Dear Glyd,
I also have the Denon PMA-1600ne. Really glad you are happy with your purchase.
I have heard the Denon paired with Focal Chorus 714 and it sounded so sweet even at low volumes that i just ordered one half an year ago.
Unfortunately, it does not pair well with my Tannoy Mercury 7.4. The Tannoys just sound dry with the Denon. Reading the "poor" review of whathifi about the Mercury 7.4 I decided to try it with the "5 star" Tannoy Revolution XT 8F but again the sound was very dry. I have tried several sources but it always sounded dry to me. By the way, I always obtained best results when listening through it's internal dac. Especially when connected through USB, not coaxial or optical.
I would assume that either the speakers are overdamped by the amplifier or this match results in overdetailed/dry sound.
By the way, the Revolution XT 8F sounded great with Naim 5si, or something like that.
So, if you own Tannoy speakers and don't like dry sound, better avoid the Denon. My Tannoys sound amazingly with old Sansui and Marantz amplifiers from the 70's.
Would say that thus matched they would easily outperform many expensive audio systems in almost every aspect.
I have also tried the Denon with "5 star" Q Acoustics 3050 and was not impressed by the sound either. But I would rather blame the Q Acoustics. The Q Acoustics are good allrounder with a bit poor built quality. Once you switch to a classical symphonic orchestra you would soon realize that they lack the scale and the detail of the Tannoys. One more reason not to trust paid reviews.
Both Q Acoustics and Tannoys sounded a bit more fluid with a Yamaha R-N600 which is a great stereo receiver for its price. Of course, the Yamaha lacked a bit in the lowest frequency range compared to the Denon.
The built quality of the Denon inside is amazing. The only two amplifiers I would consider at this price range are the Marantz PM8005 and the Yamaha A-S1100.
Didn't bought the Marantz only because the lack of internal DAC. Really tired of matching DACs with AMPs, AMPs with speakers... The price difference in Germany was so small between the two amps that I decided to go for the simple solution. I am pretty sure that the Denon is the better built amp, but still think that the Marantz is more universal when pairing with speakers. I love the Marantz sound. Even their cheapest amps bear the Marantz sound tradition, though having some shortage of depth (PM6005) compared to the bigger models.
Didn't bought the Yamaha A-S1100 because I was a bit afraid of that bright sound everybody is talking about. I have heard a few Yamahas and neither of them sounded bright to me. I am not impressed by the sound of any but probably it is a matter of matching again. I have always respected Yamaha for offering the best built quality for the price. I would say that the Yamaha A-S1100 is not only the best built amp at that price but also the best looking. Of course, the last one is very subjective. Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to audition one and bought the Denon.
So, now I should find a good match for the Denon PMA-1600ne. I know it sounds nice with Focal Chorus but I find them quite overpriced.
Plus, I am begining to think that narrow baffled tower speakers are more for surround sound than stereo music. Think that design should not compromise function.
I would probably try some DIY speakers like the Seas a26.
If you have any pairing experience with the Denon PMA-1600ne, please let me know.