Do I need an AMP?

mdagli1 · 6 Mar 2012 at 17:04

Got a pair of B&W M-1 speakers here and want to hook them up to my PC

My mobo:
GIGABYTE Z68-UD5-B3

I could just wire it into some mini jacks but I'm concern that there is not enough driving force.

I've see loads of different stereo amps/pre-amps on the net have no idea what to get.
PCI, 5.25" inch or stand alone, I really don't mind as long as the quality is up to the same standard as the other parts of my rig.

nelviss · 6 Mar 2012 at 17:22

you will need some form of amp for them.

sHo0sH · 6 Mar 2012 at 18:43

Look for something like a Cambridge Audio Azure, check AVForums for anything going for around the $50 (pounds not dollars) - STEREO amplifier is what you would need for a paid, or an AV receiver if you plan on adding more speakers later. This would be adding another 100 to the price at least.

mrk · 6 Mar 2012 at 18:46

I would seriously go into your nearest Richer Sounds first with your speakers and ask them to demo them with some amps in their demo room. They will be happy to do this.

Reason I say this is that CA amps have a certain sound where everything (to my ears) has a certain enclosed feeling to it and after a while it gets fatiguing.

Every brand has a certain flavour to its sound and you should see what fits your preference.

I like NAD, for example.

Then once you've decided on a brand just hunt the used market for an amp from the same brand.

Marsman · 6 Mar 2012 at 19:22

PCI? That's a slot on a motherboard. Speaker amplifiers are nothing to do with what connects onto a motherboard. You can get sound cards with a headphone amplifier, maybe that is what you were thinking of. Headphone amps cannot power speakers though. Speakers demand a lot more power than headphones do.

As for 5.25". I think Scythe make an amp which does fit into a 5.25" bay. I wouldn't bother with that though. Scythe specialise in CPU coolers, not audio equipment. I'd look at getting a separate one.

You could either get a full size integrated stereo amplifier. Something from NAD, Cambridge Audio, Marantz, etc, depending on how much you want to spend. They are not small things though, so it depends if you have space.

The other option is a T class amp. They are small, cheap, and do a decent job of driving fairly efficient speakers to a fairly loud volume. Majority only have one input, unless you go for one of the more expensive ones, whereas a full size integrated amp, has 4 to 6 inputs for various devices.