Arcam SA30 vs Denon PMA- A110

@edwinf -

The Denon house sound is "beefy." It has presence. You will get resolution, decent soundstage, but not as much air and space between the instruments because the amp is tuned to be on the warm side of neutral.

It's also built to last. Denon provides a really good warranty, should you need it.

@wharfy  Thank you for your input. What you are describing has been confirmed by many.cWould you say it is superior to the Arcam?

@edwinf -

"Would you say it is superior to the Arcam?"

Depends what you are looking for--I had an Arcam amp and remember it leaning towards a darker British sound--warm, very musical and "polite." It worked great with a pair of Dahlquist reissues that had an alloy tweeter and prominent bass via 3 mid/bass cones because it tames/balanced the aggressive sound of the speakers.

I'd say the Denon sound is going to be "larger." YMMV-think of Arcam as listening to music from Row G and Denon as listening to music from Row C.

I see you have Focal Arias-great speakers! How do you describe their sound with  the Arcam?

@wharfy Thank you for explaining it in that manner.

 The Row G Vs Row C comparisson really helps. The Arcam sounds good I just want something more robust and with a more realistic and holographic sound if that makes sense. Also, the Denon looks like a work of art in comparisson to the Arcam and is built to a higher standard from what I see. 

@edwinf -

"The Arcam sounds good I just want something more robust and with a more realistic and holographic sound if that makes sense."

Yes. The Denon will be more robust, for sure. And yes, the design is pretty awesome and great to look at. WRT realistic and holographic, that's something worth auditioning with your equipment. 

@wharfy Awesome! The Arcam SA30 is the only integrated amp I've ever had so  I have nothing to conpare it to. I like that it is detailed but not bright. If I may say even a bit warm. I like the pairing with my Focal Aria 936 K2's. I also have Polk Audio Lsim 703's ,Jbl Studio 503's, Klipsh RP-600M's and Polk Audio Monitor 10A's. I think all the speakers sound good with the amp but my favorite are the Focals but they are also the more expensive ones. The soundstage is realistic and good separation of insteuments and good imaging but I want more lol Thanks again 

I kinda see this as a lateral move at best ...

I'd poke around on The Music Room ... it has a Hegel H80 in your budget.  TMR has very good reputation ... a considerable leap forward!

@blackbag20 I've heard great things about Hegel too.

So are tou saying the Denon PMA-A110 is in the same ball park as the Hegel H80?

@edwinf -"So are tou saying the Denon PMA-A110 is in the same ball park as the Hegel H80?"

@blackbag20 -"I’d poke around on The Music Room ... it has a Hegel H80 in your budget."

If soundstage and resolution are at the top of your list, the Hegel will be more resolving in all dimensions than the Denon because it has greater neutrality. I don't think you lose any presence going with the Hegel, when compared with the Denon, because your Focal are forward sounding speakers. The Hegel is also well-engineered and manufactured.

Yes ... Hegel will be a step forward from Denon.  Good luck ... let us know

The Denon A110 is not a step down from any Hegel integrated amp. You take the top cover off and the Japanese made true dual mono amp is the clear winner if parts quality and design are important. Hegel sells its products with specs... watts /damping factor not with sound or build quality.  At this price point don't expect a near SOTA amplifier but the Denon exceeds with musical flow and cohesiveness where the Hegel does grunt and vice grip control that can sound detached and mechanical which is better suited for home theater applications.

@dayglow thats what Ive heard. Another close contender is the Yamaha AS2200. I can get the Yamaha for only $500 more than the Denon. Would you say the Denon is an upgrade from the Arcam SA30? Thanks

@edwinf     Have only heard the Arcam SA 30 at Axpona last year, it was driving Monitor Audio Platinum series and IMO was not up to the task.  As for Yamaha a less vibrant speaker from ATC or Vandersteen could be a better synergistic match than with Focal.

my good friend has the arcam, which he uses with magnepan 3.7s, which are admittedly a tough load. it sounds fine but not awe-inspiring--the warm-sounding arcam definitely colors the presentation. otoh, i've heard the denon with focals (i believe electra floorstanders) and it was really jaw-dropping--crystal clear, toe-tapping and much more powerful than its specs indicate. also overbuilt to hell--the thing weighs a ton. i see the denon for 45% off at a4l and now i'm tempted. i also saw the yamaha at a big markdown but i haven't heard it.

@loomisjohnson Awesome! Thanks for sharing. A4l is were I plan on buying it too.  Im flad to hear tou liked the Denon. Audioholics gave it a rave review too. Im getting closwr to oulling the trigger in the Denon💯😁

@edwinf, you could drop a lot more money on a luxman or pass which would probably sound better than the denon, and many folks on these pages instinctively tout less mainstream brands,  but the denon is a helluva piece on its own terms. the way i see it, you'd be buying something with a  warranty from a reputable merchant that you'll probably own for a long time (+ you can always return it if you don't like it). if you do take the plunge, report back.

It is funny. I have sold SA30 couple months ago and bought Denon A110.

Arcam SA30 is the entry level to hifi (3-in-1). A110 is AB amp and it's difficult to compare them. They are absolutely different classes. Like comparing Corolla vs Audi Q7. 

@tedweekend I know its a hard comparisson. That clarifies things for me. So the Arcam is the entry level and the Denon PMA -A110 is on a higher level. Since you had both can you elaborate more on the Denon sound please? How is it better than the Arcam?

@edwinf no problem. We are in the same boat :) Denon PMA A110 is one of all my purchases. The sound is so rich and balanced. SA30 is good for shelve speakers like MA Silver 100. Btw I liked SA30 because of high frequency is excellent but low frequency was not enough. But this was recover by subwoofer.

If you switch to Denon be ready to change your speakers.

@tedweekend I have Polk Audio Lsim 703's, JBL Studio 503's, Focal Aria 936 K2'S, Klipsch RP600M, and Polk Audio Monitor 10A's. I'm sure it will sound good with most of them I just want to make sure I get a good natural but exciting sound when playing instruments. Thanks for the input

I have had my PMA-A110 for about 3 weeks. I love the sound. I wanted something more old school Class AB , lots of juice, massive build 60 pounds of aluminum and steel. 70 pounds in the box. I am using with Revel F208B Performas. I am streaming to the PMA-A110 DAC via a nice USB with a Lumin U1 Mini with SBooster. Using ROON and local files I can play DSD 266 11.2mhz, and it sounds great. 5 year warranty as a side note. Wondered if anybody even tried the Headphone

@waynefia Awesome to hear you are enjoying it. I am too. I am lairing it with Focals

's, JBL Studio 530's, Polk Audio Lsim703's and Vintage Polk Audio Monitor 10A's and it handles them all with ease. In my small room I prefer the bookshelfs. Looking to upgrade my speakers to ATC SCM 19's soon.  You have an awesome setup man.