Melco N100 Music Library

Melco N100 is the entry-level music library in the Melco range. Melco has designed its music libraries to store your music files with the best possible sound quality in mind from the principle of close-to-bit-perfect storage. The N100 has an internal hard drive (option between 2TB or 5TB) with an anti-vibration system, known as HS-S or (Highly Stable Storage System) for safe music storage.

Melco’s music libraries have no internal DAC and are intended to be connected to a high-end DAC or streamer, via USB or Ethernet only. The USB connection uses Melco-written protocols that are designed to give the best possible performance. When paired with the D100 optical drive, you can rip close to bit-perfect files that can be stored as Wav or lossless FLAC files. FLAC is preferred as it has metadata to store track information.

Precise data transfer

The N100 features an extreme low-noise high precision data flow. Two Ethernet ports are used - one to connect to your home network, while the other connects to your streamer. Alternatively, you can connect to your DAC via USB. There are no standard PC parts inside the N100 - instead there is a custom-designed main board and processor designed specifically for high-quality audio performance.

Large internal storage options

Internal storage options are 2TB or 5TB, which can be backed up via USB – although this is a backup option only and the storage on the Melco itself is designed for close to bit-perfect music storage.

High build quality

The steel chassis prevents vibration and the aluminium front panel adds a touch of class. Black or silver finishes are available.

USB connected DAC

You can connect a DAC via USB so that the music player acts as a self-contained local HiRes digital music player. Data rates up to 32-bit 384kHz are supported as is Octo DSD.

What is DSD and markerless DSD

DSD is a digital audio format that is the closest you can get to analogue sound in a digital world. CDs are encoded using PCM or Pulse Coded Modulation. While DSD uses a much higher sampling rate and only one bit of data.

CDs are sampled at 44.1kHz using a 16-bit word length. The quality is high but it is not a very efficient way of storing music. Consequently, DSD was developed. This uses one bit to indicate if the previous sample was higher or lower than the current one. Notably, the sample rate can be up to 11.3Mhz with QUAD DSD. The sampling rate is always a multiple of 44.1kHZ.

Melco music libraries support QUAD DSD however, they have also devised their own version. This is known as Melco Markerless DSD. It is a data stream transport that does not use the data packet markers that are normally used. These represent a processor overhead. As a result, Markerless DSD is a pure audio signal that is compatible with an increasing number of high-end DACs

Good controllability

The N100 can be controlled via a custom Android or IOS app as well as the front panel controls. It will also work with an approved third-party RF remote control. You can also use the unit without connecting it to your home network in standalone isolated mode.

Importing CD’s

CD’s can be imported using the Melco D100 External CD loader (available separately). The drive is not built in from the view this would compromise the performance of the N100 0 in other words, N100 is designed solely and principally for the best possible storage of music – not the ripping or streaming, purely the storage.

When connected to a suitable DAC via USB or a suitable streamer via ethernet though, the principles behind this purist approach make clear sense as this is one of the best and most natural-sounding digital storage solutions we’ve heard.