HK 3380 or Denon PMA-700AE

HI

I have decided to go for Jamo S 708 speakers for home music system. I am confused in narrowing down amplifier for Jamo S 708 between HK 3380 and Denon PMA-700AE.

Help me out in deciding the amplifier in term of performance of output power to have an unclipped sound on Jamo S 708

Cheers

Hi,
Before we suggest you have tell us,whats your taste like ? since its a two channel sound you are looking its obvious that its for music purpose,but what type of music ? is Tuner necessary ?(since the HK has one and denon doesn't).

Correct me if Am wrong,from choice of speaker you've made its seems to me that you like little up front sound with lot of bass and mostly listen to rock or bit bass heavy music ! Am I correct ?
But As far as Iam concerned I'd Surely say go for denon as its a single push-pull design (more quality sound then HK) and also its a high current amplifier which means it will not run out of breath that easily !! considering the fact that the speakers has 10" drivers which require lot of power !

Also one suggestion if you can stretch a bit then please look into some higher power Amps as they are required to drive the 708's ( not that the current amp is not good or anything but just to on the safer side with lot of reserve power in mind)

Regards.

Hi Soundsgreat,

Thanks for your suggestion, I will go for Denon. You are absolutly correct, I listen to Rock and always look for deep Bass which made me to go for S 708.

Please let me know which amplifier I should look for 708 other than Denon 700AE if I stress my budget.

Thanks

Hi,
The other alternatives can be Cambridge Audio's 640A (V2) and 740a V2,640 is 70W @ 8ohms as opposed to denon's 85@ 4ohms (which means its less then 50 watts @ 8ohms) costs around 29K (denon is 27k I think) 740A is 100W @8Ohms and 150W @4ohms. this should cost you around 38 or so (Am not sure just check)

Alternatively try Vincent SV 129 or Rotel Ra 1062 0r 1070

I believe the 708 must be 6ohms,all of the above should suit but just keep in mind that try just three ( I can suggest more) and not more !! reason being more you try more you'll get confused so try these and finalise one !

Regards.

Also consider Marantz PM 7001 , even though they are a warm amp , they can still be a good choice for rock lovers.,

Also you can try Nad and Rotel. Denon IMO is not a good choice for stereo , you have a lot of options in this regard.


regards

Hi,

I heard Marantz PM 7001, but it didnt appeal me, I felt Denon sound better (meeting my taste of music). I am not sure of Nad and Rotel Outlet in Delhi NCR region. Let me know if technically Denon PMA700-AE is unfit for 708 speakers

Thanks

Hi,

There's nothing like technically unfit !! what I meant was if you pump in bit more power you'll get a better bass response thats all.I have already told you denon is the right choice(so just to make sure that your investment is 100%),you can check the other Amps I've told or simply go for the denon (if your not into extending the budget) or atleast checkout the higher model of the same denon range that I mentioned and see how that sounds .

Regards.

Hi,
Am not familiar with ur speaker but in any case buy a better amp. The build of the denon is great(made in japan) but thats it. I dont know the price in india but in UK currently u can get a boxed new denon for 14K. Does not sound good at all. Please hear a few other options from Nad/Rotel/MArantz/Arcam and the likes before u buy. Even if u spend a bit more on amplification its well worth it in the long run.
Regards

Hi Vishsong,

Out of the two you mentioned, I'll suggest the HK. But that is my personal taste. If you like the sound of Denon go for it. HK will offer a power amp section that cannot be beaten at 1.5x the price.

Your speaker selection is great. That speaker is every Paisa worth the money. And no, its not difficult to drive. It is actually a very easy to drive speaker. I was shocked to see it go loud with entry level amps while still maintaining composer.

The Denon would be a bit more musical than the HK but HK would offer very clean power. If you are in Delhi, you are in luck as you can demo them with Denon and HK (but not at the same place).

my personal opinion has been that Denon makes good DVD and CD players but is not that great on amps - atleast entry level stuff. My personal experience with HK, NAD and Rotel has been very good in terms of sound as well as reliability.