Do I need an amplifier?

[VJ]

Hello,

Perhaps a strange question, but when using a computer as HTPC, do I need an AV-receiver/amplifier? Surely the computer would be capable of converting audio formats (multi-channel), upscaling video, ...

I was thinking - not immediately - of putting in a decent soundcard (Asus Xonar range), and, perhaps upgrade the videocard (more silent), and wonder if I might just get away with getting a multi channel power amplifier... The soundcard would then have to be connected via analog outputs to the power amplifier, which then powers the speakers... Volume controls, etc. are all done from the computer...
Or am I missing something?

If not: how would this quality wise compare to the passing of the audio signal digitally to the receiver which then does the D/A conversion?


Main reason for asking is that I've been looking at AV receivers, and they come with a ton of connections and functions I won't need... Seems a bit pointless (how many people have 7 video devices connected to it?)... Basically, the choices are:

• high end sound card (with analog outputs) + power amplifier
• high end sound card without analog outputs + AV receiver

I know the latter is the more common option, just wanted some opinions...

Thanks

Jörg

[TransformX]

I think a high end sound card with power amp should work nicely because high end sound cards aren't supposed to create much noise.
Then again, is the Xonar considered to be a high end gaming sound card or generally high end (as in DAC quality etc.) ?
You need a sound card that decodes sound formats well and converts them to analog without adding electonic noise on the way.

[Jammrock]

I think a high end sound card with power amp should work nicely because high end sound cards aren't supposed to create much noise.
Then again, is the Xonar considered to be a high end gaming sound card or generally high end (as in DAC quality etc.) ?
You need a sound card that decodes sound formats well and converts them to analog without adding electonic noise on the way.

There are three lines of Xonar cards. The D-series is for gaming. The HDAV-series is for HTPCs, which have audio/video features specifically for HTPCs. And the Essence line for audiophiles (very high end DACs and OpAmps, native stereo only, surround is emulated).

Whether to get an amp or not depends on your speakers. The way I see it you have a couple of options.

1) Use the SP/DIF pass-through (coax or optical) on the integrated sound card to push your Dolby/DTS/PCM streams to an outboard AVR (audio video receiver). With digital pass-through and a good AVR you don't need an AMP (built-in to the AVR) or dedicated sound card since all the sound processing is handled by the AVR. Unless you have super high-end speakers that need serious muscle you won't need an Amp.

2) Get a Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe and a surround-sound amp (or a dedicated 2-channel and a 5-channel to handle 7.1 and still have really good stereo for music). Run analog to your amp and control all your audio from the HTPC.

[VJ]

You need a sound card that decodes sound formats well and converts them to analog without adding electonic noise on the way.

The HDAV range Jammrock mentioned, is the range I'm looking at... It is aimed at htpc, and supports all formats (even Dolby True HD).

1) Use the SP/DIF pass-through (coax or optical) on the integrated sound card to push your Dolby/DTS/PCM streams to an outboard AVR (audio video receiver). With digital pass-through and a good AVR you don't need an AMP (built-in to the AVR) or dedicated sound card since all the sound processing is handled by the AVR. Unless you have super high-end speakers that need serious muscle you won't need an Amp.

Yes, the problem with this scenario is that the integrated soundcard is more limited in formats it can decode... I haven't decided on speaker setup (just starting a medium term plan ), but if necessary I could always resort to a dedicated soundcard.

2) Get a Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe and a surround-sound amp (or a dedicated 2-channel and a 5-channel to handle 7.1 and still have really good stereo for music). Run analog to your amp and control all your audio from the HTPC.

Yep, this is the alternative scenario I see... I noticed that the mcubed (hfx) htpc systems use this way: one box is the htpc, another holds additional storage, and another is just the power amp. It made me wonder when more audio-manufacturers will adopt something like this...?


Jörg

[Jammrock]

Yep, this is the alternative scenario I see... I noticed that the mcubed (hfx) htpc systems use this way: one box is the htpc, another holds additional storage, and another is just the power amp. It made me wonder when more audio-manufacturers will adopt something like this...?

Only niche custom builders will adopt something like this. The common consumer prefers everything in one box, no matter how better a multiple box solution is. In this scenario I can see a very power efficient HTPC with only one or two very queit fans as your head unit (using a cheap SSD drive to keep things quiet), with a network sotrage device somewhere else (the noisy part, those darn spinning disks and cooling fans). The amp is silent (usually) so you do introduce a lot of fan noise into your home theater.

[VJ]

A single box is easier (and cheaper), but when using a PC as the source, the single box could be so much simpler... Also, I think that most receivers are over-specified with connections. How many people use even half of all those inputs?

Most receivers and projectors also have fans, so IMO it is possible to configure a computer to not be more loud than those...

Jörg