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P1688 Signature Preamplifier
"The P1688 Signature preamplifier is an Australian design that won accolades in Japan as one of
the three best preamplifiers in the world. See Dagogo review":
http://www.dagogo.com/MelodyP1688-S88.html
"Features excellent ultra high quality black gloss finish as well as superb build quality with point to
point wiring throughout using super high quality parts. Sound is unbelievably transparent, smooth
detailed with huge soundstage".
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M2A3 Mono Block Amplifiers
"I got a pair of the Melody M2A3 monoblocks. I'm telling you, I've never heard anything to touch
them! They are the best sounding amps I've heard. They beat my single-ended amps and my
Gainclone amps by a large margin!" (6moons contributor)
"I've only heard the integrated version I reviewed but yes, I'd expect the monos to be quite special. I
think Melody will soon be catching on with more people. If not, it's certainly not because of the
product. I can't keep asking these guys to send stuff to Cyprus, otherwise I'd work my way through
the line. Plus, other publications will want to discover certain models. Glad to hear you're enjoying
your new acquisitions" (6moons Contributor)
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I2A3 Integrated Amplifier
From the 6moons founder himself ...
"I'll put it to you this way. The owner of the mondo system shown at the end of the Melody review
bought an I2A3 after a 5-minute audition - for his Avantgarde Duo Omegas. He's very experienced
with state-of-the-art valve amps, owning some of the finest made. He right away said, "this doesn't
sound like a 2A3 amp". He was right. It sounds like a 45 SET though it is a 2A3 push/pull. And it runs
off affordable Sovteks which do not perform at the same elevated level into something like the Fi
monos which are 2A3 SETs. This truly is world-class stuff and our upcoming factory tour will
document it. Melody winds its own transformers in-house, uses authentic (not cloned) Jensen PIO
caps, relies on original circuits and is the 2nd largest valve amp manufacturer in China today.
They're in a brand-new factory with an attached dormitory and kitchen for the workers and presently
run a staff of about 80, with another 10-strong management staff. They're presently being solicited
for OEM work from companies that would surprise you but would instantly prove the point and
exactly at what level Melody manufacturers these days. Considering your listening tastes and what
you're trying to accomplish -- realisation -- the Melody I2A3 gets my highest recommendation
indeed. It's a world-class integrated amplifier built to the highest standards and sounds like it."
Srajan
As for my humble opinion? ... Well
I have heard the Integrated version of these and I have to say the Monos are a serious step up the
Audio "food chain". The have even better definition, more air around the instruments and
appreciably better staging. On my Altecs I loved them, simple as that. I listened to everything I could
think of on them today while I was tapping away at these auctions, Chamber Music, Accoustic Rock,
Guitar Solos, Vocals and even some Japanese War Drumming. These supposedly "low powered"
Valve Amps came through with flying colours, but more importantly, they passed the acid test for our
house. That is, my wife came in and said (unasked I might add) "they sound nice Darling, are we
keeping those ones now ?"
There's no higher test at our place and when it get's the "tick of approval" from those ears, it usually
stays around for quite a while ....
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CES 2007
From Don Shaulis of StereoTimes
Tube equipment was in abundance at both CES and T.H.E. Show. Most of my favorite rooms had at
least some tube equipment in the system. Of those, Melody is right at the top of my list of favorites.
Melody had a large room on Level 4 of the Venetian. The room sound was very inviting and I could
have just sat there and forgot about the rest of the rooms if I wasn’t so excited about exploring for
new treasures.
Melody was using a pair of Usher CP-6381s fronted by their own beautiful equipment. I have never
heard Usher speakers sound better. The source was a Melody CD-M10 full vacuum tube output (24
bit/192 kHz DAC) CD player with separate power supplies for the digital and analog sections. The
preamplifier was a Melody P1688 Signature. Amplification was a pair of 18 watts/channel M2A3
monoblocks. www.melodyhifi.com
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CD-M10 CD Player
02-28-07: Jakester99
I received the Melody CD-M10 from Mingus Chu at Melody HiFi in Torrance, California when his first
shipment arrived at the end of December. My black CD-M10 arrived the first week in January. I had
been waiting for it since September of 2006 when I first heard Melody was going to be importing a
US version. This player has been on my radar since last February. .............................
The CD-M10 is a three tube design using the highly respected 6SN7 signal tubes in its' analog
output stage, along with a 5AR4 rectifier tube. It has single ended and balanced outputs, although in
my listening the RCA outputs deliver the better performance. The balanced outputs appear to be
generated using op amps, which in my experience are always a design and cost compromise,
although in the case of the CD-M10 those op amps are Burr-Brown OPA627. Nonetheless, the
dynamics and soundstage through the balanced ports feels slightly pinched and flat compared to
the single ended output.
I've owned close to a dozen different CD players in the past year, and the Melody is the first one that
has a chance to stay in my system for a while. I've rolled out the stock driver and rectifier tubes with
NOS Mullard 5AR4 and Tung-Sol VT-231's, and it does present a very smooth, slightly warm sound
that is nonetheless clean and (one would hope) faithful to whatever source material you present it
with. It is neither forward or dark - Mrtennis mentions it as being neutral and I agree with that
assessment. This player has no glaring sonic weakness and allows music to emerge from its' digital
origins in a relaxed, yet not quite laid back manner. It has good dynamics and handles deep bass as
well as any digital source I've heard in recent memory. However, I'm not convinced that tube rolling
with this player can yield improvements as substantial as one typically experiences in a tube preamp
or even certain tube DAC's, but it never hurts to have some vintage 6SN7's on hand to experiment.
The Mundorf Silver & Gold coupling capacitors likely play as large of a role in determining the
voicing of this player as the 6SN7 tubes utilized in the signal path.
It probably helps that I am pairing the CD-M10 with the Melody I880 KT88-based integrated amplifier,
as there is bound to be a natural synergy between the two products.
My overall impression of the Melody CD-M10 is a positive one. I can say that for the most part, I
have started listening to the music again as opposed to listening to the player, which was a common
occurrence during the audition phase for the last eight or nine CD players that have spent time in
my system. I think a good number of people are going to like this player, although I am certain that it
is not for everyone.
It is worth a listen, in my opinion.
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Venus Hi Fi
This is still a relatively new entry in the world of tube digital, and has yet to receive a full-blown
professional review in North America. But the following consumer review does a very nice job of
describing the CD-M10:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/general/messages/48/481828.html
I myself would rank it among the best CD players in its price range (which would include models from
CEC and Lector, among others), and I have yet to encounter another player at even close to this
retail price that can better the CD-M10 in terms of bass extension and quality. (This is probably due
to the VERY large custom transformers in the CD-M10, which account for much of this player's 75lb
weight!)
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I300B Integrated Amplifier
Venus Hi Fi
Melody is a rising star in the world of high-end audio, and although their amazing products were only
recently introduced to North America, this company has rapidly gained a reputation for building top-
drawer tube components that offer incredible value.
What I've got up for sale here is a Melody I300B integrated SET amplifier. This is the "big brother" of
the H300B (featured in another current Audiogon ad) - the I300B sports better internal components,
beefier transformers, and a sexier faceplate than the H300B. Other important improvements offered
by the I300B include (a) the use of a 101D tube for rectification, and (b) the inclusion of both single-
ended (RCA) AND balanced (XLR) inputs.
The I300B is also a sibling of the better-known I2A3 integrated amp from Melody - if you've never
heard of the I2A3, check out this review:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/melody3/i2a3.html
And although the Melody I2A3 puts out more power than the I300B (the former is push-pull while the
latter is single-ended) and is a little more expensive, I prefer the sound of the I300B more - Melody's
SET integrated amp has a somewhat richer and more textured midrange. In most other ways,
though, the description of the I2A3 in the above review very nicely captures the nature of the I300B
(and, aside from the different output tube configurations, the two amps look identical).
