Denon PMA-2000IIIR (2000)

Name: Denon PMA-2000IIIR
Brand: Denon

The PMA-2000IIIR is a pre-main (integrated) amplifier Denon released in 2000 at ¥110,000. It is essentially the PMA-2000III with a wireless remote control added. Denon's stated design goal was to add remote convenience without compromising the sound quality of the original PMA-2000III. The engineering list shows they took that seriously.

The remote handles volume, input selection, mute, and power on/off (linked to two switched AC outlets). It can also operate Denon CD players. To keep the control circuitry out of the audio path, Denon gave the microcomputer its own dedicated power transformer and put it into a full stop mode when idle, halting all operation to prevent noise inflow. The rest of the design gets the same treatment: UHC-MOS output transistors in a single push-pull configuration, twin transformers wired in parallel with a leakage-canceling (L.C.) mounting method, a Schottky barrier diode in the power supply, and a floating transformer mount using a sandwich of special rubber, resin, and steel plate. The power amplifier section is built as a twin-monaural configuration with fully independent left and right blocks. The internal layout separates circuits by signal level into a six-block shielded structure.

Rated output is 80W + 80W into 8 ohms (20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.07% THD) and 160W + 160W into 4 ohms at 1 kHz. The phono stage handles both MM and MC via a front switch, using a discrete first-stage FET circuit with its own stabilizing supply. Frequency response extends to 100 kHz in actual use, a figure Denon says came from reworking the volume, tone, and power amplifier circuits. The speaker terminals are gold-plated machined brass with 6mm clamp holes, so they take very thick cable. There are two sets for bi-wiring. A pre-out is also fitted, and the power cord is detachable.

The amp is heavy and big: 22 kg, 434 × 180 × 478 mm. Denon used carefully selected parts throughout, including Silmic II electrolytic capacitors, OFC internal wiring, inert-gas sealed relays, and carbon resistors. A Precision Signal Ground circuit reduces noise current inflow to the ground reference. A Precision Mechanical Ground structure ties the damped radiator directly to the foot to control vibration paths.

Little is documented about the PMA-2000IIIR's reception or market positioning, and no production end date is recorded. It appears to have been a Japan-market model (100V AC, 50/60Hz). Surviving listings and parts availability, including replacement volume potentiometers, suggest it remains serviceable today.