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Software Upgrade For Marantz Sr9200 And Sr8200 (1 Viewer)

Dalton

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Heywood,
Perhaps they may not be fully upgraded but i know for a fact THX Ultra 2 was not an original feature of the 9200. It could just be a mistake at acessories for less website. Myabe those units don't even have Ultra 2.
 
Joined
Sep 12, 2002
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Got my 9200 back from the upgrading process.

With it came an (Dutch) addendum to the usermanual with explanations about the new THX-2 and CSII settings in the SETUP menu and some explanation about DTS96/24 (automatic signal recognition) and the enhanced PCT.

First impressions are good. Indeed the signal delay has totally disappeared. The 9200 responds very quickly to a digital signal.

The sound has also improved a little. Detail and refinement on the mids and highs are a little better. Especially the clarity in the higher frequency region has improved. Overall the feeling of a more balanced sound.

The enhancements for THX-2 and CSII are both for creating a 7.1 sound out of 2-channel of 5.1 material and works great.

I don't have any dts96/24 material, so couldn't test that.

But all things considerate, the upgrade is worth it and brings much improvements.
 

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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Blasted Europeans, always getting stuff before us Yankees. Glad to see the update is worth the money. I am definitely willing to pay to ensure future upgrades. :)
 

CurtisSC

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Maybe one day the audio/video manufacturers will implement a yearly maintenance fee for software/hardware upgrades, much like the way computer/networking industry does now.
 

Yee-Ming

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this is depressing (and yet unsurprising).

I called the local distributor of Marantz, and asked whether they had received the SR8200 upgrade yet. when talking about software, the fellow on the line said he was unaware of any upgrades, but these, if any, should be downloadable from the website. I explained it was both software and hardware, software to fix the slow pick-up bug and to implement Circle Surround 2, and hardware to implement DTS 96/24, and this had been announced on the Marantz site for Europe so far. at this stage he said he'd received no information on any upgrades, but agreed to look into it and asked me to call back later.

humph. you'd expect somewhat better service considering how much we have to shell out for 8200/9200s, but having said that I am not surprised given the state of customer service in this country. at least he didn't sound completely clueless and I'm hoping he really does ask Marantz about it.
 

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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To those who've done the upgrade, is the data stream sensor (the peak indicator) still as sensitive? Some CDs I play make the PEAK indicator light wildly. I am hoping they fixed that. Most people feel it's too sensitive.
 

Tom Camlioglu

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Hi Guys,

I just picked up a 9200 on clearout from a local dealer. As much as we (the dealer and I) believed the units to be Ultra 2 certified .. it was not :frowning:, although the latest reviews and website states that it "is" Ultra 2 certified. This receiver being "upgradeable" and a smokin' deal, I went ahead and got it anyway.

The funny thing is .. new in box, I set it up .. and low and behold, the Marantz RC3200 remote has buttons THX Ultra2 Movie mode and THX Ultra2 5.1 Music mode!?!

Is this a sign of things to come for the 9200 (in the U.S and Canada) or are they packing 9300 remotes with the remaining 9200 stock?? Anyone have a clue?

Tom:cool:
 

JohnFF

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May 9, 2002
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Tom,

Congratulations on the 9200 purchase. What a great receiver.

The RC3200 remote that came with my 8200 (purchased over a year ago) had Ultra2 buttons on it as well. Ultra2 will be available shortly for the 9200 but not for the 8200.
 

ChrisDixon

Second Unit
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Nov 20, 2001
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My dealer talked to his Marantz rep about the update here in the USA. He said that they haven't made any firm decision about when and how it will roll out, but he said that they are leaning towards making it an "update/fix" type release that will not cost anything. He emphasized that nothing is certain, but it sure seems like they are leaning towards not making this a purchase item. Let's hope!

Chris
 

Edward Schatz

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As I stated in an earlier post, the update was supposed to be rolled out this summer, after the introduction of the 8300.
 

Yee-Ming

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I see Edward's recent post was lost in the database purge.

Anyway, I called the local distributor, who's salesman was able to tell me that a software upgrade was indeed now available at the princely sum of about S$300 (around US$175). He said something about copyright and licences, no doubt the Circle Surround 2 issue. When I asked if there was any hardware re DTS96/24, he said there wasn't any hardware available in this upgrade though, and wasn't clear about whether DTS 96/24 would be included.

The funny thing is that I have to go back to my retailer to get this done, although the distributor does the servicing and repairs, I can't bring it in to them for the upgrade. Strange. So I called my retailer, and guess what, said salesman was in fact with said retailer at the time. Small world, eh? :D

Arnold, or anyone else who's done the upgrade, is there in fact any hardware being installed or changed? Or is it only software/firmware being changed? Reading the press release in detail, it suggests that DTS 96/24 requires new hardware, although Arnold's post suggests that the DTS 96/24 upgrade was done via firmware only, and doesn't say what the hardware upgrade was for.

FWIW, if the software upgrade now apparently available here does everything else except DTS 96/24, that'll still sell me. The main thing I want fixed is that damned delay -- although as others opined earlier in this thread, a bug like that should be fixed free...
 

Edward Schatz

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I highly doubt DTS 96/24 wouldn't be included. Would they really not release features in Singapore but they would have them in Europe? That would be really unfortunate and they would get an earfull from me.
 
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Arnold, or anyone else who's done the upgrade, is there in fact any hardware being installed or changed? Or is it only software/firmware being changed? Reading the press release in detail, it suggests that DTS 96/24 requires new hardware, although Arnold's post suggests that the DTS 96/24 upgrade was done via firmware only, and doesn't say what the hardware upgrade was for.
According to Marantz the upgrade was both hard- and software. I didn't open the case, but why would they lie about it? And it's more than just adding CS-II. The whole THX2 postprocessing is added. And DTS96/24 also. I now have a DTS96/24 disc, and it works perfectly. And something called PCT is added.

According to Marantz the SR9200 is upgraded so that it exactly meet the specifications of the new SR9300.
 

Yee-Ming

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Edward, considering the price differential, it may be that only the software part of the upgrade is presently available. This could have been sent here electronically after all, whereas any actual hardware would have to be physically shipped in. So perhaps now they're charging S$300 for the software upgrade immediately, and might charge another fee for the hardware to implement DTS 96/24 when those physical bits and pieces are available.
 

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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I just did a google search and came across a few threads on hometheaterspot.com regarding the upgrade. Someone there claims that they have sent their unit off to be upgraded in the U.S. Does anyone know if the upgrade is available? I am really starting to get bothered by how long it's taking.

Yee-Ming, apparently you can ask for just the THX Ultra 2 upgrade for $100 U.S. or get everything (DTS 96/24, delay, etc.) for $250 U.S. Maybe it's the same in Singapore?
 

Yee-Ming

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I'll keep you posted as to what options, if any, are here, but since I only have the 8200 and not the 9200, Ultra 2 is not one of them :D

The salesman did say that for the 8200, since Ultra 2 was not included the price of the update was probably cheaper.
 

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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Hi everyone. I just wanted to report that my unit was sent out yesterday, in the United States, for the aforementioned upgrade. I have the SR8200 and am getting the DTS 96/24, Software update and the update to the RS232 port (more compatibility I believe) and CS2. I cannot get the Ultra2 upgrade as the 8200 is THX Select only. Now, the bad news, the official program to update the 9200s and 8200s has not been officially announced. There have been "logistical" problems. You can't walk into Marantz repair place and have the upgrade done, yet. The good news, an extremely nice guy at Marantz who I have been talking to is willing to take all calls regarding the upgrade and have yours done before the official program is announced. He said he hadn't gotten any calls asking for the SR8200 specifically making me think they were on the fence about doing the upgrade. He also said to me that even if they didn't do it officially, that all who called would get their upgrade done anyway if they asked. If you are interested in just the software (which I believe includes CS2) it is $125 and if you want everything minus Ultra2 it is $200 (SR8200 max upgrade). If you have a SR9200, everything with Ultra2 it is $250. The Marantz marketing gentleman did say it was ok if I posted his contact information as he wants all his customers to be happy:

Kevin Zarow
734-944-0580

Just to reiterate, the official SR9200 upgrade program will be announced soon. I can't say the same for the SR8200 but it's probable. If you want to get your unit upgraded ahead of time or are just expressing interest, contact Mr. Zarow. He will be more than happy to help.

:D :D :D :D :D :D
 

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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Hi all who still follow this thread, I am finally back from vacation. I got a chance to tool around with the upgraded 8200 and watch bits of a few films.

Now take everything I say with a grain of salt. This is the only receiver I've ever owned so I have nothing to really compare it to. I swear the thing seemed different when I plugged the power cable in.

Anyway, visually the receiver is the same. No new stickers or anything. My power cable seems to fit better than it used to but that could be my imagination. In the menu, there is now a spot for Circle Surround 2. It offers two things to change in the CS2 menu, "TruBass" and "SRS-Dialogue". I have not tried CS2 out yet. I have not tried the DTS 96/24 function either as I do not own any DTS discs. The one thing I have tried with using a DVD is checking the signal delay. It is gone. There is about 1/10th of a second pickup which is perfect compared to the old 2 second delay. That alone was worth the upgrade. I'll post more about everything when I get a chance to reassemble my setup.

:D
 

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