Bookshelf Speakers

[Rexxar]

so im looking at these

And wanted to know, what should i do in order to connect them? Do i need an Amp, or do i need a separate sound card?

Any advice most appreciated, will not be running with a sub for now btw, but will add one in the future...

Thanks

Rob.

 

[Kei]

Those yamaha speakers (NS-333) are passive and will need a separate integrated amplifier to power them. A separate sound card is not essential but you will be able to improve the quality from the onboard sound. (how much depends on what the onboard sound is)

 

[Rexxar]

Thanks Kei,

I was more concerned with the switching of output from a 3.5mm Jack , to speaker wire for the terminal posts on those..

Any recommendations on amps <£100 ?

 

[Kei]

No experience of it, but others seemed to be very pleased with the performance of the amptastic tripath mini T amplifier. Not my cup of tea personally, after the dreadful experience with sony amps that used switch mode power supplies. (different class of amp though, AB vs T) Personally, I'd be trying to get the yamaha AS-300 integrated amp.

Cable wise, you will need a 3.5mm jack to 2x RCA/phono cable to connect the computer to the amp and the speaker cables should be 4mm banana - 4mm banana of whatever length you need. (which links the amp to the speakers)

 

[Orison]

No experience of it, but others seemed to be very pleased with the performance of the amptastic tripath mini T amplifier.

Hi Rob,

I have recently upgraded to using a separate amp and passive bookshelf speakers with my pc myself.

I've tried both the Amptastic Mini-T mentioned above and a larger integrated amp (a Marantz PM7001 in my case).

I will say the Amptastic mini-T is a terrific little amp for the money. If you did decide to go that route, go for the 5A version. Amptastic sells them through Ebay for £65 delivered. If you are also after a decent 3.5mm to 2x RCA jack they sell those too (about £23 on Ebay), though you may just want to go with a cheapie cable depending on your budget.

I can say from experience that Chris, who runs Amptastic, is a very nice and helpful guy. It's worth getting in touch with him directly ([email protected]) - if you buy several items directly from him, he'll sort you out with a better combined price.

Do a bit of research first, though, and make sure the mini-T has enough connectivity and power for your needs. I am happy to give you my (very amateur) impressions if you're interested.

Best of luck to you Rob!