Review on 🎵 Denon PMA-150H Integrated Network Amplifier - Full Digital Amplification, 70W Power per Channel, HEOS Built-in with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB-DAC and Phono Input, OLED Display (Black) by Steve Brethorst

Let me start by being direct: I think "audiophiles" who claim to hear differences between streamers and $500+ amps are full of it. I believe that beyond the basic quality threshold, most mortals should only care about two things when it comes to enjoying great sounding music: the quality of your sources (digital or physical) and the quality of your speakers. So I won't say a word about the Denon PMA-150H's "sound quality" because it sounds exactly like the Cambridge Audio CXA-60 and CXN V2 it's trying to replace. Both systems drive my Wharfedale Denton 85th Anniversary bookshelf speakers very well, and both perform happily at volumes I'm not allowed to use in my NYC apartment. How do you rate such a digital amplifier? For me 1) features 2) looks and size 3) ease of use. Denon outperforms all three. In terms of functionality, it's great to have Airplay 2, Bluetooth and internet radio, plus a million other inputs that I'll never use. I've heard that this model works particularly well with a TV when connected via an optical cable, but I haven't tried it myself. I use Airplay 2 most of the time and internet radio the rest of the time. Everything works very reliably, wakes up reliably and by itself when needed, the app isn't that bad (and doesn't even have to be used for airplay). The remote is bigger and more complicated than it should be, but it gets a pass. Thing looks amazing. That's 1/4 the size of the Cambridge Audio stack the company plans to replace. I thought I would miss the Cambridge CXN's color display of the album art, but in reality the CXN's font was too small to read from my listening position. Denon's OLED display may be text only, but at least it's clear and big enough. In general, the aesthetic language is that of the iMac, with black plastic bezels and brushed aluminum throughout. Cambridge Audio gear might look better than average for a hi-fi finish, but this guy here steps into the realm of technology you'll want to proudly display in your room - just like an iMac. Everything is fine on the usability front, except for maybe one thing: the HEOS app doesn't pass your credentials to the HEOS device, you have to sign in manually. That seems absurd - maybe I'm missing something. However, keep in mind that entering passwords with this remote control is not much fun. In general I am very satisfied. There is one downside though, as another reviewer mentioned, I find this thing gets very hot - way hotter than you can imagine. Class D amp. I don't really mind it, but I wonder if that would be an issue for its durability.