ND555 - What else do I need?! Help appreciated

I find wine is jusht ash good frahknly. Maybe an extra bottle? Hic! :crazy_face:

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Run the ND555 wireless and spend the money saved on wine?

I suspect the sound will be far more relaxing.
No angst about whether youā€™re using the most fashionable tweakery. :wink:

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Sorry, whereā€™s the ON button?

Ok so ND555 ordered!

Melco N10 & D100 next, maybe tomorrow!

@Michaelb you recommend the CHC power supply right? I like the idea of one PS that could power both the D100 ripper and the EtherRegen. I have looked at the Plixir Elite BDC 4A which looks similar but at a much lower cost! Not sure if you have any views on that model. Could you also explain why you use 2 EtherRegens, I ask as if I buy the CHC I can add more rails and maybe should add 3 just incaseā€¦

@Darkebear as always your information above was very useful to me and you are primarily the reason I am making the jump to the ND555. Your explanation without superlatives of the difference between the CD and ND made sense to me. Can I ask if you use an upgraded Power Supply and USB cable on your Melco D100 and if so what sort? Did you ever try the Plixir P/Sā€™s? I believe you along with @Michaelb tried the Melco switch but both have stuck with the EtherRegen along with @frenchrooster who is very happy with its performance it seems.

Thanks again to everybody who has contributed to this thread and is continuing to contribute. I am very grateful to learn from you all.

I am not Michael neither Darkbear. But just wonder if a linear ps to the Melco D100 ripper is really useful , because I think no one here uses a linear ps with the Melco ripper.
Is a suggestion of your dealer ?

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I have heard that a power supply can improve the ripsā€¦using a Plixir, though not personally, does sound strangeā€¦but most of this defies logic to me.

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I have no experience of the Plixir brand but can tell you that the CHC power supplies are of very high quality design and construction, and can also be fully customised to your requirements. They use big toroidal transformers with plentiful current reserves, are double regulated and up there with the top of the line Paul Hynes at least. More important, both substantially lifted the performance of the EtherRegens and Nucleus+

The EtherRegen is in my experience almost infinitely superior to the Melco switch for clarity, PRaT and realism of instrumental tone and texture as well as soundstage. Thereā€™s simply no contest and a good LPS improves the performance of the EtherRegen more (than it does the Melco) as well.

Adding a second EtherRegen brings increased clarity, separation, ease, space and naturalness for want of a better word, but is a fairy subtle improvement compared to adding the first EtherRegen or adding the CHC linear power supply. Worth it in my opinion, but not top of the list in terms of value for money. Moreover, MidnightRambler reports that adding an external clock makes the difference between one and two EtherRegens negligible, so if youā€™re prepared to go the external reference clock route that may be worth bearing in mind, though weā€™re talking an additional Ā£3.5-5k here, at least if bought new.

I wouldnā€™t be surprised - Iā€™ve found an improved power supply makes a difference to almost everythingā€¦ (including the bank balance)

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@frenchrooster yes the dealer has tested this and beyond all belief its a better rip! Noticeably better as well apparently. If I am going to do the job then I want to do it once and do it to the highest standard possible. The bootleg CDā€™s for instance will be sold after this exercise so I will not have the chance to rip them again. Whilst as @NigelB correctly points out, you canā€™t polish a turd, if I can get the best rip possible then I at least have an archive copy of that turd that will be most likely the best on the planet! :grimacing:

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I disagree completely.

Ok, first time I hear it. So itā€™s now a near 2 k ripper, why not, Ā« soyons fous Ā» as said the french people.

At least I have read 4 comments on that same impressions on the Melco S100. But I confess, I have not heard it myself.
Some have heard the Melco servers and found it uninvolving. I disagree on that. Itā€™s my second Melco server and I am very very satisfied by it.

@RipVanRadio I am sure you have not not compared them as they are both new but have you heard the EtherRegen in any capacity to compare? The Melco looks great and would match the D100 but as @frenchrooster highlights the reviews here have been mixed. I am looking for a good start point which is why I have eyeballed the EtherRegen vs the Melco. I think I have only seen a couple of positive Melco reviews on here. Do you have a Melco server? Maybe this changes things??? Interested in your thoughts as you are obviously very happy with the Melco S100.

You can get the EtherRegen on sale or return and most Melco dealers will supply you with a home demo S100 so you can let your ears make your mind up for you if you have the patience. The Melco is a little dull when new, the ER a little strident, but after around 100 hours youā€™ll know where you are.

No I only use the D100 Ripper as it shipped with the supply it came with. It was exceptional enough with that as it was - maybe it can be even better? Maybe I donā€™t want to now know! :bear:

Bear in mind I was not going to get the Melco Ripper - was ready to use a standard commercial USB DVD drive plugged into the Melco Server - as my Dealer had recommended until then.

The the new Melco CD Ripper box was delivered not even opened or tried - I asked my Dealer why it was so expensive as it did the same as teh cheap drive or DP Poweramp ā€¦the rest is history as we tried it and it slaughtered the Commercial CD USB drive into Melco which in its own turn even more slaughtered the DP Poweramp rips my Dealer had done - their faces were priceless at the revelation.

This was into a Statement Reference system which showed these differences very easy.

Previous discussion of the ā€˜impossibilityā€™ of all this upset so many people that I just say - try it and decide or just know it makes no difference and be happy!

I therefore got one to do all my hundreds of CD rips ā€¦not sure I want to discover they can be even better right now - perhaps later! :slightly_smiling_face:

DB.

Having just spoken to Signals they have said the Plixir does improve the rips :hear_no_evil:. Maybe best to speak to them to quantify by just how much but I am considering the dual rail Elite BDC 4a to power the CD Ripper and EtherRegen Switch. If I take the ripper out once the job is done then I still have a spare rail for maybe another switch or device anyway and all on only 1 further mains cable which I like the idea of! There is a 2A version also for less money but it only has one rail. No idea if there is a sound difference between the 2 on something like a CD Ripper or Switch though!

Yes i spoke with Andy from Signals on Saturday, it was then he mentioned the ripper sounds betterā€¦strange, but i am sure he is correct on these things.

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@Gazza yes it was Andy who has advised me actually. They have demo units I believe so maybe worth a play. My ND555 is just over a month away so no demoā€™s for me. I will just get straight into ripping and organising my libruary ready for its arrival. The plan will be to have given the Melco and various other bits of stuff a months work out prior to the ND555ā€™s arrival. This should mean everything else is settled downā€¦ :grimacing:

Steve,
I have not heard the EtherRegen.
I have Melco N10 music library.
David

Sounds like a plan, they are really good chaps at Signals, very patient and understanding. I know i should probably try the Melco switch but with the large power supply i canā€™t quite bring myself to pay best part of Ā£3k, when i will buy another 555 ps later in the yearšŸ˜¬