Product highlights
What's in the box
Written by Crutchfield's Eric A.
Intelligent circuit design helps the Denon PMA-1600NE produce pristine digital sound from your favorite digital files and music streaming sources.
The Denon PMA-1600NE provides good, clean power to drive your stereo speakers, and it's designed to do full justice to high-resolution music files. There are two optical inputs and one coaxial input for connecting digital sources, and an internal digital-to-analog converter that handles audio signals up to 24-bit/192 kHz resolution. The Type-B USB input on the back of the amp is even more impressive — it's compatible with streams and files up to 32-bit/384 kHz resolution.
Much of what makes this amp special is out of sight inside the chassis. Internal construction begins with six separate blocks, isolating circuits to eliminate interference. An Advanced Ultra High Current single push-pull circuit provides efficient high-current power, and a DAC master clock eliminates digital jitter that can smear the subtle details in your favorite tunes.
One nice touch that is visible on the front of the amp is a fluorescent display panel that shows source and sampling rate. You'll likely get plenty of use out of the 1/4" headphone jack and included remote, too.
If you have a treasure trove of beloved records, the PMA-1600NE features a built-in phono preamplifier that's compatible with moving coil and moving magnet cartridges. Analog Mode disables the amp's digital circuitry to preserve the warmth of analog sound.