Ever look across the room at your rack full of gear and mess of cables and think, “Man, there’s gotta be an easier way”?
I have a feeling someone at Grimm Audio was thinking the same thing.
These attractive speakers (well, I think they’re cute) house everything you need for music except the source and the tunes. The full-range LS1 three-way system ($39,900) consists of high-res DXD and double-DSD supporting AD/DA converters, a CC1 clocking circuit, six NCore amps, a DSP processor, preamp/switcher/control unit, integrated bass modules, and cables. I honestly don’t know how they fit it all; I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of pocket universe in there.
When I heard this set-up at RMAF 2013, I was definitely impressed with the sound, and my opinions haven’t changed too much. Stopping in on Sunday afternoon seems to have been a good call: I found the sound warmer and more fluid than I recall from RMAF’s Friday afternoon visit. The treble in particular seems to have benefitted from a couple of days’ warm-up, demonstrating less Class-D sound signature and a much fuller and more natural treble.
Are you going to see me selling off my gear in exchange for these things and a new dedication to minimalism? I can’t say it’s too likely; I think I’m too invested, and anyone who’s visited my house knows I have, um, a high tolerance for clutter. However, for someone looking for really spectacular sound in a relatively compact package with a minimum of fuss, these are world-class.
