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Amplifying PC Audio

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RayB:


--- Quote from: seibu on October 15, 2004, 05:53:42 am ---2) Remember that speakers depend on the resonance of the cabinet to make bass frequencies. At first I thought my speakers sounded weak and thin, because they were not screwed into anything. When screwed into the cab they sounded a lot better, and with the top fastened down (it's a cocktail) they sounded awesome!

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Yeah tell me about it! Basically, your cabinet becomes a bass box. I am always impressed with the bass in my Galaga (it has a standard arcade speaker, probably the 5 watt 8 ohm variety) and I can feel the cab vibrate when there are bass sounds. No amp either. It's all straight off the game's circuit board amp.

Basically, a cheap little amplifying circuit is ALL you need. When I built my SNES cab ages ago, I used a cheap little one from Radio shack. Might have cost $10-$15. Car amps, car speakers... it's all overkill.

~Ray B.


rchadd:

dont forget the car speakers are probably not shielded - not good if intend putting them in cab close to the monitor!

also it is desirable for speaker impedence to match the amps.

i got Happ shielded 12W 8ohm speakers connected to an amp i ripped out of a pair of 3(ish)W RMS PC speakers. they sound great even though the original pc speakers were tiny and 4 ohm. bass is especially nice probably due the large wooden box that is my cocktail cab.

http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=25687

i was originally worried that i should get a more powerful amp to match the speakers - but it is plenty load enough now!

however...anyone know of any good amp circuits or kits that are available? i enjoy a bit of soldering...

gap:


--- Quote from: rchadd on October 15, 2004, 01:37:15 pm ---however...anyone know of any good amp circuits or kits that are available? i enjoy a bit of soldering...

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There's a 10x10 watt stereo amp that several builders here have used.  You can see my use of this amp on my website:

http://www.mamegap.com/audio.htm

Numerous places on the internet sell it.  I bought mine from circuitspecialists.com.  Others have purchased from electronickits.com.

Darkstalker:


--- Quote from: seibu on October 15, 2004, 05:53:42 am ---Two pieces of advice here:

1) Powering an amp from your PC's power supply can very often result in a ground loop. Several electrical people have told me that this is impossible, but I know what a ground loop sounds like! Any amp I power from my PC and then connect to the PC's sound card gives the classic ground loop buzz, which goes away when I put the PC sound signal through an external amp, or an external audio signal through the internal amp. Draw your own conclusions.

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It isn't electrically impossible, they would be sharing a common ground, and the sound card would be picking up the noise from the amp.  It is best to set the amplifiers input level as low as possible. The best subjective S/N ratio is obtainable this way. Try to drive as high a signal level from the head unit as possible.  The only other problem I see with hooking car audio components to a PC is mixing impedance...


--- Quote ---2) Remember that speakers depend on the resonance of the cabinet to make bass frequencies. At first I thought my speakers sounded weak and thin, because they were not screwed into anything. When screwed into the cab they sounded a lot better, and with the top fastened down (it's a cocktail) they sounded awesome!

--- End quote ---

That, and make sure you give your speakers some breathing holes behind the cone.  If you seal a speaker in a box you are limiting the sound potential.

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