Denon Auro-3D upgrade News & Opinion

Denon Auro-3D Upgrade for AVR-X5200W and AVR-X4100W


Auro-3D surround was demonstrated to much fanfare at this year’s 2014 CEDIA Expo (though it was greatly overshadowed by Dolby Atmos surround). This week we saw a Denon Auro-3D upgrade for AVR-X5200W and AVR-X4100W receivers. The not-free firmware update should be available in December, but Denon (frustratingly) has yet to release official or unofficial pricing for the update. Since this is a very particular update, and because it will cost money, we suspect the interest and execution levels on it will be very small for now.

What is Auro-3D surround sound?For those of you who don’t know about Auro-3D, it’s a channel-based surround format that’s been around since 2008 but has only been making serious inroads since 2011. It relies on the use of three total layers, including the base 5.1 or 7.1 layer, speakers placed above those, and a top channel that serves as an anchoring point for the audio sphere that covers the listening environment. Auro-3D is based on the principle that the human physiology is looking for an excuse “not to believe”. With a cohesive sphere of sound and an immersive environment, the ears are more fully brought into a sense of really being in the action. This height information, created during the mixing process, is mixed into a standard 5.1 PCM stream that can be encoded onto a regular Blu-ray Disc or streamed online. Denon’s newest flagship-level AVRs can soon be upgraded to use the Auro-Codec Decoder so they can decode the original Auro-3D mix on these Blu-ray discs.

Denon will begin offering the upgrade service in the beginning of December, and owners of the AVR-X5200W or AVR-X4100W can self-install the firmware update by paying for the upgrade and running the upgrade procedure using the Setup menu and the built-in online feature upgrade function. More details (like the price!) will be forthcoming on the official Denon website.

Denon AVR-X4100W 7.2ch Network AV Receiver – Key Features

  • 200W x 7ch high quality discrete power amplifier
  • D.D.S.C.-HD with AL24 Processing, Denon Link HD
  • Built in WiFi with dual antenna
  • Built in Bluetooth
  • Latest HDMI standard with 4K Ultra HD 50/60 Hz Pass-through and 4:4:4 color resolution
  • Advanced Video Processing with upscaling up to 1080p and 4k Ultra HD 50/60Hz
  • 8 HDMI inputs (incl. 1 front)
  • 3 HDMI outputs (2 main + zone)
  • Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2 configuration)
  • Auro-3D upgradable (9.1ch configuration)
  • Auro-Matic up-mixer upgradeable
  • Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo:X 9.1ch processing
  • DSD and AIFF streaming
  • AirPlay and DLNA music streaming
  • Spotify Connect
  • Audyssey MultEQ XT32 / Sub EQ HT / LFC (Pro ready)
  • Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ
  • RS232 control
  • Phono input
  • 3 source, 3 zones
  • 13.2ch pre-out
  • ISF calibration
  • Improved Setup Assistant and Graphical User Interface (Advanced GUI, 9-lang.)
  • Available in black and premium silver

Buy the Denon AVR-X4100W AV Receiver

Denon AVR-X5200W 9.2ch Network AV Receiver – Additional Features

  • 205W x 9ch high quality discrete power amplifier for powerful and detailed sound
  • Monolithic amplifier design with Denon custom made transistors
  • Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.2 configuration)
  • Auro-3D upgradable (9.1ch, 10.1ch with VOG [Voice of God] top speaker configuration)
  • Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo:X 11.1ch processing
  • 11.2ch processing and 13.2ch pre-out; gold-plated terminals
*With additional power amplifier 2/5

Buy the Denon AVR-X5200W AV Receiver


3 Comments on Denon Auro-3D Upgrade for AVR-X5200W and AVR-X4100W

    • Quintus

      I need to up grade my x5200 denon avr to auro 3d version, I have set up 3 front floor, 3 ch surrounds & 2 ch, top as vog spoeakers.how I can do this and going to cost for the auro 3d up grades.

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