Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

“I have Nordost Odin2 for the rest of my system”

@svenjosh in that case I’m pretty sure I know which AES cable will win your shootout :)

Nevertheless, let us know how your testing with the Sablon and Jorma go!

The 1.5m minimum for digital cables is supposedly required to account for something to do with the synchronization between source and destination.  At least with USB cables, if you look it up you’ll find people talk about “reflections”.  I’ve not attempted to understand it; I’ve just noted the really big improvement when you go from a 1m USB to 1.5m or 2m.  Mark at Sablon told me he had heard this too.

@rc22 +1

At the risk of overstating the matter, I pretty much think you’ve not really heard what the Zenith can do until you have put a the Purple fuse in.  For context, I added the purple fuse a couple of months after adding an ENO filter and EE 8switch with a Supracat ethernet connecting the two.

Your setup is very similar to what mine used to be a few months ago. I was using Supra8, Eno (still have it) in conjunction with Zenith MK3 and purple fuse. I tried the 8switch but didn't notice any improvement so ended up returning it. I think it's downright criminal to own an Innuos streamer and not pair it with the purple fuse. Just like you, I was amazed the level of improvement a 'mere' fuse brought to the Zenith. Incredible!

@lalitk convinced me to replace the Supra8 with the Linkup cable (https://www.amazon.com/LINKUP-Ethernet-Screened-2000Mhz-Structure/dp/B07VVFC1XZ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1). It took about 100 hours to burn-in but it was a noticeable improvement in sound quality. It's very cost effective and worth trying. 

Yes, that LinkUp 8 cable is quite the value. I've been using it since 2021 and it is awesome, better than Supra Cat8 in my system. Another thing to consider, is after you've played the cable for that hundred hours, reverse the direction to listen for less quality or better quality sound. I know the Supra Cat8 was sensitive to it and it was quite easy to hear. Lalit is doing a great job spreading the word!

Just bought a LinkUp Ethernet cable because at that price, why not….  Will see how it compares with my Audioquest Diamond cable which costs more than 10X more…

I spent a couple of hours this Saturday testing the effect of Herbie’s Audio Lab Tenderfeet with the MU1.  I find these don’t work well with all components, but when they work, they REALLY work…  More separation, cleaner vocals, more coherent high frequencies.  But the thing I find you have to be careful of, is that while they almost add positive benefits, sometimes they also can take away something from a particular component.

With the MU1 I’m confident that the benefit of Herbie’s Tenderfeet is unequivocally an all-positive tweak - and a big one too.  With my Tambaqui, I think they are not so good.  I think the sound becomes a bit less muscular and loses some of its charm.  The Tambaqui doesn’t even have feet of its own, just two metal rails on the left and right sides.

With Herbie’s Tenderfeet I find you must be very careful to place them under your gear very evenly, and a bit of experimentation is needed in the optimal placement to get the best degree of transparency.  It’s crazy that even moving the Tenderfeet just half an inch changes the presentation.

@nyev 

Herbie’s Tender feet’s are good and offers a great value. When it comes to components Isolation and vibration control, sky is the limit. Over the years, I went through so many of these type of devices. While they work to a degree, nothing is more profound as installing your components in an audio rack that addresses all the airborne and floor borne vibrations effectively. There is an obvious upfront high cost but once you make the commitment, you’re done messing around.