Network Acoustics also makes great sounding cables. Check out their latest Muon AES Cable. Something to keep in mind when you’re ready to order Muon Pro filter kit. Another favorite of mine is Combak’s 聖HIJIRI Million HDG AES cable.
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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Thanks @lalitk . Definitely something to keep in mind. At times I wonder about mixing and matching too many different cable brands in my system and risking mismatches, vs leveraging single brand synergies. Not a big concern though, not by a long shot. |
@arafiq no I didn't expect the R26 to be close to the MU1 in terms of comparing the streaming side of things - I just get the impression that if you can compromise on the streaming functionality, the R26 sound quality is especially good. You could put an MU1 ahead of the R26 of course using it as only a DAC - many are replacing the Chord Upscaler with the MU1 to save money, because the MU1 upscales especially well. But saying all that - the R26 is a Roon endpoint, so this does help make up for the loss of it's own inbuilt streaming capabilities. Anyway - as someone has said - I have not heard the R26 to make that comparison it's just an impression I get from a trusted reviewer who was bowled over by the sound of the Gustard. If the R26 ends up sounding as good as the review states - I would probably choose to save money and get the R26 over the MU1 and possibly enjoy my hi-end sound equally well. I cannot backup the R26 review from experience and there are no dealers in the UK where I can try one out. I have heard the MU1 in a proper demo - and the MU1 is an excellent digital transport, probably about as good as you can get in that respect.
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“I just get the impression that if you can compromise on the streaming functionality, the R26 sound quality is especially good. The OP is on a journey to push the limits of his digital streaming…don’t think he is in a compromising zone…LOL! You can certainly choose to save money and go for R26 and be happy. That’s the beauty of digital, one can enjoy sound from a very modest setup. Check out the YouTube video of Orchard Audio’s Pecan Pi + Streamer/DAC ($799.95) and Starkrimson Stereo Ultra Amp ($2499.95). This two components system sounded pretty darn good for the money when I heard it at AXPONA 2023. Just add speakers and you’re in digital heaven. |
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