Denon PMA-600NE Integrated Amplifier with Bluetooth Streaming

The Amplifier Denon Built to Be Someone's First

The PMA-600NE sits at the bottom of Denon's hi-fi range, and it is aimed squarely at people building a first serious two-channel system. It delivers 45 watts per channel into 8 ohms across the full audible band, and 70 watts into 4 ohms.

There are five analog inputs, one of them a moving-magnet phono stage with its own earth terminal. Two optical inputs and one coaxial handle digital sources to 24-bit/192kHz. Bluetooth 4.2 streams from a phone using SBC or AAC.

Two Switches Most Amplifiers This Size Skip

Source Direct takes the tone controls out of the signal path. Analog Mode goes further and shuts down the digital board and Bluetooth entirely, so nothing digital is running while you play a record.

A subwoofer pre-out is on the back panel. Headphones use the jack on the front, which mutes the speakers. The remote comes in the box with its batteries. The amplifier weighs 7.4 kilograms and measures 434mm across.

What Denon Means by High Current

Denon calls the output stage an Advanced High Current single push-pull circuit. The company says its HC transistor allows peak current two to three times that of an ordinary audio power transistor. Distortion measures 0.01% at 1kHz into 8 ohms, three decibels below rated output.

Frequency response runs from 5Hz to 100kHz. Signal-to-noise measures 105dB on the line inputs and 84dB on phono. RIAA deviation stays within half a decibel. Speaker terminals accept loads from 4 to 16 ohms.

What the Phono Stage Actually Wants

The phono input takes 2.5mV at 47 kilohms and tolerates up to 70mV before it clips. Line inputs see 100mV, at 40 kilohms with Source Direct off and 17 kilohms with it on. Standby draw is 0.3 watts, or 0.6 with Bluetooth waiting.

What Reviewers Are Saying

Tony Leotta covered the 600 Series for Audioholics on September 3, 2019. He found it and its matching CD player "pack great build quality and features into affordable audiophile compact form," logging his first impression as "Pretty Cool."

Why We Lead With 45 Watts, Not 70

Leotta was blunt about the headline number: "Power is overstated." He argued Denon should "have just come out and declared the PMA-600NE to be an honest 45wpc x 2CH driven, 8 ohms." That is the figure we quote first. He did credit Denon for rating the amp into 4 ohms at all, calling it "a feather in Denon’s proverbial cap."

Who Is This Integrated Amplifier Best For?

• You are building a first hi-fi system — phono, digital inputs, Bluetooth and a headphone jack are all here in one box.
• You play records on a moving-magnet cartridge — the phono stage and earth terminal are built in.
• You want the digital section out of the way — Analog Mode powers down the DAC and Bluetooth completely.
• You stream from an iPhone — Bluetooth handles AAC as well as SBC.
• You run a moving-coil cartridge — this phono stage is moving magnet only. The Denon PMA-900HNE switches between MM and MC.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Speakers go to the binding posts, which take 4 to 16 ohm loads. A turntable goes to PHONO, with its ground wire on the SIGNAL GND screw. CD, NETWORK, AUX and RECORDER cover the other analog sources.

A TV or CD player connects to OPTICAL 1, OPTICAL 2 or COAXIAL. Send those digital inputs PCM only, not Dolby Digital or DTS. A subwoofer takes the pre-out. Bluetooth pairs from the front panel.

Then press Source Direct and leave it there.

Pairs Well With

Building around the PMA-600NE? Start here:

• Speakers: 45 clean watts suits a good pair — see our Bookshelf Speakers.
• Turntable: the MM phono stage is waiting — see our Turntables.
• Subwoofer: the pre-out is already there — see our Subwoofers.
• Cables: finish the job properly — see our Speaker Cables.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much power does the Denon PMA-600NE really make?

45 watts per channel into 8 ohms with both channels driven across 20Hz to 20kHz. The 70-watt figure is measured into 4 ohms at 1kHz.

Does it work with a moving-coil cartridge?

The phono stage is moving magnet only. A moving-coil cartridge needs a step-up transformer or an outboard MC stage.

What can I send the digital inputs?

Linear PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz. Do not send Dolby Digital or DTS bitstreams, which can cause noise.

Which Bluetooth codecs does it support?

SBC and AAC, over Bluetooth 4.2, with a range of roughly 30 metres in line of sight.

What does Analog Mode do?

It shuts down the digital inputs and the Bluetooth module, so only the analog circuitry is powered while you listen.

Is a remote control included?

Yes, an RC-1234 remote with AAA batteries, plus a quick start guide and safety instructions.

See It in Action

Steve Guttenberg puts the PMA-600NE through its paces:

And Andrew Robinson looks at what the Bluetooth adds:

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Learn More

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