December 18th 2024
Grimm Audio started shipping the versatile phono preamplifier PW1. Creative Director Eelco Grimm says that “decades ago all founders of the company were so inspired by vinyl that they dedicated their life to developing audio equipment. Even in these days of high performance digital audio playback systems it is hard to imagine a future without LP’s. There’s just something magical to it. Since we intend to build the full signal chain, a phono preamplifier was a logical addition. But to be worthy of the Grimm Audio logo, it just had to be something special.”
The PW1 carries the initials of its chief designer Peter van Willenswaard, co-founder of Grimm Audio. Peter spent a life time designing and improving phono preamps, both in solid state and with tubes. Of all stages of audio amplification, phono preamplifiers pose the biggest challenges to a designer. With moving coil cartridges, deep bass signals of a mere 50 nV require no less than 90 dB amplification!
Grimm claims that Peter managed to develop a solid state FET phono preamplifier that matches his best tube based designs in their sound quality. He stayed true to minimalist design principles, using the smallest amount of hand selected active components, taking great care of their electronic and mechanical surroundings.
Eelco Grimm: “The PW1 unleashes the potential of your cartridge with a musicality that allows you to forget that you’re listening to a highly sophisticated audio system, and just let the music enchant you. It clearly carries Peter’s signature sound, that is very spacious, detailed and open, but at the same time rhythmically addictive and emotionally involving”.
The PW1 offers very flexible cartridge load settings at the bottom of the PW1, elegantly hidden behind a sliding panel. The power supply is so quiet that it could be built-in, which is unique for a high-end phono preamplifier capable of handling the lowest output MC cartridges.
Grimm Audio is known for their MU1 streamer and LS1 playback system, an all digital chain. More recently they embraced the analog domain. First with the highly acclaimed and popular MU2 streaming DAC and now with the PW1. Grimm says that both approaches have their specific strengths and that they love to push the boundaries in all domains.
For the Grimm Audio team,
Eelco Grimm and Mark Devlaeminck
