Marantz has announced that the promised HDCP 2.2 upgrade for the flagship AV8802 preamp will be available in June. Current AV8802 owners will be able to send their product to a designated service facility to receive the upgrade, and new models will be dubbed the AV8802A to reflect the addition of HDCP 2.2. The company also announced that DTS:X will be added to the AV8802 via software update later this year.
From Marantz
Marantz just announced the offer of a hardware upgrade for their AV8802 flagship AV preamplifier. As promised by Marantz in January, current owners of the AV8802 home cinema center will be able to upgrade it to support HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol, needed to play back copy-protected 4K Ultra-HD content. The HDCP 2.2 Upgrade is expected to be available for owners of the AV8802 beginning in June.
The unit needs to be sent to a designated Marantz service location for hardware upgrade. More details will be announced on a FAQ section of the Marantz website prior to June 1st. In addition, Marantz expects to start shipping the factory-upgraded AV8802 which will be referenced as "AV8802A" (MSRP $3,999) beginning in the middle of June.
The Marantz AV8802 11.2-channel AV preamplifier has been designed based on its highly-acclaimed predecessor to provide the ultimate music and movie surround sound experience. It features breathtaking 3D-sound options, including Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D (paid upgrade required), giving users the ability to add additional speakers for a truly expansive and immersive surround sound experience. As communicated at the product launch in January, Marantz did not want to compromise on the limited bandwidth and color capability of HDCP 2.2 implementations available at that time. Now, early adopters can rely on the promise that full HDCP 2.2 will be supported via a hardware upgrade, transforming their AV8802 into a maximum future-proof AV8802A model.
For owners of either AV8802A or AV8802, the unique Auro-3D software upgrade will continue to be available via https://upgrade.marantz.com/na/marantz/pages/home.aspx.
On a separate note, Marantz announced a plan to offer a software update to add new DTS:X immersive surround sound format to the AV8802A and AV8802 later this year. Details will be revealed soon.
AV8802 Multichannel AV Preamplifier with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth - Main Features
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in
• Current Feedback topology and new Marantz HDAM
• Toroidal transformer & copper-plated chassis
• Three-piece top cover construction
• High-performance power supply with 4x 10.000?F capacitors
• Audiophile 32-bit/192-kHz DA Converters
• Auro-3D upgrade-ready (up to Auro 10.1)
• Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4 configuration)
• Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio
• Audyssey MultEQ XT32, LFC, Sub EQ HT, Pro ready
• Audyssey DSX; DTS Neo:X (11.1ch)
• 13.2ch pre-out (13.2ch XLR, 13.2ch RCA) and 11.2ch signal processing
• Latest HDMI version with 4k 50/60Hz 4:4:4 resolution
• HDCP 2.2 upgradeable (requires hardware modification)
• 7+1 front HDMI in / 3 HDMI out (2 + 1 zone) (4k 50/60Hz, 3D, ARC, Deep Color)
• HDMI scaling 1080p, 4k 50/60 Hz
• ISF video calibration
• MP3, WAV, AAC, WMA, AIFF
• HD Audio streaming: FLAC 192/24, DSD, ALAC
• Gapless Playback
• USB port
• Spotify Connect, Pandora, SiriusXM (where available), Flickr, Internet Radio support
• Phono (MM) input
• Setup Assistant and Advanced GUI
• 4 Smart Select buttons for fast selection of listening presets
• RS-232
• Marantz Remote App for iOS and Android devices
Additional Resources
• Marantz Introduces New Flagship AV8802 AV Preamp at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• What You Need to Know About HDMI 2.0 at HomeTheaterReview.com.
