Denon is on an upgrade bender! Just last month, the manufacturer announced a firmware upgrade that would add Apple's AirPlay into a few of its home theater products. Today, we have gotten word that they are tweaking two more products, the flagship AVR-5308CI receiver and the AVP-A1HDCI preamp/processor to keep them current with state of the art technologies.
According to the company, this is actually the fourth significant upgrade that Denon has offered customers for their flagship products. This enhancement will add in some fun (and essential) features, such as 3D pass-through, as well as Audyssey MultEQ XT32, Audyssey DSX and Dolby PLIIz.
Obviously, the 3D features will mean that you won't need to get a new receiver or preamp to add a Blu-ray 3D player and a 3D TV or projector into your home theater setup. The Dolby Pro Logic IIz upgrade adds an additional sonic dimension via front height channels.
The Audyssey DSX adds in another sound enhancement, boasting more depth and bigger, better sound overall. Last, but certainly not least, the advanced MultEQ XT32 room acoustic correction system allows users to set up the best sound experience, via the included microphone.
"Early adopters who purchased these components nearly four years ago bought them with the confidence that they would experience the very best home entertainment for years to come," said Jeff Talmadge, director of Denon's product development and systems integration. "This upgrade opportunity is yet another example of how Denon is committed to ensuring that our customers are 'future ready' and remain at the leading edge of all the latest performance-enhancing technologies."
Out of the box, the 7.1-channel AVR-5308CI (MSRP: $5500) offers power output of 150 watts per channel, THX Ultra2 multichannel audio certification, LAN and Wi-Fi network connectivity, six HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs. The AVP-A1HDCI (MSRP: $7500) has the same HDMI offering and streaming features, but throws in Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit (D.D.S.C.) and AL24 processing. The 12-channel streaming preamplifier also has DNR technology, Denon's Pixel Image Correction, and Audyssey Dynamic EQ.
Denon says that the upgrade will be available this October. Details about the upgrade, as well as an exact date of release, have not been announced. Check out Denon's website for more information and to sign up to receive more info via email, once it's available.
