Any Melco users out there?

[Womaz]

I remembered that I had some correspondence with Melco back in early September regarding their control app, to quote:

"There is a plan to make a control app available – but it is distant and so the feature set is not settled yet."

So that leaves two big questions, how far in the future is "distant", and what will the feature set look like?

Right, I made a few more enquiries yesterday.

Melco are working on something big, that's about as much as I can say. 

I personally think this dedicated app thing is a bit of a red herring. To my knowledge there are already countless decent UPnP apps out there that do the job perfectly well and with such a wide range there is almost an app for everyone. With the choice of Minimserver (as a UPnP server) it is possible to tweak the database directory structure so that you can browse your music collection in a way that suits you.

Apps like Linn's Kazoo integrate Tidal perfectly and are a joy to use. Linn has literally spent millions of pounds on this platform and it works very well.

I realise that UPnP doesn't suit everyone and some may require even more control over metadata, and for that a PC-based solution such as JRiver is probably best. Having used UPnP since 2007 when I got my Linn KDS I also know that it's important to get the network setup correctly and some routers work better than others. I once had a BT Home Hub that was a nightmare, since moving to a Draytek a few years ago it's been almost flawless.

For the price - i.e. £1600 - I still maintain that nothing comes close SQ-wise. 

Guillaume

I am assuming that you mean the Linn Kazoo app will work with the Melco? Also that I will be able to use an internet radio service with the Melco too? If true that is good news and I will have a look at this app.
My dealer is coming back on Monday to see if we can get it working without the dropouts.
He says he has a couple of tests to do that will tell him whether it is a problem with the router.
As for the SQ of the Melco. I always find this almost impossible to judge in an hour when someone is sitting there next to you. All I know is when I have been using AIR and then I have to switch to my CD transport, I can tell straight away a drop in quality. Bass is not as good and it just sounds a little harsh.
So when the Melco was first put on I waited for the drop in SQ. To my delight there was none. It could even have been better to be honest. The soundstage seemed to open up even more and a better bass too. It was also a lot louder at my normal volume level, so maybe this is due to the noise reduction.
I chose Melco after a huge amount of research and reading as I like the concept. It is not a flashy product with a big marketing push, it just seems that they want to get the best SQ to the chosen amp/network player.
It also takes my NAS and PC out of the music playback chain, so that’s what I want if I do have to pay for something to enable me to play my downloaded music.
I only hope it works on Monday or I am back to sitting on the fence again!