Undentia (opens in new tab), an audio specialist from Sweden, has launched what it calls a music server for audiophiles. The Cirrus-7SE Music Server is based on a regular 10th Generation Intel NUC motherboard which runs silently thanks to a specially designed passively cooled chassis made by Cirrus7.
For many years true music lovers preferred records on vinyl and SACDs, but since many new releases are digital only, they have to buy them in various lossless formats like FLAC and then keep those files somewhere. Media servers are not usually located in the same room where content is enjoyed, so they may feature loud hard drives and/or cooling systems. But since there are people who might want to locate a media server near their audio equipment, they would probably prefer something passively cooled and preferably without any other loud components. This audience is exactly the target market for the Undentia Cirrus-7SE Music Server.
The Undentia Cirrus7 SE Music Server was designed together with Cirrus7, a maker of fanless PCs from Germany. The machine uses a custom Cirrus7 Nimbini v3 Media Edition chassis that measures 6.2 x 6.2 x 4.7 inches (157 × 157 × 120mm) and acts like a huge cooling system. Inside the PC is Intel's NUC10i7FNH motherboard that carries Intel's Core i7-10710U 'Comet Lake-U' processor (6C/12T, 1.60 – 4.70 GHz, 12MB cache, 15W TDP) with UHD 620 Graphics core.
The default configuration of the Cirrus7-SE Music Server comes equipped with 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory, a 250GB Samsung SSD 970 Evo, and the Roon Rock operating system optimized for media servers, but it is also possible to pre-install Microsoft's Windows 10. The Udentia Cirrus7-SE Music Server has a standard set of I/O technologies that includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GbE, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.0, an audio jack, and an IR receiver. While formally this PC is aimed at audiophiles, it can naturally be used like a regular desktop PC or like a media server, especially when it is equipped with a high-capacity 2.5-inch HDD or SSD.
Undentia sells the Cirrus7-SE Music Server is available for 14,950 Kr, or about $1795 with taxes. Interestingly, a similarly configured PC from Cirrus7 is priced at $1254 which is certainly a better deal if one plans to use the system like a regular desktop and does not need the Roon Rock OS pre-installed.