Budget Amp for pc?

Reppyboyo · 25 May 2009 at 14:02

Hi,

Im looking for a decent budget amp, mainly to be connected to the PC for games & music, occasionally movies.
Anyway, Im looking towards £70 which leaves me second hand units.
Just wondering what I may be able to get for that which is of decent quality?
Only ones I know of that go for below that is the Cambridge Audio A1 & A5.

Thanks.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, its for a 2.0 system initially but id like to go for 2.1 eventually if it offers any improvement.

jmhduck · 25 May 2009 at 14:26

Your best bet might be to look at second hand av equipment. You could have a look on the av forums, you should be able to pick up a cheap 5.1 amplifier off there. I got amp, 2 speakers and stands for 220 off there.

jellybeard999 · 25 May 2009 at 14:56

jmhduck said:
Your best bet might be to look at second hand av equipment. You could have a look on the av forums, you should be able to pick up a cheap 5.1 amplifier off there. I got amp, 2 speakers and stands for 220 off there.

If he wants stereo, he doesn't want an AV Receiver.

I'd be looking at NAD C320 (i picked one up for £60 from AVF), Arcam Alpha 7/8/9 or similar

jmhduck · 25 May 2009 at 15:18

jellybeard999 said:
If he wants stereo, he doesn't want an AV Receiver.

I'd be looking at NAD C320 (i picked one up for £60 from AVF), Arcam Alpha 7/8/9 or similar

He mentioned 2.1 which is why I thought he might want a receiver.

Glaucus · 25 May 2009 at 15:30

I would go av reciever. As you are playing games and movies makes such a difference. You can just set it to two speakers for music. That's if you have or can afford the speakers.

Reppyboyo · 25 May 2009 at 16:24

I dont even know what an AV receiver does tbh.

alex24 · 25 May 2009 at 16:25

I had a similar discussion not so long ago.

Glaucus · 25 May 2009 at 16:48

Reppyboyo said:
I dont even know what an AV receiver does tbh.

av reciever is surround sound so 5.1 or above.

Reppyboyo · 25 May 2009 at 16:54

alexhull24 said:
I had a similar discussion not so long ago.

What was your setup in the end?

p4radox · 25 May 2009 at 17:08

As far as I know, if you want to connect a sub you'll need an AV receiver. This will mean you'll end up with 6 or even 8 channels, most of which you won't be using.

Personally I'd forget the sub, and get a quality stereo amplifier and 2 good speakers - that way you get higher quality than if you'd spent the same on an AV receiver and 2.1 speakers.

Another thing to consider is what sound card you have. If you only have onboard sound and a digital output then an external DAC might be a good option. Either an AV receiver with one built in or a discrete unit feeding a stereo amp.

If you've only got onboard sound but without digital out then I'd seriously consider getting either a decent sound card and a stereo amp, or a cheap sound card (with digital out), external DAC and a stereo amp.

Edit: although someone may come along and recommend a 2.1 amplifier, which would be the best option.

Reppyboyo · 25 May 2009 at 17:29

Currently using an X-mystique, going to upgrade to a Xonar D1 sometime soon.

I just want an amp though, I dont need an av receiver or a dac.
A budget stereo amp is all im looking for.

jellybeard999 · 25 May 2009 at 17:45

AcidHell2 said:
av reciever is surround sound so 5.1 or above.

Receiver denotes a built in Radio Tuner. That's all. AV indicates video inputs/outputs as well as amplifier. AV Amplifiers and Receivers tend to get bundled together as one lump.

p4radox said:
As far as I know, if you want to connect a sub you'll need an AV receiver. This will mean you'll end up with 6 or even 8 channels, most of which you won't be using.

Quite a few stereo amps can pre-out for a subwoofer. My NAD C320 can do this.

p4radox · 25 May 2009 at 19:16

jellybeard999 said:
Quite a few stereo amps can pre-out for a subwoofer. My NAD C320 can do this.

I stand corrected then. This sounds like a good route to take, unless it costs a significant amount more than a simple stereo amp for comparable quality.

lay-z-boy · 25 May 2009 at 19:50

jellybeard999 said:
Quite a few stereo amps can pre-out for a subwoofer. My NAD C320 can do this.

Indeed and even if it doesn't, you can use a tape loop out.

I have a NAD 302 (picked it up for free

), a pair of diamond 9.1's and a 250w sub wired through tape loop 1 and it works fine.

Reppyboyo · 30 May 2009 at 21:33

Well this thread hasn't helped much

Currently looking for either a Arcam Alpha series or the Cambridge A5 from the popular auction site as these seem to be highly reccomended.
Has a look at NAD amps and they tend to just be outside of my budget.

alex24 · 31 May 2009 at 01:37

Reppyboyo said:
What was your setup in the end?

Haven't got round to it yet, have had other priorities unfortunately. However, a better bet than the A5 would probably be a NAD320 if you can get one 2nd hand, people seem to rate them above the CA amps. Also, most Rotel stereo amps get rave reviews, so if you're lucky enough to get a good price for an older one, might be a good bet. Not sure on any Yamaha offerings at this level, all the different models are confusing!

Don't forget classifieds too, people still flog some half decent stuff in the local papers, depending on area though.

divuk83 · 31 May 2009 at 11:31

lay-z-boy said:
you can use a tape loop out.

Subs shouldn't be connected to tape loops as they are fixed level, really needs to be a pre out (variable output) or you can connect subs up to the speaker connections (hi-level output.)

Dave