An updated version of AirPlay, Apple’s peer-to-peer media streaming technology, finally arrived alongside iOS 11.4 in March 2018 and now audio specialists Denon and Marantz have brought our AirPlay 2 support in select AV receivers via a firmware update.
Denon’s X3500H receiver now does AirPlay 2 with a little help from a firmware update available through the company’s online forums. Marantz’s AV7704 home theater pre-amp is also getting its own AirPlay 2 firmware update.
Marantz recently unveiled the SR5013, a 7.1 channel AV receiver with Amazon Alexa capability and AirPlay 2 support, pictured top of post. And earlier in August, they announced the new SR6013 system, a 9.1 channel AV receiver with AirPlay 2 built-in.
Neither company’s website has formally announced availability of the updates at post time. In case you missed it, Denon and Marantz merged back in 2002, forming D+M Group. The group was acquired by Sound United in 2017, bringing it under the same roof as Polk Audio and Boston Acoustics.
Other Hi-Fi vendors promised AirPlay support, including Bang & Olufsen, Libratone and Naim.
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PoorAudiophile reported in May that the following Marantz devices are set to receive AirPlay 2: ND8006, NR1508, NR1608, SR5011, SR5012, SR6011, SR6012, SR7011, SR7012, AV8805, AV7704, AV7703, SR8012, NR1509 and NR1609. And these Denond devices are also getting AirPlay 2 in the future: AVR-X3500H, AVR-X4500H and AVR-X6500H.
AirPlay 2 brings perks such as lower latency and more reliable performance and all-new features such as HomePod stereo pairing and multi-room audio with Siri voice control.
TUTORIAL: How to control AirPlay 2 devices with Siri
Apple’s support document maintains a handy list of the wireless speaker models and Hi-Fi receivers that have confirmed bringing support for AirPlay 2 via software updates, but it’s incomplete.
Other makers are adding AirPlay 2 support to their hardware, too.
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Sonos, for example, kept true to its promise and began adding support for AirPlay 2 to select speaker models retroactively through a free software update.
Are you liking AirPlay 2 features thus far?
Let us know in the comments down below.