htpc/amp

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i guess this is where this should go...

I find myself in an interesting position right now. my old reliable receiver is dying, and i really don't want to buy a new one. i started looking into just amps such as the TA-10 and the superT, and thought hey, that could be made to fit inside my computer case... which got the wheels in my head really spinning... and now im thinking instead of going for a pc first, amplification second, i could get a large solid aluminum home theatre case, a miniITX motherboard (6x6) which would give only one PCI slot (id have to choose between a TV tuner or a soundcard), which should leave plenty of physical room to fit in a decent diy amp. this should give me all the computing power to do what i want, and would be completely fanless. i already have a high quality power supply...

so, am i just dreaming, or is this feasible? i know its not the best environment for an amp, but could measures be taken to isolate the amp area from the pc area in order to get decent amplification? im only looking to amplify the computer's audio, stereo at first, and if it works id like to make it a 5 channel setup for surround at a later date. id like to use the computer power supply for simplicity reasons, but if that isn't of high enough quality i should have room for a dedicated power supply for the audio. im fairly set on class T amplification, as i don't need big power at this time (driving polk r20's currently, so i only need about 30 wrms (i never went above 4 on my old amp when driving the polks, i would hit 7 or 8 before the amp lights started dimming when driving my ESS bookshelves).

so, what do yall think? im not necessarily looking for super highend audio, just a simple, all in one package to do what i want. i am willing to go through several iterations before i get this right, and im going to make a rough prototype with my current computer setup before buying a new case and miniITX board.
 
droptop said:
i have pretty much decided that im going to do this. what measures can be taken to shield the amp circuitry from the pc part?

Built it inside its own separate steel case which the fits inside the PC case. Steel is much harder to work than aluminum, so this will likely force you to use only round connectors unless you have a well equipped shop or the patience of Job.
 
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