Grimm MU1 Streamer - Really "The Best"?

@thyname the components I’ve been swapping out since January include the Aurender N20, Merason DAC-1, and now the Tambaqui. My MU1 should arrive in a week or a few days later (really this time). It will be connected to the Tambaqui via AES of course.

This rotating of gear is an unusual process for me as well and I’ve never done this before January. I set out shopping for a streamer and my search expanded to trying outboard DAC’s, and I tried this approach to get a better sense of what I’d be living with than a home audition would offer which for me has its stresses. This way I avoid the part where I feel pressed to make my decision in a week or two, with and eager dealer waiting to hear what I thought. I’ve been keeping each piece at least 4 weeks or longer.

My swapping is really an in-depth way of shopping really that goes a step further than home demos…

Still, I take your point as pro reviewers can live with a piece for 6 months before they do a review. It’s certainly possible I may have an evolved view of the Tambaqui in 6 months. Based on my experience I think it’s really likely the Tambaqui will be “the one” that stays for many years. The Grimm, who knows!

Of note I was not happy at all with my Zenith Mk 3 which I bought in 2019.  Last year I added the PhoenixUSB and this was a pretty major uplift.  The Zenith sound really wasn’t recognizable after adding the PhoenixUSB.  Not everyone has this experience with the PhoenixUSB though, as it is DAC dependent.  I will get around to trying my Tambaqui with and without the PhoenixUSB to see why difference it makes with it (I’ve been running the Tambaqui with the PhoenixUSB so far).  As I said the PhoenixNET is such a perfect match for the Tambaqui’s sound; things are looser and less smooth without it. 

My MU1 should arrive in a week or a few days later (really this time). It will be connected to the Tambaqui via AES of course.

The reason I was asking is the Mola Mola Tambaqui has a network bridge built in. Meaning you can “connect via Ethernet, RJ45 cable” so to speak, to your upcoming Grimm MU1 too. It will be easy to compare & contrast one vs. the other.

Of note I was not happy at all with my Zenith Mk 3 which I bought in 2019.  Last year I added the PhoenixUSB and this was a pretty major uplift.  The Zenith sound really wasn’t recognizable after adding the PhoenixUSB.  Not everyone has this experience with the PhoenixUSB though, as it is DAC dependent. 

The Phoenix USB did not do much for me when paired to the Zenith MK3. Sound changed a bit, but I was not sure if for better or worse. As you said, it must depend on the DAC, and ‘or we all hear differently.
 

@ghasley"At a certain point if someone has a massive library they are probably better served (pun intended) with a powerful server, perhaps in another room. This applies to most one box server/streamers. Then the MU1 could be the endpoint which is where its strengths lie in clocking, 4fs and the optimized aes output."

OK hello, this is very interesting to me as I have heard currently the MU1 will not work as an endpoint only, and must run Roon Core.

I currently have a Nucleus + in another room.  I am buying the Grimm for its AES output to my Tambaqui  Do I have a big library?  I don't know, is 3200 albums, between hard drive and Qobuz large?

And I have a second nice system currently fed by my Nucleus+, not to mention two more zones of lesser sound quality.

Can Grimm MU1 handle 4 zones like this?  Can I keep my Nucleus and use Grimm Mu1 as  a Roon endpoint?

Can I have one MU1 run Roon Core and Serve my tambaqui and another MU1 as endpoint only to serve my second system wtih Makua?

Thanks!  My Mu1 should come this week I hope!

Of note, Christiaan at HiFi advice now says the new streamer from Playback Designs is the best he’s heard.  He seemed slightly down on the Grimm with the latest Roon update softening the sound, while he acknowledged this could be a welcome change by some.  In his opinion Roon sounded best at v1.8 and went backwards at 2.0, but has since made some tiny improvements.

@ghasley did you notice the sound change with Roon 2.0?

Speaking of streamer/server options, JCAT XACT S1 server is now available. And thankfully it does not rely on ROON. They have their very own JPLAY app that I’m currently testing. The graphics, layout and responsiveness is pretty impressive. It offers native support for Tidal and Qobuz. And yes, it does have a Radio feature just like ROON and compatible with any streamer / server that supports UPnP protocol.

https://jcat.eu/featured/xact-s1/

https://jplay.app