I think we have hit on the solution.
We deleted the “read only” permission from every file. We couldn’t be certain how many were affected but when present on a file it stopped the transfer to the Melco. Having just checked I can see that the programme is happily chewing its way through it, so fingers crossed tomorrow morning we’ll be well on our way.
I have just also had a Melco on demo for the last week at home and very quickly came to a similar conclusion to replace my QNAP NAS with the new N1Z/2EX. Excited for its arrival next week.
I hope your Melco has now arrived and that you are enjoying its contribution. We are still motoring our way through our library and almost in all cases there is a pronounced improvement. Well recorded tracks are sublime.
Thanks Archie - actually slight delay to the installation but coming on Saturday. Still have the demo machine though and very happy with it! To say nothing of the fun I’m having trying both the Vivaldi and Rossini clocks with my Bartok. Both offer an impressive improvement by the way, albeit, as usual with dCS … the higher up the range the better it gets. No doubt the Vivaldi trumps the Rossini!
@nickghough Nick that’s interesting that you are able to compare the Vivaldi and Rossini clocks. You seem to have a preference for the Vivaldi - do you plan on holding on to it?
Torn between upgrading the Bartok to a Rossini or adding the Vivaldi clock to the Bartok. I’m going to try and listen to Bartok + Vivaldi clock vs Rossini on its own to start with, with a view to possibly swapping out the a Bartok later.
We’ve had our Rossini coming up on three years. It replaced a Linn Klimax DSM. We auditioned the Rossini clock a few weeks after the dac arrived. To our ears the difference was significant and we bought one.
Very interested to hear how you get on. It sounds like a very pleasant task indeed!
I was surprised with the uplift I got with the Vivaldi clock with the Bartok c/w the Rossini clock. That having been said the Melco gave me as much of an uplift as either of the clocks vs my QNAP NAS - especially when the S100 switch got involved as well! Altogether it’s a pretty joyous sound!
It seems that a Melco front end is the way to go. So, as I understand it, the connections would be: Router --> Melco --> Bartok, all via ethernet cables. To be clear, then the Melco would be, essentially, a great NAS, and all the controls would defer to Mosaic.
If I wanted to add Roon later, would that be straightforward?
Thanks!
Paul
Yes you can add Roon but that changes the structure of replay.
You will need to add a network attached computing device to run Roon Core. Roon either manages your local music library and/or integrates it with other sources such as Tidal or Qobuz.
This means that there would no longer be any direct connection from Melco to DAC. All programme material now flows through your local network e.g. via your router or other switches. You no longer use dCS Mosaic to navigate and control music selections but a Roon app ( Roon Remote).
As the direct and switchless connection from Melco to DAC is lost I cannot comment on whether or not the SQ from the Melco NAS remains superior to any other NAS solution including an appropriately specified one running Roon Core. Maybe a Melco/Roon user can add a comment.
Yep, just add a Roon Core (server) to the same network, add the Melco as a NAS data store within Roon’s configuration and you’re done! 
Been using a melco for some time now, started off with a N100 into my naim NDS, this was a great starting point, as it benefits from the same direct connection that melco brings.
I have moved on, and now have the N1ZS/2 into my rossini, absolute fantastic set up, and being SSD, no moving parts, so happy for it to sit in my rack, rather than miles away, this also allows for a nice quality ethernet cable between the melco and rossini, being only 1.5 meters, rather than 8 metres, means it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, plus i found it added more detail and space, to what was already very nice
Great stuff Duncan. I would just mention that although the models with SSD storage are naturally silent the specially built HDDs that the other models have are also silent in practice ( just a very faint swishing only audible with your ear clamped to the case or probably heard if using a stethoscope on it, totally inaudible from a couple of centimetres away) so are also suitable for placing next to the rest of your audio equipment. Which is where my N1ZH/2 is.
All the melco’s i have seen have been quite, and all are a great addition.
The SSD are meant to be better, but if anyone could actually tell the difference if say i fitted a HDD to mine instead, is debatable i guess.
I’m looking forward to checking out a Melco based on everyone’s helpful suggestions. Router -> Melco -> Bartok via Ethernet seems really straightforward. One remaining question I have deals with Mosaic. I’ve edited my metadata (Foobar) to suit my tastes. Further I’ve had to use Foobar to enter all metadata info when I rip discs using Exact Audio Copy (could never get that to access metadata databases). Also, I’ve defined my own Genres to suite my taste. For example, The Beatles have their own Genre - it just makes finding things easier.
So, my question is will Mosaic be able to recognize the metadata from the files stored on the Melco? I don’t mind editing some if it’s not too time-consuming.
Thanks!
Yes. Mosaic will reflect exactly the metadata stored in MinimServer. And MinimServer will store whatever you have written in Foobar , Unfortunately you are just about to discover all of the inconsistencies and typos you have made when entering your own data. For example I would bet that you may find that you have not just created a The Beatles genre but also a Beatles genre, a the Beatles genre , maybe a Beatles,The one etc , etc.
You may also need to finesse the UPnP server software, MinimServer (not Melco as that is just the hardware) to get the exact view(s) that you may want. Remember to download MinimWatch ( or probably MinimWatch2 ) to your computer as this is what is needed to configure MinimServer to meet your needs. It is also essential if you add albums/tracks as it is where the command for rescan lives.
There are several approaches to fix issues like this. The best I have found is jRiver. It has a tagging pane view that allows you to see all the different variants of your tags. In a second step you can then align them all to the version you prefer in a couple of clicks. jRiver has a bit of a learning curve, but it has been an invaluable tool to manage the tags of my 150k tracks library.
I think I can shed some light on Exact Audio Copy and tagging. The “freeDB” that it used to connect to in order to obtain track information was withdrawn or otherwise made inaccessible earlier this year. I only discovered this when trying to use it again recently, after a long break. There are probably several commercial alternatives: I have tried the CD ripper that is part of dBPowerAmp (free for the first 21 days) and it works very well. I will buy it. A bit slicker than Exact Audio Copy, but basically similar. When I need to edit multiple tracks - PAR describes the frustrations of small inconsistencies in tags perfectly - I use the program mp3tag. I see that jRiver has also been suggested. I have a copy of that, but have always been unhappy about the lack of decent documentation for this paid-for product (hence the comment above about “a bit of a learning curve”, perhaps).
I have used dBpoweramp for years bundled with PerfectTunes for album art and metadata. Highly recommended.
PerfectTunes has improved in accuracy over the years as the databases that it draws from have themselves become more reliable. in general if I am ripping a recently issued disc the metadata provided by the application may need little or no editing whereas for an old CD ( where the databases were populated with the metadata years ago) more care is required especially if the metadata entered reflects an individual’s personal workarounds . I cannot count the number of entries out there where the composer has been used as the album artist for classical music due to there being no composer field displayed by the media player. So you end up with Beethoven piano sonatas seemingly recorded by Beethoven himself.
I share your views here. I have my collection residing on my Aurender and they sound better than when streamed from Tidal.