Should I switch to an amp?

[zivglb]

Hey, I currently own two dali oberon 3 that are connected to Denon AVR-X4500H. I don't connect the speakers to the tv no more so I am thinking about trading in the reciever to an amp. Would I be able to find an amp that amplifies better than my Denon after the trade in?
I will do it even if it means that I'll have to pay up to 300$ in addition to the trade in. I would be happy for some recommendations. Thanks!

 

[Al ears]

Hey, I currently own two dali oberon 3 that are connected to Denon AVR-X4500H. I don't connect the speakers to the tv no more so I am thinking about trading in the reciever to an amp. Would I be able to find an amp that amplifies better than my Denon after the trade in?
I will do it even if it means that I'll have to pay up to 300$ in addition to the trade in. I would be happy for some recommendations. Thanks!

I would say yes but would depend on what you can get if you sell the Denon privately as they aren't going to allow you much as a trade in I would imagine.
Also consider what you need in an amplifier, what are your sources? Do you need a built-in DAC / phono stage?

 

[RoA]

The most likely reply here is yes. How much you'd have to spend ... not sure. A dedicated good 2 channel amplifier will usually better an equal cost AV receiver.

Yours was about £1200 in 2019 so taking a wild guess you'd have to replace this with an amplifier in the 5-600 pound range to get better.

As AE says, there is choice depending on what you require, both sound and feature wise.

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes, if you directly compare. In isolation the Denon is more than adequate. Also the Denon is multi-channel, if the OP is happy with stereo only, that's fine.

 

[matthewpianist]

Yes, and if you like the Denon sound but want more of it in a stereo set-up then you might want to consider the new PMA-900HE - £900 over here in the UK.

 

[jjbomber]

Would I be able to find an amp that amplifies better than my Denon after the trade in?
I will do it even if it means that I'll have to pay up to 300$ in addition to the trade in. I would be happy for some recommendations. Thanks!

Probably not. It depends what you can trade in the Denon for. The obvious answer is to listen to a few stereo amps and see what differences you can hear.

 

[npxavar]

It depends on the quality of your sources gear. It may be better to just buy an external DAC or Phono preamp if you are not using one already.

 

[robdmarsh]

I think the Denon 900hne probably has similar specs to the 800ne but the latter has no built-in streamer. I think you'll get better results adding your own streamer function and in fact the best value for money is to skip buying a dedicated streamer and to get a very capable bluetooth DAC like the ifi Zen One signature. This provides superb sound quality and value for money, one caveat being that phone notifications will sound over the speakers if you can live with that, no problem for me personally.
Denon pma 800ne plus ifi Zen One signature can be had for £700 if you look around and I'm sure this would beat the SQ of Marantz pm 7000n or Denon pma 900hne, and yes, this is a biased subjective view!

 

[Al ears]

I think the Denon 900hne probably has similar specs to the 800ne but the latter has no built-in streamer. I think you'll get better results adding your own streamer function and in fact the best value for money is to skip buying a dedicated streamer and to get a very capable bluetooth DAC like the ifi Zen One signature. This provides superb sound quality and value for money, one caveat being that phone notifications will sound over the speakers if you can live with that, no problem for me personally.
Denon pma 800ne plus ifi Zen One signature can be had for £700 if you look around and I'm sure this would beat the SQ of Marantz pm 7000n or Denon pma 900hne, and yes, this is a biased subjective view!

He hasn't yet come back to tell us what his sources are likely to be...., In fact he hasn't come back at all.

 

[Samd]

He hasn't yet come back to tell us what his sources are likely to be...., In fact he hasn't come back at all.

Wow! It was only this morning! Fire Brigade?

 

[Al ears]

Wow! It was only this morning! Fire Brigade?

Apologies, I had recollections of it being much earlier.
that'll teach me to check

 

[robdmarsh]

Well, I don't even wait for the OP to respond. I'm just like John the Baptist about the ifi Zen sig, "just buy it!" Very balanced objective advice lol. But that's what some gear does to you.