New in OS X: Get MacRumors Push Notifications on your Mac

Denon and Marantz AV Receivers Updated With AirPlay 2 Support

Thursday August 9, 2018 7:08 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Audio accessories from Denon and Marantz are gaining support for AirPlay 2 through firmware updates that are being distributed starting today.

With the AirPlay 2 update, compatible Denon and Marantz devices offer support for multi-room audio and are able to work with other AirPlay 2 devices such as the HomePod, the Apple TV, and Sonos speakers.

Both companies offer multiple AirPlay 2-compatible receiver options that are being updated with AirPlay 2 support.

Apple maintains a list of AirPlay 2-compatible speakers, both released and upcoming, on its HomeKit website, but its listings for Denon and Marantz are not complete. A full list of the AirPlay 2-compatible devices the two companies are said to be offering was shared in May by Poor Audiophile.

Both the Marantz and Denon brands are owned by Sound United, which also owns the Polk brand. Polk is not listed on Apple's HomeKit site, but it is a partner on the main AirPlay website. It's not clear when Polk devices will receive AirPlay 2 updates, but it does not appear that new firmware is rolling out as of yet. The same goes for Definitive Technology, another Sound United brand that is expected to get AirPlay 2 support at some point.

Denon and Marantz join Sonos in offering AirPlay 2-compatible devices, but many other brands are working on AirPlay 2 support as well, including Beoplay, Devialet, Libratone, Naim, Bowers & Wilkins, McIntosh, Bose, and others.

Tag: AirPlay 2

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

Velin

14 months ago

This thing look archaic!

Uh, Marantz and Denon make great receivers, rock-solid boxes that will last many years, maybe even decades if the dust is cleaned and vents are unobstructed. Unlike the Macbook Pro, their receivers don't skimp on size or components for "looks." It takes watts and sinks to power 7 or more channels, and you need a big-ass I/O panel to accommodate all kinds of AV equipment, lots of speakers, many different connections, etc.

(https://ibb.co/fHWgi9)

Rating: 29 Votes

osaga

14 months ago

Solved this years ago with a wonderful product called Apple Airport Express and my 1978 Marantz 1060b

Rating: 16 Votes

tbobmccoy

14 months ago

I don’t doubt the quality i’m just saying this thing looks like the surround sound system of the early 2000’s.

Speaker plugs haven’t changed that much. There’s not really any competitive reason to do so.

Rating: 8 Votes

Aston441

14 months ago

So... they're an audio company focused on sounding great rather than looking great?

How archaic.

That's against everything Apple stands for in the audio portion of their business. I'll bet Jony could school them on a thing or two.

Rating: 8 Votes

KeepCalmPeople

14 months ago

Speaker plugs haven’t changed that much. There’s not really any competitive reason to do so.

You know if Apple made a receiver, they’d have made all the speaker outputs some proprietary format, or bluetooth, by now.

Rating: 7 Votes

iFanaddic

14 months ago

This thing look archaic!

Rating: 5 Votes

Macalicious2011

14 months ago

I don’t doubt the quality i’m just saying this thing looks like the surround sound system of the early 2000’s.

If you have a big house, this the the type of AV equipment that's required to power speakers large enough to fill a massive room.

In the mansion of a friend, the receivers and amps are tucked away in a cabinet.

HomePod designed to look good in a brick walled hipster apartment with a fixed gear bike in the living room simply wouldn't cut it.

Rating: 4 Votes

ateslik

14 months ago

If Apple made a receiver, they'd build it into the speaker and have no inputs or outputs apart from proprietary wireless protocols, and make you buy a second complete unit if you wanted stereo... Remind you of anything?

c’mon guys. It would be a single usb-c for all speakers. Then you would have to buy the speaker “port” which would split it into 8 usb-c. Then, and only then, would you be able to buy the dongles required.

Rating: 4 Votes

stainless

14 months ago

Here is the list of Denon and Marantz devices that support Airplay 2:

DENON
AVR-X8500H
AVR-X6500H
AVR-X6400H
AVR-X6300H
AVR-X4500H
AVR-X4400H
AVR-X4300H
AVR-X3500H
AVR-X3400H
AVR-X2500H
AVR-X2400H
AVR-X1500H
AVR-X1400H
AVR-S940H
AVR-S930H
AVR-S740H
AVR-S730H
AVR-S640H
DNP-800NE
CEOL RCD-N10

MARANTZ
SR8012
SR7013
SR7012
SR7011
SR6013
SR6012
SR5013
SR5012
NR1609
NR1608
NR1509
NR1508
NA6006
ND8006
AV8805
AV7705
AV7704
AV7703

HEOS - Home Cinema HS2
[doublepost=1533927984][/doublepost]

If you want to do it right, get a receiver, preferably Denon or Yamaha. They’re both at the top of the heap when it comes to value and reliability for the money in this market. Stay away from sound bars and ‘home theaters in a box.’ When the electronics die or become outdated, and one of those will eventually happen, the whole thing becomes trash and you’ve lost 100% of your investment.

If you buy separates, when the time comes you only have to replace the receiver and can keep the speakers, which you should be spending at least as much money on as the receiver, preferably more. A speaker can easily last 20 years or longer. I’ve got about $3k wrapped up in my receiver and speakers, but when the time comes, I only have to replace my $500 receiver, not the entire setup like you would if you were replacing a sound bar or HTiB.

If you want specifics look at getting a Denon S640H or S740H, depending on the features you want. Pair that with some ELAC Debuts. You can obviously spend more than that, but that’s a great entry level setup for example.

I completely agree and would steer himanshumodi towards the AVR-S740H or the AVR-S730H and save a few dollars.

Rating: 3 Votes

chrismac2

14 months ago

Airplay 2 firmware available on my X2400H. Updating now. Can't imagine why it wouldn't be available for X4400H
[doublepost=1533873255][/doublepost]One thing I was hoping to be able to do was to tell Siri to "play music on Denon"....doesn't work, keeps playing music by some obscure group

Rating: 3 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]

Our Staff