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.
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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@lalitk , interesting, let us know your thoughts. I’ve heard the S1 punches above its price point |
That Hifi Advice review is interesting but doesn’t exactly track real world usage. He’s using a Grimm MU1 as a server only (taking advantage of the nice power supply and custom Roon coding by Grimm) and then uses PB as a pure renderer/streamer. That’s a $25k digital source…not entirely surprised that he prefers the separated components to the integrated solution — so it goes in hifi, more boxes and cables do usually sound better (but at what cost). Is anybody really buying a Grimm just to use it as a pimped out Roon Nucleus? :-) |
Good point @metaldetektor. I ran into someone who sold his MU1 to purchase the new Playback Designs streamer. He is already concerned he will miss his MU1 and was contemplating contingency options to get one back in case he has seller’s remorse. |
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