At the end of last year, Denon Electronics announced plans to put Dolby Atmos and AURO-3D into its flagship AVR-X7200W Integrated Network AV Receiver. Marantz followed shortly after with similar news about its flagship AV8802 11.2-Channel Preamp/Processor. However, a true flagship product needs to have the latest and the greatest. That's why both companies are making plans to add in DTS:X.
The newly announced DTS:X is an object-based, multi-dimensional audio technology. Like Dolby Atmos and AURO-3D, this format is designed to immerse listeners in sound. However, DTS:X doesn't rely on specific speaker configurations. Instead, it "adapts to the viewing environment, allowing for a flexible speaker configuration that best fits the viewing space." (For more details on the format, check out "DTS:X is Coming in 2015 and You're Going to Need a New Receiver.")
In addition to DTS:X, both Marantz and Denon are also offering to upgrade each component to support the HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol. First announced back in January, this update will allow users to play copy-protected 4K Ultra HD content.
Other features on the AV8802 include 32-bit/192kHz DA-Converters and a power supply with 4x 10.000µF capacitors, as well as support for 4K Ultra HD high-resolution video, 4K 50/60Hz pass-through, and 4:4:4 Pure Color full color resolution sub-sampling. It can even upscale 1080p content to 4K and transcode HD and SD analog video sources and has eight HDMI inputs, three HDMI outputs, a USB port, a phono MM input, options for a second zone, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Audyssey MultEQ XT32 (Pro ready) room correction.
The Denon AVR-X7200W is a 9-channel amplifier with 150 watts per channel in a left/right-separated, symmetrical monolithic amplifier design with custom-made DHCT (Denon High Current Transistors). It also has four DSP (Digital Sound Processing) engines, a video processor that can handle 4K Ultra HD 50/60Hz full rate content and 4:4:4 Pure Color 4K sub-sampling pass-through, WiFi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, DLNA, and much more.
Both units can be upgraded by sending the unit to a designated service location. Denon will release additional upgrade details on their website by May 1, 2015, with Marantz doing the same by June 1. Factory-upgraded versions of each product will follow shortly after. The new AVR-X7200W, which will be known as the AVR-X7200WA, will be available by mid-May for $2,999. The new version of the AV8802, the AV8802A, is expected to be available in the middle of June, priced at $3,999.
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