I recently purchased a Melco N1Z/2 EX server as an upgrade to my synology NAS but what I expected to be an obvious upgrade turned out to be a disappointment.
My Bartok, streaming music from the Melco, and connected to it directly either via its player port or via and ethernet switch, definitely sounds worse than when streaming music from my shitty NAS (an old Synology with switching psu..). ..
The sound of the same file when streaming it from the Melco is more collapsed than the Synology…. less natural, the synology is simply more “analog” sounding overall..
I an running Minimserver (basic version) on the Melco but not on the Synology.
This is definitely something I didn’t expect, since the Melco is abviously an audio oriented device, and all the opinions here in this community tend to be enthusiastic..
I tried to switch to a different ethernet cable or change settings in the Melco, but no improvement whatsoever.
Thinking that the Melco needs some sort of “burn in” to sound best (even it was a used unit) I’m leaving it on for 24 hours and then tonight will try to listen again, but I remember the Synology sounded great even from cold when I switched it on the first time..
I was wondering if somebody had the same experience as me with a Melco, maybe there is something I can do to improve the sound or shall I sell the unit…?
Hi Andrea and welcome to the forum which I hope you will find helpful and interesting.
It is difficult to judge what may be happening as most of what you provide are subjective opinions which others may or may not agree with.
So, at face value and accepting your disappointment ,I can only say that what you say you find should not be the case.
To start from the basics, what is the ethernet switch? You say that you have tried without the switch so how is connection to your LAN then configured ? Are you using dCS Mosaic to listen using Melco only as NAS ? Have you checked the Melco is running the latest version of MinimServer?
You speak of streaming from your old Synology. This will only relate to UPnP but are you also using dCS Mosaic and other sources to UPnP such as internet radio or subscription streaming services? If you are, what is their identi(ies) and is your issue the same with them? What Bartok/Mosaic app version and network board firmware are you using?
I gather you use network connection from LAN source to Melco and Melco to Bartok. What cable type i.e. CAT( not brand) have you?
Did you buy the Melco privately or from a dealer? Incidentally the model
came in HDD or SDD versions so there shoud be an H or S in the model number.
I can only reiterate that the sound should be excellent and not disappointing.
I use a Cisco c2960g Catalyst series ethernet switch
When I said “connection without the switch” I meant the Bartok connected directly to the “player” port of the Melco, and the Melco to the switch
I am using Mosaic and the Melco only as NAS
The Melco is running the latest Miniserver (basic) version
I mainly use the Bartok for streaming music from the NAS, I don’t like streaming services like Tidal etc
Bartok version: 0.64.529.0, Mosaic version: 1.4.4
I use standard “non-audiophile” cat-6 unshielded ethernet cables.
I have a N1Z/2 H60 with 6Tb HDDs and I bought it second hand but in perfect conditions
I am very puzzled about why I can clearly hear better sound when streaming from the Synology instead of the Melco…
I’ve left the Melco turned on for 24 hours, I don’t think it’s a burn in problem but tonight I will re-test…
I do not think that this has anything to do with burn-in, especially with a used unit. It looks like you have it all correctly installed. Most of the things that relate to unit or system settings affect functions rather than sound quality per se.
We only know that there is a difference in sound between the Synology and the Melco. As it therefore only knowingly relates to file replay ( had you been able to advise on other sources this could have helped to narrow things), I wonder about the files themselves and if there may be some difference between the files stored on Melco compared to files on Synology. So, how did you transfer the files to Melco?
Two other things occur to me. One is that the Melco is not performing correctly. When you refer to the used sale:
That may refer to all functions operating correctly but not to the audio side of things. That is why I asked if it came from a dealer as condition is harder to establish privately.
As the system seems to be set-up correctly it could also just be a case of you liking one in preference to the other.
Use without the switch really meant by me the network switch i.e. the Cisco. It would seem that you use this in both cases. I was wondering if you were using the matching Melco switch e.g. S100. Network switches may affect sound quality though I have not yet seen any technical reason. And I assume that the cisco is used with both Melco and Synology.
One thing that may improve the sound of the Melco is to change the RAID setting to RAID Zero. I found thus assisted as did the reviewer from whom I got the tip. However any change is this not likley to be sufficient to relate to your problem IMO.
Hello Pete. I did some listening again tonight, comparing the same song/passages both from the Melco and my NAS, and there is no doubt I don’t like the sound of the Melco.
It may be more “refined” in the hi-fi sense but the soundstage is narrower and the sound is definitely less holographic than the NAS.. It doesn’t sound “analog” enough to me..
I know it is absurd, especially considering how many people in this community use their DCS components with a Melco and are satisfied with it..
Maybe the engineers at Dela/Melco had to design the unit in a way to “process” the signal which somehow I don’t like.. I don’t know. It is obvious by the way that they didn’t simply add a linear PSU to a NAS box otherwise it would have made the whole thing pointless…This is maybe the reason why I don’t like this component.
It reminded me of the majority (with a few ecceptions ) of audio components made in Japan which I’ ve auditioned so far: lots of detail and refinement but somehow they lacked soul..
I don’t want to make a case here, just sharing my personal opinion..
Anyway thank you for your insights Pete, they were very helpful.
I think I’m going to resell the Melco now. So disappointed.
Don’t give up on the Melco this quickly, logically it should outperform an old NAS with a noisy power supply.
Did you use a decent powercord (with correct polarity) on the Melco streamer, in my experience powercords can make or break the performance of digital equipment.
Is the Melco plugged in to the same powerdistributor as the rest of the equipment ?
Is the Melco placed on a decent hifirack or furniture ?
Have you tried an “audiophile” network cable. (Melco C100 has a floating screen)
Digital equipment likes to be turned on always, from cold it can take hours before full performance.
Probably you have done most of the above (or more), just trying to understand the outcome you experience
Hi @Andoreaw
Apologies if Im butting in, but I recently (29th
Oct) sold my Melco N1 on eBay.
If you purchased it on there, you have 30 days to return it.
Regards
David
@Andoreaw Did you try going from the Melco to Bartok via USB? Much more direct path, goes directly from Melco to Bartok without any excursions through Ethernet
I got my Melco from a private seller who is a long time audiophile and takes good care of his devices, so the unit itself is in perfect conditions.
The USB port (Neutrik upgraded USB output port) connected to the Bartok definitely sounds worse than the lan port.
I did some other listening tests and I can confirm that, to me, the Melco sound is more “congested “ than my Synology NaS. I can’t explain why.
It seems to sound better if routed via the switch than directly connected to the Bartok via its “player” output port.
At this point, and considering that in terms of settings/connections everything has been set up correctly, I understand that I am taking about personal taste here and therefore i think there is nothing to say anymore other than that if I don’t like the Melco, I should then resell it and keep the Synology.
As I said in my previous messages, I had big expectations on this product, but at least in my system it doesn’t work as I expected… So strange.
USB connection may well sound worse then direct network connection, But what is a Neutrik upgraded USB output port? Are you saying that the player has been modified? Perhaps the vendor did not like the result causing him to sell it?
Otherwise it is fine for you not to like something even if it differs from the majority. I certainly do not like quite a few popular items that appear in the showing off thread .
.