Denon PMA-600NE Integrated Amplifier Review

[Hammeredklavier]

Hyperbole much? I want to see 80 dB or better, not “-100” and it would cost $5 or less of parts cost to fix this.

Sure, my mind was wandering off topic a bit and to the hi-fi market at large. I suppose what I meant to say is I presume that stand alone amplifiers are now really just for lay people who aren't particularly interested as long as it works and people like me who've got 'legacy' passive speakers kicking around that they want to keep using. It's hard to see why manufacturers would put much effort into developing their amplifier range.

 

[Angsty]

Most of the buyers for this amp have likely never heard of SINAD and are probably buying it because of brand, output power and input types.

ASR readers are generally not mainstream buyers and Stereo Review has long been replaced by YouTube reviewers.

 

[RoyRoyRoy]

I just want to add that after reading 18 pages, no one has commented that what you get with Denon (or Marantz) is software.

My background (a long time ago) was software and hardware for large networking products and the running joke is that we often gave the software for free, even though we had a ton of software developers, but sold the hardware. So whatever price Denon is charging, they probably pad it a bit to compensate for their software development shop. I'm still annoyed that the 600NE does NOT have HEOS, as that is a missed opportunity, and is probably reflected in the price. I'm now looking at an X range Denon or 900HNE or the DRA-800H. Any of those (used or refurb is fine) will do just fine for me as I want to replace my Sony STR-6800SD with more convenience. I also don't go beyond 2 clicks on the volume knob as it is too powerful for my use case.

The HEOS eco-system is pretty good. And the fact you can sync it flawlessly across a range of products is super. I just think they need to be consistent across their product lines, and include it in every product they have. I know. A bit extreme, but their product manager needs a talking to.

For myself, living in a semi-detached 120 year old house with a shared wall, I will never ever blast my music, so I don't need power or large speakers. I just want sound, integration and features.

Nevertheless, please keep up the measurements so that we can keep these vendors honest. Cutting corners is not OK in the engineering world.

 

[Limopard]

It's a decent amp, just a bit overpriced unless you can find it discounted.

If I need an integrated amplifier for anything these days I just swing by Richer Sounds and buy whatever's on offer!

It's mostly between 380 and 390 € around here, which seems fair to me.

 

[RoyRoyRoy]

There is a used one selling in Ottawa for $350 Canadian. Good price.

 

[plusforce]

Can someone please give me a couple of better options in this price range?

 

[TonyJZX]

been rehashed a few times but Japanese integrateds is basically Denon Marantz Onkyo Sony Yamaha right?

The Yamaha 301/501/701 is always a safe buy.

Marantz I quite like but their stuff gets very expensive pretty quick and they dont have pre-outs... I quite like the PM5000/6000/7000 series but people here dont like them at all. They have built in Marantz distortion.

Onkyo hasnt done nothing of import in this class for ages.

And so its real slim pickens. To me I'd want something like 70w 8 ohms and all line stage, remote + pre-outs and that's it.

I dont care for loops or dacs or phonos but some guys here like main-in and HT pass.

I dont think there's anything there.

The euros and Americans go up from there.... like Audiolab, Cambridge = $1,000+?

 

[Overseas]

Rotel A11 Tribute

 

[plusforce]

Ordered both Denon PMA-600ne and Yamaha 501s. To my ears, Denon gives me crisper sound in higher frequencies. I could be wrong but I feel it's sharper. I am testing them with a pair of Klipsch rp-600. I have one issue with Denon. I only can adjust the Bass/Treble only if I use a digital input (optical cable) if I use analog RCA the knobs don't do anything regardless of the Source Direct button. So I am not sure if this is a faulty unit or if it's by design. Now I am not sure if I should try Rotel A11 or Marantz 6007 or just order another Denon 600ne and call it a day. Any thoughts would be helpful.

 

[Overseas]

Check the manual.

 

[Phantomuser]

On my Denon 600ne Bass and treble controls work on both analog and digital sources.
Direct must be switched Off.
Send it back if they don't work

 

[Schlippwhip68]

I have a bedroom system with a pma600 driving kef ls50 metas , I think it sounds great.
Yes my Sabaj A30a amp does sound better but it's not night and day and its one analog input is quite hissy.
the Denon is useful to me .. a proper remote a rec out and lots of inputs . It doesn't sound at all bad to me and doesn't hiss .maybe I got a good one!
it doesn't smell either well maybe a little lol
PS , it's chanel balance is perfectly fine .

Regardless of rough measurements my 600ne sounded pretty good too. Smooth, easy listening. Certainly alot fuller than most if the class d stuff I have too, A07, A04 etc and while they are good little amps they couldn't reach presence or weight that the Denon would give to vocals, bass and smooth highs.

 

[TurtlePaul]

Ordered both Denon PMA-600ne and Yamaha 501s. To my ears, Denon gives me crisper sound in higher frequencies. I could be wrong but I feel it's sharper. I am testing them with a pair of Klipsch rp-600.

Those crisper sharper highs could be either distortion or placebo.

 

[Dinesh Menon]

Manufacturer Specifications:

@amirm Sir's Denon PMA-600NE review has opened the Pandora's Box.
I go by his expert reviews.
So many of our FMs have presented their view points about this amp.
Creating confusion about brand names and their claims.
From Power amp Integrated amp
Digital amp with Bluetooth are we just adding the software, upgrading the hardware and degrading the sound reproduction ?
I have a suggestion, ASR forum can put a recommended list of all tested products;
Also they can be categorised according to their price points.
That will be a great audio-guide for us.

 

[Bernard23]

over here the obvious competitors are the Marantz PM5005 and the Yamaha 501

the Marantz you're probably getting the house sound

I'd go the 501... on paper substantially more power and its a Yamaha

Precisely what I did. Started off with the Denon, replaced it with an A-S501. I'd have used a Fosi or Aiyima but I've got multiple inputs. Used both with DBR62, can't say the Denon sounded poor, nor is the yamaha noticeably better. I'm in my late 50s and long since concluded that just because it measures differently, doesn't necessarily mean I can hear it.

 

[pinger]

Don't all Amps pretty much sound the same as long as they have enough power.? I get that the measurements may be different but i doubt very much they are audible. Who has done really blind testing and been able to identify sound differences ? Speaker differences yeah.

 

[TonyJZX]

a few days ago it seems the sound united distro here did a deal on this amp PLUS a free set of Polk XT15 6" bookshelfs

Polk Monitor XT speaker reviews (posted by Erin)

Thanks to @hardisj for reviewing Polk Audio XT speakers. XT35 center: US$300/ea Preference Score (according to Erin) is 3.9 Preference Score (according to Pierre) is 3.8 XT30 center: US$200/ea Preference Score (according to Erin) is 3.6 Preference Score (according to Pierre) is 3.4 XT20...

www.audiosciencereview.com

which erin holds in high regard

Polk is NOT a well regarded brand here so sound united often sits on stock for a LOONG time

but the price being $700 of our dollaroo pesos means about $450 usd.... ehhh... warts and all I cant think of this being a completely terrible package

 

[Angsty]

Don't all Amps pretty much sound the same as long as they have enough power.? I get that the measurements may be different but i doubt very much they are audible. Who has done really blind testing and been able to identify sound differences ? Speaker differences yeah.

Yes, it’s hard to tell the differences in blind testing. See this post for more info:

Review and Measurements of Benchmark AHB2 Amp

The issue of course is "speaker independent" depends greatly on power output and frequency. The ratings for FR are 1W (2.83V). The output impedance data that I used for my frequency response deviation plot was based on the published data, which shows a strong frequency dependence (as indicated...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[EmHill]

Hello everyone.

First of all, I would like to apologise for my ignorance (and also for my bad English writing).

After reading Amir's review, I have a doubt about their measurements. Amir said that "since there are pre-outs, we can measure the performance of the internal DACs".

What pre-outs are these? Is he referring to the sub-out or the recorder output? Could I use them like a typical pre out for another amp?

Perhaps the measurements would have been different if the recorder hadn't been used?

 

[Mantra]

Hi
@amirm and other users
May I ask since Denon and Marantz are the same company these days, and there's plenty of parts in common , how does it sound Marantz PM6007 ?
does the marantz score almost the same?
Denon uses a 'frame' transformer, and the Marantz uses a toroid
thanks