Marantz AV8802 & Denon AVR-X7200W: DTS:X and HDCP2.2 Upgrades Announced!

By Gene DellaSala — April 10, 2015

Marantz AVR8802 Processor internals

Summary

Product Name: AV8802 and AVR-X7200W
Manufacturer: Marantz and Denon
Review Date: April 10, 2015 14:30
MSRP: $3,999 (AV8802), $2,999 (AVR-X7200W)
First Impression: Gotta Have It!

Specifications

AV8802 Multichannel A/V Preamplifier with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® – Main Features

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
Current Feedback topology and new Marantz HDAM
Toroidal transformer & Copper plated chassis
Three piece top cover construction
High performance power supply with 4x 10.000?F capacitors
Audiophile 32bit / 192kHz DA-Converters
Auro-3D upgrade-ready (up to Auro 10.1)
Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4 configuration)
Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio
Audyssey MultEQ XT32, LFC, Sub EQ HT, Pro ready
Audyssey DSX; DTS Neo:X (11.1ch)
13.2ch pre-out (13.2ch XLR, 13.2ch RCA) and 11.2ch signal processing
Latest HDMI version with 4k 50/60Hz 4:4:4 resolution
HDCP 2.2 upgradeable (requires hardware modification)
7+1 front HDMI in / 3 HDMI out (2 + 1 zone) (4k 50/60Hz, 3D, ARC, Deep Color)
HDMI scaling 1080p, 4k 50/60 Hz
ISF video calibration
MP3, WAV, AAC, WMA, AIFF
HD Audio streaming: FLAC 192/24, DSD, ALAC
Gapless Playback
USB port
Spotify Connect®, Pandora®, SiriusXM™* (* where available), Flickr, Internet Radio support
Phono (MM) input
Setup Assistant and Advanced GUI
4 Smart Select buttons for fast selection of listening presets
RS232
Marantz Remote App for iOS and Android™ devices

HDCP 2.2

Marantz is announcing the hardware upgrade for the AV8802 flagship A/V preamplifier. As promised in January, current owners of the AV8802 AV pre/pro will be able to upgrade it to support HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol. The HDCP 2.2 Upgrade is expected to be available for owners of the AV8802 beginning in June. In addition, Marantz expects to start shipping the factory-upgraded AV8802 which will be referenced as “AV8802A” (MSRP $3,999) beginning in the middle of June.

Denon is announcing the availability of a hardware upgrade for their AVR-X7200W flagship Network A/V Receiver. As promised last November, current owners of this AVR will be able to upgrade their unit to support future-proof HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol. The HDCP 2.2 Upgrade is expected to be available for owners of the AVR-X7200W beginning May1st. At the same time, Denon expects to start shipping the factory-upgraded AVR-X7200W which will be referenced as “AVR-X7200WA” (MSRP $2,999) beginning in the middle of May.

DTS:X Immersive Surround Sound

Both Marantz and Denon have announced DTS:X upgrades to the AV8802 and AVR-X7200W, respectively. These are some of the industry's first products that will support ALL of the latest 3D surround codecs (Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D and DTS:X). Unlike Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is speaker agnostic allowing for more flexibility in speaker placements and configurations. Though no specific timeframe is given, you can expect the DTS:X firmware upgrade to be available for these products later this year.

Stay tuned for our full report about DTS:X and how it will impact the consumer AV marketplace for home theater and headphones too.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.

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