So completely the opposite result to @Dunc .
That’s a mystery.
And the Beek is generally a booster of the SBooster, so he would say if it sounded better to him.
I recall you saying what an uplift in SQ the SBooster ps gave your Melco N100, but what did you compare the Melco to? Did it replace an IT nas or some other server?
Hi Dunc
So is that just based on a general impression?
or have you tested web streaming vs local streaming since you got your N100?
i.e. have you picked a track on Tidal or Qobuz and then played a CD rip and/or download of the same track at the same resoution and flipped back and forth between the 2 or 3 of these versions to test SQ?
Well i can only say how i found it, and the sbooster made a big difference that is easy to hear. Like i said it has had the biggest jump in performance i have heard from all of my kit thats had something added to it, much more than cables and other power supplies i have tried over the years. I haven’t seen many reviews on it and dont really care that much about any reviews on any kit, as you need to try for yourself as with anything, as we all like different things, but to say it makes it worse i find extremely hard to believe and even more so when you look at what its being compared against, lets hope he had the right one and set to the right output, as there is quite a few ways to get it wrong.
As for my test with qobuz and tidal and ripped tracks, i couldn’t hear any difference between tidal or qobuz when i tried it, but ripped and hires did have a sound advantage, this was using the same track and fairly sure the same quality on tidal and qobuz.
I have the top one with tidal and it was what ever you can try for free with qobuz and can’t remember if that was the top one or not, but i dont think i would have bothered if it wasnt.
OK, thanks for that info, Dunc.
cheers
Jim
Yes, very pricey as all fancy cables.
Well i have listened to that review and found it interesting, so much so i then listened to another review about what the standard type power supplies and linear do.
With that i looked at what i have :-
The melco has a 12V and 4 amp supply
The sbooster is switchable but set to 12V but interestingly it only has a 3 amp max output.
I would like to think that sbooster know what they are doing, but reading into it, it looks like it should be 4 amp minimum ? Anyway as said it has improved the sound, so why worry?
But after reading about how the standard power supply can put noise and dirt back into the mains which can then degrade the rest off the system, i decided to try putting the old supply back on but instead of plugging it into my dedicated hifi ring main, to just plug it into the normal house ring main.
Well this also looks like its a winner, very surprised by it really. Got to go out in a bit, but i think i need to look deeper into all this as its apparent that the standard power supply is not great but maybe if i use it differently then its fine?
But this sbooster has now got me abit worried due to its lower amp output, even though it sounds great.
Anyway will revisit it all later
Here are 2 linear ps specially made for Melco. One from Melco, as optional ps and a second from MCRU. With specs. It can help.
It consists of : 1. Custom Elite 6 Amps balanced power supply with on/off control by Melco N1A / N1A-2 via a separate control socket. 2. Melco will control the overall system power of the linear power supply; you do not need to off the linear power supply. 3. Machined back plate with 2 special DC sockets (one for on/off control by N1A / N1A-2, one for DC power supply to N1A / N1A-2). 4. OFC cable used for connection to internal connector of N1A / N1A-2 5. Two cables to connect the external Elite BDC power supply to the converted N1A / N1A-2
A new design fully regulated linear power supply in custom designed casework suitable for up to 5 amps current draw. Standard configuration is 12V DC output, this can be adjusted to suit the customers equipment. The case is a custom design which is much smaller than our existing 5 amp supplies and can be located on your equipment rack on a shelf or behind the equipment.
Replacing the supplied switching (SMPS) power supply that comes bundled with your new equipment with a fully regulated linear design brings tangible sonic improvements easily heard and proven by 100’s of existing customer feed-backs.
Further tests and it does sound better to me with the sbooster, plus it doesn’t matter if i plug it into the hifi ring unlike the standard melco one that does sound better if not plugged in on the same ring.
Still the lower amp rate does bother me a bit and i might enquire about this, as i haven’t paid for the sbooster and it can go back, but then its cheap and if making a difference.
Melco’s UK distributor ADMM is now offering PLiXiR power supplies for the N100, S100, E100 and D100, so I would assume that’s the best option for anyone looking to upgrade their N100 with a linear power supply.
https://www.stereonet.co.uk/news/plixir-perfect-power-debuts-in-the-uk
Darkebear…I have a question for you,does the second ethernet cable going from Melco to Sisco (not the one to Nd555) has any influence in terms of sound with different cables? Did you notice any changes?
Yes they do - rather a lot unfortunately!
It would be great if it were limited to just the Melco to ND555 link, which I’d once hoped it would be - in fact I once thought even that link was not going to be that critical.
I’ve been on a journey of learning since I purchased my ND555 and Melco. The most important link seems to be that between Melco and ND555 as if that is wrong it is either over-dull or bright, but there are several good options that I found could be made to give what I wanted.
The Melco to switch and the switch itself matters a lot; people are wanting to think it does not but experience shows it does, so pay good attention to that IMO.
Presently I use AQ Vodka between Melco to ND555 and a good cheap Cat6 KabelDirekt from Melco to switch. This latter link could ruin performance if chosen poorly - I found Cat6 unscreened here worked superbly - Cat7 or other HiFi cable types sounded truly awful.
DB.
Okey thanks… yesterday my dealer gave me for test a Chord T-Sarum ethernet ( very expensive)from Melco to Nd 555 it is better than my Melco cable I had before,now I want this Melco cable to try between Melco-switch …Instead a c-chord I used.
Meni… I have a question for you. Did you ever get round to trying the E100 hard drive in place of your WD hard drive?
I don’t need I already have an hard disc into my Melco,still enough place
Thanks Meni. I realise you have no need for an E100 now that you have your N10 but in June last year you were contemplating using an E100 in place of your WD hard drive:
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/melco-d100-usb-optical-disc-drive/2808
I just wanted to know if you had actually tried the E100 and, if so, was it significantly better than the WD hard drive?
Right …I considered purchasing E100 straight to Nd555 USB server instead of my WD I used at that time…since that time my opinion changed to buy Melco N10
Thanks Meni. The reason I asked is that I am still using a WD hard drive via USB into my ND555. I am now trying to decide whether to:
(a) opt for a Melco or Innuos server, to connect via Ethernet, or
(b) opt for an E100 with a PLiXiR linear power supply (as offered by Melco UK) and possibly a better, audiophile USB cable.
I cannot help wondering whether option (b) might not yield as good, or almost as good, results in terms of sound quality as the more expensive option (a). I remember you saying that a Melco N100 was not as good as your previous WD hard drive - USB - ND555 setup.
So it seems to me that if I want to achieve sound quality superior to option (a) then I would need to opt for something along the lines of the Melco N10, as you have, or perhaps the N1ZEX or at the very least an Innuos ZENith mk3.
I would welcome any further thoughts that you or anyone else might have regarding the above choice.
Cannot tell you anything on Innuos server but Melco as a server for me was the most upgrade I ever heard,indeed I was not impressed with N100 but the next one N1h2 I had for a month before i received N10 was by far better via usb into Nd555…you mention N1ZEX okey also great… was the first Melco I heard
Never tried that - was not sure it even worked for some reason - probably because my Dealer told me it was not as good as Ethernet.
You found USB better with Melco prior to N10 but not now?
Mine is Melco N1Zh-2 version - is that what you tried?
DB.
Dark…Your Melco was amazing,I heard it first when the dealer came to me for a demo…later on I decided After I heard yours to buy for myself n10,in the meantime untill I ll get my purchase I did he borrowed me n1h2 …so I was lucky to listen both of them.
