Just to clarify, when you said that the N1h2 (which I assume is the N1ZH2) “was by far better via USB into ND555”, did you mean that it was far better than your WD Hard drive via USB into ND555.
Like Darkebear, I wasn’t aware that the Melco servers could be used in this way.
In fact, I am fairly sure that when I have spoken to reps from either Melco or Innuos, they have said that music stored on the hard drives within their servers could not be accessed from an ND555 via USB. This is why I have been considering the E100 as that would apparently be capable of access/playback via USB.
I replaced a SSD drive I was using as an expansion drive to my SSD 2TB N1 with an E100 which has 3TB. To my ears the sound is almost indistinguishable whether the file is playing from the main unit or the expansion drive, so I am very flappy with it. Like DB I have only ever connected the main Melco via Ethernet to my ND555 and never thought it was possible via USB.
That’s odd, I cannot find any reference to the N1h/2. As far as I can see the range here in the UK (in ascending price order) is:
N100
N1A/2
N1ZH/2
N10
N1ZS/2
Well a good friend of mine has just popped round and left me with his n1zs/2 (top of the range i think) well it slaughters my N100 enouth said lol
As for a dealer saying the sbooster gets it close, well no it doesn’t, it makes it better but not even close.
Sorry for any confusion in the posts above, i take it all back, off now to stand in the corner for a while as punishment and yes the sbooster will be going back
Sounds so nice, making me think even more about my digital side, my nds has never sounded so good.
Mind you his taste in music is very different to mine, but he did have a few albums i also have on mine, but they sound very different and both ripped from CD on the recommended buffalo drive we both have.
But we are thinking about going halves on a D100 and re ripping them all, but think that a better melco for me would also have to be on the radar as well.
Well i have this for 6 weeks now while he goes off to New Zealand, dont think i will want to give it back.
It gives me a stronger desire still to get the z model. The source is the streamer / Dac / server trio, so not only the nds or nd555.
I am quite certain that an nds/ Melco n1z is on the same league, maybe even better, than a nd555/ common nas.
I thought it offered just what I wanted in context of my system in terms of easy to access detailed musical sound with low coloration. It was certainly better and a standard NAS my Dealer demoed and loaned me - the Melco N1zh/2 with ND555 is spectacularly good IMO.
I did hear a non run-in Melco and then the same one a few weeks/months later and there was a very large improvement to what matters to me so they do run-in. New it can sound a bit polite and held-back - but I got an ex-dem N1zh/2 with a year plus on it and it slaughtered a new SSD version I compared it with at the time - but the SSD version did later improve after a few months.
I’m very happy with mine and any future upgrades will be elsewhere.
Well made the jump and got myself a lovely x demo today.
Already got quite a bit of music on it, but most off it is not for me, but it does sound lovely.
