John
UPDATE 12th Feb: A representative from Roon Labs has been in touch to let us know that hardware suppliers are not permitted to ship PCs with Roon ROCK pre-installed.
Swedish hi-fi retailer Undentia has teamed up with German silent PC manufacturer Cirrus7 to produce a fanless music server that will run Windows or – of interest to readers of this publication – Roon ROCK.
(SEE UPDATE ABOVE)
Based on a 10th Generation Intel NUC with upgraded CPU, the Cirrus-7SE does away with the NUC’s fan to move cooling into the passive domain where a bespoke aluminium heatsink and chassis from Cirrus7 pulls heat away from the CPU and SSD.
Specifications run as follows:
Intel Gen 10 Intel Core i7-10710U (Comet Lake) 1.6 – 4.7 GHz Hexa Core + Hyperthreading
16GB (DDR4-2666) RAM
250GB Samsung SSD 970 Evo
1 x HDMI
1 x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 3.1 type C incl. DisplayPort
4 x USB 3.0
1 X GBit LAN
1 x WLAN a / b / g / n / ac
1 x Bluetooth 5
1 x IR receiver
Selling for 14,950 KR (US$1800), the Cirrus-7SE is the closest pre-built alternative to Roon’s own €1550 Nucleus server that we’ve seen to date. Translating from the Swedish on their website: “Cirrus7 SE has been optimized for Roon and comes with Roon Rock software installed. If you want Windows as an operating system, we will, of course, deliver it with Win 10.”
(SEE UPDATE ABOVE)
This Swedish/German collaboration offers wifi connectivity — something that the Nucleus does not.
Standing alone, connected only to a LAN and mains power, the Cirrus-7SE’s sole role is as Roon ROCK music server that streams music content to Roon endpoints. However, Undentia can also supply (at a ‘package price’) a low-noise Keces power supply to those wanting to maximise sound quality when connecting the Cirrus-7SE directly to a DAC over USB.
Anyone looking to save some coin by specc-ing out their own NUC-based Cirrus7 PC should investigate the Nimbini here. However, readers are advised to check in with Roon on ROCK’s hardware requirements and installation procedure before adding anything to their virtual shopping cart.
Further information: Undentia
