THE GRIMM TRUTH

A Q&A WITH AUDIO DESIGNER EELCO GRIMM

- ROGIER VAN BAKEL

But Grimm Audio’s engineering acumen also extends to the analog domain, as evidenced by the LS1c active speaker system that made the cover of Stereophile’s April 2025 issue.1 In John Atkinson's measurements section accompanying my admiring review, JA wrote that over his 40-odd years of bench-testing audio equipment, the LS1c is “the best-measuring loudspeaker I have encountered.”

Considering that accolade plus glowing Stereophile reviews of the Grimm Audio MU1 music streamer (JA, March 2021) and MU2 streamer-preamplifier (KR, August 2024), and an extended conversation with Eelco Grimm seems like a splendid idea. How did he and his team pull off this succession of standout products?

It doesn't hurt that the 58-year-old entrepreneur combines formal training in electrical engineering with practical experience as a studio owner and recording engineer. He's also the former editor-in-chief of Pro Audio magazine, and he teaches at the university-level HKU School of Music and Technology in Utrecht. He has given keynote addresses at gatherings of the International Audio Engineering Society.

In spring 2025, after I had tasked myself with learning more about the LS1 system, I spent a day with Eelco at the High End Munich audio show. Over the next 12 months, we had a half-dozen phone and Facetime calls and exchanged countless emails.