DENON PMA-520AE
integrated stereo amplifier
Many well-known and respected brands of hi-fi equipment come from the Land of the Rising Sun, the inscription "Made in Japan" placed on the audio component is associated with the highest quality to this day. The leading Japanese manufacturers probably include the DENON brand, which was founded in 1939. The name comes from two parts, which are an abbreviation of DENki and ONkyo (Den On) DENON.
Japanese engineers closely follow modern technologies to meet the expectations of various customer groups, for whom they offer a wide range of devices in line with modern trends and the needs of a rapidly growing market. The manufacturer's offer includes many devices, among which it is easy to find something suitable for yourself.
The PMA-520AE is one of Denon's cheapest integrated amplifiers, which has been equipped with a number of modern solutions to improve the protection and efficiency of the most sensitive internal components. The heart of the amplifier is a transformer with separate power stages for different high-current circuits (High-Current Single-Push-Pull). Great care has been taken to stiffen the housing structure (Direct Mechanical Ground), which protects the internal components of the electronics, creating a solid base free of vibrations that affect sound quality. The cheapest DENON is not ashamed of good quality components, it is equipped with carbon resistors and two ELNA audio capacitors with a capacity of 8200µF. The power circuit board is separated from the rest of the sensitive electronics. The amplifier features Advanced High Current circuitry and the relay switches for the CD and Phono outputs use inert gas to eliminate noise affecting the signal. Under the silver logo placed on the front made of brushed aluminum, there is a window that receives the signal from the remote control supplied in the set. Just below it there is the main amplifier power switch and a 6.3 mm headphone jack. Heading to the right, we find the tone controls (Bass and Treble) with the balance of the right and left channels, above which there are buttons (Loudness and Source Direct). The middle part is occupied by a large rotary volume potentiometer, which lacks the backlight known from the higher models of the Japanese manufacturer. The rotary, legible source selector is located on the right side and illuminated with orange diodes discreetly placed in the slot of the housing. On the back, there are stereo RCA (R/L) inputs for connecting 5 devices, including a turntable with an MM or MC cartridge, and a recording loop. The amplifier has an input and output (Remote Control) for connecting compatible devices that can be controlled with one remote control.
The budget project to which the described DENON certainly belongs could not lack minuses, which forced the reduction of the cost of some elements. The PMA-520AE does not have an IEC plug for the power cable, which is permanently built-in. Poor quality speaker terminals are protected by transparent plastic and accept banana plugs after removing the plugs.
Sound
The Denon sounds lively and does not lack dynamics in the lower range. Japanese engineers took care to provide clear sound, which has a variety of timbre, and a large dynamic swing with detail. The sound has a wide stereo stage with well-differentiated three-dimensional imaging. The highs are clear and sonorous, and although they are not what the Denon can be praised for, combined with efficient tweeters with a wide frequency response, they may turn out to be the "Achilles' heel" for the colorfully presented rest of the band. The amplifier copes very well with maintaining control over the 8 Ohm speakers, with which it can provide a dynamic sound rich in detail. The matter becomes more complicated when connecting 4 Ohm loudspeakers with a low efficiency of 85 dB. The Denon then loses strength and momentum in the bass, which makes the treble even more aggressively exposed. The Treble potentiometer does not help much, with which we can cut out a certain range of treble, thus introducing silting and lack of detail. We should also mention the vocals, which lack the richness and noble timbre known from more expensive amplifiers.
The PMA-520AE was tested with the RME ADI 2 DAC FS DAC with two sets of Tannoy-Mercury MX2 bookshelf speakers and the KEF-LS50 with QED XT40 speaker cabling and QED Qunex Silver Spiral interconnect.
TANNOY speakers were no challenge for DENON. The review is mainly based on the tests of this set, as it is a more optimal combination. The LS50, requiring good drive, set DENON's standards too high to discover the beauty of sound served by KEF.
Conclusion
The Denon PMA-520AE can be described in a few words "it is cheap, nice and sounds good".
The amplifier can be a good choice for users who mainly listen to electronic and entertainment music: disco, rap or hip-hop will be impressively presented by Denon, whose dynamic tuning (mid and bass kick) combined with good detail and clear bold treble will provide a spectacular sound . Personally, I think that in satin color (in its price range) it is one of the best looking amps, delivering a snappy dynamic sound that many enjoy. Considering the low price, it will not be combined with expensive components for which it may prove to be a limitation.
Technical data
Output Power Per Channel:45W 8Ω / 70W 4Ω
Amplifier type: transistor
Harmonic Distortion (THD):0.2%
Input Sensitivity:110mV /30kΩ
Signal-to-Noise Ratio:105 dB
Bass adjustment:±8dB/100Hz
Soprano adjustment:±8dB/10kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio for MM/MC:2.5 mV / 47 kΩ
Impedance:4Ω / 6Ω / 8Ω / 16Ω
Phono preamplifier:YES - MM / MC
frequency response:20Hz - 20kHz
Line Outputs:1x RCA
Line inputs:6 x RCA
Headphone Connector:Jack 6.3mm
Source Direct mode
Loudness button
Remote control:YES
Power consumption:Standby <0.3W / working: 200W
Dimensions:height 12.1cm / width 43.4cm / depth 33.7cm
Libra:6.5 kg
Elaborated by: Swan Przemyslaw
