ПК и серверы — Genuin Audio tars

The tars is a music server from Genuin Audio of Germany. Its owner Thomas Wendt also heads a telecom network firm that writes its own software, which shaped his approach to digital design. It combines CD ripping, storage, playback and library management in one unit controlled from a tablet. The 1 TB version cost EUR 9,900 at its Munich showing.

Key specs that matter

Storage is one NVMe SSD for the operating system and one 1 TB SSD for the music library, expandable to five SSDs of up to 8 TB each. Files are stored as WAV at 24 bits and up to 192 kHz. The power supply is external. The server measures 441 x 125 x 331 mm, plus 100 mm for connections, and weighs 8.2 kg.

Engineering and use context

Wendt developed the tars with the aim of avoiding jitter and high-frequency interference, drawing on his digital background. The power supply is housed separately, and the motherboard, SSD and PCIe bridge are powered independently, so noise from one section does not spread through a shared supply. A PCIe bridge feeds the audio output, separating it from the computer's general-purpose interfaces. All files, including CDs ripped by the tars and music loaded from external drives or USB sticks, are converted to this WAV format, so they match the native format of the external DAC and playback needs no further processing. With five 8 TB drives the library can reach 40 TB, which Genuin equates to about 60,000 CDs. Ripping runs dBpoweramp with AccurateRip in the background, and each rip is compared with up to five online databases. The server is fanless, cooled passively by a heat pipe system and lateral fins, and the SSD mounts, CD drive and case are damped with aluminium butyl. Thixar absorber feet support it on three points. SSDs were chosen for fast access and long-term stability, and they have no mechanical parts to add noise. The tars never needs an additional computer, and control runs from a tablet, making the server simple for owners who do not want to manage computer software. In Genuin's system, the tars feeds the brand's active speakers, such as the Ava, through Genuin's own digital cable. Genuin wants owners to need only a handful of tightly integrated boxes, including the Drive turntable with built-in phono stage and the Point tonearm. A tablet app handles ripping as well as playback.

Pairing

The tars feeds an external DAC or Genuin's active speakers such as the Ava.

Alternatives

Genuin Audio makes no other music server beside the tars.