Is Melco the new Hugo...

Eloise posted:

Jude2012 posted:

Anyone know why Melco do not list the Naim DAC and V1 in their compatibility list (Naim streaming products and Chord DACs are listed) ?

Well the Naim DAC isn't compatible (the Melco doesn't have the required SPDIF outputs).  No idea why the V1 isn't listed ... likely an oversight.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

but surely it would have been better if they were more honest about the simplicity of what it is doing and therefore it's possible benefits to which you have found?.. You then have the choice of self assemble or ready bundled and the comfort of knowing what it is doing for you and why. If there is nothing to hide why not be more open and transparent?

I don't disagree with you Simon ... but since when have any manufacturer been completely transparent about such things ... Naim are often (at least quoted) as talking about the superiority of the rips produced by the UnitiServe and HDX without being open and transparent about how they might be better than rips done bye EAC or dbPowerAmp.  Even when it comes to using the UnitiServe as a UPnP server they rely more on FUD than real transparency or facts.

Good point regarding the Naim DAC. Strange indeed about the V1, Eloise.

Both Melco and Kog (the distributor) will be at the Bristol show next week, so we can ask them what they have done to cause it sound better than a conventional setup.

Keith

T38.45 posted:

hi Jude,

Ralf

Ralf,

isn't the proper spelling Hey Jude?

(Sorry, it was just to break the evil spell of this somehow strange and obsessive thread)

M

I can see the attraction of the Melco; a nice neat box with everything contained, just plug it in. But I can't help thinking it's overpriced for what is in effect a computer with a couple of hard drives. Like Simon,  I've enjoyed fiddling with a Raspberry Pi2, streaming movies & such, and if it wasn't for the fact my Chord dac needs special drivers & won't work with the Pi I reckon I could make a pretty good streamer out of the little thing. At £27, it's a bit cheaper than the Melco!

Fashion in hifi applies just as much to Naim's new products as it does to other suppliers, the difference is that they are welcomed on here, obviously, rather than treated as suspicious.  Over recent times we've seen a mad rush for the 272 and for the new cables and now for the DR, are they all today's new leggings too?  If so half the forum are proudly modelling them.  if it sounds good it doesn't matter that it's new and fashionable, if it doesn't sound good it's unlikely to become too fashionable.

VFM is a strange thing. Materially you could say the Super lumina cables are very poor VFM but from an enjoyment perspective they seem excellent value. Same with the Melco. My aim with anything i buy is to maximise my musical enjoyment and as a USB source (in my case compared to my Mac) the Melco fits the bill.

I predict HH will eventually demo one, love it, buy it and then post a 'Melco in da house' thread. The rest of the forum will then follow 

Ha! Nice one, James. I've spent ages clearing my computer gubbins out of the sitting room, so the last thing I want is a computer sitting on my rack, especially one that appears to be all fur coat and no knickers. 

Seriously though, the fashion thing is really interesting. I remember buying those TQB leads from another very fine forum member (!) and posting about how good they were, and to my great surprise a few other people then bought some. I was then somewhat alarmed that somebody bought some speakers on the back of my recommendation. Of course, in many parts of the world people don't have the opportunity to rock up at the local dealers and listen to these things, so they have to trust to luck and somehow work out whose likings may fit with their own.

I recall a post from Massimo that despite his very positive experiences with Vertere cables, few others seemed to take any notice - totally unlike the TQB leads. Now why was that? Perhaps it's just a case of the right thing at the right time. 

As I've said, the initial post was not really about the Melco at all - it was just an example of something that seems to have caught people's imagination. 

What's wrong with a fur coat and no knickers?  Sounds like a bloody good gig to me. 

SongStream posted:

What's wrong with a fur coat and no knickers?  Sounds like a bloody good gig to me. 

Or yoga leggins

I use a Synology NAS, and by applying careful RFI filtering and some optimisation to the network, I achieve a sound indistinguishable whether by UPnP or direct from a USB memory stick.  If the Melco were to sound different than the USB stick, then I'd consider it to be causing a problem and be a retrograde step, lowering the SQ.

The Synology + some attention to the network is a LOT cheaper and in my system at least is pretty near optimal, certainly close enough that I can't tell the difference.

SongStream posted:

What's wrong with a fur coat and no knickers?  Sounds like a bloody good gig to me. 

Will that be displaying at the Bristol show? I might go along if so 

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

... many including me don't recommend streaming from a NAS unless you are confident of the underlying TCP flow which 99% of consumers won't be. I recommend a stanalone server, I use a £30 RPi, and it works and sounds a dream. To be fair to Naim I find the Unitiserve sounds as good as my best RPi.

Hi Simon, I currently have Minimserver installed on my QNAP NAS. Would I be better off removing it from the NAS and using it on a Raspberry Pi instead?

(NAS streams via ethernet to ND5XS/Chord Hugo, using Apple Time Capsule as router and a Netgear switch)

Mr Frog - I don't know is the honest answer for a given setup - but I do suggest you try it and see if you notice a positive difference or not.

Huge posted:

I use a Synology NAS, and by applying careful RFI filtering and some optimisation to the network, I achieve a sound indistinguishable whether by UPnP or direct from a USB memory stick.  If the Melco were to sound different than the USB stick, then I'd consider it to be causing a problem and be a retrograde step, lowering the SQ.

The Synology + some attention to the network is a LOT cheaper and in my system at least is pretty near optimal, certainly close enough that I can't tell the difference.

100%  ...........  that is exactly were I'm at with both system optimisation & concerns about how Melco would be better than USB.  

Just looked it up!

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a file-level computer data storage server connected to a computer network providing data access to a heterogeneous group of clients. NAS is specialized for serving files either by its hardware, software, or configuration.

MM_-Airport Extreme_-Airport Express_-282/Emotiva dac 1/Emotiva UMC 

I use itunes which allows me to create endless numbers of custom playlist. The playlist is created by purchasing songs from iTunes, and ripping/copying cds to MM.

Presently my library has over a thousand songs, all of which I controll from an Android cell phone i.e. Remote App.

All three Systems controlled from phone, while In bed!

Am I streaming?

I don't have a clue!

Hard to beat The Convenience!

The Armchair QB!

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

... although appalled at the lack of internal screening and floating leads, so it's clearly not as low noise as it could / should be ...

Hey, got to leave some room for the Mk II version

Hifi is technology and will evolve over time so it's only natural that certain products such as Hugo will move the techonology forward and become popular.

I think the Melco is getting a hard time on this thread. It seeems pretty good value when compared to Naim's equivalent products including Unitiserve. Would anyone care to comment on Naim's internal screening and floating leads? It scores one above these because it offers usb audio output so can act as an audio store, streamer, and player. Perfect product for feeding the Hugo directly. To me looks like a well made and well thought out product, it has a high quality power supply and other high grade components optomised for audio. Would I hear any improvement compared to my Mac Mini feeding Hugo TT? If so the only explanation would be the rfi radiating from the Mac Mini. Maybe its worth a try and see...

I think HH has done a valiant job trying to get his original post back on track .. from my way of thinking the post wasn't about Hugo or Melco specifically, but he was using them to float the concept of the herd mentality as it applies to us .. the audio community, and how we glom onto the new product du jour ..

I agree with the concept, we do ... though it's interesting to see those products which have been "adopted" and by whom they were initially introduced.

HH:  If I'm totally off base I apologize .. 

Can't comment on the following the herd thing but the Melco comments here and in other threads plus the related comments you all are making plus a review of the systems in your profiles means I'm starting to form a picture on how this all works. And for that I'm grateful. Now lets hope it sticks!

John Willmott posted:

I think HH has done a valiant job trying to get his original post back on track .. from my way of thinking the post wasn't about Hugo or Melco specifically, but he was using them to float the concept of the herd mentality as it applies to us .. the audio community, and how we glom onto the new product du jour ..

 

I agree with the concept, we do ... though it's interesting to see those products which have been "adopted" and by whom they were initially introduced.

 

HH:  If I'm totally off base I apologize .. 

 

 

John, you are one of the few who is actually on base...

Yes, it's odd that relatively little fuss is being made about the TT and the Dave. If, as was suggested by some, the Hugo beats the NDS, than these two superior Chord DACs should have been the audio equivalent of the second (and third) coming. Yet, the response has been relatively muted. Could it be that the moment has passed and the herd has moved on to other things?

Keith

KRM posted:

Yes, it's odd that relatively little fuss is being made about the TT and the Dave. If, as was suggested by some, the Hugo beats the NDS, than these two superior Chord DACs should have been the audio equivalent of the second (and third) coming. Yet, the response has been relatively muted. Could it be that the moment has passed and the herd has moved on to other things?

Keith

Or could it be that DAVE costs £8000?

We all love a giant killer, but not necessarily a giant. 

SJB 

The TT is only £2k, and they're both a lot cheaper than an NDS plus 555. 

I confess to being influenced by what I read online when choosing hifi products, mostly to narrow down the selection. Once I actually try the product I have an open mind and do blind testing to determine which I prefer. I did this when I purchased Hugo and compared it and SN2 to SuperUniti. It was no contest. There have been many products I've tried that have had rave reviews that I didnt like. I purchased pmc db1 back in the day when they were viurtually unknown and stuck with pmc since.