Melco Audio N50-S38B Review

This will be my fourth Melco Audio review and I love what this Japanese company produces with the N10, N100 and S100 reviews all receiving huge praise from The Speaker Shack, can this full width version of its much loved siblings perform the same? 

From my previous reviews I have explained Melco Audio’s connection to the Buffalo computer peripherals company as they are the dedicated HiFi arm of this giant Japanese company which produce high end audio streaming but back in the day when Makoto Maki a keen audiophile formed the company Melco, they were famous for building turntables which were introduced into the UK market in the 1980’s, Melco stands for ‘Maki Engineering Laboratory Company’ and so his legacy begun.

The N50 has advanced Melco’s knowledge in the music streaming world or as they like to say digital music library with components used and how they use them to eliminate noise which masks the music they are transporting, with the N100 and N10 the noise floor is virtually non-existent and musical fidelity is maximised. The USB DAC output is a USB2 type which is better suited to the transfer of data as it is not always about speed when it comes to music and with the SSD not always the right option either but in the N50 case this 3.84TB drive has been chosen because it performs well in this situation hence the name N50-S38 but also happens to be pretty quick in the transfer of data.

Build quality and Features

As you expect, Melco build quality is very high with a full width 1.7mm thick chassis, the front is very tidy with buttons for the menu and power and an OLED screen display which is very slick in operation and minimalistic looking but gives the unit a modern look while displaying all the relevant information like track and artist, sample rates and audio format.

Formats include DSF, DFF, FLAC, WAV, ALAC, AIFF and AAC with up to Quad DSD over it’s dedicated USB2 port. There is 3 x USB3 Ports on the rear for expansion and backup and one USB3 on the front of the unit, you have 2 x Ethernet ports, one being a dedicated player port and the other a Gigabit Ethernet port for network connection.

The power in-let has been redesigned with noise filtering and a dynamic PSU with 25% more output, the main board is also enhanced and improved for this full width version, the SSD has a new layered cradle to improve dampening and isolation. 

Even the feet on the unit have been re-engineered offering better isolation.

The N50 is a plug-n-play affair with literally no setting up needed as once connected through to the DAC the software on Melco’s own app connects immediately and is extremely stable in operation. I have seen criticisms of Melco’s app but I find it extremely intuitive and easy to use, with a straightforward menu but should you choose and a lot of audiophiles will attest that ROON is the way to go as it will collate the library and music for optimal usage but for this review I am just using Melco’s app for playback and the integrated Quobuz for my listening pleasure.

Sound Quality and Performance

For listening I am using my beautiful ProAc D2R speakers which are one of the best sounding standmount speakers available today, complimented with my Cyrus Audio 82 DAC integrated amplifier and for DAC purposes I am using the stunning Chord Electronics Hugo2 which will handle all sampling rates available with ease via USB, connected with my Chord Company Epic interconnects to my Cyrus amplifier.

If you have read some of my previous reviews you will know that I listen to all types of music but electronic music being a favourite of mine and now a days there is lots of choice, while searching for new music I came across an album released on the Afterlife record label featuring various artists with some great tracks and perfect for listening to on the new Melco N50, I have loaded the album on to the SSD of the N50-S38 and also to stream it via my WD My Book HDD across my LAN to see what differences I can hear when streamed directly from the N50 SSD, as with previous Melco reviews I noted the benefits of listening direct from their internal hard drives/player. Track 1 Alone by Tales of Us has a thumping bass line which sounds stunning when cranked up and reminds me of my clubbing days with the bass line hitting hard although it was a long time ago now it’s great to reminisce, that’s what I love about music. I am digressing but more to the point when music is replicated in such a way it can transport you back to times gone by. The Melco has an uncanny way of portraying the music as it was supposed to making it that much more enjoyable. On lesser sources this type of music can sound totally artificial but the Melco resolves the music with such accuracy that it is entertaining and not hard to listen to at all, even at lower volumes the bass has impact which impresses. Track 18 Immigrant by Woo York is a fast paced Trainspotting type track but with some great melodic synthesised sounds and deep bass which is perfectly portrayed from the Melco N50, I listen to this track streamed on the Melco SSD and from my WD My Book HDD with the internal drive having better definition and more rounded bass compared to the outboard HDD, Melco’s noise elimination works so well in their units and allows the music to be heard in full.

On to my next album and when I recieved this review sample of the Melco N50 it came fully loaded with a great selection of music on the SSD and an album I know well, the brilliant Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell, I have this album on DVD-A and on CD and it is a firm favourite as it features the London Philharmonic Orchestra and is a wonderfully composed album, the version on the Melco is the 24bit 96kHz high resolution version and will stream from Quobuz sampled at the same 24bit 96kHz.

I start off with the Quobuz version of Both Sides now and it sounds beautiful with a rich tone to the double bass notes that underpin this track, the bass has real texture to it and not bloated like it can be on some systems that I have heard, her vocals are smooth and rich again full of texture, soundstage is good and convincing but switching to the version on the Melco it has better imaging with a more three dimensional soundstage and better placement of the instruments, moving on to Wishing I Were in Love Again this track really shows off the scale that this album recreates on this remastered version and the accompaniment of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in all its glory and why I like it so much, the scale of the Orchestra compliments Joni’s vocals perfectly and the Melco allows the recording quality to really be appreciated, with a wide soundstage and pin point imaging of instruments which really shines when streaming directly off the SSD with a more refined performance of what is a stunning recording. Joni Mitchell wrote this music about understanding the difficulties with love and in life for this album, which really is one of her finest IMO and most people can relate to, the N50 renders this album perfectly.

On to my last album and one that I love to listen to because of the quality of the recording on the DSD format, S Wonderful Jazz from the Wilson Audiophile Recording label features the Eddie Graham Trio. I bought this version from the Native DSD site a good few years back and loaded it on to the Melco as well as my WD My Book. Track 5 Bali Hai has amazing drumming which when cranked up gives those bass drivers on my ProAc D2R speakers a real workout and my front room comes alive with a big band courtesy of the Eddie Graham Trio, the soundstage is so impressive with this track with a multilayered stage full of the instruments made up mostly of the percussion, having listened to this before via a dCS Rossini player and also their Network Bridge in one of my setups previously, the Melco N50 really does a stunning job as the main source feeding my system with a quality that is high end in every sense of the word. Track 6 Jitterbug Waltz again shows off the delight of the Eddie Graham Trio with the piano notes sounding crisp and well rounded with not a hint of sharpness to the tone, the percussion really does showcase the recording with the depth of the soundstage impressing and the three dimensional imaging of the presentation, listening to these tracks from my outboard WD HDD it loses a little of the focus and to really get the best out of the recording you need to listen off the on board SSD.

Conclusions and final thoughts

This is my fourth Melco Audio review and yet again this Japanese company has not disappointed with the N50, priced in the middle the N50 offers exceptional performance and value but most importantly it allows your favourite digital music to come alive with all the scale they were recorded in, the player digs out all of the detail and resolution that the artist intended and most importantly brings a huge smile to the end user, with great and intuitive software via their app it allows you to tailor your listening experience easily and ROON ready added this gives even more choice in how music can be enjoyed.

 

The N50 receives 5 stars and a Highly Recommended award from The Speaker Shack and rightly deserved !

Price at time of review £4,999

https://melco-audio.com/ website.

http://www.admm.uk.com/ UK Distributor.