Auro-3D Upgrade Is Here for Denon/Marantz Atmos AV Receivers & Pre/Pros

A couple months ago, D&M brands Denon and Marantz announced that they would be offering an optional upgrade to Auro-3D on certain A/V receiver and pre/pro models. Now the time has come, and both companies have the upgrade option up on their respective websites. Priced at $199, buyers will get support for native Auro-3D content as well as the Auro-Matic upmixer. The models eligible for the upgrade are the AV7702 pre/pro and SR7009 A/V receiver from Marantz, and the AVR-X7200W, AVR-X5200W, and AVR-X4100W receivers from Denon.

If you didn’t read our interview with Auro’s founder, Wilfried Van Baelen, you might be wondering…what the heck is this Auro-3D we speak of? Auro-3D is a next-generation “immersive sound” format which adds height layers to existing surround formats. Starting with the Denon AVR-X4100W, an Auro 9.1 configuration is possible, which adds a height layer over the Front L/R and Surround L/R positions. The Marantz AV7702 and SR7009 along with the Denon AVR-X5200W and AVR-X7200W can support up to an Auro 10.1 configuration, which adds a “Voice of God” channel into the mix.

Auro's 9.1 and 10.1 layouts.

For consumers considering this upgrade, obviously native content is going to be the big question. At this time we’re told that Auro does have some partners in Hollywood as well as musicians who are looking to create native Auro-3D content. However, there’s simply not much available at the moment. As such, we expect the main draw for the upgrade to be the Auro-Matic upmixer, which can take even mono content and play it back in Auro 9.1 / 10.1. Unfortunately we have yet to get our ears on Auro-Matic, but if it even remotely approaches the quality of the native Auro content we heard at CEDIA, we feel it would make the upgrade worthwhile. 

Logical overview of the Auro-3D engine.

For more information about the upgrade, you can visit Denon's and Marantz’s websites.