DENON is one the most illustrious audio/AV brands to have emerged from Japan, having offered numerous landmark products over the decades. This year marks the 110th anniversary of its founding, and to celebrate that event, Denon has launched four special edition, commemorative products – an integrated amplifier, SACD player, phono cartridge and AV amplifier.
The PMA-A110 integrated amplifier, DCD-A110 SACD player, DL-A110 MC phono cartridge and Denon AVC-A110 A/V amplifier are “all designed and manufactured to the highest standard, leveraging Denon’s century-plus experience crafting top-of-the-line audio components… each new anniversary edition product features an exclusive silver-graphite colourway and 110th Anniversary logos on the front panel, and were meticulously tuned by Denon Sound Masters to set them apart from their standard counterparts.”
Each model also comes with a special certificate of authenticity stamped with the approval of Denon’s head engineer and a five-year warranty. All four 110 Anniversary models are manufactured exclusively at the Denon factory in Shirakawa, Japan.
The PMA-A110 (€3,500) amp is powered by Denon’s patented seventh generation advanced Ultra High Current (UHC) topology, and delivers 80 watts (8 ohms) of ultra-clean power per channel. The company claims it can “capably deliver massive current output to drive even the most demanding speakers and ensure superior linearity at the output stage.”
There’s a DAC on board, yes, which uses the 4x Burr Brown PCM1795 chip in a quadruple configuration. Resolution of up to 24-bit/384kHz is supported, and connections are via coaxial, optical or USB-B inputs for playback quality of PCM up to 384kHz and DSD256.
Finally, there’s a phono section that accepts both MM and MC cartridges.
The DCD-A110 (€3,000) disc player “offers the finest playback of CDs and SACDs, as well as DSD (2.8-MHz/5.6-MHz) files and 24/192 resolution files recorded on DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW discs… users can also play music files with sampling frequencies of up to 48kHz recorded on CD-R/RW discs.”
The player uses Denon’s patented Suppress Vibration Hybrid (S.V.H.) mechanism, and premium components and power supply.
“The DCD-A110 introduces a new Quad DAC configuration, converting the large amount of data coming from the Intel Cyclone 10-driven new Ultra AL32 processing engine featuring up to 32x oversampling of the incoming PCM signal for the most accurate waveform reproduction. This advanced 4x PCM1795 DAC topology delivers superb channel separation, ultra-low noise and THD levels.”
The DCD-A110 also has two clock oscillators, one for each sampling frequency (44.1kHz and 48kHz) that can be switched between the frequencies to suppress jitter.
It also features fully independent power supplies for the digital and analogue circuits.
The DL-A110 (€599) is a premium moving coil design, meticulously hand-spun in Shirakawa, just as it was in the 1960s when it was first introduced as the DL-103 cartridge.
“These anniversary edition Denon cartridges represent the longest-running products to wear the Denon badge and maintain the original headshell design initially developed for wide-band stereo FM radio broadcast applications.”
Weighing only 6gm, the lightweight DL-A110 silver-graphite headshell ensures the cartridge is held securely and perfectly aligned, producing a balanced, detailed sonic signature with extended low frequency performance. The DL-A110 is equipped with a bayonet connector also known as the SME tonearm interface.
The AVC-A110 (€5,500) AV amp is 13.2-channel 8K AV amplifier that features all popular 3D formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, DTS:X Pro, IMAX Enhanced, Auro-3D, and more. Denon says this is “one of the most special AV amplifiers” is has ever produced.
“Providing 8K/60Hz pass-through or upscaling, 4K/120Hz pass-through for gaming and support for the latest HDMI specifications, the AVC-A110 enables enthusiasts to build the best 4K home theatre systems while incorporating 8K compatibility to accommodate future upgrades more easily.
“For cutting-edge gamers, the AVC-A110 offers Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Quick Frame Transport (QFT), minimising lag and latency while eliminating frame tearing for more fluid gameplay and enhanced gaming thrills.”
The innards of this behemoth include a hefty 8.2kg high-current power transformer and custom 22,000uF/80V audio capacitors delivering 150 watts per channel (eight ohms). It is touted as having the most advanced HDMI connectivity (eight-in/three-out), including a dedicated 8K input along with the latest dynamic HDR standard for brighter highlights and deeper black levels.
“The eARC HDMI feature (through the main HDMI output) enables uncompressed and object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to connect directly from a smart TV app to the AVC-A110 for lifelike audio performance.”
The HEOS built-in wireless multi-room music streaming technology enables the user’s favourite content to be accessed anywhere throughout the home (with HEOS-compatible speakers) and adds Apple AirPlay 2 for streaming from mobile devices. The AVC-A110 also offers access to the most popular music services such as Spotify, Amazon Music HD, Tidal and Deezer. Users can enjoy hands-free control of the AVC-A110 thanks to compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri voice command engines.
The PMA-A110, DCD-A110 and AVC-A110 will be in Denon’s authorised retailer stores in October, while the DL-A110 will arrive in November.
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