yes, i will try after. Correct metadata is much better of course.
Since 4 hours i lost twice the connection with the server . I had to restart twice the melco and my nds. Curious ?
Apologies. Was meant for frenchrooster.
I went through this exercise. I demoed the N1A2 and found my UnitiCore rips significantly better. I was unable to get the Naim metadata to work on the Melco and since the Melco dedicated cd ripper was not producing superior results I gave up. It’s a nicely made machine and “on paper” it should be very good… but the UnitiCore (and the Naim ripping engine) was superior.
I left both identical Naim and Melco rips on the hard drive when I returned it… even the dealer agreed the Naim rips sounded better. I know some Forum members are getting good results from the Melco… this was my experience.
i understand Chris, however i will not buy a ripper alone for 1k. I ripped all my cds on the unitserve, but for now i am unable to transfer them to my melco.
However i bought the melco essentially for its sound quality capabilities. I feel on my system that it’s better vs unitserve and uniticore.
I started today to rip on my pc, with free trial dbpoweramp. I think the rips are very fine and still sound better than on my previous unitserve / linear ps.
Also consider plugging a cheap USB CD Drive into the USB3 expansion port on the Melco and letting it control the CD Drive and do the rip for you. I did that and it is as quick as on computer and I thought the rips were a bit better.
People have strong anti-Melco experiences and seem not to want to credit anyone who has had a good experience here it seems.
I respect the negative experience some have had and have in other ways learned from their journey and general honesty of opinions put forth - but there seems to be a bit of a ‘one truth’ consensus thing here whereby if I have an experience then you will have the same - which with HiFi and life in general I’ve never experienced happen myself.
I experience overlap of opinions at times which can be nice - and also divergence which I find even more interesting as I may learn something I can use to better my own journey - sometimes I do just that and am thankful in myself that I moved my position onward by being open-minded to what others found to be their own truths.
But I still hold my own truth as I perceive and experience it - it does not seem to want to fit with any normalized consensus a lot of the time, but fortunately that does not matter. For some people it does seem to matter.
Above musings nothing to do with FR journey, just the flak he may get for trying something different bemuses me.
DB.
i am satisfied now with the melco. The sound is a bit better vs my previous combo, the look is elegant, the use is easy, and it’s silent. No hdd noises.
I have just now to understand how to use songbook and change the cover arts. I have 15 albums with the same wrong cover ( cover of another album i have too).
1 Like
I think I mentioned basic drives before. If you are concerned they may not be up to the job for you, remember that Melco was born out of Buffalo, then do a search, I can find three drives, two slimline USB connection (one of which is reduced to £31.87), and a mains powered blu-ray for £108 which is still a recommended option for CD import on the Melco website.
you can see on the picture the serious of the brand. Naim should do that with all their default nova, uniticore or nd555. Anything not perfect can’t leave Melco factory.
1 Like
Yesterday I put the Cisco switch between the Melco and the NDS. No difference for my ears in clearness/noise/quality of the sound. (I have never used direct mode)
A week ago outside the Forum I had a mail conversation about the Melco Ethernet cable.
I use a Vertere between the Melco and the NDS and a Melco Ethernet between the Melco and the Cisco. I was asked to compare the Vertere with the Melco Ethernet between the NDS and the Melco. I swapped and there was a huge difference in low frequencies. The Vertere gave a clean, detailed and solid low frequencies compared to the Melco which was not not as detailed. OK it’s a price difference of 20 times so It should… be better. (Shouldn’t it? 
)
During my tests yesterday with the Supra Ethernet from the Netgear directly into the Melco and with the Melco Ethernet between Cisco and the Melco the sound became brighter. The Vertere was always connected to the NDS.
For my ears the Supra was too bright but maybe the Melco is not bright enough. I got confused and am not sure if the Melco Ethernet should be replaced with something less bright. On the other hand singers I know from jams are in my actual setup “identical” with live performance. So 
. I will do nothing prior arrival of my ND555. It should arrive before end of next week 
.
So my conclusion is. As I had 3 different Ethernet cables during my trial I can not say I am 100% sure but believe it does not matter if the Cisco is between the Melco and the Streamer or before the Melco. True conclusion was (for my ears) that different Ethernet cables connected into the Melco change the sound when playing music from the HDD.
1 Like
I am using an Entreq Primer Ethernet cable from the Cisco 2960 switch to the Melco N1ZH/2 LAN Port and then the Melco Ethernet cable from the Melco to ND5XS2 out of the Player Port.
In terms of sound quality and range I found, in direct comparative trials in my own system, the N1ZH/2 to be better than the Uniti Core which in turn was better than a N1A/2. I have bought the N1ZH/2, my Uniti Core is up for sale, and the N1A/2 went back to the dealer (Audio Therapy).
Completely Agree with you, I had both,MelcN1ZH/2 is much better than Unity Core as a nas,N1A/2 is about the same.
,
i feel the differences not night and day vs the unitserve / uptone ps, uniticore, and n1a2. In term of prat and involvement, no differences.
But in term of naturalness, i would say that the n1a2 is a bit better. Less grainy, more clean.
I hope to have the n1z in less than one year. I am convinced now:sunglasses:
I do believe that Naim employ QC as items leave their factory. The suggestion that they write in Japanese is a good one, but I don’t think it’ll accomplish anything.
Not a high endorsement for a $5500.00 music server (the N1Z that is; N1A2 is $2500). It’s been great to read your results and I appreciate your reports! I will stay with my $300 nas and Intel NUC running Roon Core.
mine is not the n1z, but n1a2. Apparently the n1z is a great step from users here. The improvement vs my last combo is still easily discernable. And my melco has perhaps only 10 hours run in.
Seems unusual to spend more on your NAS than on your streamer/DAC?
Hi FR
Do you only use the Melco for ripping and serving?
IIRC, you don’t stream at all from Qobuz or similar, except occasional exploration on a free membership? So you presumably cannot say whether the Melco makes a difference to the SQ of streamed files from Tidal or Qobuz?
Jim
it makes no differences because the player/ streamer is the nds still. The melco is used as a nas.
For me, the melco is the turntable/ arm/ motor and the nds is the cartridge/ phono stage.
If i may make such analogy.
1 Like
Hum.
The Melco is surely the shelves where the records are.
And the vinyl discs and sleeves.
And yes also the TT too.
Not sure the whether the tonearm is part of the NAS or Player in this analogy…?
or melco the cd drive/ transport and the streamer/ dac the dac, if you prefer.
In turntable analogy, the melco is the transport = the turntable, and the dac is the cartridge and phono stage combo.
Just analogy…methaphorism…
1 Like