Denon launch new range of AV Receivers with Dolby Atmos & DTS:X

The manufacturer includes both immersive audio formats on its new lower range models

by Steve Withers
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Denon launch new range of AV Receivers with Dolby Atmos & DTS:X
MSRP: £2,499.00
It’s fair to say that the last year has been a pretty good one for Denon, with their AV receivers not only retaining market share but also delivering an impressive range of features.
In fact in the last twelve months Denon have added Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D, 4K, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth and Spotify Connect to their line-up. They have also taken great strides in making their receivers more user friendly with simplified rear panels, a new and easy to follow user interface, Audyssey automated room equalisation and even a cardboard stand they call the ‘rocket’ for more effective use of the setup microphone.

Denon have made it their intention to design and build receivers that are as future-proofed as possible, offer excellent audio quality, extensive features and a great user experience. Based upon the AVR-X5200 and AVR-X7200 that we have recently reviewed, we can testify to the company’s success in reaching their goals. Their next generation of receivers include a number of features that will ensure they remain as future proof as possible.

First of all there are three competing immersive audio codecs this year and Denon, along with its sister company Marantz, are the only manufacturers to produce AV receivers that support all three. In addition their new receivers will support both HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0a (4K at 30/60Hz, 4:4:4, 24-bit), making them ready for the new Ultra HD 4K standards, BT2020 colour space and High Dynamic Range (HDR).

Denon AVR-X7200W

There will be other improvements made this year, with a new remote app that supports all their models. This app also has a redesigned home screen made up of three areas - a static top, a dynamic section and a static bottom. Denon will also continue to simplify the rear connections on its receivers as much as possible and they have improved the setup assistant. The latest version has been optimised for immersive speaker setups, Dolby enabled speakers, HDMI control, Audio Return Channel (ARC) and network connectivity. In addition, Denon have reduced the number of screens to make the setup assistant as intuitive as possible. There is also a feature that allows you to use your TV remote to control your Denon receiver and full web manuals available online.
Denon's latest AV receivers offer a winning combination of future-proofing and user-friendliness.
The big news this year is the addition of support for DTS:X, the latest next-generation object-based audio codec. DTS:X will support flexible speaker layouts and remapping with support for up to 11.2-channels. There will be dialogue control when it’s defined as an object, the audio can be either lossy or lossless and backwards compatible with DTS-HD Master Audio. In the case of non-DTS:X content, it can be up-mixed by DTS Neural:X. Denon will also continue to support Atmos, which is Dolby’s next-generation object-based audio codec, and some receivers will also support a third immersive audio codec called Auro-3D. When you buy a new Denon AV receiver, you will first need to enable DTS:X via a free firmware update.

Denon AVR-X7200W

In terms of Denon’s AV receivers for 2015, the AVR-X7200WA will remain the flagship model and include all the features that Denon offers. There’s 9-channels at 210W a channel, 11.2-channel processing and 13.2-channel preouts. There’s DDSC-HD32 and AL32 processing, along with seven 2-channel high performance AK4490 DACs. There’s Dolby Atmos and Audyssey DSX, along with an upgrade for Auro-3D available now, and an upgrade for DTS:X and DTS Neural:X 11.1 available in the autumn. There are 8 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with triple HDMI outputs with multi-source and multi-zone. There’s also Audyssey MultEQ XT32/LFC, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Gapless and DSD streaming. The Denon AVR-X7200W is available now in a choice of black or premium silver and has a list price of £2,499.
The X7200 remains Denon's flagship receiver with HDCP 2.2 available now and a DTS:X upgrade coming in the autumn.
New for this year is the AVR-X4200W, a Network AV Receiver with 7-channels of amplification at 200W a channel. There’s also 9.2-channel processing, DDSC-HD and AL24 processing, and a new high performance 192kHz/32-bit DAC. There’s Dolby Atmos and Audyssey DSX, along with upgrades for Auro-3D, DTS:X and DTS Neural:X 9.1. There are 8 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with triple HDMI outputs with multi-source and multi-zone. There’s also Audyssey MultEQ XT32/LFC, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Gapless and DSD streaming. The Denon AVR-X4200 is available from the 15th of August in a choice of black or premium silver and at a list price of £1,099.

Next in the line-up is the AVR-X3200W, a Network AV Receiver with 7-channels of amplification at 180W a channel. There’s also 7.2-channel processing, along with Dolby Atmos and upgrades for DTS:X and DTS Neural:X. In addition there are 8 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with dual HDMI outputs with multi-source and multi-zone. There’s also Audyssey MultEQ XT, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, AirPlay and Spotify Connect. The Denon AVR-X3200 is available from the 15th of August in black and at a list price of £749.

Denon AVR-X7200W

Moving on down the line, there’s the AVR-X2200W, a Network AV Receiver with 7-channels of amplification at 150W a channel. There’s also 7.2-channel processing, along with Dolby Atmos and an upgrade for DTS:X. There are 8 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with dual HDMI outputs. There’s also Audyssey MultEQ XT, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, AirPlay and Spotify Connect. The Denon AVR-X2200 is available from late July in black and at a list price of £499. That's a seriously impressive list of features for an AV receiver at that price point!

Also on display was the AVR-X1200W which is a Network AV Receiver with 7-channels of amplification at 150W a channel. There’s also 7.2-channel processing, along with Dolby Atmos and an upgrade for DTS:X. There are 6 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with dual HDMI outputs. There’s also Audyssey MultEQ XT, built-in WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, AirPlay and Spotify Connect. There's no release date or list price for the Denon AVR-X1200 yet but it will be available in black and as an exclusive from SuperFi.
Denon are offering Dolby Atmos and DTS:X all the way down to their £499 X2200 AV receiver.
Finally there was the AVR-X520BT which is a budget AV Receiver with 5-channels of amplification at 150W a channel. There’s also 5.2 processing, along with support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. There are 6 HDMI inputs with 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, along with dual HDMI outputs with multi-source and multi-zone and built-in Bluetooth. There was no release date or list price available for the Denon AVR-X520 but it will be available in black and we can expect it to be priced well below the X2200.

That’s certainly an excellent line-up of AV receivers, with something to suit every taste and pocket. However what’s most impressive is that Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are included in almost all their new receivers, right down to the AVR-X2200W at £499. They also all support 4K 60Hz passthrough and HDCP 2.2, making them all suitably future-proof. The AV receiver market might still be struggling but there’s no denying that once again Denon are intent on delivering their goals this year and we can’t wait to get their new models in for review.
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