The Sonata comes packaged in a nicely decorated box that features a prominent picture of the case itself - you can tell from first glance that this case is packaged for retail sale, where a pretty box is somewhat necessary (some would say crucial) to attract potential customers. This is in stark contrast to most cases I've had, which have just come in plain cardboard boxes having at best, a description of gross/net weight and an indication of whether a PSU was present.

   The case was packaged decently, no better nor worse than most cases I've seen, and for this case, protection was of a greater importance than most, with its impressive paint job. The paint is a deep black, and is quite reflective, though maybe not a pure mirror finish; in any event it's certainly to turn heads. The front bezel is made of black plastic, and while it isn't as impressive, it fits in nicely with the rest of the case, as a door covers up any unsightly drive bay covers.

 

The Sonata - nicely packaged.	Pretty!
Front blends in nicely with rest of case.	The standard Antec case door handle is present.

   Though not a big case at less than 17" in height just over 18" in depth, the case is quite heavy with a net weight of 20.8lbs - this is because of its steel construction, and if you've been used to aluminum cases or thin-steel ones, the mass of this case may surprise you.

   The weight is also due in part to the PSU, which is quite hefty on its own, being a quality unit. Moving on to more superficial features, you'll note that about the only thing that really stands out from the case (despite the overall look being very sleek and sexy) is the shiny "bar" in the middle on the front of the case. This shiny thing is really a door that cleverly conceals the front USB, firewire and audio ports. On either side of this door are two blue LEDs - they are powered off of a standard 4-pin molex connector, so if you find them distracting, you don't have to plug them in.

   They do, however, add a very nice appearance to the front of the case. Two Antec trademarks you'll find are the lockable front door and the side panel "door" handle, which is also lockable. Keys are provided for both, and they allow you to secure your case with a reasonable level of deterrence.

   I've grown completely accustomed to the door handle on my Plus1080AMG, so it was very nice to see it on the Sonata - the handle helps a lot when you need quick access to your case's innards, as you don't really need to use screws with the side panel's locking mechanism.

 

"Antec" logo is hole-stamped onto each side panel - why?	The PSU has a nice bronzed grill on it.
Rear 120mm fan placement. (Fan here is included, but was removed while playing with the case.)	PSU also has an on/off switch.

  Each side panel displays the Antec logo stamped into it - while I understand the need for a manufacturer to brand their products, this was a bit excessive. Could not a small Antec logo engraved onto the plastic front bezel have sufficed? With the approach Antec has chosen, you are left with many tiny holes in the otherwise beautiful side panels, a look that totally disrupts, in my opinion, the effect that Antec was aiming for: A level of refined professionalism. In addition to the harm brought to form, this choice may also affect functionality, as you may get unwanted airflow either going into or out of these holes.

   Moving on to the back, you can see a mount for one of the 120mm fans; a 120x25mm thick Antec-branded fan is included for this placement. This fan has been mounted using what Antec calls "grommets", which were basically rubber-like pushpins that effectively prevented the fan from fully contacting the chassis and thus reducing the level of vibration that was transmitted from the fan to the housing, and hopefully cutting down on noise - Antec has also included four additional "grommets" should you want to utilize the other 120mm fan mount in a similar manner, and this was one of the main selling points of this "Quiet" case.

   The PSU has a nice bronze fan grill covering its only fan, and as you'd expect from Antec, also includes a hard on/off switch. Also included on this and other TruePower PSUs was an external 4-pin molex connector! (It's being covered by a cap, and is placed vertical-wise next in between the fan grill and on/off switch.) The nice thing about Antec cases is that if you get one with a PSU, you can be guaranteed you're getting a good PSU - Antec PSUs are some of the best and my personal favourite as of late.

   One construction quirk you'll notice is that only the left side panel is removeable; the top and right side are made of one piece of metal, placed into an L-shape, and this piece has been riveted into place. If you want to remove this section, you'll need a drill. In this way, and some others, the Sonata shares some commonalities with the X-Sonic Mid-Tower.

 

The door covers any unsightly drive bays.

Door swings >180 degrees over.

Power, Reset buttons and LEDs.

  With a case as sleek as this one, you're going to want congruity, so a door is in place (as is the case with so many Antec models) to cover up any drive bays whose faceplates may not agree with the colour of the Sonata. The door swings out over 180 degrees to fully open, and if you want, you can remove the door.  

   Upon opening the door, you're greeted to yet another familiar sight, the indentations on the side of each drive bay cover that allow you to insert and remove 5.25" drives via a nice rail system.

   The Power and Reset buttons are less eye-catching than the rest of the system, both of them being a dull grey colour. Similarly, the power and reset LEDs are green and orange, respectively - fairly standard colours. I would have expected something a little more exclusive; a colour combination of blue/red or even blue/white would have suited this case better, in my opinion. As for functionality, the power/reset buttons weren't very hard to press, and the lockable front door prevents access to them and the drives in a nice manner.

 

Small door flips up to show the front ports.

Even the bottom is nicely painted/finished! (It also has four feet)

   Below the front door, is the small flip-up door that covers up the front access ports. The door made of plastic, but is very shiny - this also means that despite it's pretty looks, it'll get smudged with fingerprints fast. When flipped up, you're given access to two USB ports, a firewire port, and lineout & mic audio jacks - pretty decent for front port access.

   Looking at the bottom, you'll see that even the underside of the case has been painted and finished in a nice black colour! This probably wasn't needed, but it does lend a level of polish to the case. There are the standard four grip-feet on the bottom of the case, and these will do a good job at keeping the case in place, if the weight of it doesn't do the job already. Well, we've all seen the beauty on the outside of this case, and so far, it's lived up to Antec expectations, for the most part. But how does it fare on the inside?

 

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