Denon celebrated its 110-year anniversary in 2020, while Marantz will reach its 70th birthday next year – making both brands long-lived by any standards, never mind those of the consumer electronics industry.
Under the nurturing ownership of Sound United, both these audio icons continue to innovate. Their latest AV receivers were the first on the market to be 8K-ready as well as handling 4k/120Hz, ensuring they were futureproofed for the next generation of games consoles. Showing a commitment to upgrade paths, the flagship AVRs from each brand were even able to be retrofitted with the newer chipsets for compatibility with 8K and the latest HDR standards.
The brands’ proprietary HEOS Built-in streaming platform has also evolved over the years, able to stream music wirelessly from the majority of free and premium streaming services, as well as enabling users to form a wireless multi-room system, all controllable from the HEOS app.
This latter function has taken on greater significance in recent years with the introduction of the Denon Home wireless speaker range, also featuring HEOS Built-in.
Jason Dear, vice president, EU Commercial Operations, Sound United, said: “We’re confident that, thanks to the HEOS Built-in platform, the combined product ranges for Denon and Marantz comprise the most flexible multi-room streaming option on the market. Music from your integrated Marantz AV receiver in a home theatre can be paused and continued on your Denon Home speaker in the kitchen or bedroom – you could then stream the same song to a Denon network receiver running a stereo hi-fi in your living room. No other system offers this compatibility between such a wide range of products.”
With a combined 180 years of audio innovation between them, it would seem foolish to bet against them continuing to set the pace for many more years to come.
