Melco Audio N10 (N10P/PS10) Digital Music Library Review

If you have been following my page you will know that I really like Melco Audio products since reviewing the brilliant N100 Digital Music Library and S100 Data switch, two great products which improve your listening and music experience to new levels of enjoyment. Staying with the half width form factor, in steps the Melco Audio N10 two box flagship model which consists of the N10P player and its dedicated linear PS10 PSU. 

Build and Features

Looks is where it ends when comparing the N10 to the  N100 as the internals of this unit has been completely revised and overhauled with some serious audiophile cirruitry installed over its sibling. With a newer lower profile main board to the super linear power supply fed from the outboard PSU which leaves plenty of room in the N10 for audiophile components to the dampening of the 3TB HDD 2.5”aptly named as a Highly Stable Storage System, the N10P is also heavily shielded from outside interference which stops the noise from entering into the delicate audio circuitry, even though Melco Audio is part of the Buffalo PC giant none of its components are off the shelf PC components instead dedicated to audio and the purist form of HiFi.

All major file formats are supported, both as a player and as a server which include…

• Support file (Server): DSF, DFF, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, AAC, MP3, WMA, OGG, LPCM
• Support file (Player): DSF, DFF, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF, AAC

The PS10 PSU is connected via an umbilical chord with a 5 pin neutrik plug connecting the two units together, with this approach of an outboard linear PSU it keeps any unwanted noise from entering into the critical audio path and instead feeds a strong and steady power supply, unlike the generally noisy switch mode power supplies which can have a detrimental affect on the sound quality.

The N10P rear is nice and simple to use and similar to the N100 with connections for a LAN and USB DAC, you can also connect Melco’s disc ripper or extended storage device, so the upgrade path continues and with this level of equipment the S100 would be an ideal partner to isolate your network and components from further interference on the network, when I used it in my system with the N100 the results stunned me as the noise floor dropped and brought about better clarity to the audio. This is where the isolated power supply of the PS10 really shines as from using my Cyrus Audio PSXR it has had similar results in lifting the sound quality of an already stunning product. 

Connecting up I feed a USB cable direct to my Cyrus Audio Integrated Amplifier using the brilliant DAC inside which I find very revealing and using my beautiful ProAc D2R Speakers to evaluate the quality of sound from this pairing. As usual it is all wired out with Chord Cables, speaker cables, USB and even down to power cables.

Setting up the Melco Audio N10 is a breeze with the dedicated Melco Audio App on my iPad it’s easy to select music whether it be on the internal HDD or from Quobuz or any of my external drives on my LAN

Performance and Sound Quality

A label that I follow closely atm is Late Night Tales and they have just released Version Excusrsion by Don Letts which is another brilliant release from these guys with reggae infused tracks and covers with a Version Excursion twist. Loaded onto the N10 HDD track 4 Gaudi Meets the Revel Dread E = MC2, originally by one of my favourite 80’s bands Big Audio Dynamite and it doesn’t dissapoint with its superb bass line and brilliant vocals by Emily Capell, having listened to this track on many occasions which initially was the free download while waiting for the full album the Melco Audio N10 renders it perfectly with layer upon layer of detail and bass which is textured and hard hitting with an almost holographic stereo image, this album was so worth the wait as it has been recorded so well and with kit at this level it does it complete justice. There is not one track on this album that I can say warrants skipping as they are all equally as good as each other and is an assault on the senses with some stunning bass that needs to be heard with the volume turned UP to eleven o’clock and then some. 

Moving on to some Quobuz streamed music and with the latest Bond movie the soundtrack for No Time to Die sounds incredible from Hans Zimmer with a symphonic masterpiece, the opening Gun Barrel is as hard hittting as they come and also so Bond this is simply superb in how it is presented with clarity and scale I was not expecting from this soundtrack, with each track the level of detail that the N10 manages to uncover is quite simply staggering as is the scale and impact of the music which is huge but also at times has a delicacy and tone which gives you goosebumps on your skin such is the realism of the music being played, when I switch to my BlueSound Node it loses the emotion and clarity from the music, until you hear it on the Melco N10 you don’t realise how much you are missing, it amazes me how much of a difference can be had at this level and you certainly do get what you pay for and that is the quality that the Melco Audio N10 brings to the system. Even the Billie Eilish No Time to Die track also sounds very good, she is a talented artist whose music I really have come to like and it is a good Bond title,  I can thank my teenage daughter for recommending her.

I have really been spoilt this month as two new releases on Bandcamp and from another artist that I have come to like since reviewing Melco Audio kit, Nicholas Michaux whose new album Les Chutes landed in my mail box with an immediate download. After his last album which was so good I had high hopes for this one and it sounds just as good if not better now that I have the N10 in my possession.

Playing track 1 Amusement Park stored on one of my NAS drives it has a firm hitting bass note with good punch while Nicholas Michaux voice has a haunting yet tuneful tone to the lyrics and great guitar riffs with astonishing clarity and detail, this is appreciated even more so with the imaging of the soundstage which is spot on and I put this down to the excellent detail retrieval of the Melco Audio N10. When playing the same track from the internal HDD of the N10 it has improved bass definition which is more defined and harder hitting with a more solid bass note and an airy sound which also gives the soundstage more scale and this has to be down to how it handles the data better in the player off the HDD, it’s good off my NAS drive but is elevated to a higher fidelity when played off the internal drive. On this new album there are 3 tracks which are from his previous album Amour Colere but these are from Live recordings at the Free House and sound fantastic, Amour Colere, Parrot and Enemies all have to heard as they are some brilliant pieces of music and would love to hear them live as from what I am hearing in my room this is pretty damn close, Enemies has a slight echo and with a beautiful guitar sound which compliments his great voice and gives you a good idea of the venue, if you close your eyes you can almost see him on stage it sounds that good.

On to a familiar album that I know and love and that is Imelda May’s 11 Past The Hour which I listen to a lot and always gets a good play. Track 1 of same name 11 Past The Hour sounds sublime through my system with the Melco Audio N10 digging out so much detail with a hypnotic sound and a soundstage as vast as my room and beyond but with vocals as sharp and on point from this wonderful artist. Track 2 Breathe is a fast paced song and sound with symphonic harmonies with a solidity to the bass, it is hard hitting but can also sound as delicate as it needs to be and then with dynamics shifting on a dime thanks again to the excellent cohesive nature of the N10 player tieing it all together perfectly.

Conclusions and Final Thoughts 

This has certainly been a journey for me with some really exceptional products from this Japanese brand, Melco Audio make some of the finest digital music library’s / streamers available and the N10 raises that bar a good few notches. I have been lucky to experience the N100, S100 and now the N10 and with each of them I have listened to and appreciated what the people at Melco Audio have managed to fine tune and put together with some of the best know how in the industry.The level of detail and clarity that the N10 manages to reveal is superb and with bass that is served up with a velvet glove so not just absolute power but subtlety too, this is one of the finest performers add to that a slick GUI and iPad App it makes for one seriously potent high end player.

The Speaker Shack awards the Melco Audio N10P and PS10 with an Outstanding Product award as this is one seriously highly polished product and very well deserved.

Price at time of review £6,999

https://www.melco-audio.com/