Actually I have no clue what you're saying.
Phono preamp advice
- Thread starter Trance67
- Start date
For less than $600 you're going to have to look at some Class D amps like Fosi ....
The difference in your current system may be subtle but you have a good table and cartridge. Your amp is likely masking the capabilities of that cartridge/table combination and you won't hear what they're capable of without a truly good phono preamp which the Darlington is ...
Getting a higher quality phono pre in to your system just makes your system upgrade path a little clearer.
Get the Darlington, Improve the amp and you'll be listening to some good tunes.
Garbage in is garbage out so getting the phono system upgraded first and then stepping up to a better amp only makes sense ..
Enjoy the Music ..
Mart Mccall
Well-Known Member
It's not an AVR it's a 2 channel amp with a DAC.
Whether 45 watts is enough depends on the speakers, listening distance and desired SPL. In many cases it will be sufficient. Even if o/p changes to an amp with twice the power that's only 3dB more headroom which isn't a lot.
Likeley the phono stage is competent as Denon usually manage that but there's no testing of it that I can find. I doubt moving to a cheap external phono stage will do much improvement but it may do a little. I'd go for something with a high pass (aka 'rumble) filter and cartridge loading options. Make sure it has an accurate RIAA curve, some don't.
lini
just me...
So far it looks like the capacitive loading options of the Mani 3 would only be available in MC mode, though - which I'd deem a highly questionable design decision. Granted though, in combination with the OPs current VM540ML that wouldn't be a problem - but in case he'd like to try MM/MI models, for which a higher input capacitance would be better, the unavailability of the capacitive loading options in MM mode would be disappointing.
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
I would guess many on AK have echoed those words, but the siren's call for LOMC carts is very tempting. Many have made the jump to MC carts.
Like Mart McCall, I could not find actual testing of the phono stage in your Denon, just somewhat general observations of the amp's sound character. Some comments I found interesting and perhaps relevant to your decision include:
". . . It’s not the kind of amp that makes every album sound “amazing,” but it does a good job of letting decent recordings sound natural and letting rough ones stay listenable. . . For a vinyl-focused setup, the PMA-600NE lands in a very sensible place. I’d be comfortable pairing it with a modest turntable and cartridge and just getting on with listening instead of obsessing over whether the amp is the weak link. . . it suits listeners who prefer a relaxed, balanced sound over a hyper-detailed, analytical one. If your idea of a good amp is one that lets you enjoy records for hours without fatigue, this is very much in that lane." Denon PMA-600NE Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review Review 2026
A video review by someone named Andrew Robinson described the Denon amp as having a warmer, rounder, laid-back presence that he found pleasing and hi-fi enough to sound pretty good for daily listening over a broad range of genres. Like the review above, he found that harsh or heavily compressed lp's that were almost unlistenable on some setups could be cranked all day with the Denon and not be a problem. His review also had some interesting comparisons to make with the Cambridge Audio AXA35 and AXR100, plus Rotel's A11 Tribute, all of which he thought had varying degrees of sonic advantage over the Denon.
Whether the Denon suits your needs or not depends on what you're looking for. I happen to enjoy my budget system whose warm, relaxed, forgiving nature gives me fatigue-free enjoyment from my collection of somewhat rough, bargain-bin used records.
I've had great luck with the U-Turn Pluto 2 (MM only) phono preamp. It holds up to the Rega Fono MM Mk5 I also have and only costs $129 new. I also recently tried the Fosi Box X5, which can do MM and MC with multiple selectable gain levels, and it too sounds really good to my ears. I may the only poster you'll see who had a bad experience with a Darlington phono preamp, just didn't like the way it sounded in my system and sold it off in short order.
Thanks for all the responses and advice. I really appreciate it. Right now I'm leaning towards the Darlington MM6B then looking for a new amp. When looking into amps is there anything in particular I should be looking for or should I just find something with more watts per channel? If watts per channel is what I should focus on what is the minimum I should be looking for?
Mart Mccall
Well-Known Member
If I was you I'd put the money towards better speakers. Those Dentons aren't Wharfedale's finest hour, although they're not terrible.
Would be a far better allocation of the money in terms of increase in sound quality IMO.
Your amp is fine if you aren't running it into clipping.
Would be a far better allocation of the money in terms of increase in sound quality IMO.
Your amp is fine if you aren't running it into clipping.
Everyone has got you rebuilding your whole system at this point. I would stick to the mission and go with a phono pre as you intended
Personally, I like the Denon sound and the PMA 600NE ought to be fine. At least for now, and until you get curious.
I've owned the Denton's and thought they were SUPER for what they are. Not all of us have enough money to do it all at once. You will hear differences with the Dentons from a new phono pre
I heard the most difference from switching out speakers and the phone pre vs any of the other stuff I've monkeyed with.
Good Luck!
Personally, I like the Denon sound and the PMA 600NE ought to be fine. At least for now, and until you get curious.
I've owned the Denton's and thought they were SUPER for what they are. Not all of us have enough money to do it all at once. You will hear differences with the Dentons from a new phono pre
I heard the most difference from switching out speakers and the phone pre vs any of the other stuff I've monkeyed with.
Good Luck!
Yes. I was joking. It just seems sometimes on AK and elsewhere that when you ask for advice regarding a component, you’re often told that, first, you need to rethink this and upgrade that. That such-and-such is your real problem.
I’ve experienced that kind of response here, in stereo stores, and also in my own listening room. But I’ve come to expect it, and it doesn’t bother me. Sometimes unwanted advice is just the ticket.
My father also was somewhat that way. More than once when I asked him to help me make or fix something, he’d say, “Well, first we have to build a tool to do the job.”
I guess it’s rubbed off on me. When my wife and I were renovating our house, she was excited to get to painting the new bookcases I had built and the freshly re-plastered walls. I said, “Well, first we have to sand them, then sand them again, then vacuum them, then wipe them, then prime them, then sand them again, then…”
She swears that I turn mole hills into mountains.
Enjoy your phono preamp.
I’ve experienced that kind of response here, in stereo stores, and also in my own listening room. But I’ve come to expect it, and it doesn’t bother me. Sometimes unwanted advice is just the ticket.
My father also was somewhat that way. More than once when I asked him to help me make or fix something, he’d say, “Well, first we have to build a tool to do the job.”
I guess it’s rubbed off on me. When my wife and I were renovating our house, she was excited to get to painting the new bookcases I had built and the freshly re-plastered walls. I said, “Well, first we have to sand them, then sand them again, then vacuum them, then wipe them, then prime them, then sand them again, then…”
She swears that I turn mole hills into mountains.
Enjoy your phono preamp.
No one has really asked the important question. Do you enjoy the way your system sounds now? If the answer is yes, what aspect of the sound is it that you want to improve? Better is only better if you feel like it’s worth it.
See above.
Only if you find the speakers you have aren’t getting enough power to give you the volume you want without clipping or increased distortion.
(Or you plan to buy speakers that are a lot less efficient and will therefore need more watts than what you have today).
As mentioned it isn’t. The criteria largely depends on your own desired outcome. I recently upgraded my amp because I wanted to ply with the pretty screen and I thought it might help with some more reactive low impedance speakers (that may someday grace me with their presence. (LOL)