Opinions on Denon PMA700AE amp?

[chuck55]

Denon PMA700AE amp

Any opinions on this $400 integrated? You can click to enlarge the internal view. There is also a PMA1500AE which is dual mono and costs 2x.
Could these be modded with good result?

[anatech]

Hi Chuck,
Denon makes decent mid fi amplifiers. I'm betting you could get som good sound out of them.

I'd start with the cheaper one. Less chance of complicated circuits messing up you plans. Be aware that component values may be critical in some circuits. Don't do anything to it without a service manual.

-Chris

[Leolabs]

Replace with IEC main power inlet.

[anatech]

Hi Leolabs,

Replace with IEC main power inlet.

Why would you do that? You are introducing a ground now, and a set of contacts.

-Chris

[chuck55]

Very fortunate timing but HiFi + had a review of the amp / CD combo this month.
Basically said if you're just staring out, start somewhere else. WHY??

Bass lags behind.
dead sound.
leading and trailing edges of notes blurred.
focuses on main elements, the minor stuff gets lost in the shuffle.
I think they said bright or forward compared to Rote. I think Rotel is bright already.

Can't remember the rest but you get the idea.

Here's some of my sayings:
Dead sounding Denon
rolled off Roland
B&W: Polite but bright, bass is tight

So I guess Denon still has that dead sound.

[anatech]

Hi Chuck55,
Most reviewers are motivated by monetary factors. Read reviews with extreme caution and understand they are worth - not much.

Remember that some of the worst components have been well reviewed. Back in the late 70's, the Sure V15 IV was a favorite. Very brittle, harsh sounding. Most other good cartridges killed the V15. Counterpoint amps got good reviews. Sounded like do-do and exploded. Almost unrepairable. On and on it goes.

Denon has seldom gotten a good review, but some of their stuff deserved it. One of the "hidden" good components. I would take a Denon over a Creek, Naim or Rega any day. The list goes on. You will notice that Creek, Naim and Rega have all received good reviews.

Anyway, I would not describe Denon as being "dead" sounding. It does sound like amplifiers in it's price range, but a little more robust and tougher to hurt than most. They are not indestructible though.

My viewpoint would be that they represent better sound than most in their price range. Good value for the dollar. That is a fair appraisal, don't you think?

-Chris

[tvi]

I have the schematic if you are interested?

Attached is the power amp section

The main bridge uses FRH20A15 FCH20A15 schottky rectifiers.


Regards
James

[anatech]

Hi James,
I'd love to add that one to my collection. Can you email the full res version to bhomester at gmail dot com please?

Thank you,
-Chris

[head_spaz]

I agree with anatech, Denon is usually quite good.
Lively sound and great value considering their price range and market. Of course they had their economy line as well, so keep this in mind that you can't expect professional when buying their econo products. Their high end is quite repectable though.

I can't speak to the newer products because I haven't purchased any store bought equip for many years. But Denon used to be way ahead of their japanese counterparts in engineering quality and sonic performance.
I always liked that they used the very latest DACs (BurrBrown PM63K) and were one of the first manufacturers to use the NE5532's throughout, when their competition were still using 1458's and 4558's. I suppose most manufacturers are still using the 1458s, which is a chip that never impressed me. Noisy suckers!

[chuck55]

"My viewpoint would be that they represent better sound than most in their price range. Good value for the dollar. That is a fair appraisal, don't you think?"
I agree anatech. This is probably a good piece for $400. My take on Denon is it is more neutral than Creek, Naim, and Rega which all "do" something to the sound.