Sound United has announced upgraded versions of the Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 receivers, now with HDMI 2.1. Owners of the old versions will also be able to upgrade to HDMI 2.1 through a kit.

New HDMI 2.1 receivers
The last 6-7 months have been rough for Denon and Marantz, both owned by Sound United. Their first HDMI 2.1 capable receivers were faulty and the company has seemingly given up trying to fix it.

Sound United has now announced upgraded versions of the current Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 receivers. The new "A" revisions will come with HDMI 2.1 features that may actually work – at least according to the company.

- "The two new units, dubbed the Denon AVR-X8500H “A” and Marantz AV8805 “A” boast many exciting updates, including 8K/60Hz upscaling and passthrough, 4K/120Hz pass-through , HDR10+, Dynamic HDR, HDCP 2.3, as well as other HDMI 2.1 technologies. The factory upgraded Denon and Marantz units will gradually replace all existing Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 units," the company announced.

The HDMI 2.1 features will let owners pass through 4K120 signals from PCs and game consoles like Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 as well as 8K signals from future players and consoles. The receivers also support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio.

Denon AVR-X8500HA will retail for $4,299 and Marantz AV8805A for $4,799.


 The new upgraded Marantz AV8805A and Denon AVR-X8500HA AV receivers

Upgrade program
Owners of the existing non-A Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805, both launched in 2018, will also be offered the HDMI 2.1 upgrade through a hardware modification kit that will cost $599.

- "Current owners of the Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 will have the opportunity to upgrade the HDMI/Digital board within their units to obtain the same features as the “A” components. The upgrade requires a hardware modification at a Denon and Marantz certified Service Center. Beginning June 15, 2021, this will be arranged on request by contacting Denon or Marantz directly via the Denon Site and Marantz Site for US$599 or CA$749," said Sound United.

More information can be found on the companies' websites.

Upgraded HDMI 2.1 features
 
Features 
 
Denon AVR-X8500H"A" Marnantz AV8805”A” (A Version Factory and Field Upgrade)  
 
Denon AVR-X8500H Marantz AV8805  
 
8K60Hz and 4K120Hz Pass-through 
 
Yes (A dedicated “8K” input and “Main”, ”Sub” outputs support up to FRL 40Gbps)  
 
No (4K60Hz, up to TMDS 18Gbps)  
 
HDR10+, Dynamic HDR, VRR, ALLM, QMS, QFT 
 
Yes (all Inputs) 
 
ALLM only 
 
Upscaling 
 
Up to 8K (all inputs) 
 
Up to 4K (all inputs) 
 
Copy Protection Standard 
 
HDCP 2.3 
 
HDCP 2.2 
 
 
 
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