Originally Posted by
Macca
I agree that poor USB implementation could be a reason for differences.
That assumes some basic level of control in the comparison - such as actually comparing the same mastering on CD and stream - which often hasn't even been considered, and so leads to an incorrect conclusion as to what is actually occurring.
I also had a Chord Qutest that supposedly has very good USB implementation but it still sounded poor compared to even a basic dvd player used as a transport connected via coaxial. Obviously I was comparing cd's to the actual rip, imported directly into the Melco so the mastering was identical.
Melco even claim you need 'audiophile' hard drives. When I contacted them and I suggested I might upgrade the drive they had a fit and said they modify the drives firmware for a better sound, which is strange as they are, afaik the only company that claim these magical audio qualities from hard drives. Also an SSD was at the time a big fat no, as they are electrically noisy. Jump forward a couple of years and of course they sell SSD based units at huge price increases.
Another suggestion they have for streaming is do. It connect it to a 'gigabit' internet and the data stream must be 'slow' so 10/100 and not 1000.
I guess it's just not for me!
My System:
Turntable - Linn Sondek LP12, Kore, Lingo 4, Roksan NIMA, Lyra Delos Cartridge, Roksan HDC-03 arm lead, Trampolin 2 base, Tiger Paw Vulcan, Denon DCD-A110 Cd player, Tag Mclaren DAC20 Digital to Analogue Converter, SPM Interconnects, Nordost Red Dawn Leif Speaker cable, Spendor S3/5R2 Target R1 speaker Stands, Atacama ECO 60/40 hifi racks, Sennheiser HD565 Ovation headphones