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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
fleschler
1,919 posts
 

@nyev  Yes, in my prior home where night and day differences were quite obvious and distressing, the installation of Synergistic Research power outlets and fuses diminished the problem.  It could be that providing superior equipment power is the key.  I already had a dedicated audio only power panel which I implemented in my new home.  My new home also has superior acoustic isolation and enhanced sound distribution.  After 1am, the sound may sound better but I'm unsure because the equipment has already been on for an hour or more and may just have warmed up to maximum sound quality.  At a minimum, I listen every night from 12 am to 2 am.  

I know where you're coming from because 15 years ago there were stark differences in diurnal listening, especially between 6pm and 8pm when people got home and put on their A/C, tvs, microwaves, etc. negatively effected the grid..  

nyev OP
1,022 posts
 

@fastfreight , I am using an Audioquest Hurricane for all my source equipment.  One of these Hurricanes is the old braided style and definitely doesn’t sound as good as the others.  I keep this one on the PhoenixNET.  Once I get things sorted gear-wise, I do plan to upgrade my cords.  They are also 3m cords which is not practical (long story).  

 

 

nyev OP
1,022 posts
 

@fleschler I did upgrade my house’s AC circuits to address the issue last time (along with component upgrades).  Dedicated 20A AC circuits using 10AWG wire, all audio gear on the same phase, Shunyata receptacles, etc.  I don’t have a dedicated breaker panel for my system however.

I really need to get around to the Synergistic fuse upgrades though; everyone seems to say how much of a lift they add.  Do you have specialty circuit breakers in your panel as well?

fleschler
1,919 posts
 

@nyev  I don't have specialty breakers but as you, everything is connected on one 20 amp breaker with 3 more available throughout the room if I need.  Without the SR blue fuse in the EAR 864, I would dump it.  80% of my CDs sounded adequate to mediocre with the glass fuse and LPs were good but not great.  Acme's coated fuse was quite good too but did not have the fullness of sound of the blue fuse.  The EAR 890 has an SR purple fuse.  The orange did not do much for me.  The glass fuse was okay but the purple fuse exploded the soundstage and separation of instruments.  Greater dynamics and 3D soundstage compared to glass.  Did not try an Acme fuse.  

I've been using boutique (SR brand) fuses in amps and pre-amps for almost 15 years.  So substantial that my cable manufacturing friend who hates tweaks, upon hearing the SR black fuses compared to stock glass and ceramic in my tube monoblock amps, did one better and installed circuit breakers in place of fuses in his amps.  

In my prior home, I did not connect my CD player into the isolation transformer as it sounded better directly into the wall.  With separates now, I connect my CD transport directly into the wall which sounds better.  

nyev OP
1,022 posts
 

@fleschler , thank you, I will hold out hope that experimenting with the SR fuses will at least help with the day/night swings in quality.  This has actually been on my audio to-do list for a while now.

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