PCA2016 PC Internal (PC-Bracket) Digital Power Amplifier (to be available soon)

Back in old times sound cards had power amplifiers... That was the introduction to my now retired PC Internal (PC-Bracket) Power Amplifier PCA2010. It was purely analog based on the good old TDA2003 IC. It delivered output power of maximum 10 W per channel at the cost of relatively big power dissipation. Although power output was adequate for small to mid-sized rooms the input I got from users was clear: More power will be better! Using analog technology more power was inevitably leading to even more heat dissipation and need of better cooling system. Here came the PCA2010's digital successor bringing more power (up to 16 W per channel) at just a fragment of that previous heat dissipation, and in even smaller size.

So here we go: Back in old times sound cards had power amplifiers. Although this was allowing non-powered speakers to beused it had a serious drawback – output power was in the miliwatt range. Nowadays every PC-intended speaker is powered, but unfortunately most cheap solutions offer remarkably bad sound quality.

Here comes the PC-bracket power amplifier allowing those old and forgotten but hi-quality speakers to be brought back to life and connected directly to any PC. Nor it is tiny and cost-effective, it also saves from yet another powered box near the PC. Amplifier’s output power is more than adequate for any desktop, and for most small to mid-sized rooms as well. Sound quality is very good thanks to low harmonic and cross-over distortions (provided that high quality speakers are used).

The PCD2016 PC-amp is a dual BTL class-D audio amplifier. It is robust and flexible allowing connection of classic non-powered 4 Ω, 6 Ω, and 8 Ω speakers. It also offers a completely safe operation providing automatic thermal overload protection and overcurrent/short-circuit protection. Amp's gain is selectable by jumpers between 20 dB, 26 dB, 30 dB, and 32 dB. There is no 'pop' when switching power on. Thanks to amp's high efficiency of 90% the dissipated power and heating are significantly reduced.

The PC-amp is easy-to-install – it fits any standard PC case back-plate full-height extension card openings, no matter what slot is inside – it simply doesn’t use them. Power big enough for adequate sound levels and dynamics is drawn directly from PCs power supply via standard Molex connector used for optical drives and other devices. Input is standard 3.5 mm stereo jack. Speakers are connected using secure and easy-to-use detachable terminal block.

What the user must know and understand: In order to be more affordable the PCA2010 PC-amp doesn’t have its own cooling system. The amount of heat generated during operation is relatively low (around 2 to 3 W) and is dissipated via the back PC bracket and PC case assisted by PC’s cooling system. Depending on factors like ambient temperature, PC cooling efficiency, and how loud the sound is, in rare cases amp's temperature may reach inacceptable levels causing the built-in thermal protection automatic kick-in. This will cut the sound off but it will be automatically restored as soon as the temperature lowers to acceptable level. Such behavior is not a malfunction. Tests show that with normal sound levels and normal PC cooling this practically doesn’t happen. For more information and installation procedure please refer to User's manual.

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