Denon PMA-1700NE Review: A Modern Integrated Amplifier With Old-School Build

Introduction

The Denon PMA-1700NE is a full-size integrated amplifier that carries a lot of the brand’s stereo heritage with it. It is made in Japan, it weighs nearly 39 lbs, and it uses an aluminum faceplate with aluminum knobs. The finish options are silver or black, and the price is $2,099.

What stands out first is the character of the sound. This amplifier is rich and smooth, and it is genuinely easy to listen to for long stretches. It is not a forward or aggressive design. It presents music with weight and calm, which is exactly what many listeners are looking for when they move up from an entry-level integrated.

Who This Amplifier Is For

The PMA-1700NE makes the most sense for listeners who own speakers that are hard to drive. Low-sensitivity and low-impedance designs are where this amplifier earns its keep, and it also suits anyone who wants one box to handle vinyl, digital sources and headphones.

It is a sensible choice if you have considered buying a 30 or 40 year old Japanese amplifier for the build quality. A vintage unit may not be in the best condition, while this one is built to last and arrives fully featured.

Main Strengths

Build Quality and Physical Design

The chassis feels extra solid, and the nearly 39 lb weight comes from real hardware inside, including the transformers. The faceplate and knobs are aluminum, and the front panel provides an easy-to-read display along with a quarter-inch headphone jack.

The rear panel is equally practical. There are A/B speaker outputs, so two pairs of speakers can be connected, and the terminals are all metal. The knob feel is good, though not quite as silky as the older Denon units that long-time listeners may remember.

That combination of heft, metalwork and useful connections is what gives the amplifier its sense of permanence. Nothing about it feels disposable, and the layout rewards anyone who likes to run two pairs of speakers or swap between them.

Sound Character With Demanding Speakers

Two difficult loads were used to test what this amplifier can do. The first was a 4 ohm rated pair of speakers that are current hungry and drop to a low impedance. The PMA-1700NE drove them without complaint.

The second was an even tougher proposition: a 4 ohm, low-sensitivity panel speaker that taxes many amplifiers. The Denon handled it very well, even at fairly loud levels. The pairing excelled with the transient life of music, so brass instruments, percussion and cymbals came through with sparkle, resolution and detail. Voices sounded full and complete, and the presentation was not muted or held back. Dynamically it had plenty of jump.

A smaller stand-mounted pair with a passive radiator on the back also impressed, with bass that felt like a full-range tower speaker. Material that relies on layering and a deep, wide, tall soundstage filled the room convincingly.

Phono Stage and Digital Inputs

On the digital side, the amplifier includes a USB DAC input, two optical inputs and one coaxial input. The internal DAC is high resolution, supporting PCM up to 384 and multiple DSD sampling rates. There are also left and right preamp outputs, which can feed a power amplifier or, more likely for most owners, stereo subwoofers.

The phono stage was used with a moving coil cartridge on a Technics SL-1200G turntable. Moving coil cartridges expose any noise a phono stage makes, and here the result was dead quiet, very transparent and clear, with focused imaging.

The one caveat is tonal. The phono stage leans slightly lean, favoring transparency over warmth. Listeners who want a richer, more rounded vinyl sound may prefer an external phono stage, while those who value clarity and low noise will be well served.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The remote control is the weakest part of the package. It is all plastic and does not match the quality feel of the amplifier itself, which is otherwise first rate.

The phono stage is transparent rather than warm, and the knob feel, while good, is not quite at the level of the older Denon components that set the benchmark for some listeners. On paper the power rating is not especially high either, even though the amplifier proved capable of driving demanding speakers in practice.

Buying Advice

If your speakers are low sensitivity or low impedance, this amplifier is a strong match. It has the current delivery and stability to make difficult loads sound composed, and it does so without sounding lean or shut in. Buyers who have been tempted by vintage Japanese amplifiers will also find the appeal here: a heavy, metal-faced, made-in-Japan design that should hold up over time.

For vinyl listeners, the decision comes down to taste. The built-in phono stage is quiet and clean with a moving coil cartridge, so a separate phono preamp is only worth adding if you specifically want more warmth. Digital listeners get a lot of flexibility from the USB, optical and coaxial inputs, and the preamp outputs make it easy to add stereo subwoofers later.

The plastic remote is easy to overlook once the amplifier is in a rack, but it is worth knowing about before you buy. Everything that matters for sound and long-term ownership sits in the chassis itself.

Conclusion

The Denon PMA-1700NE is a modern integrated amplifier that behaves like a classic one. It is heavy, solidly built, made in Japan, and voiced with the rich, smooth, easy-going character that has defined the brand’s better stereo components for decades.

Its real strength is composure under pressure. Hard-to-drive speakers, a low-noise moving coil phono stage, a high-resolution DAC and preamp outputs for subwoofers cover the needs of a wide range of systems at $2,099. If you want one well-built box that handles vinyl and digital sources and does not flinch when the speakers ask for current, this is a confident place to start.