looking for a small amplifier to build into a pc.

[manikyath]

so.. just to start things off: i'm not really into the extreme high fidelity audio stuff, and this is not for the purpose of getting better than the integrated DAC on a motherboard.

 

in essence, the issue is we're looking into a new TV, and have decided that that would be a nice moment to toss our HORRIBLE bluray / speaker system combo unit out, because we dont use it anways.

but given that, the speakers of said combo unit easily beat any TV's builtin speakers, its just too much of a mess to turn on the speaker system (terrible remote, complicated buttons, slow respnse...) so the thought was to figure out a solution to power the speakers with as little 'overhead' as possible, just audio out from the TV, into the speakers.

 

now.. they're not big bookshelf speakers, so just about any 40-ish wats per channel aplifier will do, the problem is the simplicity argument.

i'm looking for 'a solution' that basicly takes optical audio in, and turns it onto 2.1 output (left, right, and subwoofer), and fits roughly into the footprint of an SFX power supply.

[.Apex.]

You might want to look into car amplifiers, there are plenty of them that fits the said footprint and can be powered from the PSU itself, just make sure there is enough power headroom.

[manikyath]

17 minutes ago, .Apex. said:

You might want to look into car amplifiers, there are plenty of them that fits the said footprint and can be powered from the PSU itself, just make sure there is enough power headroom.

unfortunately pretty much all the car stuff i seem to find is 4 channel amplifiers in the "stupidly high wattage" range.

any input on where or what to look for specificly?

[rice guru]

25 minutes ago, manikyath said:

unfortunately pretty much all the car stuff i seem to find is 4 channel amplifiers in the "stupidly high wattage" range.

any input on where or what to look for specificly?

is the subwoofer passive or active?

[manikyath]

4 hours ago, rice guru said:

is the subwoofer passive or active?

passive

[HumdrumPenguin]

13 hours ago, manikyath said:

so.. just to start things off: i'm not really into the extreme high fidelity audio stuff, and this is not for the purpose of getting better than the integrated DAC on a motherboard.

 

in essence, the issue is we're looking into a new TV, and have decided that that would be a nice moment to toss our HORRIBLE bluray / speaker system combo unit out, because we dont use it anways.

but given that, the speakers of said combo unit easily beat any TV's builtin speakers, its just too much of a mess to turn on the speaker system (terrible remote, complicated buttons, slow respnse...) so the thought was to figure out a solution to power the speakers with as little 'overhead' as possible, just audio out from the TV, into the speakers.

 

now.. they're not big bookshelf speakers, so just about any 40-ish wats per channel aplifier will do, the problem is the simplicity argument.

i'm looking for 'a solution' that basicly takes optical audio in, and turns it onto 2.1 output (left, right, and subwoofer), and fits roughly into the footprint of an SFX power supply.

If the speakers are going through the window, you can try a sound bar and connect it via the HDMI (e)ARC connection. The TV will read the sound bar as an internal speaker, and you'll be able to use your TV remote controller. I have a Sonos Beam on my TV, and albeit it pales in comparison with the speakers I have on my sound system, it does a pretty decent job for the price.

[manikyath]

8 hours ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

If the speakers are going through the window, you can try a sound bar and connect it via the HDMI (e)ARC connection. The TV will read the sound bar as an internal speaker, and you'll be able to use your TV remote controller. I have a Sonos Beam on my TV, and albeit it pales in comparison with the speakers I have on my sound system, it does a pretty decent job for the price.

i'm planning to keep the speakers, just ditch the bluray player / amplifier combo.

as for the sound bar.. it'd be my preferred option as well, but we have a bit of an odd (dated?) living room TV setup, and there really is no good place to put a sound bar.

 

with @.Apex.'s suggestion to look into automotive stuff i found this amplifier that seems nice enough, how i'll make this work with a TV is something i'm not entirely sure of just yet...

https://www.sony.com/electronics/car-amplifiers/xm-s400d

 

[Riccardo Cagnasso]

23 hours ago, manikyath said:

so.. just to start things off: i'm not really into the extreme high fidelity audio stuff, and this is not for the purpose of getting better than the integrated DAC on a motherboard.

 

in essence, the issue is we're looking into a new TV, and have decided that that would be a nice moment to toss our HORRIBLE bluray / speaker system combo unit out, because we dont use it anways.

but given that, the speakers of said combo unit easily beat any TV's builtin speakers, its just too much of a mess to turn on the speaker system (terrible remote, complicated buttons, slow respnse...) so the thought was to figure out a solution to power the speakers with as little 'overhead' as possible, just audio out from the TV, into the speakers.

 

now.. they're not big bookshelf speakers, so just about any 40-ish wats per channel aplifier will do, the problem is the simplicity argument.

i'm looking for 'a solution' that basicly takes optical audio in, and turns it onto 2.1 output (left, right, and subwoofer), and fits roughly into the footprint of an SFX power supply.

You can buy class D amp boards for 20$ on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Amplifier-Receiver-Stereo-TPA3116/dp/B087PG2LVY/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=class+d+amplifier+board&qid=1609679722&sr=8-3 They are just fine. Pair with a power supply.

 

The subwoofer is more complex. You will need a crossover circuit or a premade crossover. In a pinch you maybe can use a cheap mixer.

All in all are you sure the speakers are good enought to warrant the effort?

[HumdrumPenguin]

1 hour ago, manikyath said:

i'm planning to keep the speakers, just ditch the bluray player / amplifier combo.

as for the sound bar.. it'd be my preferred option as well, but we have a bit of an odd (dated?) living room TV setup, and there really is no good place to put a sound bar.

 

with @.Apex.'s suggestion to look into automotive stuff i found this amplifier that seems nice enough, how i'll make this work with a TV is something i'm not entirely sure of just yet...

https://www.sony.com/electronics/car-amplifiers/xm-s400d

 

Well, you can try the Sonos Amp then. It has outs for the speakers, 125W per channel of class D amplification, and a subwoofer out as well. I'm just thinking of simplicity here, without taking much of your space, not necessarily getting the best sound quality out there (although it will be much better than what you had). The amp will also allow you to stream music from your phone/tablet/computer in case you just wanna listen to some music.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sonos-versatile-amplifier-powering-entertainment/dp/B07LD8NN37/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sonos+amp&qid=1609680451&sr=8-1

[manikyath]

5 minutes ago, Riccardo Cagnasso said:

You can buy class D amp boards for 20$ on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Amplifier-Receiver-Stereo-TPA3116/dp/B087PG2LVY/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=class+d+amplifier+board&qid=1609679722&sr=8-3 They are just fine. Pair with a power supply.

 

The subwoofer is more complex. You will need a crossover circuit or a premade crossover. In a pinch you maybe can use a cheap mixer.

All in all are you sure the speakers are good enought to warrant the effort?

amazon is not an option for me, complexity around their very odd 'presence' (or lack thereof) in belgium.

 

the subwoofer 'issue' is why i ended up with the before mentioned amplifer. it's got the option to take stereo input, and 'split off' subwoofer channels

 

as for if the speakers are worth the effort... putting together a relatively cheap amplifier will be a whole lot cheaper than an entirely new system that'll outperform the current speakers, and the current speakers suit the interior, which is the biggest reason of sticking with them.

 

1 minute ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Well, you can try the Sonos Amp then. It has outs for the speakers, 125W per channel of class D amplification, and a subwoofer out as well. I'm just thinking of simplicity here, without taking much of your space, not necessarily getting the best sound quality out there (although it will be much better than what you had).

the sonos lacks two features that are high on my list:

- simplicity. i dont need, nor want any of the sonos ecosystem in my house, in my case the bluetooth/wifi features are actually a downside.

- affordability. i dont need the features, i'm not going to use the features. it's wasted cash.

[Riccardo Cagnasso]

10 minutes ago, manikyath said:

amazon is not an option for me, complexity around their very odd 'presence' (or lack thereof) in belgium.

 

the subwoofer 'issue' is why i ended up with the before mentioned amplifer. it's got the option to take stereo input, and 'split off' subwoofer channels

 

as for if the speakers are worth the effort... putting together a relatively cheap amplifier will be a whole lot cheaper than an entirely new system that'll outperform the current speakers, and the current speakers suit the interior, which is the biggest reason of sticking with them.

 

the sonos lacks two features that are high on my list:

- simplicity. i dont need, nor want any of the sonos ecosystem in my house, in my case the bluetooth/wifi features are actually a downside.

- affordability. i dont need the features, i'm not going to use the features. it's wasted cash.

You can find the same stuff on ebay. It will be even cheaper.

Yes, the car amp you mentioned should work. But it's not cheap. It's 140$. You can buy a nice couple of decent active speakers for 300$ (and less-decent-but-still-better-than-the-tv for under 200$) and call it a day and you have a brand new, simple and decent product that will work out of the box and have warrantry, instead that something cobbled togheter.

Of course maybe your speakers are actually quite good. What model are they?