According to the company's December 11 press release, the upcoming Denon PMA-50 stereo amplifier has been created "for serious hi-fi listeners looking for a compact and high-quality design that meets their lifestyle." The PMA-50 offers a wide array of digital inputs: optical, coaxial, USB, and Bluetooth.
The amplifier's output stage has discrete construction, which realizes "higher signal-to-noise ratio and lower distortion compared to conventional class-D amplifiers." Denon claims this amplifier topology delivers high amplifier efficiency and an output rating of 50Wpc into 4 ohms. A pre-out is at hand for adding a subwoofer.
The PMA-50 features multiple digital inputs for compatibility with digital audio sources, along with an analog stereo input for legacy sources. Notably, the PMA-50 also has a USB Type-B connection for a PC or Mac to play high-resolution PCM (up to 24-bit/192kHz) and DSD (2.8MHz and 5.6MHz) digital music files. To eliminate computer-induced digital noise via the USB input, the PMA-50 features a dedicated noise isolation block prior to the digital amplifier.
The PMA-50 is equipped with a dedicated headphone amplifier that includes a high-speed, ultra-low-distortion wideband op amp that's paired with a fully discrete final output stage. In order to accommodate the widest range of headphone types, the PMA-50 features an adjustable headphone impedance control with three settings: Low, Medium, and High.
The compact chassis features deluxe finishes, including soft aluminum matte with bright silver-tone accents, and glossy- and matte-black surfaces. The PMA-50 can be positioned horizontally or vertically, and is sized to fit just about anywhere, including home and office desktops, as well as home studios. Removable feet and screw caps make reconfiguring easy. For total convenience, the supplied remote control features an ergonomically designed layout that includes a cursor keypad for Source Select, Volume, Setup, Back, Bluetooth, and Display Dimmer.
The PMA-50 ($599 USD) is expected to be available in January.