Just installed today the Melco n1zh/2. Bought ex demo for a wonderful price. It’s even not completely run in, still opening since 7 hours.
Vs the n1h/ 2 , the difference is very clear: The sound is just more right, natural, with better defined instruments and bass, more realistic vocals, more body, and opened soundstage.
The most important thing that appears is to that the sound is just right, better balanced and free going.
A question to the owners of it: how to configure the hdd inside for best sound performance : raid 0, mirror…
Do you found that Melco configured in Flac sounds better, or in Wav?
I think mine is Raid 0 - the version which gives you twice the drive space (6TB) and no redundancy. Just back it up is the advice - I do a full back-up every few months and partial as I add new music onto a secondary NAS elsewhere.
Melco were going to use Raid 1 (3TB) but found Raid 0 sounded far better by a large margin so they recommend that.
I use WAV for best SQ as there is plenty of storage space. I demoed Flac vs WAV and you should try it too to decide which you prefer (if any) and why. I found WAV sounded more natural with a darker presentation and better bass - Flac was a bit brighter - not massive but a worthwhile choice to go Wav.
…also I prefer the Twonky Server on the Melco compared to Minim Server - try both and decide is my advice, the do not sound the same.
I will configure raid 0 as you advised me.
For flac vs wav, I have not had time yet to choose.
I will rediscover now all my albums, more today however, I am transferring…
Great to have received my Melco in these sad times. It will change my mind and occupy more my days.
I had the choice to create another Raid 0 . But it would supress all my files. So I think I will leave as configured .
Will leave a bit run in too. I feel it’s like new item, still improving.
Congrats. I am hoping to move up to the N1Z model soon. Still using the N1A but your comments inspire me to make the leap.
Same here, also used a spanned HD set up. If ripping via USB attached drive, I selected uncompressed FLAC for better metadata management and still going back and forth between Miminserver and Twonky. I prefer the flexibility of the different browsing options offered by Minimserver.
Unlike yourself, I am also using the Melco as a streamer into a pre-amp with built-in USB DAC. The Melco apps is actually better than average bu prefer using the Lumin app, which works really well.
Also on raid 0, I have a separate “normal” hdd of 5tb connected to the usb slot as I have about 10tb of music. I would like to improve on that setup as I know the separate is not optimal, but don’t know how to make it much better…, and in the current crisis I will not spend on hifi unless everything has normalized again…
I had the n1h2 before. Now in a package. I didn’t changed the raid , storage configuration. I even don’t know what is settled.
However if I change now I will erase all my files.
Just will compare now flac vs wav. But I feel the differences are very very minimal in my system and ears.
Ive tried UnitiServe, Synology nas/MinimServer, QNAP nas /Asset server, and Roon Nucleus/Roon server. I’ve never done ‘direct’ comparisons (rapid a vs. b switching), but I’ve always felt that they all sound the same or at least all good.
I compared the N1A/2, a Naim Uniti Core and a QNAP TS112, an older single bay NAS. Both Melco and NAS were running Miminserver, Naim Core, it’s own software. The original audio file was ripped from a Melco USB drive to a Melco N1A/2 then transferred to the Naim and QNAP. We repeated this exercise using the same disc but this time ripping from the Naim Uniti Core.
There were three of us and we all perceived the rip from the Melco to the Melco in uncompressed FLAC to be the best sounding.
We also thought that the digital file transferred from the Melco onto the Naim sounded better than the Naim’s internal rip of the same file.
It is 10x better, no, not at all but there were some subtle differences. I thought the presentation of the Melco was darker and just more natural but I could easily live with the Naim as well. The NAS was a distant third.
Were the Core, QNAP and Melco all on the same network and functioning as UPnP servers? That’s how I’d want to compare them, personally.
It’s nice that the same rip was used for all 3 . . . that eliminated a variable (for those who believe that not all bit-perfect rips sound the same). But for now I’m not entertaining discussion of rips, just servers
you`re Connected to nds/ 555dr, by Ethernet cable. Melco to switch and Melco to Nds by Ethernet.
Mode bridge ( not direct mode)…Like me Mode bridge (not isolated mode) different name in N10 but the same intantion
Yes, all on the same network, using the same brand/type of ethernet cables, all connected to the same Cisco switch and using the same streamer, amp and speakers. Only difference was which device was serving the source material.
This was the major reason I purchased the Melco. I was looking for a high end server. Seeing most of my library was already on my QNAP, I just transferred the files over. In the year that I’ve had the Melco, I’ve only ripped a handful of discs.
I had unitserve, then unitserve / linear ps, then Melco n1a2 , then now Melco n1z2, connected each time as Nas.
Each step was an uplift.
When I compared nds to nd555 , both playing Tidal and Qobuz ( on mconnect app for Qobuz), I found the sound similar, but all better with the nd555. With the nd555, there was bigger scale, more defined instruments, more defined bass, and an impression of more natural and effortless sound.
It’s what I hear now with my new Melco n1z, vs the n1a. The same differences than between nds and nd555.
So , my opinion and feeling, the nds/Melco n1z/2 is on the same league as bare nd555 ( with a common nas).
Can’t compared directly, but it’s what I feel, regard of what I said above.
