Denon PMA-A110 Integrated Amplifier Review

[Trebdp83]

How Many Decibels Is Too Loud | How Loud is Too Loud

To protect your hearing, you need to be mindful of the noise levels you are exposed to every day. Many times, noise levels at work, at home, or in our communities can exceed recommended levels and put us in danger of incurring hearing damage or even permanently losing our hearing.

decibelpro.app

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[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the suggestion. Here is the screenshot of the same.

View attachment 65438

This is at a distance of 3 meters from the speakers with the volume at 10'o clock.

Is 3 meters your seated position?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks for the suggestion. Here is the screenshot of the same.

View attachment 65438

This is at a distance of 3 meters from the speakers with the volume at 10'o clock.

87 dB is not THAT loud. I've measured 105dB (12 FT distance, SHORT TERM since I don't listen that loud) in my old system using the 50WPC $500 AVR and speakers that went down to 2.7 ohms.

So no way your Denon Amp (which Gene measured down to 2-ohms) would shut down even at 100dB - IF this is purely about POWER REQUIREMENT. This has to be something else, not power requirement.

 

[Trebdp83]

The issue here is at the 110-115dB range at 3-4 meters with volume at 11-12 o’ clock.

 

[TLS Guy]

87 dB is not THAT loud. I've measured 105dB (12 FT distance, SHORT TERM since I don't listen that loud) in my old system using the 50WPC $500 AVR and speakers that went down to 2.7 ohms.

So no way your Denon Amp (which Gene measured down to 2-ohms) would shut down even at 100dB - IF this is purely about POWER REQUIREMENT. This has to be something else, not power requirement.

That something else is the phase angle and a large apparent power requirement.

 

[lovinthehd]

At what peak dB does it go into protection?

 

[rohurulz]

At what peak dB does it go into protection?

The above measurement is with volume cranked up to 10'o clock. It goes into protection only when cranked up to more than 11'o clock..

I avoid doing so too frequently to prevent the amp from blowing out. At 10-11 'o clock, it plays flawlessly for as long as I wish..

 

[TLS Guy]

The above measurement is with volume cranked up to 10'o clock. It goes into protection only when cranked up to more than 11'o clock..

I avoid doing so too frequently to prevent the amp from blowing out. At 10-11 'o clock, it plays flawlessly for as long as I wish..

I would caution you that if you buy a more powerful amp, you might blow the bass drivers instead of the amp. Those drivers are taking a lot of current from what I can tell from the NRC measurements. That is going to generate of a lot of heat in the VCs. I would strongly recommend those speakers be used with a sub or better two subs, if you are keen on spl. levels that high.

The power speck of a speaker means essentially nothing. You can glean far more from good measurement data and experience of dealing with speakers.

As I said if I were a senior engineer at Focal I would not have passed off on those speakers. It remains incredible to me how many speaker have serious shortcomings. Although the overall standards have gone up in recent years, very few designs achieve excellence. That is pretty obvious visiting any showroom.

 

[lovinthehd]

The above measurement is with volume cranked up to 10'o clock. It goes into protection only when cranked up to more than 11'o clock..

I avoid doing so too frequently to prevent the amp from blowing out. At 10-11 'o clock, it plays flawlessly for as long as I wish..

Still curious what the spl was at the time (and will vary with content)....but if peaks louder than 112 not surprising you run out of juice. Might play around with this http://www.hometheaterengineering.com/splcalculator.html

 

[rohurulz]

Going a bit OT, but want to understand, which RCA cable should I go for for connecting my dac to pre and pre to power. Also, do expensive cables justify the cost. I was trying to decide between SVS SoundPath and Furutech Alpha Line 2.

 

[TLS Guy]

Going a bit OT, but want to understand, which RCA cable should I go for for connecting my dac to pre and pre to power. Also, do expensive cables justify the cost. I was trying to decide between SVS SoundPath and Furutech Alpha Line 2.

Wire, is wire. As long as the cables are wired correctly just buy the cheaper cables of the right length. Expensive cables are a huge scam. The SVS seem reasonably priced the Furutech are a con. Monoprice have good value cables. Blue Jeans cable also have good well made cables.

 

[cpp]

Going a bit OT, but want to understand, which RCA cable should I go for for connecting my dac to pre and pre to power. Also, do expensive cables justify the cost. I was trying to decide between SVS SoundPath and Furutech Alpha Line 2.

Forget the fancy dancy pretty wire, I've been using Blue Jean cable since they day they opened. OR if your techy make your own.

 

[rohurulz]

You said it. The Furutech ones are really v expensive. But the Furutech Alpha Line 1 and the SVS SoundPath nearly cost the same at around USD 115, the Furutech one being made in Japan vs the SVS which is China..so was trying to decide between the two.

 

[lovinthehd]

You said it. The Furutech ones are really v expensive. But the Furutech Alpha Line 1 and the SVS SoundPath nearly cost the same at around USD 115, the Furutech one being made in Japan vs the SVS which is China..so was trying to decide between the two.

I consider both overpriced. There is no need to replace a power cord that came with your gear (except maybe to customize length). Definitely not Furutech, that's a company dedicated to audio bullshit. Not much magic to an rca connector. SVS at least offers value most of the time, but....

Something like this works fine https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Stereo-Cable-Right-Audio/dp/B00F0WNWZI/ref=asc_df_B00F0WNWZI&mcid=01276896eb59393e88a3986f230a1833?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195746822990&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795273583937&th=1

 

[Splicer]

Wire, is wire.

You are funny. Wire, is NOT "wire". There are many different types of wire and how that wire is constructed DOES make a difference in the end result. And I am talking construction of the wire itself, not the cable ends.

With that being said, good cables don't need to cost a small fortune. As was mentioned, Monoprice wire is excellent. And if you want the best, inexpensive cabling, use shielded RG-59 if you can tolerate the cable stiffness (not easy to bend and you don't want to kink it).

Amazon.com

 

[TLS Guy]

You are funny. Wire, is NOT "wire". There are many different types of wire and how that wire is constructed DOES make a difference in the end result. And I am talking construction of the wire itself, not the cable ends.

With that being said, good cables don't need to cost a small fortune. As was mentioned, Monoprice wire is excellent. And if you want the best, inexpensive cabling, use shielded RG-59 if you can tolerate the cable stiffness (not easy to bend and you don't want to kink it).

Amazon.com

You know what I'm referring to, oxygen free wire and that kind of nonsense. Copper is all you need made to the purpose required, shielding, numbers of conductors etc, and terminations.

 

[Splicer]

You know what I'm referring to, oxygen free wire and that kind of nonsense. Copper is all you need made to the purpose required, shielding, numbers of conductors etc, and terminations.

Different grades of OFC don't forget.

 

[isolar8001]

Different grades of OFC don't forget.

What's really important is KFC (kink free copper)
Kinks can slow down electron flow at an alarming rate...even causing the warp bubble to collapse.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

What's really important is KFC (kink free copper)
Kinks can slow down electron flow at an alarming rate...even causing the warp bubble to collapse.

Don’t forget. You have to make sure the cable goes down hill with an appropriate taper. Like this…

Many people don’t know this.

 

[MrBoat]

While I think active speakers can sound technically better than passive, still, and regardless of how good the amps are, I look at them as disposable. The amps should last just long enough to coincide with replacement part NLA territory like other 'all-in-one' appliances. I'd just never rest easy trusting active speakers. I do have a pair of budget JBL LSR305 that are active and have been continuously powered on since around 2018 but I just keep wondering when they will die and leave me with a system that needs a rebuild worth more than the sum of it's parts.

The active vs. passive debate is for those who navel gaze SQ too much. I should be much harder to satisfy, 50 years in, but if I ignore the current crop of starving marketers, passive speakers end up being better than most recordings that will pass through them. Well recorded music sounds flawless, even on older passive speakers worth any mention at all.

Before someone considers going for the next new thing that is into the la-la land of audibility, they should really try the best recordings to grade what they already have and just be honest with themselves about it, and what they are listening to.

All of this DSP that is needed now, ends up chasing crappy modern architecture and trendy interior decor, that keeps getting worse as time goes on, with regard to favorable acoustics, and for people who don't get outdoors enough to appreciate open and airy spaciousness where it is plentiful. Put most decently measuring speakers in a reasonable space and they will sound relatively perfect to our ears.