Does anyone own, or have you auditioned a Grimm MU1 server/streamer?
We are looking to reduce the box count in our streaming system and this looks to be a very high quality way to consolidate our current mess of boxes down to the Grimm MU1 plus a dac.
Feedback gratefully received.
Best regards, BF
another one to consider is the Antipodes K50.
The Grimm received very good reviews indeed, but for now it works only with Roon. They intend to do an UPNP version later.
Thank you for that great feedback. Your comment describes our taste to a tee.
Best regards, BF
Thank you FR. I came across the K50 first and it does seem to be very well received.
re Roon, we use Roon happily today but are not wedded to it. The Roon display is lovely and intuitive.
The start point was an Innuos Statement until I realised that it is 2 boxes and runs best with an external Roon Core, which means 3-4 boxes in total. I’m sure it is brilliant but that’s too many boxes for us.
Best regards, BF
the last to consider is the Lumin U1 . But i find the Grimm much nicer…
A couple of friends have the MU1 with the Mola Mola Tambaqui.
As has been stated it is Roon only. Apparently they stated there would be Upnp, but no progress so far.
The SQ is very good via the AES output.
One friend is less than impressed with the build quality.
Very helpful, thank you. The MU1 makes a great deal of sense for us , which then leads on to the question of which dac. Bare DAVE, DAVE + M Scaler, Mola Mola unpronouncable, Rockna Wavedream, Denafrips Terminator or even a DCS Vivaldi/Rossini?
I sense some auditions coming on…
Best regards, BF
Hi @Bluesfan ,
Just for complete transparency:
One of the friends was told by a third party how good the ND555 is. Now he has a active aversion to Naim, but he borrowed one for an extended period. He thought it was better than the MU1/Tam; which is in the same cost ball park.
M
Good to know, thank you. We prefer what we have to the ND555 + 1 power supply.
Not sure you would not need the Mscaler as the MU1 is already upscaling its outputs so you would be adding in two different upscalesr and more filtering.
Likely still too many boxes but audition a Statement minus Roon. It’s better than with and the Sense app is right up there compared to the apps from other manufacturers.
Good to know. I did wonder about this. If it works well without M Scaler, this would be the most compact solution, as DAVE sits on the pre-amp, not in a rack at the moment.
Thanks Mike. We’re not wedded to Roon, so if the Sense app is as easy to use, this could be a viable option.
Ah, decisions, decisions. A second round of streaming auditions is coming up following our original major review of posh streamers a couple of years ago.
Best regards, BF
Looking to downsize also later this year so always interesting to read these conversations and contemplate other roads to travel.
Well, I had a first audition of the Grimm MU1. First set up was feeding DAVE, second was feeding M Scaler + DAVE, third was feeding the Mola Mola Tambaqui.
Feeding DAVE directly, lots of detail and quite impressive but emotionally left me a bit cold and uninvolved.
We then put M Scaler back in and WHOA! Phenomenal. Forget the Hifi descriptors, this made music simply compelling and immersive to enjoy. I’ve never heard Bonnie Rait sound so soulful, so good.
After this, the Mola Mola dac was completely outclassed. Adjectives like plodding and veiled immediately sprang to mind. Based on this audition, I don’t understand why this dac has been highly rated at all. A decent server feeding An ND555 with 1 power supply would be far more musical than the MU1 with Mola Mola dac.
However, when paired with the Chord duo, the MU1 is magical.
I’m convinced by the MU1. More auditions to follow with other dacs.
Best regards, BF
Interesting, wish I had been there.
The ND555 + 1 PSU is interesting as the comparison with the MU1 + Tom. was done by someone I know, who is no fan of Naim, and he were in no doubt that the 555 was better; that in a completely non-Naim system.
Wish you were less ebullient about the Dave; I can resist everything apart from temptation!
Chatting to a friend who went to a great session of Dacs including the Dave, Dave with smps removed and a very expensive lpsu and the Denafripps Terminator+. He thought the Dave was rather too HiFi but suspected the M-Scaler would add to it. Unfortunately I was supposed to have taken mine, but I was down with COVID.
What other dacs are on the menu?
M
We may use slightly different words to describe our impressions but I suspect that your friend and I have similar perceptions. I find bare DAVE to be too analytical. M Scaler turns it into music for us.
Other dacs will inevitably include DCS offerings and some others.
Best regards, BF
Look forward to your thoughts.
M
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