of my speakers in such a tangible, raw yet refined, and different way. The Innuos by comparison is smoother, but not in a way that you notice missing detail unless you do a direct comparison. Unexpectedly, the Innuos gear has a fuller and more linear, 3D depth presentation - but I think that may be due to my very basic AES cable I’m using currently with the MU1. The MU1 has way more, I was going to say hardness but that would give the wrong impression - more impact and grit than Innuos. From snare drums to kick drums and bass, the impact and pacing is fantastic and better than with the Innuos. I’ve also now noticed that the Innuos Zenith plus PhoenixUSB Reclocker have a forward presentation of mids and treble. This makes vocals “pop out” a bit more, with very smooth vocals and treble. The vocals are slightly more enjoyable on the Innuos currently due to that “pop-out” effect and the smoothness. Again, so important - I am probably just describing the limitations of my current very basic and old AES cable, so it’s not as if I’m forming any conclusions whatsoever with the MU1 at this point! I also notice very little difference between the 4X and NOS modes, but again, that is likely due to being performance-capped by my AES cable. I also tried the MU1 direct to my Diablo 300 DAC and it sounded very enjoyable - with less detail than with the Tambaqui but really enjoyable. Do I like it better than the Innuos in this configuration? I think so, but too early to say definitively. Not sure where every combination will land in terms of what I will LIKE the most, but I’m going to wait until my cables arrive to figure that out! I expect the cables to change a lot, especially in terms of spatial positioning/imaging, dimensionality and depth.
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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
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