Quite… I think credibility of that particular dealer needs to be questioned… unless perhaps they were comparing it with wet string before.
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Well we don’t hear much (anything?) about the PHY layer setup on the Melco including the serial clock… and it is this area that I believe provides the improvement with the Catalysts.
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The users here of Melco direct with their nd555 use all cheap ethernet switch ( @BertBird, @Darkebear, @Meni…). They prefer the direct melco mode but i don’t know if they could compare vs connection to a high quality switch.
My audioquest diamond are also removing noise and have some ethernet isolation.
I hope they will respond. However all is system dependent.
I’ve spoken to three dealers who sell Melco, not with the intention of buying one, but just in passing whilst looking at the NDX2 and Innuos Zenith. I wouldn’t take any of what they or I say/said as definitive but I came away with a sense that if you valued detail over PRaT then the Melco was more likely the product for you. Different products for slightly different markets if you like.
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in all cisco connection the prat is there. The direct mode is slowing a bit but it doesn’t lack prat in nas use.
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I never use Melco in ‘Direct Mode’ as they call it as it is horrible, so I turn that off - I have said this on this forum a few times.
But I do prefer it directly connected: switch - Melco - ND555 and it is in no way slow of poor timing but the opposite. But I do not have ‘direct mode’ option selected.
But the Melco ‘direct mode’ - I tried it selected and found it very non-involving - experimented with it not selected as a front panel option and then all the low-level detail returned.
I reported my ‘wrong’ result to Melco and they said they would investigate - and I have no idea if things improved or not later.
With a lot of these features Manufactures try to include ‘obvious’ technical ‘improvements’ that on the superficial face of it should be better - isolation is better - but does it cause another problem - and my listening result was yes, definitely.
Always listen to what it does. It is why I carefully home-auditioned and played with my demo unit and its options before purchase.
DB.
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i wanted to say Melco and Nds connected together by ethernet cable. Nds connected to the melco switch ( player).
It needs to be on a good shelf. If in full glass-shelf Fraim it needs its large front feet just peeking over the front of the Fraim glass shelf, otherwise it will sound slow and over bass-heavy with timing impaired I found.
Experiment - try it on a glass shelf even it is is a temporary ‘ball-nutter’ home-build one.
DB.
I have following set up (in order) : Netgear router, 20 m Supra Ethernet, Cisco 2960, Melco Ethernet, Melco N1Z 6TB, Vertere Ethernet to NDS .
My Melco is on the top shelf on the Brown rack so no problem to connect Ethernet cables. I have FraimLite but I have the Melco and the Brains on Fraim glass shelves with Naim ball bearings.
I am very pleased with the music coming out from the loudspeakers. I really like my Melco.
it’s on finite elemente cerapucks, on a lovan rack. So the support is good.
I found that the direct mode was set up by default. So i set up the other mode ( pont in french, bridge ?): the sound is more alive and involving now, when connected to the player melco switch ( to nds).
So i will compare vs all connnected to cisco 2960. But for now i feel the differences will be minimal.
How about the files share? i have no nas, so i don’t have to set up that?
I’ve left the file-share Melco option to ‘on’. I did try turning it off and think for the same reasons I prefer it ‘on’ - it also allows me to manage the files on the Melco like a shared network drive from my Computer (Windows 7 OS) - not that I do a lot of that but useful for editing Album artworks and changing folder names (as I keep different recording versions in different folder names).
DB.
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have you compared nds to cisco 2960 vs nds to melco switch ?
i know the melco player connection is recommended, but the cisco 2960 is not a cheap switch…
I am now comparing both connecting, but with Direct Mode disabled.
No I have never put the Cisco between the Melco and the NDS but will try tomorrow. I just followed the recommendations from Melco which for me made sense. I should be surprised if it make a positive difference. But who knows.
Right now thunderstorms
yes, it’s the melco recommendation. But they consider common cheap switches vs their switch player port. The cisco is in another league.
I am curious to have your feedback.
Congrats on the Melco. Yeah, ran into the same issue on a my FraimLite so the Melco sits on the shelf. Having the ethernet ports in the middle is not ideal.
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If the switch is not doing anything more that connecting the Melco to the NDS then it seems a bit of a waste of investment to use only the two ports to connect two boxes.
If it is being used for more than two ports then it is handling more traffic than just between Melco and NDS and it is hard to see how that may improve things - it may but the direct connection should be better I’d have guessed - but if not then you will know.
I’d think you should at least try to use it for a while as Melco suggest, as that is the whole point of it. The cisco switch is still just a professional grade switch that happens to work well with HiFi from what has been heard, but was not designed for that role specifically.
DB.
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i disabled the direct mode , and the sound is more involving now.
I am listening on the suggested player mode and will try again vs all to cisco tomorrow.
Thanks DB.
the player mode is not on now, but the second mode. The second mode sounds better on connecting to melco switch ( player) and all cisco connected. I have just now to choose between melco switch or cisco switch. No rush.
I’m confused. It’s the last thing I’d buy. A fancy nas, all fur coat and no knickers.
today i am hearing something better than i was used to with my past unitserve / linear ps. The instruments are a bit nicer and the sound is cleaner. However not night and day.
The unitserve combo was already a bit better vs the uniticore.
The prat is restored too ( not using the direct mode).