Well, the MU1 may be all I’m looking for, but maybe not - I have zero expectations in terms of how I’ll enjoy it, and in what configuration. But between three server solutions and TBD DAC’s I’ll be trying eventually, I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I’m not banking on the MU1 being part of the final solution; could be the N20 for all I know at this point! I’m a bit down on Innuos currently - I’m sure just due to my system parameters - super impressed with its detail air and space but not with its lack of image stability and solidity in my current system. Not sure that’s the right way to describe it. Maybe a new DAC would sort that out. Will find out eventually!
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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Have fun listening to the different streamers in your system. It’s nice to see someone put their money where their mouth is and actually get first-hand listening impressions, at home in a familiar system, rather than armchair quarterback based on reviews, Youtube influencers, "price of parts" and amateur comments etc. (which is fine, as a starting point, the problem is when folks forget how compromised those impressions are...). Show/dealer experience is also far from ideal. As far as separate DACs go, there are obviously a lot of good options to choose from. I would be wary of folks who strongly push you towards dac x or dac y, especially on this forum. So-and-so DAC is a giant killer, can compete with cost no object DACs, etc etc. With DACs in particular, there seems to be a competitiveness where folks want to validate that their value priced DAC is in the running among the best out there, frankly it’s a little silly and in my experience not based in reality (I have tried some of these flavor of the month DACs out of curiosity and quickly moved on. I’ll just leave it at that). At the risk of leading you to another rabbit hole, the best way to settle on a separate DAC is the same thing you’re doing with the server search...try a bunch in your system and see what you like. Have fun out there. |
@lalitk , regarding the XLR interconnects, I have to admit I have no idea where to start there, as my system has not needed anything but USB cables for many years now. A mild source of stress of something I’m planning to research later so any pointers on that will help! Do I need to bother trying a few options of interconnects, or does the fact that they are XLR negate the need for this? Should I really be looking at ultra-low cost options since they are XLR? Won’t be getting any DACs to try for quite a while yet. The MU1 will probably take a month to arrive, and a month to burn in. So T - 60 days or so until I bring in some DACs….
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Good post @metaldetektor. Selecting a DAC is a process, very similar to selecting Speakers, Integrated (or Pre and Amp) and Streamer/Server for any seriously put together audio system. |
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