Extensive setting options
The PW1 features separate dedicated inputs for MM and MC and provides versatile settings for various cartridges. All load settings can be accessed via a sliding panel at the bottom. To access them, the unit can be turned upside down during experimentation. For those who prefer not to experiment, the manual provides a table with recommended settings for MC (moving coil), high-output MC, and MM (moving magnet) cartridges. Experimenters will appreciate the extensive options available.
To fine-tune the behavior of cartridges, the PW1 offers three MM capacitance loading settings, four MC resistance settings, and two capacitance loading settings. MC gain is adjustable to 0, +20, or +30 dB, and an additional selectable +10 dB output gain is also available. With maximum gain activated, the PW1 can achieve 77 dB, or over 7,000 times amplification, making it suitable for ultra-low output cartridges with outputs as low as 0.05 mV. This setup yields minimal noise, as the inherent noise level of the MC section is exceptionally low.
MM cartridges can utilize a capacitance of 47 pF, 100 pF, or 220 pF. Some manufacturers offer even higher values, but Grimm feels that this is unnecessary. Higher values, such as 1000 pF, can create unwanted peaks in the frequency curve.
MC cartridges, which are less sensitive to capacitance, can use 330 pF or 680 pF as needed. At the same time, the primary load setting for MCs is resistive, typically requiring 5 to 10 times their internal resistance.
After making the required adjustments, the bottom panel can be slid back to cover all the DIP switches, and the unit can then be positioned upright again. Eternal tweakers, such as myself, may leave it upside-down permanently, with no adverse effects.
Review Context
The PW1 was tested in the main system, where it was compared to the Manunta EVO Phono 3, M2Tech Nash, and Lejonklou Entity 1.2 phono preamplifiers, using the following turntables:
Thorens TD1601 with TP92 tonearm and Thorens TAS1500 MicroLinear MC cartridge
Thorens TD1601 with TP160 tonearm Goldring Ethos MC cartridge
Technics SL1200G with Audio Technica AT-VM750SH Shibata MM cartridge
The rest of the system consisted of the CH Precision L1 preamplifier, CH Precision A1.5 power amplifier, LAiV GAnM power amplifiers, Magico S1 MkII, Apogee Duetta Signature, and Apogee Centaur loudspeakers.
The PW1 I received had already been used and required no further running in. Nevertheless, to be sure, I allowed it more than a week to acclimatize.
As interlinks between the PW1 phono and the L1 preamp, I used the RCA (Single-Ended) Driade Flow Link Reference 808.
Listening
For the PW1, Grimm focused first and foremost on conveying the emotion and nuances of voices and instruments. The designers kept a keen eye on harmonic distortion, specifically its character (avoiding uneven harmonics), rather than striving for an extremely low percentage. As Peter van Willenswaard explains in the White Paper (downloadable from the Grimm website):
“The seductive tone of a violin, the air around voices and instruments, and the width and depth of the stereo image all take precedence over the lowest distortion figures.”
These are all important goals for an audio component. However, as I have found with certain products, an overt focus on these aspects can lead to a skewed performance that favors “musicality” over neutrality and transparency, and this somewhat primed my expectations.
With this in mind, I fully expected the PW1 to sound lush, harmonically rich, smooth, and organic; however, based on earlier experiences with audio components that shared similar descriptions, I feared it might also be overly warm and round, and potentially possess reduced articulation, pacing, and expression.
Within the first minute of playing the first record, it was clear that I need not have worried. Indeed, the PW1 has a remarkably lush, organic, and natural sound, but without any of the undesirable traits I had anticipated.
The PW1 possesses the hard-to-come-by quality of pulling one into the music and not letting go. There is something so beguiling about the sound that is hard to describe, which comes down to what the designers have poured their hearts and souls into: attaining a deeply engaging performance without an electronic signature, free of artifice. This is not a simple task to achieve, especially if the goal is also to attain reference-grade resolution, maintain superb neutrality, and satisfy even the most discerning audiophiles.
Uniquely, the PW1 offers stunning resolution and precision combined with beguilingly natural liquidity. Precisely as advertised, the performance is tonally rich, deeply emotional, and wholly unforced, yet crisp, articulate, and lively. I admit: this phono preamp delivers everything that it is advertised to do. Meanwhile, it also avoids all the potential pitfalls that can come along with a product that excels in portraying warmth and richness. The PW1 is also nimble and upbeat, with no lack of speed and urgency, or diminished dynamic expression, as I sometimes hear with no-feedback designs.
Just as the designers intended, the PW1 conveys the warmth and emotional intent of human voices and acoustic instruments more convincingly than some other, more neutral products. Additionally, it possesses a decidedly sunny and positive vibe, and yet, the PW1 is simultaneously exceptionally well-balanced and neutral. The difference is in the unforced, un-electronic naturalness with which the preamp operates.
George Benson and Luther Vandross, for instance, never sounded more involving, heartbreaking, and convincing. But even though the preamp can be ever so lush and seductive, it avoids overlaying everything with a specific character, whether warmth, thickness, or coloration. This is when Peter van Willenswaard’s statements in the aforementioned White Paper fully resonate, particularly when he discusses the audibility of electrical components and the benefits of using as few as possible.
While listening to music via the PW1, it feels like the music pours out of the speakers effortlessly and washes over you gently yet persuasively. The soundstage is expansive, but the phono stage does not project the sound like a static bubble. Instead, its presentation is fluid, breathing, free-flowing, and entirely free from the speakers. The soundstage scales along with the recording, whether intimate, small, and close, or wide and deep, that is what the PW1 will portray.
When I started listening with the Thorens TD1601, equipped with a TP92 tonearm and a Goldring Ethos MC cartridge, the richly saturated and organic delivery was immediately captivating. When switching to the Thorens TD1601 with TP160 tonearm and TAS1500 MC cartridge, the balance shifted, revealing the distinct tonearm and cartridge presentations, such as enhanced precision and delicacy, while retaining all the aforementioned qualities.
The same happened when switching to the Technics SL1200G with the AT-VM750SH MM cartridge, which provided nimbler and tighter bass, still with a previously unheard level of involvement and musicality. Somehow, the PW1 takes whatever it is fed and relays all the qualities of the source and stylus model, regardless of whether it is MC or MM.
Next: Comparisons and Conclusion
