Denon POA-2800 vs. Sony TAN-90ES


Cheers!

Which one of these power amplifiers do you recommend based on your experience?

The DENON is more powerful and cheaper and provides a deep and powerful bass. But won't the SONY have a much more refined sound, especially with a much better midband?

Thanks
sony
Sony, are you implying that you could be swayed from your namesake? Shame, shame shame.
I think im one of the only people in the world who still has a denon poa-2800. i was pretty damn suprised when i saw this thread.

Personally i really like the Denon. Im getting it back from the repair shop tomorrow, some loose solder connections on the power supply were causing a +5V DC offset.
Good times.

Anyways, cannot comment on the sony, Im using a denon avr 3805 as a pre/pro and the difference in sound using the amp vs the reciever is pretty strong.

I cannot compare it to the sony, but i find the midrange pretty refined in the denon. The bass is great, nice and fast. For the price range i personally think it is a hell of a bargain. I know i will eventually upgrade to something a bit more high end, but for now im completly happy with the POA-2800

System = Denon 3805, Denon DVD2900, Denon POA-2800, JMlab Chorus 707s, Velodyne DLS-4000........
I like the 2800 enough that when i do upgrade it will be for a pretty damn good amp. maybe a bryston 4b or something.
Hey Chris,

In all honesty, I'm not sure you'd prefer the Bryston over the Denon. It really depends on taste, but I have an older Bryston and I don't like it as my main two channel amp. I use it mainly for subwoofer duty. That being said, the newer Brystons are supposed to be much more refined.

Dean
Dean,

Thay very well may be the case. I have never heared bryston, but they seem to have a wicked reputation. In general i prefer a jack of all trades and master of none.
Chris, aren't you using the POA-2800 for both 2 channel and movie viewing? The Bryston 4B does have a lot of power and it does bass really well. Are those attributes you're looking for? Something you feel the Denon lacks?
Yeah it is pulling double duty... hahaha... i said doodie...

High power is not the biggest concern, the speakers i have are 92db i think, and they are only rated for 125w, the Denon is 200wpc.
I wouldnt mind dropping in power for something about 150w, tight fast defined bass is definatly a must. Im really not sure what im looking for in an amp yet. Something that can drive hard and not break a sweat, yet is still capable of subtle detail while listening at low levels.

Honestly, i have the feeling the Denon will be in my system for at least another year. Gonna be dumping a lot of money landscaping the backyard, replacing windows, and getting the hottub running and building a gazeebo around it. Not much money left over for audio after mortgage, car payment, utilities and landscaping supplys.

Maybe next year i will look into replacing it, once the whole home improvement thing settles down a bit. (grin)
Wait for a nice mint Threshold SA2 (or SA3; not sure of the model) which is a pure class A 50 wpc amp...about 800 or so...wonderful amp for the money and more than enough power for your speakers
Haven't heard the TAN90ES.
The POA-2800 is an excellent all-rounder with enough power reserve for most loads. Bass is amazing - deep, with slam.
Frequency response is perfect.

Now, in terms of clarity and detail, it is not a Pass Aleph, but, then again, neither is the price comparable!
Sony,

I have the Sony TAE-9000ES and TAN-9000ES for HT duties and they lived up to my expectations. They perform admirably well in my Home Theater setup. However, they couldn't hold a candle light when it comes down to 2-channel. I have the Plinius SA-100MkIII and having done a side by side evaluation with the TAN-9000ES, I rate the Sony very lowly when it comes to 2-channel listening.

I haven't heard of the Denon but I presume they would sound better than the Sony. My apologies if you are a Sony fan.
I am a hi-end stereo buff with referance CJ tube pre-amp
and power amp and speakers. I bought a Sony DVP-NS999ES dvd/sacd player with multi-channel analog outputs. I have a multi-channel amp to hander the CC and SR. I am trying to find a Sony TA-P9000TA pre-amp. This pre-amp has the 5.1
inputs and a 2-channel pass-through so the the CJ will still control the FL & FR speakers when I need to play
my none-SACD CDs. Any information on haw I can obtain this
unit. Sony no longer makes this unit...george60s
I am finally taking my Denon POA 2800 power amp and Denon PRA 1500 preamp out of storage after nearly 15 years. Hopefully it will all power up fine. My first instinct is to get them checked out.