Dirac ART is now running on beta FW for Denon Xx800H AVRs!

[dlaloum]

And it just needs to be one-time, not indefinite transfer.

Yep, depending on the individual, AVR ownership is typically a 5 to 10 year affair, and a single transfer would extend it to 10 to 20 years....

 

[AudioJester]

The problem is not the cost of the full dirac suite, but rather the x3800 is too cheap for what it offers.

By the way does Audyssey still have a role with full dirac in the x3800?

 

[dlaloum]

The problem is not the cost of the full dirac suite, but rather the x3800 is too cheap for what it offers.

By the way does Audyssey still have a role with full dirac in the x3800?

Depends - some people prefer the results with Audyssey over the results with Dirac... but once you start moving up to DLBC or ART, Audyssey has no answer

 

[NoCoYeti]

$1,000 is way too much. They could increase market share and overall profit if they sold it for less.

 

[AudioJester]

Depends - some people prefer the results with Audyssey over the results with Dirac... but once you start moving up to DLBC or ART, Audyssey has no answer

Sorry, I meant running both suites simultaneously. I vaguely remember talk that you could run Audyssey then apply Dirac processing on top? Something unique with Denon?

 

[jhaider]

The biggest drawback here is the price. Going from no Dirac to a full range Dirac + DLBC + ART will cost you over $1000 as I was told by the same insider. This doesn't make much sense for a low-budget AVR like the X3800H...

Why not, assuming the processing power is sufficient to make good use of the tools?

Audio hardware from competent companies is much of a muchness today. Who cares, whatever. If it has the I/O you need and no useability quirks that bother you, it’s fine. The value add is in the software. So running elite software on the lowest usable hardware package is the highest value proposition.

OTOH, my understanding is you give up loudness compensation by paying for Dirac. That’s not ideal. It may make sense for many to spent more for a platform with loudness compensation and elite room correction.

 

[dlaloum]

Why not, assuming the processing power is sufficient to make good use of the tools?

Audio hardware from competent companies is much of a muchness today. Who cares, whatever. If it has the I/O you need and no useability quirks that bother you, it’s fine. The value add is in the software. So running elite software on the lowest usable hardware package is the highest value proposition.

OTOH, my understanding is you give up loudness compensation by paying for Dirac. That’s not ideal. It may make sense for many to spent more for a platform with loudness compensation and elite room correction.

as long as you use either THX or Dolby processing, there are loudness compensation options (assuming the manufacturer has chosen to enable them) - as their licences are included by THX and Dolby - the Dolby one is pretty universal.

However, you have to be using the Dolby mixer to have it available - the advantage with the Audyssey loudness compensation is that it is independet of the decoder and mixer.

 

[jhaider]

as long as you use either THX or Dolby processing, there are loudness compensation options (assuming the manufacturer has chosen to enable them) - as their licences are included by THX and Dolby - the Dolby one is pretty universal.

Is Dolby Audio Processing (I think that’s what “Dolby Volume for immersive” is called) available on these AVR/Ps? Though I’m also not sure you can use loudness (“volume modeler” in Dolby Volume) without compression (“volume leveler” in DV). And as you mentioned it’s useless when upmixing music with Auro.

 

[dlaloum]

Is Dolby Audio Processing (I think that’s what “Dolby Volume for immersive” is called) available on these AVR/Ps? Though I’m also not sure you can use loudness (“volume modeler” in Dolby Volume) without compression (“volume leveler” in DV). And as you mentioned it’s useless when upmixing music with Auro.

Comes with different names...

Dolby Volume has become "late night mode" (ie: compression!)
Whereas loudness compensation is Dolby Loudness...

I believe you can use them independently - I frequently use loudness without late night mode, but have never tried late night mode without loudness... what would be the point?

 

[babar]

hi, i am in the market for a new avr to replace a marantz 8805. i definitely want dirac art and wondering if there is anything other than storm which i can buy it with or which is guaranteed to support it in the very near future. be most grateful for your thoughts.

 

[GXAlan]

hi, i am in the market for a new avr to replace a marantz 8805. i definitely want dirac art and wondering if there is anything other than storm which i can buy it with or which is guaranteed to support it in the very near future. be most grateful for your thoughts.

The only semi-confirmed Dirac ART besides StormAudio is Monolith HTP-1. They can still run into bugs and we don’t know if the total helper/assist channels will be the same or not.

 

[dlaloum]

hi, i am in the market for a new avr to replace a marantz 8805. i definitely want dirac art and wondering if there is anything other than storm which i can buy it with or which is guaranteed to support it in the very near future. be most grateful for your thoughts.

If at all possible, I would wait a few months - I expect there will be announcements over the next 3 to 4 months, as the manufacturers prepare their ART implementations...

I would look at Denon/Marantz, Monolith, Onkyo/Integra/Pioneer, as likely first cabs off the rank...

But if you wanted a shortlist to look at, seek out any AVR's that support Dirac DLBC, as in theory any of these have the ability to support ART.... after that it is up to the manufacturers to do the integration and testing work.

 

[SCG]

Just a quick update: ART FW for the compatible Denon/Marantz models is fully ready and working as well as DLBC. However, they have decided to postpone the ART release until early 2024. A new FW that will enable DLBC will be released before Christmas this year.

So based on your intel both ART and DLBC are fully ready and working for compatible Denon/Marantz, but they won't be released until after Dirac's annual Black Friday 30% off bundle sale? A video from several months a go (from them) showed both beta versions installed on a X4800 so it makes sense they could be fully ready and working now.

Just ordered the X4800 for $1399 and the only way I see getting them all (DL +DLBC +ART) is a bundle price combined with the Black Friday sale ($665) and having nothing and waiting until Nov 2024 seems crazy if all the sw is ready to go today.

Hope they want a return on their software development costs much sooner that 2024, as most people would wait until at least the bundle pricing is available.

And us earlier adopters of mass consumer goods would help spread the gospel during the busy holiday season if the all-in bundle sw it's as good as the high-end Storm users say it is.

 

[babar]

If at all possible, I would wait a few months - I expect there will be announcements over the next 3 to 4 months, as the manufacturers prepare their ART implementations...

I would look at Denon/Marantz, Monolith, Onkyo/Integra/Pioneer, as likely first cabs off the rank...

But if you wanted a shortlist to look at, seek out any AVR's that support Dirac DLBC, as in theory any of these have the ability to support ART.... after that it is up to the manufacturers to do the integration and testing work.

thanks. I think I'll wait a few months.

 

[rana_kirti]

now tht there was no x3900/x4900 at Cedia 2023, it can be safely assumed that ART will definitely come to x3800/x4800 and that these AVRs are sufficiently powerful to implement ART in its full glory.

 

[NainSG]

I changed my x3400h for a x3800h (I had a really good offer on the 3800 so it only costs me 250€ more than I sold the x3400h) hoping for ART.
But are we sure it's powerful enough to have ART ? It's still possible that only the x4800h will have ART and x3800h might stay with DLBC, don't you think ?

 

[morpheusX]

They use the same processor, so from an hardware perspective, both should be able to run ART.

 

[GXAlan]

They use the same processor, so from an hardware perspective, both should be able to run ART.

We just don’t know how the business side of things will stratify. As far as we can tell, JBL/Arcam won’t be enabling Dirac ART on the current generation of products even though it has DLBC. There is also the question of the number of helper channels of the HTP-1 versus the StormAudio.

 

[morpheusX]

We just don’t know how the business side of things will stratify. As far as we can tell, JBL/Arcam won’t be enabling Dirac ART on the current generation of products even though it has DLBC.

Yes, that's why i stated "from an hardware perspective"

I just sold a NAD T758, and will be buying a X3800H in the next few days, as i want the 2 extra channels, 4 independent sub correction and the ability to shut down external amps as i'm using active L/R/(future C) speakers.

Having ART would be the icing of the cake, although as you mentioned, we don't know the business side of things, and the X3800H might be left out

 

[multisport4me]

Just a quick update: ART FW for the compatible Denon/Marantz models is fully ready and working as well as DLBC. However, they have decided to postpone the ART release until early 2024. A new FW that will enable DLBC will be released before Christmas this year.

Curious to know where you heard this? I only ask because this is precisely what I predicted over on AVSforurm a while back so I hope my speculation isn't the source of this news. If truly confirmed, it is good news....and maybe I ought to head to Vegas. lol