Latest Denon and Marantz AV Receivers HDMI 2.1 Bug Fixed

Posted on 14th August, 2021

Latest Denon and Marantz AV Receivers HDMI 2.1 Bug Fixed

If you've been holding off buying a Denon or Marantz current AV Receiver due to the widely reported 4K 120Hz HDMI issue, hold off no more.

Sound United, the owner of both the Denon and Marantz brands, has confirmed to us this week that all of its current AVR models that are now rolling off production lines with new HDMI 2.1 chips built-in are free of the original bug.

Sound United has confirmed that every Denon and Marantz AVR that's come out of Sound United's factories since May 2021 has featured the new bug-free chip. That means many of these 'perfect' units have, by now, found their way onto the shelves of retailers around the world.

You're probably wondering if there's a straightforward way of being able to tell whether a particular Denon or Marantz AVR you're thinking of buying is one of the new 'fixed' models? Happily, there is. According to Sound United Product Marketer Frederic Filleul, the new units with the updated HDMI 2.1 chips all carry serial numbers starting with xxxxx70001 and upwards.

For people who missed our earlier stories about the HDMI 2.1 bug, it was a problem that stopped users of a vast number of 2020/2021 AVRs from a variety of brands from being able to pass 4K signals at 120Hz refresh rates from Xbox Series X consoles through the AVRs' much-vaunted new HDMI 2.1 ports. 

Initially, the problem looked like it would likely affect a broader range of sources, including the Sony PS5. In the end, though, it was only users of Microsoft's cutting edge new console that couldn't get the best out of their consoles when looping them through AVRs equipped with the flawed HDMI chip.

Sound United finally came up with an external upgrade HDMI box that owners of affected AVRs could request be sent to them free of charge upon proving ownership of one of the problem models. Though this was never going to be as elegant a solution as producing new units with fully functioning chips inside, and that's now, at last, where we're at.

The affected Denon and Marantz models (which are now available bug-free) were as follows: Denon AVR-A110, Denon AVR-X6700H, Denon AVR-X4700H, Denon AVR-X3700H, Denon AVR-X2700H, Denon AVR-S960H, Marantz AV7706, Marantz SR8015, Marantz SR7015, Marantz SR6015, Marantz SR5015, and Marantz NR1711.

Sound United is keen to stress that the new 8K upgrade kits recently made available for the Denon AVC-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 AVRs are also being manufactured using the latest bug-free HDMI 2.1 chips.

For more information visit Denon | Marantz

    John Archer's avatar

    John Archer

    I’ve spent the past 25 years writing about the world of home entertainment technology. In that time I’m fairly confident that I’ve reviewed more TVs and projectors than any other individual on the planet, as well as experiencing first-hand the rise and fall of all manner of great and not so great home entertainment technologies.

    Posted in:Home Theatre
    Tags: denon  marantz  sound united 



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