All Denon and Marantz receivers containing the HDMI bug that required a set-top box (delivered free of charge) built after May 2021 are bug free. But when you buy it, you still have to be careful not to get a previously manufactured device, of course.
Sound United, parent company of Denon and Marantz, among others, was faced with a nasty surprise late last year: some of the receivers supplied by both brands had a defective HDMI 2.1 chip on board. The defect could not be resolved software-wise and caused several devices to be unable to display 4K/120 Hz content.
Ultimately, an additional device was delivered free of charge as a kind of set-top box to the affected customers that solved the problem. It is now known – as can be read here at Forbes – that receivers manufactured after May this year by the brands mentioned are bug-free. The bug-free series can be recognized by serial numbers ending in 70001 and higher.
Check before buying
So it is important to pay attention if you want to buy one of the affected new receivers. To be exact, this concerns the Denon AVR-A110, AVR-X6700H, AVR-X4700H, AVR-X3700H, AVR-X2700H, AVR-S960H plus the Marantz AV7706, SR8015, SR7015, SR6015, SR5015 and NR1711.
Of these, available in Europe are the Denon AVC-A110, AVC-X6700H, AVC-X3700H, AVR-X2700H DAB and finally the Marantz SR5015 DAB.
When buying, pay attention to the serial numbers from the Forbes article linked above, but be sure to check with your supplier before purchasing. If necessary, ask if an exchange is possible if you receive a ‘defective’ unit.
Note: ‘defective’ is a relative term, not everyone will encounter this problem. But as higher resolutions and higher refresh rates become commonplace, perhaps they will. Play it safe, we would say.