I think it’s pretty difficult to come to any firm conclusion. They’re all valid choices and it’s best not to buy without an audition - like pretty much anything in audio. That was my only point really, not to diss Melco, notwithstanding my poor view of their switch.
FWIW I preferred the sound of a fanless QNAP NAS to the Naim Core - even more so when I shut down everything unnecessary to run Minim and then subsequently Asset, but found the Nucleus better than both…
I agree that making a firm conclusion is not ideal. But personally I think, it’s my opinion, as it’s always is ( I know, I should have written the iconic IMHO), that an audiophile Nas, be it Melco, Innuos, or Antipodes, is better than a cheap noisy Nas as Qnap or something like that.
That experience is covered by so many people in so many forums that it’s difficult to say it’s not a common idea.
A Unitserve or Core is not a cheap Nas. It’s integrated in the Naim ecosystem, and some prefer an all Naim system, from cables to the source.
A Roon Nucleus is also a different thing, because it’s a main Roon component. So if you are a Roon guy, you may prefer it.
Have there been comparisons between a Roon Nucleus and say Melco or Inous on the forum. A quick search was not helpful.
The Sterophile review of the Innuos Statement compares it to the Roon Nucleus (for SQ). You can find it online with just a short search.
Thanks Michael
Innuos statement review / part time audiophile:
Let me be clear: the ZENith Mk 3 server is truly excellent — it beats the literal snot out of the Roon Labs Nucleus (reviewed here). It embarrasses every Mac I’ve ever tried, both with and especially without specialty audio software. The ZENith is a reference-quality solution.
And then there’s the Statement.
Wow, it is that good?
Was this review written by a spotty teenager?
I assume jsaudio was looking for a credible review.
I agree anything written like that you can clearly instantly disregard as puerile and subjective.
I can’t comment that expression, as I don’t understand it 
The review is from Part time audiophile. com
Apart from the adolescent language, that’s a very different assessment of the Statement vs. Nucleus than the Stereophile Reviews, with quite detailed and nuanced comments by Jason Serinus and John Atkinson.
I’ve corrected my post its was Stereophile not Audiophile (sorry!), the main review by Jason Serinus and a follow-up by John Atkinson
Stereophile review:
With the Statement as Roon Core, the music sounded markedly different than when the Nucleus + was the Core. With the Statement as the Roon Core, the music lacked transparency and detail, the soundstage wasn’t as wide, etc. Setting the Statement to “Roon as Player Only” delivered music that was more involving. Bass seemed deeper and more profound, and the window between listener and source was scrubbed clean. Multiple back-and-forth comparisons on the opening section of “Hotel California” confirmed that with the Statement as Roon Player and the Nucleus + running Roon Core, guitar timbres sounded more interesting and complex, and the music as a whole grew more present and alive. Apparently, and unsurprisingly, the Statement works best with its own software running on its own hardware.
Nucleus vs Statement, Stereophile:
Sound and silence
“Feeding the dCS Rossini DAC/Clock combo via a Nordost Valhalla 2 USB cable, differences emerged between the two servers, with the Nucleus + powered by an external LPS. I played two very different test tracks, Berg’s sonically complex, 12-tone Three Pieces for Orchestra , from a San Francisco Symphony digital-only release (24/192 WAV, SFS Media SFS0070), and Rickie Lee Jones’s bizarre cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” (Tidal, 16/44.1 FLAC), from her album The Devil You Know . Sound from both servers was clear and transparent, with excellent, strong bass and wide soundstages. The main difference that emerged was this: With music played via the Statement, the treble seemed slightly rounded, the presentation a touch warmer than through the Nucleus +. With tracks that on my system can sometimes sound a bit too hot and sizzly—eg, the female vocals on Yello’s “Electrified II” from Toy (24/48 WAV, Polydor 4782160/HDtracks)—the Statement proved less fatiguing. But on Farinelli (Decca 485 0214, 24/96 WAV)—our Recording of the Month for the February 2020 Stereophile —mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli’s voice via the Statement sounded a bit warmer than when I’ve heard it live in three very different venues, and the contrasting colors of Il Giardino Armonico Ensemble’s period instruments were slightly homogenized.”
It’s a bit strange why the reviewer tried the Statement only connected by usb to the Rossini. I would be curious how Nucleus with ps compares to Statement if both are run in Nas mode, connected only by Ethernet.
Now I am confused!
I feel that the reviewer of Part time audiophile found a bigger gap between Innuos ( not even the Statement) than the reviewer on the Stereophile review, who found it better but not that much.
Oh, no Mike!
I’m doomed then, for we have both a Mac mini and a pair of NAS drives!
Man seen limping off set, sobbing …
Worse than that… AIFF… 
We ran the HDX and had it converted to SSD after I found no difference between using internal storage versus putting our music files on a NAS, which was our preference.
When we got the NDS we kept the HDX as the server, and as a CDP, and backup should the NDS need attention (which it did on occasion). It never occurred to us to try a different server because we were happy with the sound quality and the way it all knitted together.
Cue the HDX-SSD failing and needing to go back to base. It had been running every day for several years so we didn’t begrudge it some TLC. Because we used a QNAP for music storage, setting up a server for the NDS was just a matter of installing some software on the NAS. I went with Minimserver. The setup was easy and the difference in sound quality was astounding. How could we possibly have known that the HDX-SSD was such a bottle neck, yet not had even a slight suspicion that it was holding the NDS back so much?
When the HDX-SSD was returned to our dealer we chopped it in for some SL cable. It never made it back home. For several years subsequently I tried Asset, various NASs with different RAM sizes, processors, different HDDs and M2s, and found no differences at all in sound quality.
Now that the ND555 is here, everything sounds different. We have a dedicated NAS running just Asset with its own music library in situ, a dedicated NAS running just Minimserver with its own music library in situ (both “dedicated” servers in their own right) and a multi purpose NAS situated more remotely from the house on a long cable, running Minimserver with its own music library in situ. They all sound different. The ND555 seems extremely sensitive to every change in the set up. It is possible that something like a Melco would not only sound different again and might sound subjectively better.
Maybe we’ll get around to trying one. Two things hold us back. There is no apparent need to make our wonderful system sound better. But to be fair, we’ve been lulled here before and should not make such easy assumptions. The second point remains too sticky for me to get past – for now. “Dedicated” servers from Melco, Naim etc. try to lock an open source, user friendly, model into a proprietary sealed box which contains some kind of sonic mysticism. Not only do I find this a bit whimsical, but I find it frustrating that boxes need to go to the dealer or back to base to perform the most basic and simple of maintenance jobs. Add to this that Naim rippers (possibly others, I don’t know) don’t even tag WAVs properly, for which there is no excuse.
Of course, this time next year I might be kicking myself for not switching to a Melco sooner. It’s half the fun of this illness, sorry, hobby.
Now I truly know what it is to be Baldrick…