JBL Synthesis has announced three new home cinema products for release in the first quarter of 2021: the SDP-58 surround processor, the SDR-38 AV receiver, and the SDA-1700 subwoofer amplifier.
The SDP-58 and SDR-38 AVR will retain many of the features of the existing SDP-55 and SDR-35 AVR, including 16-channels of audio; support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro 3D surround formats; Dirac Live room calibration with multi-subwoofer Bass Control; Dante connectivity and IMAX Enhanced certification. But unlike their predecessors, the new devices offer full HDMI 2.1 functionality with 8K compatibility.
The SDP-58 and SDR-38 will become available in early 2022, with pricing released closer to the time, but we know that they will sit above the SDP-55 (£5000 / $6000 / AU$1300) and the SDR-35 AVR (£6000 / $7500 / $15,000). The company has confirmed that the SDP-55 and SDR-35 will remain in the range well into 2022 alongside the new models due to having lower price points and the ability to serve duty in systems that do not require 8K video capabilities.
Those who already own the current SDP-55 surround processor and SDR-35 AV receiver and do want 8K video will, however, be given the option to upgrade the existing HDMI 2.0 video boards in their devices to HDMI 2.1, with support for uncompressed 8K video on all inputs and outputs. JBL Synthesis first unveiled plans for an HDMI 2.1 upgrade program earlier this year but has now confirmed that the service will become available globally in December 2021. The upgrades will be carried out by authorized service centres with costing details to be released in November.
Also joining the brand’s product line-up in 2022 is the SDA-1700 subwoofer amplifier, which has been designed to work exclusively with the SSW-4 passive in-wall subwoofer module. The SDA-1700 has a two-space rack-mountable chassis with front-panel level control, rear-panel crossover, phase, single-band PEQ, and module EQ controls. JBL claims that the Class D design will deliver 350W into a single SSW-4 subwoofer or 700W into a pair of SSW-4 subwoofers.
The SDA-1700 will be released in early 2022, with pricing available closer to the time.
MORE:
Read our review of the JBL Synthesis SDR-35
Read our guide to the best AV receivers
