Another user extremely satisfied with his GRIMM Audio GU1

[caliaripaolo]

As the title says, I'm another user extremely satisfied with his GRIMM Audio GU1. I have been reading for months: technical specifications, feedback, reviews..etc. A series of factors led me to choose the Grimm over for the Taiko Extreme, Antipodes K50 or Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra.

Not having the chance to listen to each of them, I tried to analyze technical factors that would lead me to make a decision.

starting from the assumption that my TotalDac D1 Six has the best performance using the AES//EBU port as digital input, my previous setup was: Innuos ZENith Mk3 as streamer and the Bricasti M5 as Ethernet to AES/EBU converter.

What I liked when reading the technical characteristics of the GRIMM was:

• It uses Linux that Grimm’s staff customized for the scope (instead of Windows used by Taiko Extreme for instance) and Roon which they also have customized,
• It has AES/EBU as standard output,
• It use a twin-PCB switching power supply (if well designed, less noise and fast response),
• The engineers have focused the project on ultra low clock jitter, since the digital output is based on AES/EBU and therefore encoding the clock and the data together,
• They also developed custom-designed FPGA interface board, which is the true core of the project where the “magic happens” (quote from several users). Here you can decide to up-sample the incoming rate by 2 or 4, and/or use its volume control,
• It also has the possibility of associating an infrared remote control, which I find to be a practical and intelligent solution.

From what I had read, the project seemed to me to be very interesting and based on concrete elements. There are in fact different approaches in the world of streamers: the first and most common is to build around a computer motherboard a power supply and relative oversized linear filters, the one chosen by Grimm Audio seems to me instead aimed at designing an ecosystem dedicated to making the data streamer as pure and perfect as possible starting from a few optimized elements.

The result in my system was beyond what I could expect after reading the specs.

The sound is even more natural, open, full-bodied, with plenty of air between the instruments which causes an increase in detail and associated harmonics, the depth is maintained even when raising the volume, the voices never get close to the listener but remain firm and solid in the center and at the top of the soundstage.

I don't know if the other competitors sound better or worse, I know that I'm extremely satisfied with the result obtained by introducing the Grimm MU1 into my system.

 

[2ndLiner]

As the title says, I'm another user extremely satisfied with his GRIMM Audio GU1. I have been reading for months: technical specifications, feedback, reviews..etc. A series of factors led me to choose the Grimm over for the Taiko Extreme, Antipodes K50 or Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra.

Not having the chance to listen to each of them, I tried to analyze technical factors that would lead me to make a decision.

starting from the assumption that my TotalDac D1 Six has the best performance using the AES//EBU port as digital input, my previous setup was: Innuos ZENith Mk3 as streamer and the Bricasti M5 as Ethernet to AES/EBU converter.

What I liked when reading the technical characteristics of the GRIMM was:

• It uses Linux that Grimm’s staff customized for the scope (instead of Windows used by Taiko Extreme for instance) and Roon which they also have customized,
• It has AES/EBU as standard output,
• It use a twin-PCB switching power supply (if well designed, less noise and fast response),
• The engineers have focused the project on ultra low clock jitter, since the digital output is based on AES/EBU and therefore encoding the clock and the data together,
• They also developed custom-designed FPGA interface board, which is the true core of the project where the “magic happens” (quote from several users). Here you can decide to up-sample the incoming rate by 2 or 4, and/or use its volume control,
• It also has the possibility of associating an infrared remote control, which I find to be a practical and intelligent solution.

From what I had read, the project seemed to me to be very interesting and based on concrete elements. There are in fact different approaches in the world of streamers: the first and most common is to build around a computer motherboard a power supply and relative oversized linear filters, the one chosen by Grimm Audio seems to me instead aimed at designing an ecosystem dedicated to making the data streamer as pure and perfect as possible starting from a few optimized elements.

The result in my system was beyond what I could expect after reading the specs.

The sound is even more natural, open, full-bodied, with plenty of air between the instruments which causes an increase in detail and associated harmonics, the depth is maintained even when raising the volume, the voices never get close to the listener but remain firm and solid in the center and at the top of the soundstage.

I don't know if the other competitors sound better or worse, I know that I'm extremely satisfied with the result obtained by introducing the Grimm MU1 into my system.

View attachment 148025


View attachment 148026


View attachment 148027

Beautiful system and glad to hear you are getting stellar SQ! What other components do you have in your system? Photos, too?

 

[caliaripaolo]

Beautiful system and glad to hear you are getting stellar SQ! What other components do you have in your system? Photos, too?

Thank you,
I use TotalDac D1 Six as DAC and Soulution 710 as power amplifier driving a pair of beloved Apogee Diva.

 

[exupgh12]

congratulation on your new server\streamer, you have beautiful space and system.

To my ears the differences between antipodes K50 and the Grimm MU1 when it comes to sound presentation, the first is just tad more warm sounding (with slightly bigger soundstage), the Grimm is very natural sounding, adding or missing nothing from sound it play.

Both are excellent and solid choice, and choosing between the two usually will depend on the extras (do you need local storage, and if so how many SSD and capacity), the support level, region availability, and UI\UX are in most cases will be the factor on which the buyer will prefer one of them.

 

[msimanyi]

Thank you,
I use TotalDac D1 Six as DAC and Soulution 710 as power amplifier driving a pair of beloved Apogee Diva.

View attachment 148071

View attachment 148072

View attachment 148073

Gorgeous!

Not that you need any encouragement to void a warranty, but Bill at GTT Audio has an internal ethernet cable available that does a really nice job of further improving the MU1. And despite Grimm's assertions that no exotic cables are recommended, I've found it quite responsive to improved power cables, interconnects and even ethernet cables.

If you're happy now though, and it sounds like you are, just sit back and enjoy the music!

 

[caliaripaolo]

congratulation on your new server\streamer, you have beautiful space and system.

To my ears the differences between antipodes K50 and the Grimm MU1 when it comes to sound presentation, the first is just tad more warm sounding (with slightly bigger soundstage), the Grimm is very natural sounding, adding or missing nothing from sound it play.

Both are excellent and solid choice, and choosing between the two usually will depend on the extras (do you need local storage, and if so how many SSD and capacity), the support level, region availability, and UI\UX are in most cases will be the factor on which the buyer will prefer one of them.

Thank you,
what interested me reading between the lines of the project, is that the whole thing does not arise from a mere speculation (I take a motherboard, I add a monster power supply...etc), but from a careful choice of a few essential elements to keep the data stream "perfect". From the choice of the output protocol to the consequent search for the elements that could make it as accurate as possible by eliminating noise and jitter.
It's definitely a smart project.
Bravo Grimm.

 

[caliaripaolo]

Gorgeous!

Not that you need any encouragement to void a warranty, but Bill at GTT Audio has an internal ethernet cable available that does a really nice job of further improving the MU1. And despite Grimm's assertions that no exotic cables are recommended, I've found it quite responsive to improved power cables, interconnects and even ethernet cables.

If you're happy now though, and it sounds like you are, just sit back and enjoy the music!

Thank you,
I'm currently in the period of discovering the new toy. Then I'll move on to discover how to implement it again (if possible).
But really, I know that there is no limit and there will never be, but what I hear with the Grimm is something that fully satisfies my concept of sound.
I've never heard anything more relaxing and engaging at the same time.