On 2/13/2010 2:13 PM Roko spake thus:
wow... thank you all for your replies, you've definitely answered all of
my questions.
I have new ones now, of course 
So this means I would be able to connect the HiFi speakers to the
computer if I had an amplifier (of satisfactory quality) which would be
put between the two? Of course, that would require some necessary tweaks
and I would actually end up building a receiver? And another of course:
if not building a brand new amplifier from the very beginning, I would
have gotten it from another HiFi receiver, and that again would make no
sense doing because the amplifier, as ShadowTek said, is the main value
of a receiver and then I could have just as well connected the speakers
through the existing receiver?
Sooo, if the answers to the above questions are all "yes", the only
sane thing to do is to buy a new HiFi receiver - that would actually
prove to be the cheapest solution then?
Yes. You're waaaaay overthinking this.
My computer is connected to my old receiver (bought used in 1975), which
provides more than adequate sound both in terms of volume and quality.
The line-level connections (line in and line out) are pretty standard
between computer sound cards and audio equipment.
Used audio receivers of sufficient quality for what you want to do are a
dime a dozen. Often you can scavenge them for free.
You don't need to "build" anything (well, except maybe a cabinet or
shelf to hold this stuff).
--
You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it.
- a Usenet "apology"