I had the Melc n1a/2 but just moved to innuos zenith mk3
Melco sounded good but frustrated with lack of roon/software
Went with innuos as could run roon core and player from same box and is great in that regard. Also found the zenith much more sensitive to setup than the melco was. Good isolation like cera pucks and a decent power cable made a big difference (same thing didn’t do as much on the melco) overall when setup right found the innuos gave better sq than the n1a/2 melco.
But I think the main thing is how you want to run it software wise upnp or roon, quobuz/tidal integration etc
I found melco to be a good product and definitely gave improvement in sq to my qnap nas, but not if you want roon (n1a/2 also cheaper than the innuos zenith mk3)
Innuos is the one if easy roon integration is what your after. Sq wise felt innuos slightly edged it over the n1a/2 once setup right, but melco has other models above the n1a/2 which likes French rooster using to good effect which are cheaper than innuos mid range special edition zenith and are meant to give a much more significant uplift in sq over the n1a/2
Ultimately it was the roon intergratoon that swung me to innuos
That leaves me a little unclear! For clarification, am Inright in understanding that in your view for people who do not like or want Roon, Melco sounds better?
Think he’s saying that with a Zenith player since they come with a Roon Core built in its easier to integrate Roon into your system
The Roon Core in the Innuos is not as powerful As a nucleus so it’s limited to how much DSP ( if you run DSP on your system )
But it’s a great solution for Roon users
Less than 24 months ago I replaced a QNAP with a Melco N1A/2 to use as a server only. Had a chance to compare it to a Core and in my setup, the N1A/2 sounded better. At the time, it was feeding a NDX 2 and previously a Uniiti Nova.
I since sold off the NDX 2 and also recently replaced the Melco N1A/2 with a newer N1Z EX model which now serves as both a streamer and music server. It is connected to a modest USB DAC. I am completely gobsmacked on how good the N1Z model sounds. It is outstanding. I do not miss my NDX 2. In my case, I have no need for Roon and do not need to rip CDs. The Melco offers loads of custom feature and has a dedicated ethernet connection to a network streamer, which you may appreciate.
Although I have not heard a N1Z as a music server only, I can only imagine how insanely good it will be feeding a NDS+555PS-DR.
Audition at the beginning unity core as a server compared it to my Laptop pc,both sound to me equal,latter on i audition Melco n1z/2 and sound was by far much better, ended up with the bigger one N10 for a better price comes with a seperate ps,Innuos Zenith never tried …i`m happy with the reasolts…Melco n1a/2 is only a compromise
I see in older post that you use Simaudio mind into Ndac/ 555 ps.
I would recommend Innuos zenith mk2 second hand > good usb/ spdif cable > Ndac/ ps.
You would have a better streamer and Nas in the same time.
IMHO
I would throw into the mix an Audiostore server.
This time last year I listened to a Moon, Core and Innuous when I wanted to replace my Qnap NAS. I thought that they were all over priced.
I went for an Audiostore Prestige - it rips faster than my MacBook Pro, has Roon preinstalled, and a LPS is available.
The Statement Innuos probably.
The best of the best, for some who tried , seems to be the Taiko SGM extreme server. Around 25 k.
But myself could not compare N10, Innuos Stat, Taiko SGM.
I bought a Melco N10 and D100 ripper and to be honest I couldn’t be happier. I can organise my music in ways I only dreamt of before. There is vast amounts of space. I have used 21% so far and have ripped maybe 800 CD’s. I am probably ⅓ of my way through the task but the Melco lets me do everything I could do on a computer (via the computer) with zero restrictions. Its always available to my Muso QB2 in the kitchen or my Nova in the office. I can use the software of my choice to edit the metadata etc. Playing a ripped CD sounds better than Hires streaming via Qobuz and an EtherRegen into Nova. Whats not to like?!! ND555 will be here soon and I imagine that will really allow the Melco to sing. I am very glad I made the jump.
