Marantz and Denon Announce New A/V Receivers with Dolby Atmos Sound

Back on June 23rd, the folks at D&M (parent of both Marantz and Denon) had some exciting news for us. Products from both subsidiaries will be rolling out around the September/October timeframe with a surprise on board: Dolby Atmos technology. Given the anticipated rollout date, we’re hoping to see/hear what Dolby Atmos has to offer in a home environment when we visit the CEDIA Expo.

So what are these new products from D&M? First we have the Denon AVR-X4100W and the Marantz SR7009. Both receivers feature 9 channels of amplification calibrated by Audyssey MultEQ XT32. With nine channels of audio on board, two potential Atmos configurations are possible: 5.1.4, and 7.1.2. 5.1.4 takes a conventional 5.1 setup and adds 4 ceiling mounted speakers to the mix; on the other hand, 7.1.2 starts with a conventional 7.1 setup and adds a pair of overhead speakers. Want more? Denon’s AVR-X5200W A/V receiver and Marantz’s AV7702 pre/pro allow you to utilize 11 loudspeakers. As you might gather, this opens the door for a 7.1.4 Atmos setup, which takes a conventional 7.1 setup and adds 4 overhead speakers.

A Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 setup.

Needless to say, we’re excited to hear how Dolby Atmos can change the home theater experience, particularly the full-fledged 7.1.4 setup. At the same time, we understand not everyone has the space/desire to own eleven speakers. Our own informal forum poll found the majority of respondents run a 5.x setup, with only four users running a 9.x or 11.x system. Can Atmos change your mind? We don’t have to wait too long to find out!