Audio specialists Denon and Marantz began rolling out promised support for Apple's AirPlay 2 on Thursday, providing owners with firmware updates that bring certain AV receivers in compliance with the wireless streaming protocol.
Though not announced on either company's official website, users of Denon's X3500H receiver are reporting availability via online forums. Marantz is also pushing out AirPlay 2 compatible firmware for its AV7704 home theater pre-amp, according to 9to5Mac.
Denon and Marantz are closely aligned, having merged in 2002 to form what would become D+M Group. The corporation, which itself acquired a number of smaller audio brands, was purchased by Sound United in 2017, bringing it under the same roof as Polk Audio and Boston Acoustics.
In May, Denon and Marantz announced plans to bring AirPlay 2 to 29 components, building on Apple's rolling list of compatible products. Neither audio company provided details on a launch timeline, though today's releases serve as evidence that work on AirPlay 2 software is well underway.
Released as part of iOS 11.4, AirPlay 2 improves on Apple's audio streaming platform with support for multi-room audio, allowing users to synchronize music across multiple speakers. First available on Apple's own HomePod, AirPlay 2 made its way to the Sonos Beam, Sonos One, Sonos Play:5 and Sonos Playbase in June.
Alongside Denon, Marantz and Sonos, audio hardware manufacturers Bang & Olufsen, Libratone and Naim have promised to add AirPlay 2 support to both new and existing products.