Less than £20 for a USB plug-in drive to the Melco and it will do great rips.
Or spend £800 for the Melco special ripper and it is better - annoyingly - so I got one.
But the cheap USB drive controlled by the Melco to rip was about half as good at a fraction of the price - and since many will claim it makes no difference what you use to rip your CDs (unless you listen to the result) then choose the cheaper solution.
I wanted to know that - so I asked my Dealer to demonstrate it to me. I began expecting absolutely no difference. Selected a CD and ripped using a cheap USB CD drive into a PC running DBPoweramp and listened to that; then moved the exact same portable USB CD drive to the Melco and had it rip the exact same disk - jaw-drop amazed there was a clear difference and Melco was cleaner and less murky.
I’ve reported this before - it was just what happened and believe me from the expressions on my Dealers faces they were just as surprized as me - this was also a new one for them. I don’t know exactly why - this is where there can be a launching of personal attacks - it is what happened and just get the demo or ignore is best if it causes upset.
I then asked for the same test repeated with the Melco CD ripper box and again it was better in the same way on top of the CD into the Melco, but more than half the ‘gap’ difference was just made by getting the Melco to control the cheap USB CD drive for the rip IMO, so hence it was best value - especially of you already had the Melco.
I have had good ripping results with the Buffalo 16x BDXL USB 3.0 optical drive into my Melco, better than the same CD’s ripped via DB poweramp and a LiteOn drive into my MacBookair and then transferred to the Melco
That is exactly what the Melco Designer told me in discussion at a show. Inside their own drive is a Buffalo - I think. In any case he was of opinion that it managed data in a way that gave them better access to it for ripping was the short version of my conversation.
I just wanted a complete solution to rip all my CDs to best result that was fairly automated. Given by then I’d decided to go down the Melco path with my ND555 then using a drive plugged-in via USB made sense - the rip meant pressing a button to confirm to start a rip and select version when there were several and off it went, so easy. Even though it took weeks to do it all.
I did the same test on my Melco with an old plextor usb ripper that was used before only into pc the sound to me was better,I wanted just to be sure from others who did the same test
Good to know. Based on your comments, I just ordered the same Buffalo USB drive. A few months ago before purchasing the Melco, I also tried ripping the same disc on a Core and a then via a Melco USB drive to a N1A/2, the latter proved to sound a little better.
After 4 weeks listening to my Melco,I never heard before music as it is now,everything is real like being in a real concert,there is no half way to get good sound,a good streamer as Nd555 deserve the best server,this is of course my opinion only.
1.a. I am using the direct USB connection from the N1ZH/2 into the TT2. The current cable is an Audioquest Carbon; I trailed a TQ Black USB as well, but couldn’t detect any improvement.
1.b. I also use the Ethernet connection from the Melco into my ND5XS2 - I also use this for Naim Multiroom and for general ease of use of the Naim App, as well as Internet Radio (RP). TQ Waveform II BNC connection into the TT2.
1.c. I also use the Toslink from my TV into the TT2, Audioquest Vodka - surprisingly good SQ.
When Melco release the firmware upgrades for Roon and Internet Radio I may switch to using Roon for multiroom into the 2 x MusoQb2 I have on order.
I will need a Roon Core server as well, but can start that as a trial on an existing Mac in my setup, before implementing a separate device.
Best to carry protection in case of any eventuality
Apparently there will be two releases of the firmware:-
For the Intelligent Music Library (combining SongKong and MinimServer) and better Internet Radio (that can be done now via playlists and m3U files, but it is messy). Hopefully the Melco App will be improved as well.
To make the N1 / N10 range Roon-Ready as an end-point - this will come later - according to the dealer I have been talking to about this. This photo, which is in the public domain, is the proof-point.
I read these Melco threads every week or two. (I use a Roon Nucleus, via my switch.) And years ago, when the NDAC went in favor of an NDS, I was happy to get all of the music server bits out of the room, two floors above, connected by just a long run of Cat-5, via an in-wall RJ-45 outlet.
Philosophically, I remain committed to keeping nothing more than an RJ-45 outlet and ethernet connector cable in the living room. Given that I’ve yet to hear a difference among Synology vs. QNAP vs. Nuc, or Asset vs. MinimServer vs. Roon, I’m pretty pessimistic about being able to hear an improvement with a Melco or other ‘high end’ server in such a configuration. Anyone with a similar configuration (ie, NOT using the Melco as a server remote from its client) want to talk me out of it?