Denon M40 enough for Zensor 3?

[lennyjj]

Hi, have been reading these forums for the last week, trying to get more educated before my first budget HiFi buy. Picked up a lot of info (great forum), but now im stuck in analysing (over analysing?) and need to ask some questions.

I read reviews and opinions on denon DM40 and got really impressed. Seems like a good budget choice for someone like me. I was thinking of pairing it with Zensor 1 speakers.

Then i went to the store today and listened to differentes setups. Unfortunately i also listen to the Zensor 3 with demon pma 720ae, and they where... well, more.. better... So now im not sure of the DM40, but very sure i wanna have the Zensor 3 speakers. In a perfect world i could pair the DM40 with Zensor 3, but according to the salesman the DM40 dont have enough power to get the full benefits of the Zensor 3? The specs for DM40 are 2X30 watt (6 ohm/1 kHz).

I did not even listen to that set up, because he was so convincing. Is he right? Anyone using DM40+Zensor 3?

I really liked the sound of PMA 720+ Zensor 3, but then i dont get any usb or digital input (if i wanna hook it up to my TV)or the cd, which also is a nice little bonus with the DM40.

The room where it is supposed to stand is about 37 square meter (10X4 meters), so i guess that´s pretty big. Maybe that is the reason why the DM40 wont do the work? Maybe even the PMA 720+Zensor 3 wont do the work? My girl friend wont let any speaker standing on the floor in to the house, though. And even the Zensor 3´s are making the budget a bit bigger then i first thought. So i really can stretch it much further.

So, i guess my question is: Is the salesman wrong about the DM40+Zensor 3 combo?

And if he is not wrong, is the PMA 720 a good choice? Maybe the missing of a digital input is not that big a deal? Toslink to RCA adapter could take care of that?

Sorry for a long post, and bit random thoughts. This HiFi buying business is complicated
Share your thoughts, please.

 

[matthewpiano]

The DM40, good though it is for what it is, won't get the best out of the Zensor 3s. The PMA720ae is, in my view, a special amplifier and a bargain at current prices. I've just gone back to one for the 3rd time, having tried all sorts of other stuff, and I find that with the 720ae I switch off from the hi-fi and concentrate on the music. I used to have it with Zensor 3s as well, and it is a very nice combination.

If you want to add CD at some point, don't forget there is also the DCD720ae at the same prices, and it is an extremely good player.

 

[lennyjj]

Thanks for the answer! So i guess 720ae is the way to go.

If i want to hook the 720ae to the TV i guess i can use some kind of toslink to rca? I mean , the TV sound would still be better then it is now.

 

[slice]

If you want to link the tv to the denon 720 you would need a cheapish dac. You would run an optical cable from the tv to the dac, then usual rca from dac to amp. You can get them for c £40 from Richer sounds or even less on the internet, some plug into mains for power, others use a usb for power.

If the denon 40 has a digital input it wouldn't require a seperate dac.

However, given this additional cost of a dac, I would suggest looking at the well regarded Marantz pm6005 amp. It is curently on sale new for c £230, its replacement pm6006 is costing £399. The 6005 has an optical and coaxial digital input and internal dac (the 720 doesn't), so it can take an optical straight from the tv, and you could use the coaxial to play cds from, say, a dvd player if you wanted, in which case the music would play via the marantz internal dac. For very little more than the 720 you would have a more versatile item. I would do this if you were able to afford it.

 

[lennyjj]

Thanx for the input.
Yeah, i´ve read good words about Marantz 6005 also. Maybe i need to sort my priorities, because now i am all over the place.
I want the set up to fill a big room (37 square meters)as good as possible, i kind of want a cd (not a deal breaker though), it would be kind of nice with a usb input, i kind of wanna connect chromecast audio, i kind of wanna hook up my tv.... And still i am on a budget.

Let´s say i go with the DM40 and the Zensor 1. Then i got all the connections, usb, cd´s and so on... but i dont get the sound i want. It was a bit "weak", lacking bass. I guess you would notice it even more in my living room..

If i go with the Marantz/ PMA 720 i get the sound that i want, but maybe not all connectors and so on.....

Damn, it´s hard work buying your first decent HiFi equipment

To complicate things even more: Could the Denon DRA-F109 get the best out of Zensor 3?

 

[slice]

Thanx for the input.Yeah, i´ve read good words about Marantz 6005 also. Maybe i need to sort my priorities, because now i am all over the place.I want the set up to fill a big room (37 square meters)as good as possible, i kind of want a cd (not a deal breaker though), it would be kind of nice with a usb input, i kind of wanna connect chromecast audio, i kind of wanna hook up my tv.... And still i am on a budget.

Let´s say i go with the DM40 and the Zensor 1. Then i got all the connections, usb, cd´s and so on... but i dont get the sound i want. It was a bit "weak", lacking bass. I guess you would notice it even more in my living room..

If i go with the Marantz/ PMA 720 i get the sound that i want, but maybe not all connectors and so on.....

Damn, it´s hard work buying your first decent HiFi equipment

Hmm.

On the issue of amp being powerful enough, I have a Marantz PM6002, in a room the same size as yours. I certainly don't feel I need more power, though obviously different people have different ideas on the loudness they need.

I feel you also need to build in a few more costs.

1. Speaker cable. At budget level we are looking at adequate copper cross section, maybe checkout Van Damme 2.5mm (depending on length you need), or 79 strand. I personally would discount wire that isn't of specified cross section

2. Stands for speakers. Soundstyle Z2s, for example, cost around £80

3. Interconnects. These start horrible arguments on the forum, but in a budget system between £10-20 per item should suffice.

regarding the Dali 3s, although I am sure they are excellent, you could maybe consider less expensive ones for a budget system, for example Q Acoustics 3020 would save you over£100, though I am only working on reviews. I still use Wharfedale 9.1s, which cost only £100! ...though I would imagine the Dalis would be a big improvement.

I'm afraid I know nothing about the digital/wifi/chromecast side of things......

Good luck

 

[lennyjj]

I still havent decided, and come to the conclusion i really dont know what the **** i need and want.

If i dont get the DM40 my source for music will be spotify and MP3 stored on a harddrive. And i want to hook it up to my TV. And if i hook it up to my TV, why dont i also put my PS4 in there? And then all of a sudden maybe i should get a av reciever instead? But i sure dont want any surround system, i just want two spekars.

1. Buy Marantz PM6005 or Onykyo-a9010.
+ They both have optical input, which i need for the TV.
+Both got power enough to fill my room pretty good (10X4 square meters and pretty high roof) with zensor 3.

-No cd
- Cant connect the PS4

2. Buy Denon PMA 720-AE
+Sounded great with the zensor 3 when i demoed it.
+Will fill the room.

-No CD
-No digital input for the TV.

3. Buy Denon- DM40.
+I can hook up the TV .
+ I get a cd and can listen to all my prince CDs (22 of them).

- The sound wont fill the room and i guess i have to settle for Zensor 1 instead.
- Demod it and really missed the bass.

4. Buy a slimmed (i hate does bulky things) av Receiver like pioneer-vsx-s510

+I can hook up the TV.
+Can hook up PS4.

-No cd
- I guess the sound wont fill out the room? And maybe the Zensors would be a waste on such a amp.

I guess what it boils down too is that i have to choose between great sound or great connection possibilities on my budget.

Damn this is hard....

 

[slice]

I think I'm out of my depth with spotify etc so maybe other members will help further.

Just to say that the British version of the onkyo doesn't have digital inputs, but the european/world version does. It's claimed the money saved on the British versionhas been spent on better components. Check which version you are buying if you decide to do so.