92%
Grimm Audio PW1
For many generations, true lovers of sound and music are inspired by vinyl playback. 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.
Grimm Audio’s co-founder Peter van Willenswaard 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!
For the PW1 “Phono Wizard”, Peter managed to develop a solid state phono preamplifier that matches his best tube based designs. Peter believes that designing a good phono preamp is not about achieving the lowest possible harmonic distortion as an isolated parameter. He searches for an elegantly minimalistic circuit design in which he optimizes the ‘electric environment’ of all the active components, in conjunction with a meticulously tuned power supply. Needless to say that passive components like capacitors and resistors are carefully picked.
The result is a well balanced design with Peter’s signature sound, that is very spacious, detailed and open, but at the same time rhythmically addictive and emotionally involving.
The industrial design had to justify this quality. Michiel Uylings of MU1 fame matched the sonics with a simple but powerful cabinet shape and Grimm Audio’s design team made the copper shielded interior look like a piece of art. Truly a design for generations to come.
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Professional Reviews 92/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
95/100
Cartridge Compatibility
95/100
Build Quality
93/100
Value for Money
82/100
The Grimm Audio PW1 pairs near-silent transparency with tube-like tonal ease, uncovering a wide, deeply layered soundstage, explosive dynamics and muscular bass without hard edges. AUDIOKEY REVIEWS found its presentation exceptionally spacious and involving, while The Ear praised its fluent, open delivery. Extensive MM/MC loading and gain adjustment makes this a compelling reference-grade vinyl front end.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Exceptionally quiet, transparent and spacious presentation with natural tonal ease rather than clinical edge.
Explosive dynamics, rhythmic drive and solid, powerful bass preserve the energy and scale of demanding recordings.
Highly adaptable MM and MC support, with broad gain, impedance and capacitance options plus RCA and balanced XLR outputs.
Compact, elegant construction integrates a heavily shielded internal power supply while maintaining an exceptionally low noise floor.
&
Cons
Underside DIP switches for gain and loading can be fiddly to access and set accurately.
Premium pricing is harder to justify for listeners who do not need its extensive cartridge-matching precision.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 95/100
Reviews portray the PW1 as exceptionally transparent, quiet and open, while retaining tube-like richness and ease rather than sounding clinical. Its presentation is repeatedly described as rhythmically alive, spacious and emotionally absorbing, with no meaningful sonic weakness identified in the supplied listening reports.
Transparency Noise Floor
96/100
Low noise is a defining strength. Alpha Audio measured almost -100 dB at the MM input, while The Ear and Audiokey report very low noise and successful use with even the lowest-output MC cartridges; Audiokey says the unit effectively disappears into the system.
Tonal Balance Musicality
94/100
The Ear hears fluency, openness and a revealing balance that never becomes hard-edged, with authentic tone and engaging vocal depth. Audiokey similarly praises the blend of tube-like richness and texture with solid-state clarity and control, calling it natural and addictive.
Dynamics
96/100
Dynamics draw especially emphatic praise: The Ear reports serious energy, groove, pace and muscular bass, with recordings sounding vibrant and live. Audiokey found excellent impact and explosive tension and release, while other coverage highlights ample headroom and rhythmic drive.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
Reviewers consistently describe a spacious, detailed and open presentation. Audiokey heard a wide, deep stage with air and realism, plus accurately framed instrumental spaces; The Ear also notes strong separation without losing musical coherence.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Cartridge Compatibility
95/100
Dedicated MM and MC inputs, selectable gain, impedance and capacitance settings, and both RCA and XLR outputs make this an unusually adaptable phono stage. Reviewers report that it can be tailored successfully for multiple cartridges, including low-output MC designs, though the underside DIP switches are somewhat fiddly to access.
Build Quality
93/100
The PW1 combines first-class fit and finish with a thoughtfully shielded internal layout, including a copper-shielded interior and low-magnetic-field transformer designed to prevent hum. Reviewers praise the compact integrated power-supply arrangement and elegant casework, although one report finds the overall form somewhat bulky.
Value for Money
82/100
At roughly $4,900/€4,800/£4,695, the PW1 is positioned as a serious high-end purchase, and Audiokey calls it a reference among phono stages below $10,000. However, ecoustics notes that lower-priced MM/MC alternatives may be sufficient for listeners who do not need its unusually precise adjustment options, making its premium harder to justify for less demanding systems.
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Authorized dealers for Grimm Audio PW1
- The Audio Association — in-store — Anaheim, California, United States (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Atelier 13 Audio — in-store — Forest Hills, Tennessee, United States (website)
- Audio Archon — online and in-store — Libertyville, Illinois, United States (website)
- Audio Connection — online and in-store — Verona, New Jersey, United States (website)
- Audio Elation — in-store — Lolo, Montana, United States (website)
- Audio Excellence (CH) — Switzerland (website)
- Audio Gallery — online and in-store — Las Rozas de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Philosophy — in-store — Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States (website)
- Audio Vision San Francisco — online and in-store — San Francisco, California, United States (website)
and 70 more verified dealers