Very few companies can boast that they have been around for one hundred years. Even fewer can honestly proclaim that they have been innovating and manufacturing their own products for just as long. This October, Denon will celebrate its 100th anniversary and to mark that very impressive event, they have gone to town with a brand new limited edition line-up of components that are not only visually impressive, but sonically as well.
UPDATE: Denon's 100th Anniversary Line is available for pre-order from OneCall.com:
Denon's 100th Anniversary Limited Edition product line is so unique that only 40 retailers (including a select group of online partners) will be selling it in North America. These products will only be available for one year. However, don't rush out just yet to have a listen because they will not be available until November 1, 2010. At a press event in NJ last week, we were treated to a live demo of some of the gear, and our initial impressions were very favorable.
The list of the lucky few who will be selling this outstanding collection is not going to be made public until CEDIA in Atlanta this September. Denon will also be launching their "100 Days of Denon" post-CEDIA, but they refuse to divulge any details of that particular promotion at this time. Another first for Denon with these products is that they all come with a 5-year warranty.
Not only has Denon produced two outstanding A/V components with the AVR-A100 surround sound receiver and the DPB-A100 Universal Disc player, but they have remained true to their audio roots with the release of the PMA-A100 integrated amplifier (which we had a chance to listen to in Denon's custom home theater room at their New Jersey headquarters...it has high-end sonics written all over it), DCD-A100 SACD/CD player, AH-A100 headphones, and the absolutely bucket-of-drool inducing DP-A100/DL-A100 turntable/cartridge combination.
The belt-driven DP-A100/DL-A100 combination was demonstrated with the 80-watt per channel PMA-A100 solid-state integrated amplifier which barely broke a sweat driving a very large pair of B&W floorstanders. Denon left the system's subwoofers disconnected to demonstrate the low-end prowess of the system; it didn't need them.
The 100th anniversary limited edition line-up demonstrates Denon's long-term commitment to two-channel audio and no product proves that point more than the PMA-A100 ($2,499.00) 80-watt per channel solid-state integrated amplifier. It is built like a tank (it weighs close to 57 pounds), and designed to drive everything but demanding electrostatic loudspeakers, although we would like to try it with some of MartinLogan's smaller models.
The integrated amp inherits Denon's famous UHC-MOS single push-pull output circuit and, based on our listening, it has a lot more oomph than its modest power ratings would suggest. The binding posts can handle bi-wired pairs of garden-hose thick speaker cables, even if you use uber-wide spades. Every last part screams high quality. The glossy black-finished metal front panel looks beautiful from all angles and it is quite obvious that Denon considers the PMA-A100 to be a serious rival to some of the best high-end integrated amplifiers in the marketplace (we're talking about Naim, Unison, Peachtree, Leben, etc...). The best part of all of this? The MM/MC phono stage that sounds absolutely beautiful. Kudos to Denon for remaining committed to the almighty turntable.
Denon's commitment to analog playback was the highlight of the release for those in attendance. The brand new DP-A100 direct-drive turntable ($2,499.00) coupled with the DL-A100 MC cartridge ($499.00) was not only wonderful eye-candy, but a stellar performer as well. Denon has been making turntables since 1910 when they introduced Japan's first gramophone, so it should come as no surprise that they would make a turntable/cartridge combination to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
The DP-A100 needs some space on your rack, as it is quite large (19" x 8" x 16"). The glossy dark-brown finish looks quite sexy with the lights down and it certainly holds its own in the performance department. The DL-A100 MC cartridge was inspired by the original DL-103 MC cartridge that first appeared in 1961. Amazingly, Denon has sold more than 700,000 of them. The cartridge still has the same output at 0.3mV but sounds nothing like a standard DL-103 being sold today. The midrange is more transparent sounding, coupled with greater weight down below. The DL-A100 (and the DL-103) are still hand woven by only two people at the Denon factory in Japan and the results don't lie.
Two-channel digital playback was on display courtesy of the DCD-A100 Super Audio CD player ($2,499.00). Even though SACD has never really taken off outside of high-end circles (and one could argue that it fizzled out there as well), there is still a demand for high-end two-channel digital playback; regardless of the source (iPod, CD/SACD, computer-based systems). The DCD-A100 utilizes advanced AL32 processing, a highly accurate master clock, and the latest 32Bit/192 kHz DA converters. Denon wisely included a USB port on the rear panel of the player for those who might want to connect an iPod or USB drive. The sound quality of the player was very impressive and while it didn't top the turntable/cartridge in our opinion, it was still excellent sound reproduction. Anyone spot a trend here? (minus the pricing of each component)
The last two-channel product in the line-up are the really cool looking AH-A100 over-the-ear headphones ($499.00). The mahogany wood housing on these cans is just what the doctor ordered. Yummy. These dynamic headphones utilize a 1.97" neodymium magnet driver (which seems rather large to us in comparison to other cans), and have a frequency response of 5-37,000 Hz. The input impedance is 32 Ohms. They come in a stunning case (it's funny watching respected reviewers from other publications drool over the finish of the case while ignoring the product) and seem like worthy contenders to AKG, Grado, and Sennhesier. We hope to try these quite soon.
Denon makes some of the best A/V receivers around and they did remember to produce a 100th anniversary product in this category as well. The AVR-A100 9.2 channel A/V surround sound receiver ($2,499.00) looks small compared to the current top of the line AVR-4810CI, but there is something about it that screams "Godzilla." Not only does it posses 9-channels (at 140 watts per channel) of high-end amplification, but it supports HDMI 1.4a with 3D passthrough. There are seven HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs on the neatly arranged but crowded rear panel. The binding posts are designed for the super-sized speaker cable lover in all of us. Denon has embraced Dolby PLIIz with this product and we hope to review its 9.2 capabilities in the very near future. The AVR-A100 utilizes Denon's LINK 4th HDMI clock control which offers a real HD audio improvement when connected to a Denon Blu-ray disc player. Want to connect your iPod? No problem. Interested in streaming networked audio? No problem.
The last product in the 100th anniversary line-up is the DBP-A100 Universal Blu-ray player ($2,499.00). Not only does it offer reference quality video playback, but it will also playback SACDs, DVD-Audio, and CDs. The only things missing are Blu-ray 3D playback and (somewhat surprisingly) streaming video such as Netflix or Vudu. The DBP-A100 can be connected to a Denon A/V receiver using its LINK 4th HDMI connection for enhanced HD audio playback.
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