DTS announced on Monday that it had partnered with Sound United, parent company of Denon and Marantz, to bring DTS Virtual:X to select receivers sold under those two brands. This technology, which we’ve already seen employed in soundbars, uses audio processing software to reproduce the sound of many speakers using only a few.
“DTS Virtual:X technology provides consumers an immersive sound experience even if they only attach stereo, 5.1 or 7.1 speakers to their A/V receivers,” Joanna Skrdlant, general manager of home audio for DTS parent company Xperi, said in a statement. “Our partnership with these legendary brands reinforces our continued commitment to deliver consumers premium sound in the comfort of their home.”
While this may seem like a feature that makes more sense in soundbars than A/V receivers — which are meant to be used with multiple speakers, after all — DTS says that its research shows otherwise. In the announcement of the new partnership, the company says that fewer than 30 percent of those who buy A/V receivers connect their height speakers, and less than 48 percent connect the surround speakers. For these customers, DTS Virtual:X offers a better experience out of the box, at least once the receiver is updated to the latest firmware.
DTS Virtual:X supports input sources from plain old stereo all the way up to 7.1.4-channel setups. Speaker layouts ranging from stereo to 5.1-channel and even 7.1-channel are supported.
For now, this upgrade is available for the AVR-S730H, AVR-S930H, AVR-X1400H, AVR-X2400H, and AVR-X3400H receivers from Denon, and the NR1608 and SR5012 receivers from Marantz. Support for more Denon DTS:X receivers is planned for January 2018, while additional Marantz DTS:X models are expected to receive support in February 2018.
In the meantime, if you’d like to get a better idea of what the multiple terms surrounding the world of surround sound mean, see our guide to different surround sound formats.
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