@mitch2 I have no doubt that @pantera2 and @andynotadam hear what they hear and like what they like. That’s what’s fun about the hobby and we each like our food (and music) seasoned differently. Here’s my take, and its worth what you are paying for it LOL.
Servers/Streamers: I have multiple systems and I had simultaneously a Nucleus+, Innuos Zenith and MU1. I still have the Nucleus in an office system. When I bought the MU1 I was actually about to flip the credit card for an Innuos Statement or an even larger leap, to a Taiko. The dealer was one of the first to carry the Grimm at the time and he kindof whispered "I’ll sell you whatever you want but there isn’t anything under $30k that can touch the MU1". I tried it and liked it alot. The Innuos was a great streamer/server as is the Nucleus at their respective price points. Is the reason the MU1 sounds better to my ears due to optimized AES/EBU/Spdif outputs vs USB vs implementation of those very different digital feed protocols? Perhaps? But the MU1 was superior and I rolled all kinds of AES/Spdif/USB cables into multiple well thought of mid-tier dacs. I rolled all sorts of ethernet switches, ethernet cables, etc, etc....hardwire, multiple mesh setups, etc. etc. The MU1 was better to my ears at every juncture. YMMV.
DACs: There are so many wonderful dacs that have come on the market during the recent past that we music lovers should count our blessings. I’m going to forget some but I’ve had various Aqua La Scala, Formula, Lampizator Golden Atlantic, Merason DAC1, DCS Bartok Apex, Meitner MA3, Totaldac D1-Tube, D1-Six, MSB Discrete Dac with twin power supplies and ProUSB and most recently and still currently, Audio Note DAC4.1x Balanced purchased new in 2024. I’ve enjoyed them all. The Bartok Apex is terrific and a terrific value. Its network feed from an inexpensive Nucleus is about 95% as good versus an MU1 feeding the Bartok via AES/EBU. But it was even better through the Grimm MU1. The Audio Note DAC is different than the Bartok and I found them both delightful, the Audio Note being my preference after a prolonged period of comparison.
The MU2: Sonically, the MU2 strikes a nice balance between the two camps. Detail without harshness, exceptional bass, transparency and resolution while facilitating a sense of space and venue that is consistent between different recordings rather than that one goto audiophile recording you force others to endure while demonstrating audiophile cues to the person not really that interested in the dude from Columbia who plays old car bumpers. If someone is playing at this price range, people should either try it or not try it, I have no skin in the game and I’m indifferent... but to those who haven’t had an extended listen but have formed an opinion anyway? Typical audiophile tribalism, not my cup of tea.
Sorry for the long post, its just the MU2 is such an incredibly easy recommendation: A server, a streamer, a digital preamp with digital inputs, an analog preamp with analog inputs, a digital upscaler/upsampler/reclocker and a world class DAC....all in one box, that you can carry with one hand...something that isn’t mentioned very often...I’ve spent plenty of effort and $$$ optimizing my networking and ethernet feeds, too much time analyzing ethernet cables and switches. The best I found were the various offerings from Network Acoustics. I have an exceptional Network Acoustics switch that improved every combination of gear I hung off it...until the Grimm MU1 and MU2. The Grimm gear does something to the incoming ethernet feed....something positive, something that rejects the unwanted....it seem agnostic to those tweaks. Believe me or don’t believe me but none of that stuff is necessary. I have a closet full of exceptional ethernet cables (from $500-$3000) and today I just use a bog standard Blue Jeans ethernet cable. They have no effect on the Grimm to my ears.
The digital out "dilemma": I was in the same camp of no digital outs thinking I’ll just keep the MU1 if the MU2 doesn’t offer them....until you hear the MU2. Why do you need digital outputs on the MU2? You might reply "so I can try other dacs"? Well, then buy an MU1 and roll dacs, its kindof fun and you’ll scratch that FOMO itch. You won’t likely improve things, it would just be different. This TRULY is the case that the sum of the parts in the MU2 exceeds 99% of what you could assemble piecemeal and it wouldn’t be better, just a little different. Its an amazing accomplishment for relatively a steal of a price.
The remote or lack thereof: No offense intended but really? Thats a sticking point? The MU2 comes with an IR receiver. I use my iPad exclusively and occasionally use the cool dial on the top of the chassis. But the IR receiver is super convenient and it takes perhaps 45 seconds to program the MU2 using ANY remote you have or could purchase. Perhaps you have an old one laying around, or maybe an apple remote laying around, or a cool old aluminum block remote from your old Wadia....in other words, ANY remote will work. Why isn’t that a strength of the product rather than a sticking point?
Anyway, the executive summary: The MU2 is so good in virtually every way (sound quality, versatility, packaging, user interface, company support, reliability, ease of use) that if you are shopping in this price range and don’t at least try it out for yourself then you are doing yourself a disservice. Our hobby needs products like these but its hard for many to let go of old habits like three or four boxes totaling 150lbs of milled aluminum and a myriad of witch doctor umbilicals connecting them as the centerpiece to an audio shrine with one chair? An MU2, a high quality amplifier and two speakers....finally, products that live with us rather than the other way around.
