![Melco N50](https://cdn.magzter.com/1394478161/1652171766/articles/KN6Q-GLKK1653915360374/Melco-N50.jpg)
Melco, the Japanese maker of the N50 Music Library featured in this review, is not a household name among US audiophiles. Veterans may recall the Melco 3560 turntable, which was considered extravagant at its 1978 launch, in part because it supported three tonearms. Confusingly, several subsidiaries of the giant keiretsu Mitsubishi are called MELCO (for “Mitsubishi Electric Corporation”), but the maker of the N50 is not one of those MELCOs. This “Melco” is, rather, short for “Maki Engineering Laboratory Company,” and though it got its start in hi-fi, these days its best-known products are network-attached RAID arrays made by Melco’s American division, Buffalo Americas.
Melco’s audio division, known as Melco Syncrets, sells products similar to those produced by Buffalo Americas but tuned for hi-fi, including servers that incorporate all the digital elements that benefit from a being in a single box. The new N50 lacks only a DAC to be a complete digital source.
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Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Stereophile.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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![My last Far East trip](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/aEItiXEGu1724762735486/MY-LAST-FAR-EAST-TRIP.jpg)
My last Far East trip
First comes the anticipation, that initial jet of warm water, that miraculous searching, finding the sweet spot, then heaven on earth as it cleans and caresses.
![Riding the Common Wave](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/m5s8eYaZl1724762611904/RIDING-THE-COMMON-WAVE.jpg)
Riding the Common Wave
In the e-commerce era, brick-and-mortar dealerships must give customers compelling reasons to stop by. Los Angeles hi-fi dealership Common Wave's owner Wesley Katzir keeps customers coming through the door with a simple idea: that music matters in our everyday lives and that what he enjoys, other people will enjoy, too.
![Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/X4tEo86l21724762439034/MIND-GAMES-TO-THE-BOTTOM-OF-THE-RABBIT-HOLE.jpg)
Mind Games to the bottom of the rabbit hole
After a wild decade in the biggest pop music group ever, John Lennon's post-Beatles years were spent in protest, in various kinds of therapy, in immigration court, and in search of a new musical identity.
![Trane meets the Motor City](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/4-LZL7hkh1724762332940/TRANE-MEETS-THE-MOTOR-CITY.jpg)
Trane meets the Motor City
Detroit became a destination for migrating African Americans early, starting with the Underground Railroad; the city's proximity to Canada was convenient for those seeking to escape Southern slavery.
![Vital art never rests](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/8Uk3N32Tf1724762169534/VITAL-ART-NEVER-RESTS.jpg)
Vital art never rests
At this late date, it seems impossible that there could still be \"lost\" albums lingering in the vaults by musicians as important and successful as Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney.
![DUKE IN 10](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/Ped4C6r-R1724761656461/DUKE-IN-10.jpg)
DUKE IN 10
TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.
![Piega Coax Gen2 811](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/EcFc4VTnI1724761024565/PIEGA-COAX-GEN2-811.jpg)
Piega Coax Gen2 811
It's funny how we discover some music in unexpected, twisting ways.
![Pass Laboratories XP-27](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/6qbCjKWEC1724760143040/PASS-LABORATORIES-XP27.jpg)
Pass Laboratories XP-27
One of the pleasures of reviewing-and also using-products from Pass Laboratories is an encounter with Nelson Pass's writing, which can usually be found in the owner's manual and is always competent, insightful, and sometimes funny.
![EMT 928 II](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/2Vty9XUsU1724759639934/EMT-928-II.jpg)
EMT 928 II
Modern turntables are a paradox.
![Dynaudio Contour 30i](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/5798/1789372/YoRj_o-0w1724758944223/DYNAUDIO-CONTOUR-30I.jpg)
Dynaudio Contour 30i
Ah, Denmark. Land of the Vikings and blue-eyed, blond-haired folk with faces sculpted just so.