Building Dream HTPCs: Steiger Dynamics Interview

Combined with the Couchmaster, an ergonomic sofa platform for mouse and keyboard, our systems fully replace a desktop PC. We in fact have customers who are not only using the HTPC and gaming functionality of our systems but do professional photo and video editing on the big screen. And they absolutely love it.

bit-tech We assume this great feature set comes at quite a price tag. How do you explain that to your potential customers.

Our systems can really be seen as some kind of investment. First, the monumental and timeless chassis is basically indestructible and perfectly upgradable at any point in time, eliminating the need of buying something completely new when the next generation of tech is out. Second, if you sum up the prices of all the devices our HTPCs are replacing, you will actually be better off with our system.

And this also holds true for the power consumption. Depending on the configuration, the LEET HTPC consumes as little as 2 Watts in standby and 50 Watts in idle and low loads – less than a regular light bulb and less than the combined consumption of the devices it replaces. And last but not least, cost of Windows software and games is substantially lower as compared to Macs and consoles, saving you a ton of money over the years.

bit-tech What kind of systems do you offer – how so they compare to standard PCs/do they offer HTPC-specific features?

Looks and form factor of our systems are and will be distinctively designed for the living room. The brushed aluminum in black or silver matches perfectly with existing devices like AVRs or amps. And the quality of our chassis, featuring 100% aluminum with a 5 mm wall thickness, is unmatched by anything out there. The bottom plate is about the standard Blu-ray player size, fitting into most TV furniture.

In addition, our systems are extremely silent due to liquid cooling. With our own custom liquid cooling solution, even our top-of-the-line systems are practically inaudible in idle. Furthermore, our LEET chassis features a 7” front screen, displaying our in-house developed LEET Monitor App.

This boasts system status and media information. When it comes to input devices, depending on the use case, the LEET can be controlled by the included IR remote control, with any tablet or smartphone, or with mouse and keyboard.

bit-tech Who are your most popular customers – do they buy your PCs for gaming, movies/streaming or lots of general tasks?

In general we have around a 50/50 share of gamers and Hi-Fi enthusiasts. The gamers are usually going for one or two high-end graphics cards and want to enjoy the latest games in the most immerse way possible, namely on their large HD TV and Surround Sound setup with maxed out graphic settings.


The audio and video enthusiasts often max out the storage capacity and rip their CD and Blu-ray collection to the system. Also special sound cards like RME solutions with DB-25 studio equipment connectors are often on the wish list. And then we of course have customers doing both. Also, professional usage is getting more and more in the focus, especially from self-employed creatives.