Dirac Live ART lands on Select Denon and Marantz Receivers

Dirac’s most ambitious tech, Active Room Treatment (ART), is now officially available on a wide slate of Denon and Marantz gear. This isn’t just another checkbox next to “room correction.” ART coordinates your speakers and subs as a cooperative system to reduce decay and ringing across the room, not just flatten frequency at one chair. If you’ve battled boomy bass or smeared dialogue, this is the first mainstream solution that actually attacks the time domain without demanding custom construction.

What ART actually does

Traditional EQ reshapes the frequency response. Dirac Live (the base module) also corrects timing. ART goes further by letting speakers work together: it models how sound decays in your space, then uses all available channels to counter late energy and modal buildup. In practice you’ll hear tighter bass, clearer transients, and more consistent sound from seat to seat. Think less “one killer sweet spot,” more “the whole couch sounds right.”

Supported models and rollout

Denon support covers AVR-A1H, A10H and the X-series trio X6800H, X4800H, X3800H (with AVC equivalents in some regions). Marantz support includes AV10 and AV20 processors plus Cinema 30, Cinema 40, and Cinema 50 receivers. You’ll need current firmware and the latest Dirac desktop app, and you add the license to the unit you own. Availability went live in early October 2025 and has been expanding through brand support pages and app updates since.

Cost and licenses

ART is a paid add-on, separate from the base Dirac Live license and the optional Bass Control module. Current guidance puts the ART license around the $299 mark, purchased through Dirac’s portal and tied to your specific AVR or processor. That means you can start with standard Dirac, then upgrade later as you refine the room or add subs.

ART vs Bass Control vs “just get another sub”

If you already run Dirac Live, Bass Control is the first step for multi-sub setups: it aligns and manages low-frequency energy across subs. ART builds on that by involving the full speaker array to shorten decay and tame resonances across the audible band, which is why the improvement is audible above and beyond bass. Should you buy ART or buy another subwoofer? In many rooms, a second sub plus Bass Control still gives the largest jump for the money. If you already have two well-placed subs and Dirac Live dialed in, ART often delivers the next tier of clarity and uniformity without adding boxes.

Setup realities

ART uses the same calibrated-mic workflow as Dirac Live. Plan on multiple mic positions, quiet conditions, and a recent firmware. Expect a few runs to learn mic placement and seating coverage. The benefits show up most clearly in bass tightness, vocal intelligibility, and imaging stability across multiple seats, but the quality of your measurement session still decides how far you get. If something feels off after activation, re-measure before you blame the algorithm.

Who benefits most

• Open-plan or reflective rooms: ART’s time-domain focus helps when physical treatment is limited. It won’t replace bass traps and absorption, but it narrows the gap.
• Families and multi-row seating: Because ART manages decay and modal behavior across the room, more seats sound good instead of one throne.
• Existing Denon/Marantz owners on 2023–2025 platforms: If you already bought into X3800H/X4800H/Cinema 50 and up, ART is a meaningful upgrade path without changing hardware.

RELATED: Denon X3800H vs. Marantz Cinema 50

Limitations and caveats

You still need sensible speaker placement and sub locations. ART can’t fix wildly asymmetrical layouts, rattling furniture, or a sub stuffed in a cabinet. Also note that licenses are device-specific, so swapping brands later means re-buying. Finally, as with any new feature, early adopters may encounter minor teething issues during the first weeks of release; most are solved by ensuring the latest firmware and Dirac app version, plus a clean calibration pass.

Bottom line

With ART onboard, Denon and Marantz just brought high-end room control to the mainstream. If you own a supported model and you’ve already done the basics — two subs, rational placement, solid base Dirac calibration — ART is a smart next step. It doesn’t only make one chair perfect; it makes the room behave. For living rooms and real homes, that’s the upgrade that actually sticks.