I just got my hands on a build that's in an Antec MicroFusion 350, looks to be in excellent condition!

It's still sitting in the back of my car along with 4 other systems (just picked them up yesterday) and haven't had time to bring them all in yet.

I love the look of the case! Much less crude and much more "component stereo". I added some stock photos below.

There's a build in it at the moment, no idea what hardware, but I'll be digging through it over the next couple days. It's intended as an HTPC case, so I have a feeling that's whats in it.

Either way, I really like it and can't wait to either revamp whats installed already or build my own something in it! Never knew this case existed until yesterday.

Here is another example where a company really tried to make it work (page needs translation).
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/353/353220/
This one is from 2005 (using of all possible choices a pentium D) and looks like a serious piece of hifi equipment.

Aui wrote on 2024-12-11, 13:11:

Here is another example where a company really tried to make it work (page needs translation).
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/353/353220/
This one is from 2005 (using of all possible choices a pentium D) and looks like a serious piece of hifi equipment.

Hi! Looks great! That device class might be a socalled Media Center PC or Home Theater Personal Computer according to Google.

Jo22 wrote on 2024-12-11, 13:41:

Aui wrote on 2024-12-11, 13:11:

Here is another example where a company really tried to make it work (page needs translation).
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/353/353220/
This one is from 2005 (using of all possible choices a pentium D) and looks like a serious piece of hifi equipment.

Hi! Looks great! That device class might be a socalled Media Center PC or Home Theater Personal Computer according to Google.

I agree, looks amazing! 😀

Seems it was sold as the "Onkyo HDC-7" Viiv media PC.

"Pentium D820 at 2.8GHz, 1GB RAM, 400GB drive, DVD burner and all the inputs and outputs you'd expect, including DVI, component, VGA, dual Firewire and dual USB."

Retail: $2500 in 2006

Aui wrote on 2024-12-11, 13:11:

Here is another example where a company really tried to make it work (page needs translation).
https://ascii.jp/elem/000/000/353/353220/
This one is from 2005 (using of all possible choices a pentium D) and looks like a serious piece of hifi equipment.

There is something similar for sale on ebay right now: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/356356797252?mkcid … emis&media=COPY

Finally ! A way to play Minesweeper in style ...

SilverStone has some hifi cases. Had one years ago. Not as easy to build than a normal case. But it fits in with a surround amplifier. They have some compatible with ATX too.

Jo22 wrote on 2024-06-27, 12:30:

As technology progressed, this went so far that modern models got lead weights installed, so the modern equipment wouldn't feel "cheap".

I'm working at a 4-play ISP and around 2015 we launched a new type of TV STB that was cheaper and much smaller than the previous one for better performance. At first we had a negative feedback from upper management as this small STB was too light to be a "serious" product. A bunch of lead was then indeed included in each STB to make it feel like a more premium product.

Just saw an old flyer for a 486 DX2 66!
And Guess what - its an AIWA !

Is it real? It would pass for an AI generated "creation", I think.
On other hand, the Japanese had such a weird taste for aesthethics..

Yes - it is real. I assume AIWA audio quality will be quite good (wonder if those speakers are properly shielded). It seems to come with a genuine SP Pro 2.0 card. It also includes a TV set - so I am wondering about the screen size / resolution. In addition it avertises easy connection to your game console (with all sorts of RGB in, TV in etc.). Probably also a Karaoke machine - look at that Mic! It also came with Win 3.1 but Im not sure how the PC side and the TV side are connected (or if they talk to each other at all).

About those aesethethics - well they tried ... a little. Overall - a fascinating little machine I think.

Aui wrote on 2025-06-20, 07:22:

About those aesethethics - well they tried ... a little. Overall - a fascinating little machine I think.

Hi, it wasn't meant in a bad way. It's just.. it doesn't look like a 486 system.
By the looks, it would rather fit into late 90s. Pentium MMX, Pentium II/III maybe.
By our western standards, I mean. Japan was like 10 (?) years ahead sometimes.. 😅

It seems there have been later (Pentium / K6-2 modells). But the one in the add is a 486 (probably 1995). You can tell from the sticker (only "intel inside") and the little green label at the bottom left. There was a lot of innovation in all directions - but standard IBM compatible machines were not so common, because NEC still ruled uring that time. It could be that the AIWA is based on an standard Fujitsu FMV - Deskpower - but not sure.

Angry rant: I am taking back my praise for Olivetti PCs. Until recently I never had one to tinker with, but just liked the design. Now I know better. The whole thing just feels cheap. Poor power switch solution. Proprietary mainboard connector. Dozens of small plastic hinges and plastic holders and plastic clips that hold everything together. Metal screws on plastic and more strange metal plastic concantenations prone to breakage. And of course now everything has gone brittle so it will snap if you just look at it. Sigh...

One word - IBM.

Aui wrote on 2025-10-28, 07:14:

Angry rant: I am taking back my praise for Olivetti PCs. Until recently I never had one to tinker with, but just liked the design. Now I know better. The whole thing just feels cheap. Poor power switch solution. Proprietary mainboard connector. Dozens of small plastic hinges and plastic holders and plastic clips that hold everything together. Metal screws on plastic and more strange metal plastic concantenations prone to breakage. And of course now everything has gone brittle so it will snap if you just look at it. Sigh...

I volunteer in a local repair cafe and what you describe is all too common on 1980s HiFi equipment too. The best stuff has all (brushed) metal cases, but even there internally plastic mountings and things like flatcables and their sockets are brittle and/or desintegrating. And a lot had plasic structural elements and buttons too.

I'd not judge design on how well it holds up to use far, far beyond any reasonable expectations of lifespan. Your Olivetti would have been just fine for the first ten years. In fact ironically it's often the fancier designs that suffer most. I like old Sun stuff, particularly from the mid/late 1990s (SS5, SS10, early Ultras) and all their nice purple trim is just crumbling away, as are similar era SGI Origins (even if the old Indy seems indestructible in its blue glory). Of course, materials for trim are a choice, but no one is going to spend money on something that will only add value long after its economic value to them has reached zero. Case in point: the 12-CPU SGI Origin 2000 I was able to pick up for EUR 1. At that time (early 2000s) all its trim was still in great shape despite it literally being disposed of as scrap.

You are of course right. We simply should not attach our memories to physical objects that decay and crumble before our eyes 😉

Although I do have a SLR camera from the 50s that works perfectly to this day (I assume it will still work when finally the last film was sold). On the other hand, around 2004, I bought a Lumix superzoom camera which has most of its plastic parts half molten by now.

So I will keep looking for this elusive fusion of great design, good materials and thoughtfull implementation...