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...
I have gotten feedback from other users that new Muon Pro ahead of MU1 is quite effective and it really lifts its game. It appears MU1 requires a Gigabit Ethernet so Muon Pro makes sense. It’s worth pointing out, Hans Beekhuyzen feedback on Muon with MU1 was based on standard Muon 100Mb version not the Pro version. |
I see. Thanks @lalitk ! The new Pro version is not yet on the Network Acoustics site. I did watch the review by Hans. |
@lordmelton You are right I agree my system is set up to be revealing. But I am attempting to get to a sound that is both romantic and revealing. I find that the Gryphon and it’s DAC help achieve that, with a richer sound and a seductive midrange. So I guess the philosophy of my system is to design it around a somewhat romantic “heart” (amp, DAC), with cabling that is as revealing as possible without changing the sound of my gear. Arguably my Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables add something of their own, but not tonally (quick with slight leading edge emphasis). The Valhalla 2 power cords seemed to attenuate bass with my Gryphon (my dealer said someone else also made the same complaint with Valhalla 2 power cords and Gryphon), so I went with the Dragon (after also trying the Shunyata Omega cord which I found to be great but definitely overly romantic). I’m torn on the used MU1 for sale (thanks for reporting this!). My plan is to try several players/servers before buying a new one, which means I will need to sell each. I don’t mind if I lose some cash in the process provided I get the majority back when I sell each piece (I know it can take time to sell; I’ve sold gear before). But this particular MU1 has a scratch, albeit on one of the back corners. So I’m not sure if I might have a problem selling it. There is an N20 and a K50 that are “mint” for sale now. Debating on which to jump on. But the MU1 is definitely not a piece that comes up on the used market often, as I doubt there are as many out there as there are other players/servers. Good to have choices!
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That explanation makes perfect sense. Charles |
