matthewpiano said:Ernie said:Matthew I notice from past posts on this forum that you have also owned Denon seperates. My other half does not like the look of the Matantz all in one so will unfortunately have to rule that out. I am therefore looking medium term at purchasing a budget amp/cd. It's most likely going to be between thE pioneer a30 pd30 and Denon 720 combo. I am just interested in your views on these seperates to partner the Wharfedale speakers.
many thanks.
The Denon seperates are very good for the money. As a combination the PMA and DCD 720AE works very well, and my 12 months with the Denon amp was the longest I've kept an amp for some time. It's sound is a little less cleanly etched than the Pioneer but very persuasive and the touch of warmth does suit the Diamonds. At current prices I really don't think you can go wrong with the 720s and they do look extremely good together. I think my path would have been much cleaner if I'd stuck with the Denons and upgraded to the planned Consonance/Exposure/Audio Note system piece by piece from there. I have enjoyed the MCR610, and I'd say it is on the whole as good as the Denons, but it was a sideways move at the end of the day, purchased due to the attraction of the facilities. The Pioneer between them was also a sideways move, although it did pair better with the Dali Zensor 3s than the Denons.
I'm not sure how helpful that is. I hope it is of some use!
thank you once again. This is definately a good help, and very informative. The Denon combo can be bought for about £350 which seems great value, I can demo this locally so might give it a listen early next week, and who knows might even bring it home with me.