Arcam SA30 vs Denon PMA- A110


Hi Audiogon Fam, I currently have the Arcam SA30 and want to upgrade in sound quality. I have really been keeping an eye on the Denon PMA -A110. Ive heard great things about it. I will be using the Arcam ST60 as the source for streaming and Focal Aria 936 K2 Speakers. Any input would really help me. Thanks. 

128x128edwinf

@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