The influential online audiophile magazine 6Moons has published a vibrant review of the MU1. The famed duo Henk & Marja did an interview with Eelco Grimm and Guido Tent and took the MU1 to an extensive listening test. The article is abundantly illustrated with pictures of our facility and the interior of the MU1, and shows unrestrained enthusiasm for music and audio. Please find some excerpts below, but don’t forget to check out the full article.
“Elegant aesthetic are most important to this Eindhoven company as we saw with their facility. Whenever tekkies design a device, nine out of ten times they end up with a very basic form factor carved from solid billet. Not so for Grimm. They instead hired industrial designer Michiel Uylings of Ontwerpbureau 311 to design their cosmetics. And with success. The cabinet is completely formed from sheet metal to be more eco conscious, albeit without visible fasteners. When Eelco Grimm and Guido Tent came to deliver the MU1, we received a really good-looking piece of kit. The word distinguished is probably most accurate to describe its exterior.
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The first music we played was Opium Moon by Opium Moon. On this album the Los Angeles band weaves a sonic tapestry that mesmerizes and invloves. Relaxed percussion, deep fretless bass, subtle violin and meandering dulcimer are the main ingredients. With the MU1 as D/D converter, the soundstage was wide, dynamics were old fashioned large and higher-pitched instruments solidly carried aloft by deep warm bass.
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Listening for prolonged periods to a system not free of stress – be it jitter or the effects of a DAC’s processor working too hard – pays forward that same stress onto our brains which register it as listening fatigue. (…) With the MU1 meanwhile, there wasn’t even a hint of stress, restlessness or boredom. We could listen for hours on end and to full albums.
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In conclusion we can only call the Grimm Audio MU1 a statement effort in digital audio. It frees the user of all awkward computer-related hassles and includes a straightforward interface with Roon integration.”
“In conclusion we can only call the Grimm Audio MU1 a statement effort in digital audio.”
Henk & Marja, 6Moons