Specifications – Denon POA-A1HDCI User Manual
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Denon POA-A1HDCI
10 Channel Amplifier
Review Summary
Manufacturer: Denon Electronics
performance Rating: 5/5 Stars
Value Rating: 3/5 Stars
MSRP: $7,000
Pros
• Endless array of configuration options
• Excellent sound quality
• Has no problems driving low
impedance speakers to reference
levels
Cons
• Uber expensive
• Bulky and heavy
Set-Up
“It’s got handles,” Jeff Talmadge, Product
Manager of Denon told me. “It should be
a breeze to carry…” what he didn’t tell
me was that the handles were on the back
panel of the unit and that I’d have to upright
row it up my flight of steps into my theater
room. I instead opted to carry it up the old
fashion way – bribing my neighbor with a
cold beer to help me carry it and install into
my Audiav Crystal A/V rack. The handles did
come in handy when pulling it into my rack
while my friend pushed from the front. Make
no mistake this amplifier is a two man install
job unless of course you’re a competitor on
the Strong Man show.
With an almost endless array of
configuration options, I had to really
think which options best suited my needs.
Thus I listed some of the most common
configuration choices highlighting the one I
used for my application.
Common Connection options:
5.1 Main Zone all channels bi-amplified
5.1 Main Zone all channels bridged
for up to 4x power to each channel
5.1 Main Zone, Zone 2 and Zone
3 stereo, with Zone 4 mono
7.1 Main Zone, Zone 2 stereo
and Zone 3 mono
7.1 Main Zone with Front left,
right and center speakers bi-amplified
7.1 Main Zone with Front speakers
bridged and Zone 2 mono
9.1 Main Zone and Zone 2 Mono
• 140 watts x 7 + 50 watts x 4 into 8 ohms
(20-20,000 Hz) at 0.04% THD
• Power Output:
150 wpc x 10; 8-ohms @ 0.05% THD + N /
300wpc x 10, 4-ohms @ 0.08% THD + N
• Monoblock amplifier construction with
shortened audio signal paths and direct
mechanism grounding scheme
• 4 large E-core power transformers and
200,000uF total power supply capacitance
• 3 Analog VU power meters assignable
per channel
• Amp Configuration options: fully configurable
channel assignments
• Amplifier Operational Modes: bridgeable,
bi-wireable and bi-ampable
• Speaker Terminals: high grade 5 way binding
post banana plug
• Completely Configurable Amplifiers
• THX Ultra2 Certified
• UL Rated down to 4-ohms
• Link Control for matching AVP-A1HDCI
pre/pro
• Dimensions (H x W x D):
11.1" x 17.1" x 20.9"
• Weight: 132 lbs
specifications
Denon POA-A1HDCI
10 Channel Amplifier
Bi-Wire: When using speakers that have independent input terminals for the woofer
and tweeter drivers, this type of connection allows you to connect both terminals to
the same channel of the amplifier via the Spk A and Spk B WBT connections. The main
advantage to bi-wiring is lowering the effective wire gauge. There are minimal benefits
to this connection scheme and we usually recommend going with lower gauge single
wired solutions instead.
Bi-Amp: When using speakers that have independent input terminals for the woofer
and tweeter drivers, this connection outputs one input signal from two amplifiers to
each woofer and tweeter connection. During this mode, the ten channel amplifier
becomes a 5-channel amplifier. This allows for a greater degree of isolation between
the drivers and better amplifier control. Ultimate bi-amplified installations involved
active crossover solutions but we’ve seen and heard benefits of passive bi-amplifying
assuming the amplifiers power supply is capable of such an installation.
Bridge Mode: This connection allows you to use two amplifier channels to output
opposite phase signals generated from one input signal. When you bridge an amplifier,
you effectively double the output voltage with can yield up to 4 times the rated output
power assuming the power supply can deliver that much current. This is a good idea
for applications that require lots of power to reach high SPL’s but its important to
note that each amplifier effectively sees ½ the rated impedance of the loudspeaker
so if your speaker system is rated nominally at 4-ohms, be sure the amplifier is stable
for two ohm loads before bridging it. Never bridge an amplifier that isn’t designed
to do so!
Editorial Note on Amplifier Connection Type Definitions