The Ultimate A/V System

This system is an End-Game Solution for those seeking to combine superb 2-Channel Audiophile Performance with an equally stunning Audio / Video experience ...
... but in this case, the Audiophile Quality of the High-End side of the total system is fully carried over to the Audio/Video System.  

The entire system, except for the AV Processor, is composed of cutting-edge Grimm Audio components. Power filtration and cabling is best-in-class and is sourced from LessLoss and AB-Tech.
Ancillary Cable connections, and In-wall System Routing Cabling is Audiophile / ProAudio Level, and is sourced from Grimm Audio's SQM and TPR Mastering Cable Series.

Unique Simplicity

Quite apart from the stunning sonic quality of this dual-function system, what is really unique is the simplicity of its composition :
One Roon-based Server / Streamer, one set of identical and extreme-quality Mains Loudspeakers ... 5 or 7 in all ... One set of 4 (or up to 5) seamlessly-integrated best-in-class Audiophile-level Subwoofers from Mains Loudspeaker manufacturer, a "tidy / uncluttered" Set of In-Wall circuit-flow cabling and Direct Balanced Interconnects ... straight-forward switching from AV-Mode to Audiophile 2-Channel mode ... and, finally, an ease of installation that bears no resemblance to the expensive and complex process of the install of the typical high-end AV system.

Sure, there are some high end brands that "cross-over" to AV, but not at the awe-inspiring sonic level that Grimm Audio offers .. nor do they do this with the compact simplicity of the Grimm Product Design approach. Most Audiophiles and High End Audio Dealers really dread the idea of having to integrate the HE with AV ... but, in this respect, Grimm is a game-changer ... The dreaded sonic compromises are "gone ... gone" !! ... Now, the audiophile H-E side has excellent control over the "A" in A/V.

Cost Effectiveness

Imagine that one insisted on owning both media systems, but at an equal, and superior experiential level. Here, and in so many cases, one ends up with a dedicated, and not great sounding, A/V system in one room ... and the beloved High End Audio System in a separate space. Practically, this would imply that one has to acquire 2 loudspeaker sets, amplification for both, media sources for both, twice the Cabling and Power Filtration, and use up two rooms ... triggering an even higher WAF problem ... Not good !  With the possible exception of AV set-ups that simulate large group-seating theatre environments, this expensive and sub-optimal situation can now be relegated to the annals of history.

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Dual-System Scalability

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The Grimm 2-channel system is comprised of the usual Left / Right source-amplification-speaker chain. The AV-Extension of the audiophile 2-channel system is then effectively "daisy-chained-in".

The AV chain can be configured into a 5.1 set-up by adding 3 more Grimm LS1 Mains Loudspeaker (RR/RL/C), or be scaled up to a 7.1 configuration by adding two more LS1s (SR/SL). As the Grimm subwoofers are "powered" (500W), are physically integrated into the Grimm Mains Loudspeakers, and are connected directly to these via dedicated short XLR cables, one can very easily scale the "Bass Experience" ... in about 5 minutes ... from a basic "dual-system" (Audiophile H-E & AV) 2-Sub set-up (FsubR/FsubL), all the way to a mind-blowing 7-Sub set-up for the AV system.    

The AV system chain operates independently, and all 5 or 7 speakers receive the audio signal from an AV Processor that has the requisite XLR balanced analog outputs that are connected to the respective "powered" speakers's analog inputs through a pre-installed In-Wall Cabling Array that originates from an multiple-input XLR wall-connector-plate directly behind the Processor, and that ends at - up to seven - individual XLR wall plates directly behind, or nearby, each of the loudspeakers. In this manner, the typical Sound Processing features / capabilities of the AV processor will be restituted by the speakers ... without conflicting with the independent 2-Channel System.

In 2-channel Hi-End mode, the Grimm Server /Streamer Source (MU1) connects to the Left & Right Front LS1 Speaker / Sub system via Ethernet cables that transmit the digital signal to the LAN input jacks of the speakers ... and these connect to the onboard Grimm DACs which first convert to analog, and then send the analog signal on to the speakers' onboard amplifiers.

The Grimm MU1's remote-software only communicates with the Left Front and Right Front speakers ... and, therefore, this allows one to select either Ethernet Digital Input from the MU1 for 2-channel Hi-End audiophile mode ... or Analog Input from the AV Processor, whereby the FL and FR LS1 loudspeakers are linked / joined into the 5.1 or 7.1 system ... that's it !

Finally, there are two other "connection twists" that are possible ... but these result in hybrid / non-conventional surround-sound-type sonic experiences ... nonetheless, and for interest only :

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1. Interesting Variant : Streaming Music - or Server-based Music Tracks - processed by the Grimm MU1, and routed from its S/PDIF Digital Ethernet Output (aka LS1 Out) to the Left Front speaker, and from there to the Right Front speaker via an ethernet cable, and from there "ethernet-cable-daisy-chained" on to the next 3 speakers if "5.1", or 5 speakers if "7.1". Here again, this multi-cable daisy chain would be routed "In-Wall", and additional RJ45 jack wall connector plates would be pre-installed for this purpose.

The required schematic for the appropriate ethernet cable routing would be predetermined prior to installation ... The Result : MU1-quality Stream or Music Tracks processed by each of the LS1 onboard DACs. In this multi-speaker connection mode, all 5 ... or 7 ... speakers receive music signal from Grimm-only circuits, and simulate an "un-processed" surround sound experience. This would be totally non-sensical for reproduction of Stage-Sound Music, but could actually add realism to Large Scale Classical Symphonic tracks, or Live Rock Concert tracks, where music in these types of spaces is more multi-axial and reflective.   

2. Less Promising Variant : Streaming Music - or Server-based Music Tracks - processed by the Grimm MU1, and routed from its S/PDIF Coax, or AES, Digital output to the AV Processor's S/PDIF input ... The Result : MU1-quality Stream or Music Tracks processed by Processor's DAC, and from there onward to the 5.1 or 7.1 chain for a "processed surround" experience of Large Scale Classical Symphonic tracks, or Live Rock Concert tracks. The weak aspect here is the relative quality of the Processor's circuitry and its DAC. This, unless one has a unit from, say, Trinnov or Lyngdorf.