In Stereophile’s Brilliant Corners #41, Alex Halberstadt writes about the time he lived with the MU2 in his system. He starts by thanking us for striving for perfection in stead of accepting “good enough” philosophies. And then he talks about all the great hours of music listening he enjoyed, highlighting many records. His pieces are always a joy to read. We copy some excerpts below, but please read the original article on Stereophile’s homepage.
“One of the first tracks I listened to through the Grimm was a Qobuz stream of “My Funny Valentine” from Paul Desmond’s Desmond Blue, an album that shouldn’t work but does. (…) But what surprised me, given this track’s streamed, disembodied origin, was its emotional accessibility. Desmond’s improvisation is freighted with more despair than most readings of the Rodgers and Hart standard, and the Grimm conveyed the inward, lacerating quality of the performance with insight and force. Hearing this from a digital file was both unexpected and exciting.
This inspired me to play one of those records I rarely try to listen to on digital: Dreaming My Dreams, the song cycle Waylon Jennings recorded in 1975. (…) Some digital components extract copious detail but do it surgically, without regard for the music’s texture, density, and ambience, killing the patient on the table. But on the album’s rollicking opener, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” the MU2 illuminated the song’s structure without smothering its excitement or scrubbing away its messy energy and drive. And Jennings’s blustering guitar solo, one of the most memorable he’s recorded, came through without being hollowed out or polished into dullness.
(…)
The Grimm is one of those rare components that nails both functionality and performance while remaining reliable. It offers some of the best—and least musically destructive—sound from streaming I’ve experienced. (…) Handing the Grimm back to the FedEx guy was no fun at all.”
“It offers some of the best—and least musically destructive—sound from streaming I’ve experienced. “ – Alex Halberstadt, Stereophile.
