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help this noob please. looking for 2.1 speaker amps

SlamTaz

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Im looking at Denon PMA-600NE for $499 and my non-audiophile brain is telling me this has the features i want to drive a 2.1 speaker set up. But then i saw this Fosi Audio DA2120C for $170 only and the numbers say it's got more power than the Denon, at less than half the price.

Can you help me figure things out? or maybe suggest something better and reasonably priced below 500

Planned speakers are : 2 airmotiv b1+ and a rsl speedwoofer
Also am looking to add Denon DCD-800NE CD player but not sure if there's a cheaper alternative that can match the Fosi, if that's what i will get.
 

Doodski

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Im looking at Denon PMA-600NE for $499 and my non-audiophile brain is telling me this has the features i want to drive a 2.1 speaker set up. But then i saw this Fosi Audio DA2120C for $170 only and the numbers say it's got more power than the Denon, at less than half the price.

Can you help me figure things out? or maybe suggest something better and reasonably priced below 500

Planned speakers are : 2 airmotiv b1+ and a rsl speedwoofer
Also am looking to add Denon DCD-800NE CD player but not sure if there's a cheaper alternative that can match the Fosi, if that's what i will get.
The Denon amp is in a different class of quality and will probably last you decades of service.
 

ThatM1key

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I would recommend just ripping your CDs, you would save so much money doing that. You could put that money towards a better amp or speakers. There's going to be lots of people saying "You should buy a very cheap amp with expensive-ish speakers", don't do that. Buy a "cheap" amp like the Yamaha A-S301 or even the Topping PA5, spend a small bit on a DAC, and spend the rest on speakers.
 
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SlamTaz

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Check the SMSL and Topping amp reviews here.
thanks. i saw the topping dx3 pro+ and pa3s stack from this site and current price for both will be about 310+. i did notice it doesn't have the subout, because i plan to use the wireless sub transmitter. are there topping products with sub out?
 
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SlamTaz

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The Denon amp is in a different class of quality and will probably last you decades of service.
thanks, i was thinking that's one of the possible reasons but i was not sure coz i dont really interpret the watt and ohm numbers properly. also not sure if they are accurately represented by mfg.
 
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SlamTaz

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I would recommend just ripping your CDs, you would save so much money doing that. You could put that money towards a better amp or speakers. There's going to be lots of people saying "You should buy a very cheap amp with expensive-ish speakers", don't do that. Buy a "cheap" amp like the Yamaha A-S301 or even the Topping PA5, spend a small bit on a DAC, and spend the rest of speakers.
thanks and that's a good point. though i dont have equipment to rip the cds, i imagine that'll be cheaper than the cd player i mentioned.
 

Doodski

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@SlamTaz @ThatM1key's suggestion of the Yamaha AS-301 amp is a excellent suggestion. You get a wonderful amp that will last, has good design and 60W/ch@8 Ohms. It will sound great and Yamaha is a very respected name. The Denon is nice too although the power output is a bit low for some speakers.
 

carvin

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I just bought that Denon since I only use Spotify these days. Works well.
 

dguillor

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thanks and that's a good point. though i dont have equipment to rip the cds, i imagine that'll be cheaper than the cd player i mentioned.
I recently saw the price of ripping CDs, $0.69 per CD plus price of hard drive.
 
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SlamTaz

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@SlamTaz @ThatM1key's suggestion of the Yamaha AS-301 amp is a excellent suggestion. You get a wonderful amp that will last, has good design and 60W/ch@8 Ohms. It will sound great and Yamaha is a very respected name. The Denon is nice too although the power output is a bit low for some speakers.
for my education: you mean the denon 70w @4ohm (if im reading that correctly) is weaker than yamaha 60w @8ohms? so, if we're to rate them both @8ohms, what will be the denon number be?
 

Doodski

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for my education: you mean the denon 70w @4ohm (if im reading that correctly) is weaker than yamaha 60w @8ohms? so, if we're to rate them both @8ohms, what will be the denon number be?
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz denon.png
 

DMill

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for my education: you mean the denon 70w @4ohm (if im reading that correctly) is weaker than yamaha 60w @8ohms? so, if we're to rate them both @8ohms, what will be the denon number be?
It’s 45w @ 8ohms
 

samsa

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thanks and that's a good point. though i dont have equipment to rip the cds, i imagine that'll be cheaper than the cd player i mentioned.

What "equipment" do you need? An external (USB) CD drive is < $30, if your computer doesn't already have one. Of course, once you've ripped the CDs, you need someplace to store the resulting FLAC files...
 

ThatM1key

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for my education: you mean the denon 70w @4ohm (if im reading that correctly) is weaker than yamaha 60w @8ohms? so, if we're to rate them both @8ohms, what will be the denon number be?

I found these specs:

Denon PMA-600NE:
Screenshot 2022-07-13 212736.png


Yamaha A-S301:
Screenshot 2022-07-13 212847.png
 

delta76

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Fosi, sabaj and topping are all Chi-Fi equipment: cheap, good measured performance. but QC, longevity and long term support are questionable.
Denon, Yamaha are established brands. You pay considerably more for less power, as their marketing and distribution network cost. After sale services are usually good (heard good things about Denon technical support, but I didn't experience that first hand). Used value is also higher.
So pick your poison. Lower initial cost, but there is a chance that you will have a useless junk after warranty ends. Or higher initial cost but you might be selling it 5 years from now at decent price (if you don't want to keep it for 10 years)
 
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