So, I have a N1A (first generation) to test and have made some interesting observations.
My desired setup of connecting my Music PC (hosting Roon Core and HqPlayer) directly to the player port of the
Melco works without a glitch. HqPlayer can also find my mR which is directly connected to the Music PC via Network Bridge. From a connection perspective, everything works like a charm.
In regards to SQ, I would say there is a slight improvement when accessing the files directly stored on the
Melco as oppossed to my QNAP NAS. The overall sound is a tick "punchier" and "snappier" (Apologies, but I am not that great at describing differences in SQ)
An interesting side effect occured when I connected the LAN port of the
Melco to my NetGear Switch and then later directly connected it to my AVM Router instead. Although I am powering the AVM Router with an HDPlex PSU, it sounded "muddier" than the standard NetGear switch. Actually I was expecting the opposite to be the case.
All in all, the
Melco is a nice piece of kit, and it's ease of use (and quietness) is very enjoyable. Does the improvement in SQ warrant making the investment (in this case purely as a dedicated audio NAS)? IMO, maybe not, but I am not finished with my testing yet...
Update: Added a GISO ethernet isolator between the AVM Router and the
Melco and the result was like "wow"! Honestly I have not heard my system sound like this when streaming before. In particular, the Tidal material has gained massive space in the sound stage. Celestial Echo from Malia sounded truely celestial. The signal chain never sounded better and I believe the
Melco is here to stay.