Denon PMA-600NE Integrated Amplifier Review

[Dinesh Menon]

We visit ASR forum to get sound knowledge about audio systems.
Expert reviews by Amir Sir and other FMs guide us to choose the good products.
Further we can always discuss and clear our confusion.
In the end our budget and taste matters.
Best wishes

 

[Mantra]

@DanielT
Hi
in simple terms ,you mean that a review does not always correspond to the actual/real experience?
but do you like the pma-600ne unit and pm6007 ?
just because even the review does rate the unit as poor or not terrible , it's not a bad amp at all , and well my english is pretty bad
thanks

 

[DanielT]

@DanielT
Hi
in simple terms ,you mean that a review does not always correspond to the actual/real experience?
but do you like the pma-600ne unit and pm6007 ?
just because even the review does rate the unit as poor or not terrible , it's not a bad amp at all , and well my english is pretty bad
thanks

What he in the video imagines hearing he does. It is what he experiences and his own subjective experiences are real, to him. In a blind test with the same sound level between the DACs, he would of course not be able to tell which is which.

So what does a subjective listening DAC test like in that video give you? Is what is being said something you would weigh into a decision about which of the two DACs you would choose?

but do you like the pma-600ne unit and pm6007 ? Bog standard relatively low power amps. They are what they are. I have nothing against a bog standard car, nor against an amp ditto.

 

[Mantra]

What he in the video imagines hearing he does. It is what he experiences and his own subjective experiences are real, to him. In a blind test with the same sound level between the DACs, he would of course not be able to tell which is which.

So what does a subjective listening DAC test like in that video give you? Is what is being said something you would weigh into a decision about which of the two DACs you would choose?

but do you like the pma-600ne unit and pm6007 ? Bog standard relatively low power amps. They are what they are. I have nothing against a bog standard car, nor against an amp ditto.

Hi
may I ask you what/which amp do you own?
about these units ,on many reviews ,they don't sound bog or muddy
about '80 DENON PMA 790 ,what do you think about it?
thanks

 

[DanielT]

Hi
may I ask you what/which amp do you own?
about these units ,on many reviews ,they don't sound bog or muddy
about '80 DENON PMA 790 ,what do you think about it?
thanks

If it's in good condition, it seems really nice.
This DENON PMA 790 you mean then:

Here, tips on some threads that I think you will like:

Most aesthetically pleasing amplifiers

Not what is usually discussed, but everything out of the equation, what in your eyes is the best looking amplifier and why?

audiosciencereview.com

Vintage amplifiers that could challenge or approach current state of the art amplifiers

I was asked by @GXAlan to suggest a "top 3" amplifiers, but to narrow down to just 3 seems an impossible task. There have been thousands of wonderful products from many hundreds of manufacturers for well over half a century, but which ones have the performance chops to equal or better some of...

audiosciencereview.com

I have a few different amplifiers, I like them. Here I have sprayed the grille, the cover black:

https://audiosciencereview.com/foru...nsistors-in-a-class-ab-120-w-amplifier.27543/

I have the Luxor 7082A because of the HiFi history. It was manufactured just 35 kilometers from where I live. Use it quite often. Here me and a friend fix a pre out on it:
(not mine in the picture, but the same model)

Project sub output

An old amplifier Luxor 7082 A. I connected a high to low level converter on the speaker outputs, to be able to connect an active subwoofer. Connected in parallel, together with the cables to the speakers. The converter: My friend said: why not take the signal directly from the pre amp section...

audiosciencereview.com

My subwoofer amp, which of course works well to use with speakers:

the t.amp E-800

Stereo Power Amplifier Power: 2x 490 W at 4 Ohm, 2x 360 W at 8 Ohm, 1 x 990W bridged at 8 Ohm (@ 1 kHz, THD

www.thomann.de

Edit:
Note, I have absolutely nothing against new, modern class D based amplifiers. On the contrary, I like them. Had I been in need of a amp/ amplifiers, I would not have hesitated for a second to fix these. Daniboun got them together well I must say:

"Bamboo Project" : Dual Mono 3E Audio 480-1-29A Amplifier

Hi amigos, Following the ASR review of the 3E Audio 480-1-29A Module, I decided to roll up my sleeves and show you that with a little elbow grease, you can create a very beautiful amplifier based on these nice 3E Audio modules. I called this project, "Bamboo"> the pictures will speak for...

audiosciencereview.com

At the time of writing, I'm listening to a Cyrus amp together with a PSX power supply. It's my friend's that I'm going to spray paint black. Fix the finish on it. My friend has done some type of recap with it. Anyway, it sounds good. As usual, I hear no difference when I plug in a new amp and listen with my speakers.
Crap speaker terminals on that Cyrus amp. What was Cyrus thinking there?They sit in a strange way and too close to each other.Attached pictures of that combo.

 

[Mantra]

@DanielT
yes I mean '82
ok , now i got it, Luxor 7082A is a gem , I really like vintage stuff , i like a Philsonic AK 635 '78 (could be find at a cheap price) and many speakers between '70-'90 , sadly there are very few users that can fix them

 

[DanielT]

@DanielT
yes I mean '82
ok , now i got it, Luxor 7082A is a gem , I really like vintage stuff , i like a Philsonic AK 635 '78 (could be find at a cheap price) and many speakers between '70-'90 , sadly there are very few users that can fix them

The look on vintage amps, receivers is what I like most about them. Had they looked like modern ditto I would of course just as well bought a new amp. In addition, new amplifiers measure better. The development within class D has been phenomenal in recent decades. Fortunately, everything that measures great doesn't have to be audible compared to what measures ok. Therefore, you, or at least I, can use nice old HiFi.
(most of it will still boil down to how the speakers perform)
It can be good to be able to service vintage stuff yourself, or have a friend who can help with that.

A good budget proposal for a vintage receiver. Fits well with speakers with sensitivity of 90 dB or higher. If you also add subwoofers that take care of everything below 80-100 Hz so the receiver does not have to work with the low frequencies then you can actually have a solution for your main system (if you don't like playing at disco high volume). On the bench I think, if I remember correctly, that it measures up to 30-35 watts. Really pretty I must say:

HK330C:

Edit:
Speaking of volume. What one experiences as high volume or normal listening volume is of course subjective. Quite a big difference in the answers, I think:

What's your normal listening distance and db level at that distance at home?

What's your normal listening distance at home and and the db level at that distance at home in terms of the average and the peaks? Be aware that peaks are not always caught by cell phone apps. Does it vary depending on what you are playing?

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Mantra]

@DanielT

Hi
I like vintage because there were build with top notch materials ,build with love to give the best audio experience and build quality and to last a lifetime
about the unit i was talking Denon PMA-600NE or Marantz pm6007 "I know lots of cheap plastic everywhere " and made in.... , just to have a cheap one to keep on the room often and not wasted the good vintage gear , just because it's hard to fix vintage gear
by the way I have tried yesterday a Maratz PM8006 or PM7000N , i don't remember the model but one of them , what i do remember the plastic between the frontal and lateral and I compared with a cheap one , and i could not hear any difference ,maybe because i was listening Van der Graaf Generator 's H To He, Who Am The Only One , a 1970 album , i like mostly progressive rock , old recordings , playing a cd and a cd ripped in flac with exact audio copy
HK330C another gem

 

[DanielT]

@DanielT

Hi
I like vintage because there were build with top notch materials ,build with love to give the best audio experience and build quality and to last a lifetime
about the unit i was talking Denon PMA-600NE or Marantz pm6007 "I know lots of cheap plastic everywhere " and made in.... , just to have a cheap one to keep on the room often and not wasted the good vintage gear , just because it's hard to fix vintage gear
by the way I have tried yesterday a Maratz PM8006 or PM7000N , i don't remember the model but one of them , what i do remember the plastic between the frontal and lateral and I compared with a cheap one , and i could not hear any difference ,maybe because i was listening Van der Graaf Generator 's H To He, Who Am The Only One , a 1970 album , i like mostly progressive rock , old recordings , playing a cd and a cd ripped in flac with exact audio copy
HK330C another gem

Speaking of what you said, I just remembered the thread below that I'm now linking to.

That is the question, how durable, reliable are the new modern class D amplifiers?:

Class D amp long term reliability

Hi, Looking for 2 channel amp to play a few hours 3-4 days a week. Would like to keep it for the next 10-15 years. Are class D amps today reliable enough to last that long without issues? Or should I go with AB amp? Don't really care one way or the other, but obviously my choice would be...

audiosciencereview.com

Edit:
Regarding measurements. You have to do them the right way or it just gets confusing, like here:

Marantz PM7000N measurements ?

I have looked for some measusrements of Marantz PM7000N. I found two - 1/ german review - stereo.de https://www.stereo.de/hifi-test/produkt/marantz-pm7000n-2010 2/ polish review - https://audio.com.pl/testy/stereo/wzmacniacze-stereo/3253-marantz-pm7000n I'm confused - results are very...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Mantra]

@DanielT
about class D amp long term reliability , yes I know ,but the new products class A or Ab are not so better ,in several stores I have seen more new products class A or Ab (mostly famous brands) ready to be send to repair/fix them , even exansive modern speakers are not so reliability compared to the '90 for what i have seen

 

[plusforce]

So, I was really into that Denon PMA-600NE, thinking it was gonna give me the best bang for my buck. But then, I was like, hold up, let's do some A/B tests to really figure out what's gonna rock my 2.1 system. Spent a few weeks doing these tests...

Checked out these amps: Yamaha A-S501, Rotel A11 Tribute, Denon PMA-600NE, Marantz PM6007. And for speakers, I had the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62, Revel M16, Klipsch RP-600M lined up. Subs : Klipsch R-100SW, SVS-SB 1000.

After all that, I settled on the Marantz 6007, Revel M16 speakers, and SVS-SB 1000 sub.

The Denon was booming too much with the M16s, but sounded alright with the DBR62s.

Rotel just couldn't drive the M16s like I wanted, and the Yamaha wasn't delivering that crispy sound I was after.

Guess it all comes down to personal taste, but figured I'd share in case it helps someone else out.

Now I'm thinking about digital room correction, gotta fine-tune this setup. Maybe miniDSP...

 

[Doodski]

So, I was really into that Denon PMA-600NE, thinking it was gonna give me the best bang for my buck. But then, I was like, hold up, let's do some A/B tests to really figure out what's gonna rock my 2.1 system. Spent a few weeks doing these tests...

Checked out these amps: Yamaha A-S501, Rotel A11 Tribute, Denon PMA-600NE, Marantz PM6007. And for speakers, I had the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62, Revel M16, Klipsch RP-600M lined up. Subs : Klipsch R-100SW, SVS-SB 1000.

After all that, I settled on the Marantz 6007, Revel M16 speakers, and SVS-SB 1000 sub.

The Denon was booming too much with the M16s, but sounded alright with the DBR62s.

Rotel just couldn't drive the M16s like I wanted, and the Yamaha wasn't delivering that crispy sound I was after.

Guess it all comes down to personal taste, but figured I'd share in case it helps someone else out.

Now I'm thinking about room correction, gotta fine-tune this setup.

It's interesting how very different people use very different methods to choose an amplifier. Some people use the A-B switchbox comparison method, some listen for a week or two and then swap out the amp for another and do 2 weeks more listening etc and others like me buy the beastyest, most high current, biggest baddest power supply amplifier with the most beefy unity gain stage/current amplification section amplifier that I can find for my money. I've never been let down using my method and I've discovered a couple of amps along that way that did turn out to actually have a noticeably different sound but near 100% of them sounded the same upon a switched comparison. Each to their own I guess and I think what matters most is that one may sit down and have a extended listening session and feel and think that it is comfortable and represents the best choice for them. I know I want to be able to listen for several+ hours at a time and be comfortable. The Denon PMA-600NE has some interesting specifications and unique power supply design although in real life practice it lacks some stuff and that prevents it from being a choice that I would choose. It's not horrible amplifier but it's just not my top choice.

 

[Bernard23]

So, I was really into that Denon PMA-600NE, thinking it was gonna give me the best bang for my buck. But then, I was like, hold up, let's do some A/B tests to really figure out what's gonna rock my 2.1 system. Spent a few weeks doing these tests...

Checked out these amps: Yamaha A-S501, Rotel A11 Tribute, Denon PMA-600NE, Marantz PM6007. And for speakers, I had the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62, Revel M16, Klipsch RP-600M lined up. Subs : Klipsch R-100SW, SVS-SB 1000.

After all that, I settled on the Marantz 6007, Revel M16 speakers, and SVS-SB 1000 sub.

The Denon was booming too much with the M16s, but sounded alright with the DBR62s.

Rotel just couldn't drive the M16s like I wanted, and the Yamaha wasn't delivering that crispy sound I was after.

Guess it all comes down to personal taste, but figured I'd share in case it helps someone else out.

Now I'm thinking about room correction, gotta fine-tune this setup.View attachment 356023

I thought the Denon sounded ok too with Elacs, but found the Yamaha sounded better (the one that I kept). Isn't the Marantz practically the same amp as the Denon?

 

[Schlippwhip68]

So, I was really into that Denon PMA-600NE, thinking it was gonna give me the best bang for my buck. But then, I was like, hold up, let's do some A/B tests to really figure out what's gonna rock my 2.1 system. Spent a few weeks doing these tests...

Checked out these amps: Yamaha A-S501, Rotel A11 Tribute, Denon PMA-600NE, Marantz PM6007. And for speakers, I had the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62, Revel M16, Klipsch RP-600M lined up. Subs : Klipsch R-100SW, SVS-SB 1000.

After all that, I settled on the Marantz 6007, Revel M16 speakers, and SVS-SB 1000 sub.

The Denon was booming too much with the M16s, but sounded alright with the DBR62s.

Rotel just couldn't drive the M16s like I wanted, and the Yamaha wasn't delivering that crispy sound I was after.

Guess it all comes down to personal taste, but figured I'd share in case it helps someone else out.

Now I'm thinking about room correction, gotta fine-tune this setup.View attachment 356023

Yep, I had a similar situation. Within a 6 month period I tested out the Rotel A11 Tribute, Denon PMA800 and PMA600 Onkyo 9010 and the Marantz PM6007. I only used one set of speakers namely the Monitor Audio Bronze 200 floorstanders. To keep it short, PMA800 nice but not quite my taste, dry sounding. PMA600 smoother than the PMA800 but a lot of bass although quite well handled. Rotel A11 Trib nicely balanced, quite rich but lacking power, no where near the grunt of either of the two Denons. Onkyo 9010, not bad at all considering the price, big soundstage but a little hard in the upper bass. The Marantz PM6007, balanced sound with good amount of dynamics and detail and enough power to drive my speakers easily. All pretty decent amps to be fair but I settled on the Marantz PM6007 too and then spent around it to squeeze everything out of the amp. Upgraded the speaker cable to Audioquest Rocket 11 with plugs and Chord Clearway X for the Topping E50 and the Creative Audigy FX2 sound card in the PC which is a superb soundcard for any Windows machine and comes with decent software. MCRU Belden/Furutech power cord for the amp and PC as well as iFi power supply for the dac. Completely settled on the sound. I use Spotify a lot and run it through the FXSound app for the extra EQing and the system sounds sublime. Plenty will say cables don’t matter but truth is, they do!

 

[plusforce]

I thought the Denon sounded ok too with Elacs, but found the Yamaha sounded better (the one that I kept). Isn't the Marantz practically the same amp as the Denon?

Maybe they are close, I could hear better the male vocalists with Denon and Marantz (I listen to rock, progressive rock...). but Marantz doesn't boost the low frequencies like Denon.

 

[totti1965]

MCRU Belden/Furutech power cord for the amp and PC as well as iFi power supply for the dac. Completely settled on the sound. I use Spotify a lot and run it through the FXSound app for the extra EQing and the system sounds sublime. Plenty will say cables don’t matter but truth is, they do!

Switch to Tidal or Qobuz for 16 bit 44100 Hz Quality instead of MP3 and the impact will be much larger than switching powercords!

 

[Schlippwhip68]

I thought the Denon sounded ok too with Elacs, but found the Yamaha sounded better (the one that I kept). Isn't the Marantz practically the same amp as the Denon?

No, they are tuned differently. I cannot go into depth at this point but they are quite different in sound.

 

[Schlippwhip68]

Switch to Tidal or Qobuz for 16 bit 44100 Hz Quality instead of MP3 and the impact will be much larger than switching powercords!

Its a library thing in my case, Spotify caters more for my flavours and the sound quality from Spotify the the 'very high' setting running through FXSound app is rich and dynamic and far better than Apple Music at the moment as Apple are still withholding the option to customize their EQ leaving presets only which imo always leave alot to be desired. My current set up imo is very well rounded and easy to live with and if I am honest does give me a bit of a wow factor everytime I switch it on, not bad at all for an upper entry level effort in Class A/B.

 

[BDWoody]

All pretty decent amps to be fair but I settled on the Marantz PM6007 too and then spent around it to squeeze everything out of the amp. Upgraded the speaker cable to Audioquest Rocket 11 with plugs and Chord Clearway X for the Topping E50 and the Creative Audigy FX2 sound card in the PC which is a superb soundcard for any Windows machine and comes with decent software. MCRU Belden/Furutech power cord for the amp and PC as well as iFi power supply for the dac.

Well, someone managed to convince you to squeeze some money out of your wallet at least.

Plenty will say cables don’t matter but truth is, they do!

I don't know many who say cables don't matter. There are usually some qualifiers around it, but beyond basic competence for the job, spending extra on cables will not lead to better sound.

Have you, or any of the other posters in the last part of this thread ever actually tried to do some comparisons without the most obvious of clues, like being able to look and see what component, or interconnect, or whatever is playing at any given time, informing your awareness?


If not, maybe try it.

Here is a video our host put together that might help with more context, but just making claims like these that are highly unlikely are typically going to be challenged.

Part of why we are here, is to keep people from wasting their hard earned money on stuff that will do nothing to improve sound quality. Some know that it won't change the sound, but just want fancy cables, and nobody is going to care about that. However, when someone is pushing fancy cables as a gateway to that next veil being removed, that's when it's time to remind some as to why we are even here.

This industry capitalizes on ignorance, and a little understanding can go a long way.

 

[Bernard23]

No, they are tuned differently. I cannot go into depth at this point but they are quite different in sound.

How do they tune them differently, and to what target?