Melco launches full-width mid-range SSD music library
Tokyo, Japan, 20th October 2021: Melco Audio has launched its first mid-range SSD-based digital music library, the N50-S38. Handcrafted in Japan, the N50-S38 offers best-ever Melco solid-state affordability, the latest digital technologies, plus Melco’s legendary ease of use.
The new N50-S38 benefits from a heavy, 1.7 mm-thick full-width chassis, an IEC power inlet with noise filter, and classic Melco styling. Improvements include an enhanced main board with a specially selected 3.84 TB SSD drive coupled to the new rigid, layered SSD cradle, plus a new dynamic PSU with 25 % more output. Re-engineered isolation feet are also included.
As with all Melco digital music libraries, the N50-S38 is remarkably easy to use. Crucially, the rear panel includes four specific USB ports: USB 3.0; Expansion and Backup, plus a dedicated USB DAC output ready for connection to USB DACs, USB DAC-equipped amplifiers or active speakers.
The ports enable USB devices to connect and operate effortlessly without any configuration, including: importing or playing music from memory devices, HDD/SSD drives and CD drives (CD ‘rippers’); capacity expansion with Melco’s E100 (or other) storage drive; and easy back-up to HDD/SSD drives.
In line with the N50-S38’s audiophile credentials, the back also panel includes Melco’s dedicated dual Ethernet ports, which provide a dedicated ‘Player’ port in addition to the LAN port, to minimise the unwanted effects of noise on the music signal and present network audio players with a direct, high data-integrity connection. The N50-S38 can be connected to a streamer (via Ethernet) using the PLAYER port, or used as a local player with the dedicated USB DAC output.
The N50-S38 benefits from a high-quality OLED display with push-button control, plus Melco’s Intelligent Music Library suite comprising MinimServer and SongKong software.
Like its EX-series range stablemates, the N50-S38 is Roon Ready, DSD compatible and offers app control via DLNA/UPnP (in USB DAC mode) with support for TIDAL, Qobuz and vTuner streaming. Qobuz Downloader and HighResAudio.com also enable direct, error-free high-res downloads without the need for a computer.
Melco Audio’s UK General Manager, Dan Raggett said, “I am really pleased to be able to announce the N50-S to the world. Melco is always striving to improve its product offering and with the way HDD and SSD technology is constantly changing and evolving, this is a perfect time to be able to bring a second SSD storage product to our range.”
“We have developed N50 with dedicated internal components including PSU. All this has resulted in a fantastic-sounding, high-quality product that sits directly in the middle of the Melco line up.”
Price and availability
The N50-S38 (silver) and N50-S38B (black) are available now priced at £4,999.
UK distributor
Audiophile Digital Music Masters Ltd. audiophiledigital.co.uk +44 (0)1252 784525
International distributors here
About Melco
Melco (Maki Engineering Laboratory Company) was established by Makoto Maki in 1975 in Japan. Maki, an enthusiastic audiophile, established the company to design and manufacture the finest audio components of the time; the undoubted masterpiece of the Melco line was the turntable (introduced into the UK in 1980) which set new standards in music reproduction.
From those early beginnings, Melco developed into the largest computer peripherals manufacturer in Japan (Buffalo Inc.), offering advanced products based on rigorous R&D. These included wireless routers, ethernet data switches and storage devices such as NAS drives. Now, the company is proud to revive the highly respected Melco brand, offering discerning audiophiles high-technology network audio components in the spirit of those much-revered early Melco products, while incorporating the very latest research into reliable, high-performance networked devices and storage. melco-audio.com
