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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...

 

 

nyev
ghasley
2,441 posts
 

@thyname 

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 

Most of the Grimm users with whom I’m acquainted have happily hopped off the merry-go-round (and spent less time on the audio forums) and are just listening to and enjoying their music. I’m thrilled with my Grimm now for around two years. It feeds a DCS Bartok Apex via a Shunyata Sigma v2 AES/EBU cable. Absolutely sublime and natural sounding to my ears.

ghasley
2,441 posts
 

@lalitk 

Now that’s interesting…Isn’t MU1 immune to Audiophile LAN cables?

I believe the Grimm is less sensitive to ethernet cables than one might assume. I believe it is essentially agnostic if provided a stable and reliable connection and data stream.

fastfreight
692 posts
 

@lalitk , When I got my Grimm I had already decided I liked the Muon Pro Filter System.

With the Grimm, I tried it with and without the Muon.  The improvement was more subtle, yet I did hear an improvement with the Muon.  I think this acts similar to a fancy Ethernet cable, no?

 

@thyname I agree.   The Grimm sounds great, runs Roon core, is very stable and boots quickly.   

fastfreight
692 posts
 

Hello @ghasley @thyname @lalitk @snopro @wsrrsw , Happy Holidays!!! 

So somethings about my Grimm MU1.  Interesting how many say it is immune to different ethernet and or power cables.   Also very interesting was in the M101 room at CAF. Lubomir was demonstrating the positive effects  (improvement in sound) of inserting his 1.5m ethernet cable going into the streamer or DAC.  But in his demonstration, he bypassed the Grimm to show off his cable.  Why? Because the mu1 uses a generic internal ethernet cable.  In a sense this generic cable 'undoes' the benefits of using an expensive ethernet cable into it.

So, you are thinking, (at least I was) can we replace the internal ethernet cable in the mu1?  Lubomir liked this question and was already on to it.  So I sent him my unit, and he replaced the stock cable with an identical length of his ethernet cable (M101).

 

I received it back last night and have only listened for about an hour.  But, it is astonishing!  The soundstage has opened, and I can now pinpoint locations of performers even better than before.  The attack and dynamics are formidable, with great bass and yet still organic and smooth.  For those who said the Grimm was too laid back and polite, say that no more with this modification. The highs are uber crisp.  It is though the music jumps out at you.

The Grimm MU1 is indeed a great component. 

 

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,866 posts
 

I will wait for fatigue free ten hour listen report…..but promising

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