This six-channel amplifier has been designed to fit into either an ISA or PCI slot, with its supply derived from the PC. In conjunction with a set of (possibly home built) loudspeakers this forms the basis of an inexpensive yet good quality PC surround sound system.Although most PCs have come with a pair of speakers for a long time, the increasing popularity of DVD drives adds a new dimension. When the PC is provided with a five-channel software player and a sound card with five output channels, the sound section can be upgraded to a complete surround sound system.It is of course possible to use standard active PC loudspeakers. Most of these are very cheap, but the quality is nowhere near hi-fi. What other options are there? Connecting a full set of living room loudspeakers to the PC is somewhat over the top — both from a financial and a spatial point of view. We would think that most PC owners would rather choose from some of the inexpensive and compact hi-fi loudspeakers that are widely available in the marketplace, or possible even build their own. These types of loudspeakers are usually not active, which creates another problem: how can we drive such a surround sound system in a simple manner?