Melco Audiophile NAS

[GreenMtnGringo]

Thanks for the report, @ptcl99. In light of your findings as well as @Donuk's, I think I will pass on the Crucial MX500 SSD's and continue to run my Melco N1Z Mk. 1 with its stock HDDs.

[ptcl99]

(20-01-2022 10:24)simoncn Wrote:  Thanks very much for this. It is very helpful.

To clarify, I have used Crucial BX100 SSDs in my Melcos, not MX500 (see this post). Unfortunately the BX100 is no longer available.

When comparing SSDs with HDDs, the type of HDDs is also an important factor. The factory HDDs in my N1Z/2-H60 were WD Blue 3TB. What are the factory HDDs in your N1Z?

The 2.5" drives in N1Z H60/2 appear to be Toshiba 3TB MQ03ABB300. The model portion is covered with a rectangular absorption pad. They seem customized with 4 spacers attached at 4 corners to provide a standoff from the copper plate. These spacers also receive mounting screws from the bottom side of the plate.

[simoncn]

Thanks for this information. This could explain why changing to SSDs was beneficial for me but not for you.

[ptcl99]

I have not used Twonky on a Melco N1 ZH/2 for four plus years because of initial functionality issues. After several revisions, I thought it might have improved. I was also curious after reading other people professing a better Twonky sound quality on a different forum. Twonky is free so far for Melco users.

I used Lumin as the control point. First, Twonky found 1,584 out of my 1,613 albums in library reload. The subsequent automatic scanning dropped that to 1,430 albums with so many missing album covers (named Cover.jpg consistently).

I was still hopeful of the silver lining of sound quality. The comparison was made with a USB DAC and the Melco in: dark mode, rear LED off, power LED dim, SMB file sharing off, spanned array, fixed IP address, player port (unused) direct, and no Song Kong/Roon. Minimserver runs Minimstreamer without ffmpeg. On the first two tracks of Goldsmith’s Film Music (Telarc DSD), I found a clear contrast. Individual instruments possessed beautiful bloom in Minimserver. Space definition was remarkable with Minimserver showing a walk-in soundstage.

Supposedly, the media player has no sound of its own. However, the interaction with the DAC may be significantly in favor of less CPU burden. Following the same thought process, I am hesitant to run other bundled/paid applications. I have answered the sound quality question of Twonky versus Minimserver in my case. I hope most people get to ascertain this aspect for their particular setups.

[ptcl99]

(18-01-2022 20:36)simoncn Wrote:  I will be very interested to hear your opinion about the comparison between the two-drive and single-drive models. I have heard the single drive is better for sound quality but I haven't been able to compare these myself.

Some years ago, I installed Crucial BX100 512GB disks in both my Melcos. There was a noticeable sound quality improvement, with the music having creater clarity and transparency especially at the low end.

I haven't yet needed to update to a newer model of SSD, so I don't have any personal experience of using MX500s. In the current Crucial model range, the MX500 is the closest to the BX100 because it has a similar controller (Silicon Motion SM2258 in MX500 and Silicon Motion SM2246 in BX100).

Among the three comparisons made recently, Crucial MX 500 vs. genuine drives, Twonky vs. Minimserver, and Melco N1Z/2 H60 vs. N1Z/2 H50 (single drive), the greatest amount of time was spent on the third. I usually could get an impression of liking or disliking before more assessment.

In a week, I listened in the order of H60, H50, H60, and H50 with Minimserver and no additional software. They were alternatively plugged into a Shunyata power conditioner. In each case, I liked the result. The presentations were both dynamic, harmonically beautiful, 3D-like, and well-delineated in space. I might have heard slightly smoother strings with the H50 sometimes, but I believe I will fail a double-blind test.

The new model supposedly has a better power supply and a customized drive. The difference is beyond my hearing ability. The new Melco drive first appearing in the N10 45 Anniversary model does look impressive.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/melco-n...ary-page-2

I trust that Melco measured both models with lab instruments and employed people with better hearing abilities than mine to make improvements at no extra cost. I am pleased with the H50.

[davidp]

Contemplating updating the two HDs in my Melco N1A/2 for more space - I've just looked inside to find two factory fitted WD Blue 3Tb 64Mb cache 5400 rpm - bit surprised. I use these spanned. I can replace with exactly the same drives in either 4Tb or 6Tb capacity. Can the Melco format either? I'm guessing slower means quieter so there's no need for either the 5640 or 7200 rpm versions. Would there be any problems or advantage with a 256Mb cache drive? Hoping someone has been down this route and has some advice/experience. Thanks David

[simoncn]

I have been told by Melco there is no limit to the HDD capacity. A larger cache should be better because it will reduce head movement while playing a track.

[davidp]

(02-02-2022 13:48)simoncn Wrote:  I have been told by Melco there is no limit to the HDD capacity. A larger cache should be better because it will reduce head movement while playing a track.

Thanks for the advice Simon - if folk are interested I'll feedback here when this upgrade gets done. David

[GreenMtnGringo]

Hi David, I am interested, looking forward to your report on the upgrade. Good luck, and thanks.

[simoncn]

You might want to consider WD Red instead of Blue. These are specifically designed for use in a NAS.