Dutch printed magazine Music Emotion published a review of the MU2 by journalist Werner Ero. After he checked out the MU1 he soon bought a unit to use for his audio reviews. Little wonder that he was eager to check out the MU2. His high expectations were met…
“Due to the unique built-in DAC, the shorter signal paths and the ability to omit an external digital connection protocol, I expect a different sound. How much different, I discover as soon as I hear the first chords flowing from the MU2 that has been warming up for a few days. Clearly, this newcomer is immediately recognizable as a genuine Grimm product. In other words, here is that typical relaxed character again. A playback without any stress, without any exaggeration, offering high resolution without emphasis. It’s also immediately clear that the MU2 extends these ‘Grimm virtues’ even further than the MU1. (…)
The music sounds liberated, it sounds remarkably effortless even with complex music, and it flows in almost the same way as top analog sources such as high performance record players and reel-to-reel machines. In my experience this quality of music playback has a healing effect on body and mind, because you can almost ‘see’ and feel the music before the notes consciously become audible! By this I mean that the sound of this new Grimm is perceived in a fundamentally different way than with most other products. The longer I listen to it, the more apparent it becomes that the typical ‘mechanical sound’ that has characterized digital since the early days has largely disappeared! An extremely impressive achievement that will influence the decision for many music lovers.
Another aspect is that the MU2’s resolving powers are rendered completely different than usually the case. Here they just serve the music, it’s not an audiophile effect that is perceived as an added layer. The overall sound quality is ultimately so good and natural that to equal this with another digital playback source, you need to move up to a seriously higher price category.“
“The longer I listen, the more apparent it becomes that the typical ‘mechanical sound’ that has characterized digital since the early days has largely disappeared!”
Werner Ero, Music Emotion, The Netherlands.
