Denon AVR-x4200 is starting to crap out....suggestions for replacement

[hextall27]

The ARC port is very loose and another issue it won’t connect to any Bluetooth devices anymore!

I’m looking to purchase a new more powerful Amp to run my klipsch r-28 fronts and rp 600 center along with one klipsch 15 and one klipsch 10 inch subwoofer. Sadly, that’s all they are running right now!!! I have additional speakers but they are klipsch towers that are wireless and I doubt there is a way to run them together

 

[lovinthehd]

Was the HDMI port for ARC damaged by heavy cable or something? Assume you've tried a reset for the BT issue? Do the powered speakers use a transmitter that can be plugged into a pre-out? You use a fan in that tight spot it's in?

What's your budget for new unit?

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I would try a reset too. Any reason you really like ARC? Also, have you considered moving your mains out a little bit? Maybe a couple three feet away from the screen?
Also, the towers are probably sensitive enough not to worry about an amp. I wonder too about pairing a 10” and 15” in the same system. The smaller one will surely hold the larger one back. You should dump the 10 and get a matching 15 if not another pair of more capable subs overall.

 

[hextall27]

Was the HDMI port for ARC damaged by heavy cable or something? Assume you've tried a reset for the BT issue? Do the powered speakers use a transmitter that can be plugged into a pre-out? You use a fan in that tight spot it's in?

What's your budget for new unit?

The port had the typical monster HDMI cable, I think it was 4 foot, have NOT tried a reset, I’ll have to google it. The powered speakers I do believe have a transmitter. No fan in the TV stand

 

[hextall27]

I would try a reset too. Any reason you really like ARC? Also, have you considered moving your mains out a little bit? Maybe a couple three feet away from the screen?
Also, the towers are probably sensitive enough not to worry about an amp. I wonder too about pairing a 10” and 15” in the same system. The smaller one will surely hold the larger one back. You should dump the 10 and get a matching 15 if not another pair of more capable subs overall.

I’m not tech savvy as far as the audio video goes, I have always used the ARC, I just thought that is what it was for. I could move the towers further, and remove the 10 in. I only hooked it up because it had it lying around

 

[PENG]

I’m not tech savvy as far as the audio video goes, I have always used the ARC, I just thought that is what it was for. I could move the towers further, and remove the 10 in. I only hooked it up because it had it lying around

ARC is tricky to set up correctly as you have to do it right not only on the AVR but also your TV.
So if it was working before, you probably should try unplugging the unit, wait for 30 seconds or longer before plugging it in to try if it fixes the issue.

If unsuccessful, then yes you should try a factory reset. After that, be sure to go through the ARC set up procedure.

Factory reset procedure:

 

[hextall27]

ARC is tricky to set up correctly as you have to do it right not only on the AVR but also your TV.
So if it was working before, you probably should try unplugging the unit, wait for 30 seconds or longer before plugging it in to try if it fixes the issue.

If unsuccessful, then yes you should try a factory reset. After that, be sure to go through the ARC set up procedure.

Factory reset procedure:

View attachment 31997

Thanks for the info. I’ll try it today!!

 

[highfigh]

The port had the typical monster HDMI cable, I think it was 4 foot, have NOT tried a reset, I’ll have to google it. The powered speakers I do believe have a transmitter. No fan in the TV stand

Monster Cable HDMI, or heavy and stiff cable? That's not the fault of the AVR, it's the fault of the cable.

I think BT receivers have a limit for the number of devices that were connected- sometimes, it's as lot as six. Look on the TV screen when you try to activate BT and connect- if it shows a long list, delete any that won't be there again, or soon. Also, you can turn off BT in the AVR and your phone- it's not a perfect way to stream. If your phone is an iPhone, ALWAYS use AirPlay.

 

[hextall27]

The port had the typical monster HDMI cable, I think it was 4 foot, have NOT tried a reset, I’ll have to google it. The powered speakers I do believe have a transmitter. No fan in the TV stand

And the budget would be around $1500 or so

 

[PENG]

I’m looking to purchase a new more powerful Amp to run my klipsch r-28 fronts and rp 600 center along with one klipsch 15 and one klipsch 10 inch subwoofer.

" ...more powerful amp..." means more powerful AVR, or external power amp? For AVR, the natural upgrade path for the X4200W is the X4500H, SR7013, or the X6500H. For the X4500H, SR7013, don't pay more than $999 and $1199 for the X6500H regardless of what they are listed for at the moment. That's because I fully expect them to go on sale between now the end of the year.

 

[hextall27]

" ...more powerful amp..." means more powerful AVR, or external power amp? For AVR, the natural upgrade path for the X4200W is the X4500H, SR7013, or the X6500H.

More powerful AVR, unless an external amp is needed. I looked at the Yamaha aventage 2080 or 3080

 

[KEW]

The ARC port is very loose and another issue it won’t connect to any Bluetooth devices anymore!

I want to clarify this! Are you saying that the port is physically loose from the AVR chassis or do you mean that the cable connects loosely to the port?

I’m looking to purchase a new more powerful Amp to run my klipsch r-28 fronts and rp 600 center along with one klipsch 15 and one klipsch 10 inch subwoofer. Sadly, that’s all they are running right now!!! I have additional speakers but they are klipsch towers that are wireless and I doubt there is a way to run them together

While there are a few more powerful units, the Denon 4000 series has a solid amp section and is more than enough for your speakers! If you are truly having power issues, that means your unit is damaged. If your unit is damaged this early into its life cycle, you need to investigate to ensure it had adequate ventilation to prevent overheating. Otherwise any new gear is apt to suffer the same fate.
That said there is also the chance that you got a fluke and just bad luck for the unit to fail on you. But check to insure the unit did not run hot or give us details on the conditions of where you have it situated.

 

[hextall27]

I want to clarify this! Are you saying that the port is physically loose from the AVR chassis or do you mean that the cable connects loosely to the port?


While there are a few more powerful units, the Denon 4000 series has a solid amp section and is more than enough for your speakers! If you are truly having power issues, that means your unit is damaged. If your unit is damaged this early into its life cycle, you need to investigate to ensure it had adequate ventilation to prevent overheating. Otherwise any new gear is apt to suffer the same fate.
That said there is also the chance that you got a fluke and just bad luck for the unit to fail on you. But check to insure the unit did not run hot or give us details on the conditions of where you have it situated.

I’m not sure it’s a heat issue, it’s been in an open stand previous and was well ventilated. The ARC port itself it loose

 

[lovinthehd]

You could also bypass ARC altogether and use an optical cable from your tv to receiver (the only thing you might miss out on this way is a Dolby Digital Plus stream with Atmos metadata, otherwise they carry the same audio). Heavy cables as noted can cause damage to ports.

The cabinet you pictured doesn't appear to have very good ventilation, long term I'd add some cooling (an external fan). There are a few ways to go, from a fan that sits on top of the avr or one for the cabinet itself...

A factory reset can clear things up but will also wipe out things like your Audyssey settings....sometimes a soft reset first (simply unplugging the avr for a bit) is worth trying. Some of the Denons could save Audyssey setup to a pc, too.

As was said, that's a fairly powerful avr already, plus you have relatively sensitive speakers. A more powerful avr can be had, but the gain in spl is minimal. You could simply add an external amp to your avr otoh.

 

[hextall27]

You could also bypass ARC altogether and use an optical cable from your tv to receiver (the only thing you might miss out on this way is a Dolby Digital Plus stream with Atmos metadata, otherwise they carry the same audio). Heavy cables as noted can cause damage to ports.

The cabinet you pictured doesn't appear to have very good ventilation, long term I'd add some cooling (an external fan). There are a few ways to go, from a fan that sits on top of the avr or one for the cabinet itself...

A factory reset can clear things up but will also wipe out things like your Audyssey settings....sometimes a soft reset first (simply unplugging the avr for a bit) is worth trying. Some of the Denons could save Audyssey setup to a pc, too.

As was said, that's a fairly powerful avr already, plus you have relatively sensitive speakers. A more powerful avr can be had, but the gain in spl is minimal. You could simply add an external amp to your avr otoh.

 

[hextall27]

I’ll try the reset and see if it works. I’d be all about just an external amp instead of buying another avr as long as nothing else screws up. Any suggestions on externals??

 

[lovinthehd]

I’ll try the reset and see if it works. I’d be all about just an external amp instead of buying another avr as long as nothing else screws up. Any suggestions on externals??

Mind sharing what you expect the additional power to do for you particularly first? Lots of amps out there, personally I've used a couple different ones but currently do not use an external amp with a similar avr as I don't need one with my current speakers/listening levels.

 

[hextall27]

Mind sharing what you expect the additional power to do for you particularly first? Lots of amps out there, personally I've used a couple different ones but currently do not use an external amp with a similar avr as I don't need one with my current speakers/listening levels.

I’m not sure why now I need to have the volume way up to get any noticeable music. When it was all hooked up at my old house I only had to Place the volume at around 30 on the remote and the house shook. Now I’m the basement, granted it’s bigger with carpet I have to set the volume at near zero to get anything that you would say is loud I’m not talking about not being able to hear another person loud just decent volume for music

 

[lovinthehd]

I’m not sure why now I need to have the volume way up to get any noticeable music. When it was all hooked up at my old house I only had to Place the volume at around 30 on the remote and the house shook. Now I’m the basement, granted it’s bigger with carpet I have to set the volume at near zero to get anything that you would say is loud I’m not talking about not being able to hear another person loud just decent volume for music

What is your source of music? Did you recalibrate the avr for the new room/environment by re-running Audyssey or did you do a manual setup? A volume of -30dB on the reference scale I assume; 0 should be very loud. Basement with concrete walls/floors may not reverberate like some rooms but wouldn't think that would drastically affect the volume.

 

[PENG]

I’m not sure why now I need to have the volume way up to get any noticeable music. When it was all hooked up at my old house I only had to Place the volume at around 30 on the remote and the house shook. Now I’m the basement, granted it’s bigger with carpet I have to set the volume at near zero to get anything that you would say is loud I’m not talking about not being able to hear another person loud just decent volume for music

Adding an external amp will not make a difference for the volume position unless you get an amp that has higher gain than the typical 27 to 29 dB. The Denon has a gain of 29 dB.

Consider the following factors that would affect the volume position for the same perceived "loudness" level:

- room dimensions, seating distance, room acoustics (like the carpet you mentioned..)
- source recording
- source player, i.e. cable tv box, smart sticks, cdp, dvd, bdp, tuners, network streaming
- level settings by auto setup/Audyssey (that's why you need to re-run auto setup)
- other AVR audio settings such as dynamic volume, dynamic EQ, manual adjustments.

That's assuming you have not changed speakers.