Month: December 2015

Lian Li PC-Q10 Mini-ITX Case

The Lian Li PC-Q10 is a rare double threat mini-ITX case. Its all-aluminum construction and large side window give it elegant aesthetics while its heavily ventilated chassis allows for excellent performance.

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Another Thorens Reborn: TD160

The Thorens TD160 is a poor man’s Linn, and still amazingly popular as the vinyl revival continues. This is the story of a 160 reborn, with many components “borrowed” from the Linn.

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Corsair Carbide 600Q Inverse Tower

The Corsair Carbide 600Q is a tall and wide minimalist case, both in terms of appearance and noise. It features an inverted motherboard orientation, an open front airflow design, noise damping sheets, and a fan controller.

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Thorens TD125 + SME 3009 II Fully Restored

The Thorens TD125 is a vintage classic still in demand among vinyl record enthusiasts today. This is the story of one restoration of a 40+ year old turntable, with an SME 3009 II tonearm.

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Two Amp Projects: 8x100W DIY & H/K 770 Restoration

A show-and-tell about two amplifier projects: A DIY custom assembly of an 8x100W class-D amp and the restoration of a classic 1980 Harman/Kardon HK770 dual-mono power amp with complete replacement of all 44 capacitors.

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Asus Maximus VIII Impact Mini-ITX Skylake Motherboard

The Asus Maximus VIII Impact is an absolutely loaded mini-ITX motherboard with high-end power regulation and audio, wireless connectivity, a U.2 port, an external temperature sensor, and an expansion card that boosts the number of controllable fans from two to five.

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Streacom F12C All-Aluminum Multimedia Chassis

The F12C is a departure for Streacom, a desktop media case that uses traditional air cooling rather than a fanless heatpipe system. However, it does retains Streacom’s usual minimalist aesthetics and thick all-aluminum build quality.

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Linkwitz Orion speakers: 7-yr itch?

Before I could embark on any turntable projects, I had to clean out the garage, and get rid of the parts for a speaker project I started seven years before. It turned into a 4-month job and I ended up with a tidy garage full of tools, and a speaker system better than anything I’ve

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MikeC’s Audio Craft: An Introduction

Most SPCR regulars know that my fascination with everything aural, both music and sound, predates this web site by… a lifetime! This section is meant to showcase the work in audio restoration, design and construction that’s becoming increasingly important to me. This article is an intro, and a quick summary & photos of my fourth

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Zotac GeForce GTX 950 Video Card

The GTX 950 brings Nvidia’s 2nd generation Maxwell architecture to a more accessible price-point. Zotac’s implementation is affordable, efficient, and delightfully compact.

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