It’s Denon’s 110-year anniversary, and the revered audio company is celebrating the only way it knows how: By dropping some seriously high-end gear.
Denon has announced four new products to commemorate its anniversary: The $5,500 AVR-1110 A/V receiver, the $3,500 PMA-A110 integrated amplifier, the $3,000 DCD-A110 SACD player, and the $600 DL-A110 MC phono cartridge. Each of these anniversary edition products features an exclusive silver-graphite colorway, as well as 110th-anniversary logos on the front panel.
With the receiver, amplifier, and SACD player set to be available in October 2020 and the phono cartridge set for November, here’s what we know about these new Denon devices.
AVR-A110 A/V receiver
For an A/V receiver to cost $5,500, it needs to have everything but the kitchen sink built into it to justify such a price tag. It seems the AVR-A110 may have achieved that status.
First, the basics. The AVR-A110 is a 13.2-channel, 8K receiver that supports nearly every popular audio format, from Dolby Atmos to DTS:X and DTS:X Pro, as well as IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D. This behemoth delivers 150 watts of power per channel and provides 8K/60Hz pass-through or upscaling and 4K/120Hz pass-through for gaming.
Speaking of gaming, the AVR-A110 offers Auto Low Latency Mode, Variable Refresh Rate, and Quick Frame Transport to minimize lag and latency. The AVR-A110 has eight HDMI inputs and three out, including an eARC output, and supports the latest HDR standard to help users enjoy brighter colors and deeper blacks.
The AVR-A110 has HEOs built-in for multi-room streaming and has Apple AirPlay 2 for quick and easy streaming from iOS devices. In addition to that, the new receiver is compatible with popular voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free control. Like we said, the only thing Denon is missing with this high-end AVR is that elusive kitchen sink.
PMA-A110 Integrated Amplifier
In contrast to the AVR-A110, which is meant to be the ultimate heart of a home theater system, the PMA-A110 is designed to be a stereo amplifier for music listening. And, according to Denon, it’s the highest-end integrated amp that the company has ever introduced to the North American market.
At the heart of the PMA-A110 is the seventh generation of Denon’s Ultra High Current (UHC) power amplifier, which puts out 80 watts per channel. The PMA-A110 can handle a variety of hi-res audio sources, and is equipped with Ultra AL32 Processing, which is meant to achieve as close to the original audio signal as possible.
The PMA-A110 supports both analog and digital sources, with the option of enjoying high-resolution digital audio from coaxial, optical, or USB-B inputs. Denon says the PMA-A110 is the ideal foundation of a system that also employs the DCD the DCD-A110 SACD player, and the DL-A110 MC phono cartridge. To be clear, though, that ensemble comes at quite the premium price.
DCD-A110 SACD Player
With all the streaming music possibilities that have taken the audio world by storm, there’s still a place for well-crafted CD players. The DCD-A110 SACD Player fits that bill with playback of CD’s and Super Audio CD’s, as well as DSD files and high-resolution audio files up to 192-kHz/24-bit.
The SACD Player has a Quad DAC configuration, which is built to “deliver superb channel separation,” and outstanding audio performance according to Denon. The player also has fully independent power supplies for digital and analog circuits to avoid interference or noise. These power supplies have several high-end parts around them, according to Denon, including different transistors, capacitors, and regulator circuits that are supposed to work together to create a dynamic overall performance.
DL-A110 Phono Cartridge
There’s some old-school nostalgia weaved into the DL-A110, since it features a Moving Coil design that was hand-spun in the same Denon Audio Works factory in Shirakawa, Japan that completed the work in the 1960s. This new phono cartridge sports a lightweight design, with a 6-gram silver-graphite headshell that ensures that the cartridge is properly aligned to produce a detailed sonic signature, as Denon calls it.
