Hi Mr. M,
A summary of what I have learned from lots of reading, speaking to dealers & importers etc.:
The Melco servers do not have the processing speed to run Roon Core, nor is it apparently on Melco’s development plan to do so (I learned at a dealer event recently). However, very good sound quality, especially for Chord dacs. Ripping cds on to the Melco N1ZH/2 was very easy.
The Innuos Zenith III apparently is the minimum level recommended to run Roon Core, though it does not have the processing speed to cope with heavy DSP + multi-room modes (for those that need this). Previous versions of the Zenith and lower spec Innuos servers may not be recommended by Roon. The default choice for many who use a Naim streamer or Chord dac. Ripping cds is also straightforward - insert and forget until it is ejected.
The Antipodes CX server can run Roon Core. The Antipodes EX can just about cope with relatively light Roon processing but not full DSP and multi-room etc. Expensive but apparently one of the best for sound quality (I have not heard these myself).
Audiostore Prestige 3: equivalently easy to use as an Innuos Zenith III, can run the most demanding Roon Core implementations, has a second ethernet connection (I don’t know how quality compares with say Innuos or Melco), uses the same operating software as Antipodes, UK based and the least expensive. Ripping cds is also straightforward - insert and forget until it is ejected.
Naim Uniti Core: Naim’s in-house offering and designed to go with Naim streamers. Does not support Roon.
I ended up buying the Prestige 3, powered by an external linear power supply. The second choice was the excellent Innuos Zenith III. It only beat the Zenith because it was £1,000 less expensive.
Others’ experiences and impressions will be different, so will make their own buying decisions. For example, if you decide to buy a Roon Nucleus or Nucleus+ to be the Roon Core, then it will work with any of the above named servers, including the Melco ones. However, I don’t understand why one would buy a £2-7k server that can run Roon Core and pay £1,500-2,500 for a Nucleus to be the Roon Core. I would either buy a server that can be the Roon Core, or just put a 2-3TB solid state drive into an Intel NUC.
Hope this helps, BF