I got the info from an interview done late in 2008 by Audioholics during one of the shows just prior to the release of the new design AVR's. This seems to be their philosophy since it spans the entire range of product regardless of price. Since others such as Onkyo and Denon(Marantz's sister company) seem to apply Audyssey in all cases, I doubt there would be much more in design cost, if any, to do it. Ironically enough, in recent years, despite the connection, I found reviewers generally prefered the sound of the Marantz over the Denon.