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REVIEWS
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DAC
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Desktop
delight
Denon s latest compact integrated
combines computer audio appeal with
beautiful build James pa*er takes a listen
trDEIAILS
PRODUCT
Denon PMA-50
ORIGIN
China
TYPE
lnteglated
amplifier/Us8 DAC
wtrGlft
2.5k9
DU ENS|ONS
WxHxD)
20Ox86x258mm
FCAIURES
Ouoted pow€r 2x
25W irno 8ohm6
a
a
Asynchtonous
USB
inptq
3x
digital
inpub; analogue
esktop appears to be the
buzzword of late for the
D&M Group: staning
with t}le litde Denon
DA-300USB USB DAC and headphone
amp (HFC 393), ir's gone on to launch
the classyJooking Mamntz HD-DAC1
DAc^eadphone amp,/preamp, and
most recently the battery-powered
Denon DA-10, irs or y-slighrly-roobulfu ponable headphone ampljfier.
All of these were launched at the
companfs European conference last
yeaf, where it was clear fiom the
layout of rhe display that it is taking
personal audio very seriously: while
the AV receivers and rhe like were
ananged around the sides ofthe
exhibition space, the desktop
products were quite literally placed
centre stage.
Now there's a fourth va ation on
the theme, in r}te form ofDenon,s
lFflgdc!
MAY 2015
PMA-50, which is a compacr
integrated amplifier complete with
USB-B asynchronous digital input for
that all-imponanr computer hook up,
and aprx Bluetooth to enable wireless
music playback fiom my'fiad
smartphones, tablets and computers.
Oh, and as well as pcM-based
high-resolution content at up to
24-bitl192kH2, rhe pMA-50 will
also handle DSD2.B and 5.6, which
will keep even the most fanatical
computer audio enthusiast happJa yes,
DSD tends to divide opinions, with
some safng it was a format of its
time, and pointing to rhe paucity of
downloads available, but in teims of
box ticking with the 'Macs and DACS'
brigade - those who play music fiom
a direct-connected computer mther
than going down the letwork
sfieaming path - it is prefty much
a must-have these days.
lnpu$aptx
Bluetooth
.
He€dphone amp
DISTRIBUTOR
Denon UK
IEITPHON€
02890?98:t0
wEESm
denon.co,uk
The Denon PMA-50 couldn't look
much simpler from the front. having
just *ree buftons (powet inpur
selection ald Bluetooth), plus a
volume control and 'prope/ 6.3mm
headphone socket. The OLED display
is hidden when the amplifier is
switched off, and there's a touch poinr
on fie lefthard side-panel for pairing
with NFc-capable Bluetooth devices.
like the DA-300USB, fte PMA-S0
can be used in horizontal orientation
or veftically for example to save desk
space. The feet ulscrew Iiom the base,
and fit into four tireads on the right
side panel, the display reorients itselJ
when the amp is tumed venically ard
lour caps a_re supplied to fill tlre holes
left by the removed feet.
Apan fiom that low-larencv aDrX
Bluetooth input and rh" urln"hionnu"
USB-B socket, r}le pMA-50 also has
two optical and one coaxial digital
input, a single set of analogue inputs,
and a subwoofer ougut in addition
to the speaker outs. Power output is
quoted as 25W per channel into
Bohms, doubling into 4ohms.
A simple credit,card-sized remote
handser is provided with tie amp,
and further adjustments beyond the
basic volume and inpur select on the
front panel are available within the
PMA-50's menu system. Balance and
tone controls are available, with a
'source direcr'oprion ro blpass them;
you can choose be(veen three gain
settings for rhe headphone output;
tum off Blueroolh completely to
reduce inledbrence and enable or
'N r rGRA- rD
defeat the power-saving auto standby
function, designed to switch the amp
off after 30 minutes of no signal.
Sound quality
The PMA-50 may only be 200mm
wide and 86mm tall in horizontal
orientation (or 80mm wide by
206mm tall when vertical, thanks to
those rnovable feet), but for a tiddler
it pack quite a surp singpunch.I
use it botl in my desktop system
and in a small-room setup, and never
find it lacking for power or sriuggling
to keep up with the demands that I
place upon it.
OK so it's not going to be the right
choice for those with hulking geat
floortanding
speakers, cavernous
rcoms or a haJrl(ering for club/iiont
row of an arena gig sound prcssurc
levels. Howeve4 used within its limits,
for fairly dose-up listening with
speakers of reasonable-to-high
A fres$l, clean and
yetsubstantial
soulrd. w{th! no
hFnt o$ strugg$e
Compact de6ktop
amplifiersareallthe
rage these days,
NAD, for e)€mple,
rcinvented its
classic3020
amplifier as the D
3020 (HFC379),
complote with
digital inputs,
striking asymmetdc
styling and the
same'vertical or
ho rontal'choice
off€red bythe
Denon. And very
good it sounds. too.
lfyoullkething6
small but $rith more
conventional look
an obvious choice is
theOuad V€na
Group test $rinner
(HFC39O) - i&
mote expeNive
at 0600, but has
comiderable hi.ti
credentials, or at a
simllarpricepolnt
to the Denon the
Teac
sensitivity (which covers most of
the popular choices in the sub-f500
arena these days), it is capable of
an attractively detailed and punchy
sound, coupled with an inherent
smootlness and refi nement.
In absolute terms, the PMA 50 plays
things slighdy safe, and there arc
more conventionally proportioned
amps available for not much more
money capable of a sound with more
attack and drive, if that's what you're
after - although often this comes at
the expense of subtlety which is
something the Denon has in spades.
The amplification here is digital,
using a discrete output stage and
CSRs Direct Digital Feedback
Al.30lDA
hlghly
also comes
recommended
from the same test.
Amplifier TechnoloS]a which
compensates in the digital domain
for distortions, output filter
non-linearities and power supply
variations. Ahead of that, the amp
utiiises Denon's Advanced AL32
processing, which oversamples,
interpolates and filteG incoming
digital data, and tends to produce
just the kind of well detailed but
smooth and rich sound that's very
much in evidence here.
Howevel ifthat makes it sound like
A\,lplrFrER,P,U3XBHSS
REVIEWS
you don't chance things with
low-bitrate MP3 files, which sound
horrible whatever you do with them.
This is also a very accomplished
headphone amp, as you might hope
Siven Denon's rccent form in this area
and the product's desktop ambitions:
whether with a pair of easy going
Bang & Olufsens or the rather more
demanding Oppo PM-1s, it delivers a
ftesh, clean and yet substantial sound,
with no hint of a struggle however
hard I push it.
this is one for the armchair jazzers
and chamber music enthusiasts,
nothing could be furdrer ftom the
tmth. Hooked up to a computer with
a hefty slug ofhi-res and DSD content
cued up on the hard drive, the
PMA-50 proves morc than capable of
gettilg tie air in tlle rcom moving
with everytiing ftom the bass Iine on
The Rolling Stones' SJ4npathy For The
Deyil to a spot of atmospherically
recorded cathedral organ, while at
the same time rctaining fine control
even with speakers much, much
larger than you'd expect to find on
the end of a dinky 2.5kg amplifier.
And it can do the snarl and slam,
too, crashing out those guitar
windmills and machine-gun dmms
on The Who's I4ont Get Fooled Again
in some style. Agreed IVe heard
Daltreys geat bellow and Moon's
manic attack delivered with more
conviction when handled at earthreatening levels by amplifiers
costing twice as much as the Denon,
but considering the compact
dimensions, flexibility and affordable
price, this is pretty impressive stuff.
Nor are the other inputs just there
to make up the numbers: I'm no
great fan of Bluetooth, finding it
often sounds rafier parched and
anonlanous, but the Denon s
bang-up-to-date implementation
seems to deliver the goods rather
better than some - at least provided
O
Asynchronous
US&B pon
O
Digitalopticaland
cooxhl inputs
O
Analogue line
O
Subwoofer
O
4mm speaker
binding posts
inputs
Gonclusion
Sensibly priced, well equipped, neady
designed ald with a sound tlat will
have wide appeal, the ultra-compact
Denon PMA-50 is far more than the
novelty it may first appear: it's a real
hi-fi amplifie4 and a very good one at
tiat-just
smaller
r
The leet cen be r€movod so that
the
A-sO can stand vertlcally
P
vA(uEroR MoNEY DtsLtxE:Nothino of
anysqn,fcance
-
*****
preoutput
****t
OVERALL
MAY
2015
HifiqEb€ 59