text: Front Back Front-panel controls and connections Extensive speaker connectors The Setup Assistant makes it easy to connect your system Apple AirPlay lets you stream music from an iPad or iPhone (not included) Denon's Remote app gives you easy touchscreen control of your receiver (iPhone not included) Front Front-panel HDMI input is great for camcorders Full-color on-screen guide Includes setup microphone for automatic speaker calibration Remote Photos (12) Videos (5) View larger Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command 7.2-channel home theater receiver with Apple® AirPlay® Item #: 033AVX4000 62 Reviews This item is no longer available. Original Price: $799.99 Shop all Home Theater Receivers Need help? 1.888.955.6000 Email Chat Ask an expert advisor No pressure, no commission — just lots of good advice from our highly trained staff. Overview Reviews Details Accessories Articles & Videos by David Brown Powerful, versatile...wonderful See and hear your movies and music the way they were meant to be experienced. Let Denon's AVR-X4000 IN-Command receiver transform a simple TV room into a true home theater. With so many connectivity and setup options, you can customize your system for audio and video playback in as many as three rooms. Stream music from portable devices and networked PCs, connect mountains of components, and control it all with your smartphone or tablet. With Denon's advanced audio and video processing, everything will look and sound its best — from movies in vibrant high definition, to soundtracks and music in robust stereo or room-filling surround sound. Stream music from your iPad, iPhone, or computer running iTunes with the AVR-X4000's built-in AirPlay support. Stream easy with AirPlay Whether you've got music stored on your iPhone®, iPad®, or computer running iTunes®, AirPlay makes it as simple as pressing "Play" to stream songs to the 'X4000. It's so easy to browse and listen, you may find yourself rediscovering music you forgot you owned. Even if you don't have hundreds of gigabytes of digital tunes, don't feel left out — the 'X4000 features built-in support for Spotify® and SiriusXM subscribers, as well as free Pandora® Internet radio and DLNA-compatibility for networked PCs. That's millions of songs at your fingertips before you've connected a single component to this receiver. AirPlay requires a wireless home network and a wired connection between the receiver and network. Wide-ranging multi-zone, multichannel flexibility The AVR-X4000 offers lots of connection options, including 11 pairs of speaker outputs. With an impressive 11 pairs of speaker outputs, the AVR-X4000 offers maximum setup flexibility, so you can customize your home theater to your own space and needs. You can connect and control audio and video components in up to three rooms. Connecting a 5.1 surround system in one room leaves outputs for a stereo system in a second room or third room — no additional amp required. Plus, the additional HDMI outputs means you can connect an HDTV and a projector in one room as well as another TV in a second room. Not interested in a multi-zone system? Then use those extra channels in Zone 1 for "front high", "front wide," or "surround back" speakers to give movie soundtracks even more depth and realism. Or try bi-amping your compatible front speakers to squeeze even more detail out of your two-channel music. By adding an additional stereo power amplifier, you can expand your options even further. Customized setup with Audyssey Denon's home theater receivers continue to get easier to set up and control. One of the 'X4000's best setup features is the built-in Audyssey speaker calibration software. Not only does it optimize your system to fit your room, but it can also tone down loud commercials, improve dialogue and surround effects during low-level listening, and even reduce the amount of bass you can hear in the next room. The 'X4000's full-color on-screen display uses lots of graphics makes these and other settings a breeze to navigate. Once you're set up, be sure to download the free Denon Remote app for your Apple or Android™ smartphone. It's the simplest and most intuitive way to control your receiver via your home Wi-Fi network. Enhanced audio performance If you're serious about your music, check out some of the audio features Denon included in the AVR-X4000. Hybrid PLL circuitry reduces timing errors — known as "jitter" — that occur with digitally connected components like Blu-ray players and hinder clear, accurate playback. You can even go a step further with Denon Link HD, a separate connection between the 'X4000 and a compatible Denon Blu-ray player. This connection separates the disc's timing data entirely from the HDMI audio stream, allowing the receiver to accurately re-clock the data for even more sonic accuracy. If you have a USB thumb drive with high-resolution files, pop it in the front-panel USB port and let the 'X4000's high-performance 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters translate them into rich, detailed music. Even MP3s and other compressed digital music formats can sound great thanks to Denon's Compressed Audio Restorer. The free Denon Remote app for Apple and Android lets you easily control the 'X4000 from your smartphone. Audio, video, analog, digital...bring 'em on With its abundance of inputs, the 'X4000 can handle just about any component you can throw at it. Seven HDMI inputs offers plenty of room for Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, cable boxes, and more. Analog-to-HDMI upscaling means you'll only need a single cable to connect this receiver to your HDTV. Add a second subwoofer for room-shaking movie effects. Connect your turntable and enjoy the warmth of vinyl. Or embrace the digital age with the front-panel USB connection for your iPod® or other Apple device. It creates a direct digital connection, so you can get even better sound from it using the 'X4000's circuitry. Throw in lots of digital and analog audio inputs and this receiver is prepared to take on almost any home theater setup, no matter how extensive. Product Highlights:Power and Processing:7-channel amplifier125 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD, with 2 channels drivenDolby® and DTS® surround sound decoding, including Dolby PLIIz and DTS Neo:Xanalog-to-HDMI video upconversion up to 1080p and 4KAudyssey "Platinum" speaker calibration and system optimization includes:MultEQ® XT32 advanced auto setup and room calibration uses high-resolution digital processing filters to deliver balanced, dynamic sound to as many as 8 listening positions (expandable to 32 with a professional installer)Dynamic Volume anticipates loud sounds to keep volume levels evenDynamic EQ improves dialogue, bass response, and surround channel levels at lower volumesDSX® (Dynamic Surround Expansion) optimizes "front height" or "front width" speakers to create a larger soundstage with more engaging surround effectsSub EQ HT provides individual calibration for dual subwoofers, for even bass response throughout the roomLow Frequency Containment reduces the amount of bass that bleeds into other roomsDigital and Streaming Music Options:Internet-ready for listening to music from a networked PC, free Internet radio, and music servicesincludes support for Spotify, Pandora, and SiriusXM (subscription required for some services)Apple AirPlay for streaming music from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch® or computer running iTunesplays high-resolution digital music files via USB storage device or a networked computer (up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution)DLNA and Windows® 8 certified for streaming music with compatible devices and computersfront-panel USB input gives you a direct digital connection for your iPod for improved sound qualityMulti-room Audio:three-room/three-source outputtwo independent HDMI video zonespowered and line-level stereo audio output for 2nd and 3rd room (using powered 2nd or 3rd output allows 5.1 home theater in main room)component and composite video outputs for Zone 2amp assign function lets you use extra speaker outputs for Front Height, Front Wide, Zone 2 or 3, Front B, or bi-amping front speakerssupports 2nd zone output from digital sourcesadditional power amplifier or receiver required for three-zone outputAudio Performance Features:Hybrid PLL circuitry reduces timing jitter from digital sources, for improved sound qualityDenon Link HD creates a jitter-free connection to compatible Denon Blu-ray playersPure Direct mode turns off unused circuitry for cleaner audio signalsDenon's Compressed Audio Restorer improves sound quality of MP3s and other digital music files24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters for all channelsexpandable to 9.2-channel output with an optional stereo power amplifierConnections:HDMI 1.4a audio/video switching: 7 in (includes 1 front-panel input), 3 outcomponent video switching: 2 in, 1 outcomposite video switching: 4 in (includes 1 front-panel input), 1 outdigital audio inputs: 2 optical and 2 coaxial6 analog stereo audio inputs (includes 1 front-panel input)11.2-channel preamp outputs include outputs for 2 powered subwoofersphono input for use with a turntablefront-panel USB port for audio playback from USB flash drives and portable music playersEthernet port for network connectionoutputs for 11 speakers (Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, Surround Back L/R, Front Height L/R, Front Wide L/R)receiver can power a maximum of 7 channels at onceRS-232C input for use with external controllersremote control (IR) input/outputdual 12-volt trigger outputsfull-sized headphone jackdetachable power cableGeneral Features:3D and 4K HDMI pass-throughThis receiver is not HDCP 2.2-compliant and will not support copy-protected 4K video content.InstaPrevue provides live picture-in-picture preview of connected HDMI sourcesuse your computer's web browser to control receiver functions and settingsVideo Select lets you listen to music (network, USB, HD Radio, or phono) while watching video from a different sourceSetup Assistant guides you through the initial connection process and settingsintuitive, full-color on-screen menufree Denon Remote app lets you use your Apple or Android device as a Wi-Fi® remotesupport for third-party control systems by AMX, Control4, Crestron, RTI, Savant, and URCHD Radio tuner and standard AM/FM tunerremote control17-1/8"W x 6-5/8"H x 16"Dweight: 27.12 lbs.warranty: 3 yearsOur 60-day money-back guarantee Receivers: Your ticket to sensational sound Your receiver powers your speakers and lets you connect and select your entertainment sources. But a great receiver does a lot more it ignites your emotions. From the passion of a favorite musical artist, to the crossfire of a super-charged movie soundtrack, to the intensity and immersion of a fast-paced video game, your receiver is the key to experiencing and enjoying it in full. Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command Reviews Average Customer Review: 62 reviews Review this product Submit a review and then enter to win a $350 rewards card Filter by rating: 5 Star: (0) 4 Star: (0) 3 Star: (0) 2 Star: (0) 1 Star: (0) Review this product: Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences about this product. Please be sure to focus your comments on the product itself. Read our Review Guidelines for more information. Review title * Email Your email won't be visible. Please use the email address that is associated with your order. Display name (e.g., JohnD) Your review will be signed using the display name and location * Your location (e.g., Charlottesville, VA) * Your rating Click on a star to rate the overall product on a scale of 1-5 1500 characters left * Your review Attach a YouTube Review Crutchfield Video Review Guidelines Only submit videos that you made or are authorized to use. Do not submit videos that contain music, video or visuals that are copyrighted and belong to someone else. Please see our Review Guidelines for more information. Enter the URL of your YouTube™ video review or product demonstration. e.g., "http://www.youtube.com/v/o79TWHh598U" 500 characters left Pros 500 characters left Cons * Agree to Terms By checking this box you agree your review becomes the property of Crutchfield, that you are over 18 years of age, that you own or have owned this product, and that you are located within the United States or its territories. Please see our Review Guidelines for more information. We reserve the right (but are not obligated to) review all submissions and edit or remove any review in any manner which we deem necessary. Your review should be posted within seven days. Denon AVR-X4000 In- Command Written By FrankF, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, August 05, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Easy to set-up. A nice upgrade to my Denon 5600 of 15 years ago. Now I have all the audio upgrades needed for all of todays blue-ray discs and hi-def and 4k upscaling. I am hoping that the quality of the AVR-X4000 gives me uninterrupted enjoyment as my 5600 did. If still available, I give it a thumbs-up Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By JS, Iowa on Friday, July 17, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Receiver only played one speaker in Zone 2. Crutchfield technical support suggested my wiring may not be correct. I had local AV contractor check things out. They came to the same conclusion that there was a probelm with the receiver. Sent the unit for repair under warranty. It has been 15 days since they received it and they are still waiting on parts. At this point, I can't say too much good about Denon or Crutchfield. Pros: Hopefully I will be able to offer a more favorable review once I get the unit back. Cons: Defective unit. Was this review helpful? Yes No Excellent AV Receiver Written By AJD, Jacksonville, FL on Sunday, July 12, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Even though I still have an excellent older Denon AV receiver, I decided to update it with this newer one. So far, I'm very impressed with the HD tuner, the array of audio and video inputs, the great selection of online audio available, and the audio section is Denon excellent. Plus, the buying process and customer service and support from Crutchfield is the best! Thank you! Pros: Excellent quality, bright display, great functionality, HD tuner. Cons: None so far! Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By LoganM, Utah on Friday, June 26, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) It worked great and sounded great for the first week, then it stopped getting any signal from the HDMI inputs. So I had to return it. Crutchfield has been awesome and sent me a new one. Their support team was very helpful and I plan in the future whenever possible to use Crutchfield. I had to knock off one star for it having problmes, but would happily change it to 5 if I don't have any problems with my new AVR-X4000. Pros: 1. Sound is awesome! 2. I could backup my settings to my computer so I didn't have to rerun the audyssey setup again. (Having twin 2 year olds it is hard to get the house quite) 3. Easy to setup guide 4. Love how configurable it is 5. Great price 6. Customer Service and Support 7. Tons of inputs Cons: Just that it stopped working after a week, I am really hope my new one lasts! Was this review helpful? Yes No Easy setup, splendid sound Written By Scotty, Scottsville, KY on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I followed the simple, onscreen instructions and ended up with a quick, flawless installation, including connections to a windows computer, a Blu-ray player, a cable box and the internet. The sound from everything is clear, detailed and realistic. Previously muddy, often unintelligible dialog is now crisp and easily understandable, both from my cable connection and from the Blu-ray player. I could not be happier! Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon X4000 Written By Justin, California on Sunday, May 17, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Good features, but runs extremely hot. My understanding the video processor generates significant heat and that can't be turned off even if you don't plan on using any of the upscaling features. Audyssey XT32 is great and the sound quality is decent. Pros: Great features, really good value on closeout Cons: Runs very Hot 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 is sweeeet! Written By postal, New England on Thursday, May 14, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Setting up the receiver for initial viewing was easy. The on screen capability had me selecting speakers and tweaking sound immediately. It was akin to my old Onkyo (HDMI panel death as so many others have had) so i had some base familiarity going in. I did have to read through the manual to get my main Polks set up for bi-amp mode. That took a bit getting through the massive manual on my phone (wife has since printed manual out at work... sweet!). But once things were in place, running the polks, PSBs, and Klipsch sub were fantastic. While not as loud as the Onkyo, I have noticed several things in movies i have previously never heard so I believe the processing and delivery to the speakers has been raised for me. Setting up the internet was a breeze as well. And go to Google Play to get a better controller for your phone. It will make a big difference. My wife is a big Pandora fan while I am stuck using my CDs. Just a preference. Music sounds great pushed through two channels. All in all, it has been about a month with this unit and i am pleased. It I love the fold down panel in front. Hides a lot of stuff. Thanks Denon and Crutchfield! Pros: Ease of set up Sound processing quality, especially in video Cons: No paper manual (though I understand why they don't) Will take time (like any new toy) figuring out EXACTLY how I want each mode to sound Was this review helpful? Yes No Meets expectations and exceeds them as well! Written By JeremyR, North Carolina on Wednesday, May 06, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This receiver is feature packed and really surpasses my needs. I bought the receiver mainly for the 9 band EQ. I really dont even use it though because audyssey auto calibration was excellent. I'm upgrading from a sony str-dh540. The bass extension I get from my subwoofers is alot better. I can honestly say that my subs used to roll off around 29 hz, and now they go down to about 22hz. Im a car audio fanatic and I love lows so that really made me happy. Also I can control the receiver through my phone with the denon app or i can use Air Play with my phone and control the volume directly from the volume buttons on the iPhone. I will be satisfied with this until they make a newer higher quality sound format. I also saw that someone said the unit gets hot after extended use, well, with any amp when you are nearing its limits, its efficiency is going to drop, resulting in excess heat. Do not be fooled, the receiver does not heat up much at all unless you are at its limits for a long period of time. Pros: Sound Quality is A1 The receivers looks A1 Pre-Outs can correlate to an 11.2 system Cons: Receiver is a little difficult to operate for the first few days. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Not sure yet Written By Rich, Florida on Thursday, April 09, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) The top of the unit gets very hot after extended periods of time. I turn it on around 6am and I don't turn it off until ~9pm. Problem: I noticed that if I apply pressure to the top of the cover, when it's hot, the unit powers down. Also, I had an initial problem during setup, the unit froze in the internet radio mode, then it cleared up by itself, no problem since. Pros: Great unit, lots of ways to play different media. Works well with the iPad and iPhone app; wish there is one for my iMac. Cons: Setup was difficult, owner's manual needs more description for functions Was this review helpful? Yes No Good Value in a Denon Receiver Written By Rudeney, Alabama on Monday, March 30, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This replaced my aging Denon AVR-3803, driving my main living room 5.1 HT system with UHD TV, plus a 2nd zone on a covered patio. I upgraded the patio TV from a CRT to HD, so the 4000's 2-zone HDMI was a perfect fit. I am very experienced with AV setup, so setup was quick and easy. I use custom touch-screen remotes so I have no opinions on the stock remote. I am very satisfied with the AVR-X4000 and really have no complaints, just a "wish list" of features I'd like to have. The Good: Familiar connections, plenty of input configurations, on-screen display, guided setup menus, great surround sound, flexible setup screens to tweak everything imaginable, 2nd zone HDMI out, "ARC" for TV audio via single HDMI cable, feels solid, sounds solid, looks nice, reasonable size, a good value for price/features, Insta-Preview "PIP" function, HD radio tuner. The Wish List: OSD and up-conversion of non-HDMI sources for the 2nd zone, faster iPod and SiriusXM app response, a rear USB in addition to the one on the front panel, ability to superimpose OSD without additional video signal processing (could be an issue for picky user and/or copy-protected HDMI 4K video). Overall, I am satisfied with this receiver and would recommend it. Maybe in another 10 years when I get ready to upgrade, Denon will address my minor complaints. Pros: Price, flexible connections, 3-zone output, quality, features Cons: On-screen display requires processing of video signals, lacks flexibility with 2nd zone video, slow "apps" 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Definitely a sweet reciever Written By denonrecievers, salt lake city on Thursday, March 26, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Great reciever Was this review helpful? Yes No Plug, Follow onscreen instructions, and Play. Written By iNoteboom, Oviedo, Florida on Saturday, March 14, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) The Denon AVR-X4000 is perfect for my 5.1 surround sound living room + 2 stereo speaker pool patio setup. This amp powers the surround sound of movies and satellite through out the 500 sqft space with power to spare. Perfect for engaging casual family movie watching. I actually enjoyed the setup. It was completely onscreen driven with instant feedback, and it beautifully tuned the system for the space. I suspect that there are many receivers that could claim this, but what really sold me on this receiver was the ability for the AVR-X4000 to play digital sources through a powered Zone 2. This is key, for I only use digital sources: Satellite, AppleTV, BlueRay player, iTunes, Pandora, and SiriusXM. The fact that I can take any source and play it our on the pool deck, regardless of what is or is not playing in the living room is key. The final test was past with the fact that everyone is able to use the system, without me getting a support call on my cell phone ... Everyone: my young children, my wife, the babysitters .... my parents and in-laws. I am sure there are more features that I shall get to at some point, but it'sworthy to note that you needn't know all of them to operate the Denon. We were enjoying helicopters and explosions, within an hour of opening the box. Happiness all around. Pros: Plug, follow onscreen instructions, and play. Powered Zone 2 from Digital Sources Everyone can use the system. Cons: No WiFi capabilities Can't read the remote without reading glasses - my problem, maybe not yours :o) 2 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-4000 Written By BWM, Anaheim Ca on Tuesday, March 03, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This receiver is incredibly advanced compared to the unit it replaces, network connectivity, HDMI pass thru, HD Radio, Android app capabilities. I am very pleased with this unit. Pros: Too many to list. Cons: Gonna take a while to learn about all the capabilities. Was this review helpful? Yes No Great Receiver! Written By SidH, Seattle, WA on Tuesday, March 03, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Love my new receiver! Didn't take a lot of time to install and setup. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Always DENON Written By Steve M, Texas on Saturday, February 28, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Bought this to replace my 3808CI which after 6 years had given up the right surround channel. Ordered from Crutchfield and it was here asap, considering the winter storm we have been dealing with. Double boxed and packed nicely. This unit is basically a lateral move for me, but it does have some more HDMI inputs and the XT32 with dual sub control. That was what I was looking for and this does not disappoint!!! I like DENON products and feel that they are priced very competitively in the market. So far no problems. Just takes a bit of getting used to the menu system. I love the way the inputs can be reassigned and renamed on the fly. The power is not an issue for me really as I drive the front mains with an Emotiva amp that does 500wpc into 4 ohms, and drives my Magnepan 1.7's beautifully and lets the stress of driving a 4 ohm load be carried elsewhere. Good Job DENON and Crutchfield for doing internet sales right!! Pros: VERY FLEXIBLE and GOOD BUILD QUALITY at this price point. Cons: 2 channel stereo settings are available only when certain speaker configurations are selected, which will preclude my using the assignable amps to drive my zone 2 speakers. Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon-AVR-X4000 Written By Eric J, Warrensburg, MO on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This reciever is fantastic! It has replaced a Denon AVR-2805 which I loved. It is every bit it's equal with the benefits of HDMI. The old receiver and the new receiver are driving a 7.1 system. The channel separation is more clearly defined on the X4000 along with the sense of clarity. Setup was very simple. The only reason for 4 stars is the lack of a printed manual, just a CD, a little awkward while learning the features. I prefer written for quick reference. Of course, that is what we get today. I have no problem recommending this receiver. Pros: The amount of input sources, good dynamic headroom, 4k up scaling and usual Denon build quality. Cons: Lack of printed owners manual and only two optical inputs. Cannot input SACD from my Denon SACD player, it has no 5.1 preamp input though it does have 7.1 preamp outputs. Was this review helpful? Yes No It's not me that's broken....it's you, Denon X4000. We have to break u Written By Badgerbkr, Wisconsin on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I spent a frustrating month trying to get this unit to work. The bottom line is that it couldn't handle a 7.1 load along with Zones 2 & 3. I tried two different units and they both failed. The protection circuit would kick in and shut off the unit. Extremely frustrating when watching a movie or hosting a party. I liked that it was IPhone compatible, but the unit doesn't have built in wifi- showing that it is the direct descendant of a dinosaur. The power going to zones 2 and 3 was not enough to make a 110 watt amplified signal sound good. I figured since the price has come down so much- this must be a good opportunity to get a really high end unit. That was not the case. Pros: It had volume control for zones 2 and 3 Crutchfield will allow you to return the unit Cons: Went into protection mode, not enough power for multiple zones, no wifi, not user friendly. I wouldn't recommend this unit if you are powering more than 2 speakers. Denon used to make great stuff, but is not going to make it if they don't keep up with Sony. 1 out of 5 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Very good HT receiver Written By TV Tom, Indianapolis, IN on Monday, February 02, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Very cost-effective Home Theater receiver with lots of inputs and outputs of many different varieties. Easy to set up, lots of control capabilities. Sounds excellent. Can send sound to 2 rooms, or even 3 in some configurations. Automatic EQ and room setup with included mic. Pros: Really appreciated the inclusion of HD Radio in the unit. Can use its Web page and/or the on-screen to configure. DNLA means that I can input a media server. Starting to play with Internet Radio streams. AirPlay means I can stream from my iPod. Audyssey made fast work of room EQ and timing adjustments. Cons: You can only select 4 favorite stations, across all of the possible inputs. Would far prefer 4 favorite FM stations, 4 favorite Internet Radio stations, 4 favorite Pandora stations, etc. Wired Ethernet only, you have to add an outboard Wi-Fi adaptor. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Hard to set up Written By Anonymous, Illinois on Sunday, February 01, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Very difficult to set up first time. Love Denon sound but this one is very difficult to set up. My AVR 2780 was simple! Was this review helpful? Yes No Great Reciever Written By Joe C, Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, January 31, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Every conceivable must have option, world class Denon amp and more inputs than you'll ever need. Absolutely untouchable at $800 and puts any Onkyo, Sony, Yamaha or Pioneer at twice the price to shame. Pros: Starts with the Denon amp. I buy for music first and take whatever comes along for movies. You will not find a better sounding receiver unless you spend 3x as much and most of those super high end systems lack true DSD SACD playback. Cons: Some people might complain about the lack of bluetooth but I could not care less. I don't listen to compressed music from any device or in any format. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Review of particular patient question Written By Bigmac, Georgia on Friday, January 30, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This piece by Denon,is connected to a pair of focus Legacy speakers in my home.The sound from this union is the sweetest I have ever heard. The highs are tight and crisp, the bass is thunderous. Pros: Overall sound and ease of features Cons: None so far Was this review helpful? Yes No Fast Shipping! Typical Crutchfield. Written By Nick, Atlanta, GA on Friday, January 30, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This was my first experience with Crutchfield. I'd heard great things, but boy-oh-boy will I not be deviating from this company for my electronic needs. The finest internet purchasing experience one could hope for. 60-day return policy with nearly no questions asked. Free two-day shipping to Georgia. (It got here in one. I have no idea how seeing as how I ordered it at 6pm and I got an email saying it shipped at 7pm). Are you kidding? It was here in less than 36 hours.... For free. The icing came a few days ago when Crutchfield MAILED me a hand-written thank you note. Crutchfield you have my business for life. Oh- and this Denon replaced my Yamaha Aventage RX-740. At $800 they're giving it away. What a steal for the Audyssey and sub EQ. Has my Rythmik LV12R's tightly humming and kicking when needed. It's night and day from the Yamaha. Long live Crutchfield!! Pros: Audyssey sub EQ Unit not as big as the sound it produces Cons: I haven't found one after a month. Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By Joe, Staten Island, NY on Saturday, January 24, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This receiver replaced my Onkyo TRN 838 that served me well for the last 2 years. I basically wanted to try something new and decided to give this Denon try. The Audyssey room correction is the same as my last receiver, so I was very familiar on setting up my equipment and calibrating it. So that went fairly well and quickly. Sound quality in my opinion is VERY GOOD. Very laid back and smooth. The Onkyo was a little more in your face and "bright" if you will. BUT I still like the Onkyo sound. The Denon is better for my music tastes: mostly Jazz, Latin Jazz, and Acoustic music. The Denon allowed me to play my music loud, without any distortion, and sounded fantastic at all levels. So I cannot comment on the video processing capabilities of this unit. Networking function, on screen displays, internet radio, connecting to my network were all on-par with what I am used to. It all worked, and worked well. No surprises here. Pandora out to my patio is what I use most in that zone, and it sounds great. For the record, I am using this receiver solely as a processor. It is connected to my Outlaw Audio Model 7500 amp which feeds ~300 watts to my Emotiva speakers at 4 ohms. The denon onlys uses its amp to power my outdoor speakers. No problem there. I have all video processing turned off and let my sources and display handle the video side of things. Denon app for phone/tablet works great once you get used to it. Onkyo app was a bit better-but only for aesthetic reasons. Pros: Sound Quality, networking functions/apps, easy learning curve for those with some experience in home theater. Free app and IP control of unit via a web browser. MANY features like EQ, room correction, video processing, etc. to keep one tweaking for months. Cons: Remote could be better-no back-lighting although one would think so from looking at the buttons. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command Written By Gary, Groton MA on Thursday, January 15, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Very happy I spent the extra money and got the 4000 vice the 3000. Easy to set up and the extra power and headroom mad my speakers sound better. After setting it up and using Audyssey (a huge selling point), even my wife noticed the added clarity. Pros: Power! Audyssey "platinum". BiAmp capability. Last years' model - Best price that I could find from a reputable dealer! Cons: Does not support HDMI 2.0; but to be honest, after doing a lot of research into 4k, I'm, not really sure I care... Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command Written By Anonymous, Fremont, CA on Monday, January 12, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Great amp. I have been using it for over a month now. Have it connected to my TV in second room (2nd room), stereo speakers in 3rd room and main room 5 .1 Polk speakers. Connected to Dish receiver, WiFi, Apple TV, Blu-ray, PS3, old VCR player, etc. All working fine. AirPlay working great as well. Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By JS, United States on Sunday, January 11, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Denon is an excellent product! Has a lot of awesome features for a home theater system. Pros: Easy to use and hook up and Audissey is a great tool to help with setup. Great receiver at a great price. Cons: Does not have bluetooth Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By StevenW, Washington on Thursday, January 08, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Excellent amp, great surround sound, easy to use Pros: Very easy to reassign inputs Cons: Needs component inputs Was this review helpful? Yes No Performs way beyond it's price Written By Brian, Albuquerque, NM on Wednesday, January 07, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) It takes more than $3000+ to approach the level of audio performance from other brands out there. This is also a feature-packed device with 3D, 4K, Apple AirPlay, etc. Denon is really the only mass market receiver to consider if you want to hear and see your content natively. In other words, for the money, you get what is on the disc without "flavor" added. Pros: Performance-to-the-dollar Cons: None Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By turbo427, North Carolina on Wednesday, January 07, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) It has been two weeks now and the receiver works great. I have tested it with large itunes library and music sounds like your in there. Also have watch several movies from older DVD to new BlueRays and the receiver sounds great. I have tested it with a iphone and the Denon app works great as does airplay. Cruthfield was also great they call to verify the purchase and unit came in 2 days as they promised. Pros: Way to many features to go into Cons: None at this time. Was this review helpful? Yes No Moving from Bose to Denon AV4000 Written By Pascal, Arkansas on Monday, January 05, 2015 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Great sounds. Easy to install. Bought it mainly for multi room speakers setup using zone 2 and 3. Pros: Multi zones and pre amp output available. Cons: No wifi and bluethouth. Was this review helpful? Yes No Nice unit, but watch out for the setup Written By Mangusta1969, Nevada on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Initially, I had trouble connecting this unit to my wired home network. Although this receiver had a DHCP -assigned address on my local network, it would not work to access the Internet despite several network and receiver power cycles. The receiver kept saying there was no Internet connection. I finally solved this problem by performing a complete receiver reset procedure: while pressing the Info and Back front panel buttons simultaneously, I power cycled the receiver. As soon as I performed this factory reset procedure, all was well. The X4000 now was able to access my local wired network and also access the Internet. To get the Internet access working, I did not do anything to my cable modem or the wired/wireless router that was connected to the X4000 with an RJ45 cable, although I had previously performed many troubleshooting procedures/resets on these units before I did the factory reset on the Denon receiver. I really like the sound quality and various features of this Denon receiver with my home theater system. The access to Pandora and the Internet Radio features are really excellent and easy to use. I am hoping that some additional HD Radio The sound of this receiver is excellent and is a little "warmer" than the Onkyo TX-NR717 receiver that it replaced. I have not yet used the advanced Audessey speaker optimization feature, as I want to make certain that this receiver works well for a week or two prior to spending more time on a more advanced configurati Pros: Great power and feature set. Fairly compact for its power rating. Nice appearance and user interface. Cons: Did not work out of the box to access the Internet. Had to perform a complete factory reset to gain access to the Internet. 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Excellent Written By Matt, Washington, DC on Monday, December 22, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This product is excellent! It has some really great features (Main Zone HDMI video output from one source, such as a cable box, while using another source for audio, such as Internet radio) and was very easy to set up (great step-by-step guide). The speaker connections can be a little frustrating; I read a similar review and highly recommend ordering some banana plugs. Pros: Great features for the price Easy to set up (including network connectivity) Cons: Speaker terminals are a bit tedious 2 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-x4000 Written By Scott, California on Saturday, December 20, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Very impressed with the sound quality and level of customization. Pros: versatile, multi room audio and video, on screen menu make changing setting easier Cons: internet/HD radio menu is difficult to navigate, and not user friendly 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No So many features! Written By Nick K, Moorhead, MN on Monday, December 08, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) 100% pleased with this product. A ton of features to use and keep yourself entertained. Lots of integration and the Audissey does a great job of setting up your sound! Pros: Audissey Loaded with features Well priced Cons: No wifi but I already had cat6 ran to that spot anyways. Just a heads up. 1 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon x4000 Written By Moto147, Champaign, IL on Saturday, November 01, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) My first receiver. Easy to setup and easy to use. I have 2 tvs in same large room. Can run them with same or different input sources. Even my wife and kids can run the receiver. 1 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Lots of Features Written By Quazimoto, Dallas, TX on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Nice overall AV receiver. I purchased it to run a home theater setup AND push sound and HDMI signal to a nearby patio. It has plenty of power to push the theater speakers and then some. The two Definitive AW6500s on the patio will turn the neighborhood into a block party if I turn it up loud enough. Oh, and the iPhone app works GREAT. It's nice to control all functions of the amp from an app on your phone. Pros: 9.2 channels; Power; THREE zones Cons: Lack of bluetooth and wifi (must run an ethernet cable from your router to the unit) 2 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By Larry N., Longwood, FL on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Excellent receiver - Perfect sound and picture Was this review helpful? Yes No Great Reciever - Lots of multi zone options Written By Greg S, Ansonia, CT on Monday, October 27, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I got this receiver do replace my Deonon AVR 1913 as I was running into a few limitations when it came to multi zone/room playback. Also, Now I'm able to output digital signals (like apple tv) through my second zone speakers! (A frustrating limitation to the prevous generation models) Also, it has multiple hdmi outputs so I can either mirror OR broadcast a different source to a secondary theater room. A few other things that make this a great upgrade -I'm now able to adjust the speaker output for my second zone so it sounds much better than it did prevously -When listening to an audio source in your primary zone, you can set a different video source so for instance you can watch tv or play video games while listening to music. Pros: Easy setup, Great audio calibration for effortless awesome sound, multi-zone features, multiple hdmi outputs, great sale price savings too! Cons: none. 2 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 Written By Russ Q, Tequesta, FL on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Changed out from an older Bose Lifestyle system. I love the and its WiFi capability. You can control multiple zones all just using your smart phone! Easy to set up and sounds fantastic!! Pros: Easy to set up, Quality manufactuer, ability to buy a lifetime warranty, ease of use Cons: none found to this point Was this review helpful? Yes No Don't buy this receiver Written By Mark W, Orange CA on Sunday, September 28, 2014 This receiver shuts itself off intermittently, goes into protect mode. My second trip to authorized repair ended when, without any notice, a box was delivered to my door with fedex asking for my signature. When I opened the box I found a refurbished unit. the authorized repair people must have contacted Denon and they just sent the refurbished unit without any communication with me. I haven't tried the refurb yet but from what I read an awful lot of people have had the protect mode problem. apparently there is no fix. Beware, others write their review in the 1st few days of use, so they don't know the problem will occur with time. Pros: when it doesn't work how do you write pros? Cons: horrible rate of failures should be pulled off the market 12 out of 15 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Great until it is not Written By Victor, Inland Empire, California on Friday, September 26, 2014 I purchased this unit in March and it does what it advertises until it doesn't. The unit started to go into protection mode and shutting down in late July. It would work sometimes, but then it started going into protect mode after just a few minutes of operations. I worked with customer support and they said I needed to take it into their repair facility (an hour drive from my house). The technician that worked on it said it was common in these units and he had to replace 4 transistors and add some ground cable. Denon offers free shipping back to the customer, but I had to pay $15 to have them box it up for me. I should get it back today. As I said, when it works it is a great unit. I just hope this is the last of my problems. Pros: Lots of extras, Love the Audissey and Airplay. Plenty of power. Cons: Died in six months requiring repair. 9 out of 9 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Fantastic Reciever Written By Tom G, Kenosha, WI on Sunday, August 10, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I purchased this to replace an Onkyo receiver. This a great receiver! I am using it in a 7.1 system, but can expand it to 9.2. I use the both powered zones, no need for an additional amplifier. I had one on hand from the old unit. I use it for my Zone 3 for the deck. Now I have 7.1 in main zone and full power for my zone 3 and it sounds great . I wish I had purchased the Denon first. I liked it so much I purchased an scratch and dent Denon AVR for my basement movie theater. The install and set up was very easy with the on-screen menu, and the Audyssey mic to fine tune the system. This is a great receiver that is very easy to do firmware updates. Buy this receiver you won't go wrong. Pros: Easy set up, simple to understand on-screen menu, Great sound!! Cons: None! 2 out of 2 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No A great Amplifier and then some! Written By Perry, Greenville NC on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) A fabulous amplifier! Using Banana plugs is the way to go with this one. Using all of the speaker connections, including front height and width, and back surround. With my Polk speakers it is as good as the movie theater. The Audessey set up and the on screen help by Denon made the sound magical and completely fill the room with great frequency balance and accuracy. I have watched movies that I have already seen just to be immersed in the sound track that I was missing before. 7.1 surround is absolutely amazing. I have had no problems with the power requirements of my speaker set-up. A smashing success!! Pros: Powerful Balanced, accurate sound Easy set-up Great controller Nice to know Crutchfield is there if I ever need them Worth the money Cons: none come to mind 3 out of 4 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Workin great Written By Srichards, Yuma az 85367 on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Bought to replace an onkyo receiver that had problems. Got all hooked up and everything worked great! Very happy 1 out of 3 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Awesome Upgrade Written By NormanT, Holly Springs, GA on Wednesday, May 07, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Upgraded from the AVR-3313CI to the AVR-X4000 for the preamp outputs, but the XT32 blew me away!. Movies are MUCH more detailed, dialogue is clearer and the highs are smoother. Pros: Audyssey XT32 3 out of 3 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Nice - Written By Mablt, Las Vegas NV on Sunday, March 16, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Upgraded 8 year old Marantz SR8400 7.1 110W receiver that was pre-HDMI, and pre wi-fi. Audio playback was excellent but notably, movies soft spoken dialogue was lost despite re-balancing efforts. I aimed at an Audyssey licensed product with Sub bass EQ XT option, not just Multi EQ XT. Crutchfield was wonderful, answered their phone on Sunday, were polite when I wanted to change my online order (I'm a wishy-washy) and they delivered this Denon AVR-X4000, an open box special, at a competitive price. I couldn't tell why this was labelled open box. I printed out hard copy of the Denon User Manual off Denon website to have handy, and stripped out my Marantz. I followed the setup guide exactly. I HAD NO PROBLEMS. My first Audyssey set up was a fail. Redo worked. Audyssey helped me find reversed polarity center channel, and my cross labelled Surr Rear and Surr Side (Doh!). I ended up preferring direct tweaking with the Audyssey equalizer. I am happy - movie dialogue is noticeably better, and my sub-woofer is reborn!! It BOOMS!! So far my wi-fi and internet features are running through my wi-fi Blu-ray, and I haven't tasked the Denon with it yet, and I just downloaded the i-phone app and haven't tried it yet. i-phone direct hook up plays fine w/ on screen art. HD radio plays fine but it's not my thing. SACD audio 2 channel playback is great, but I "think" I preferred my Marantz sound? But like I said, movies are WAY better, and that's primary use nowadays! Pros: Up to date features and connectivity. Audyssey set-up made a difference and IMHO puts this product above competitors products at this price point. Cons: Um, none. You do need to have a little geek in you to set up ANY AVR receiver, but this one was easy enough. 4 out of 4 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command Written By BS, Tucson, AZ on Friday, February 21, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Working great. Pros: Like the Audyssey speaker level automatic analyzer. Unit sounds great and functions good. AirPlay works good. Cons: Users manual is hard to understand. Unit doesn't display the network it is using. It cost me a day calling Denon, router provider, Apple, and Crutchfield to get AirPlay to work. Each provider blamed the other, but no one asked if there was more than one network. Miss having a n outlet on the rear panel. Was this review helpful? Yes No Swiss Army Knife of AV Receivers Written By Jason Y., Burbank, CA on Sunday, February 09, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This is a replacement for a Denon AVR-2310CI. The 2310CI is very complicated and has an excessive amount of remote control buttons and functions in comparison to the X4000. The X4000 on the other hand is very evolved from the predecessor 2310CI. The X4000 has improved and refined A/V processing power, and presents its features in an easy to use straightforward manner. The X4000 is what I imagined a 21st century receiver to be. There is a comprehensive list of subscriber based and free internet radio, including local over the air AM/FM HD radio capability. The X4000 will also playback music files on my NAS drive hosting DLNA file services. All of these functions just worked like an appliance, nearly plug and play (no fiddling around with complicated network settings that are often time consuming to set up). I was amazed at how far I got without the instruction manual. The X4000 has great sound and a much improved Audyssey processor from earlier generations. The X4000 feeds a Paradigm Studio 100 speaker system. The receiver is more than capable of driving these speakers with plenty of bass with clear mids and smooth highs. A few buyers may need 4 ohm capability and more power, though for most home theater and hi-fi systems, this receiver will exceed expectations. Pros: Lots of great features, easy to set up. Excellent cost/value to feature set ratio. Video processing is on par with great audio performance. This is a great AVR. If you're on the fence about this purchase, just buy it, you won't regret the purchase. Cons: No printed instruction manual; you'll have to read the manual on your computer or PDA. The next task for improvement should be in developing a much better I-Pad/PDA remote control app for these AVR receivers. The latest generation of apps are an improvement from past versions, though they still have a way to go. I would be OK with paying for a really great app to control and set the X4000. No 4 ohm output; you'll have to buy Denon's top of the line receiver to get this capability. 6 out of 7 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No I am not disappointed Written By Mike B., Chicago, Il. on Thursday, February 06, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I purchased this Denon X-4000 a couple of weeks ago. I am very happy with this purchase. What a difference the Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 makes. The sounds from blu-ray moves and PS3 games is astounding. I was using a cheap Sony AVR and everything sounded very dull and not appealing. Since I did the Audyssey, I have found new likeness for my movies and games. I watched the Superbowl using this receiver and it was a great sounding experience. I would highly recommend this receiver. Pros: Great Sound, looks good and was very easy setup. Cons: None 1 out of 1 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No AVRX4000 Written By AV enthusiast, Doylestown, PA on Friday, January 17, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I wanted to like this unit but it failed short , the second zone hdmi out did not work as I expected it, but that's just one of the hdmi standard limitations, so I can not blame denon for it, I had to use an hdmi repeater for the hdmi 2 out, also if I want to use the second or third zone for audio I would have to set the main zone for 5.1 and loose two speakers as I have 7 speakers in wall and in ceiling installed, I have invested "enough" money on it so I am not just going to have two speakers not doing anything, my old receiver would handle this just fine as the same built in amplifier shares SBSs and zone two speakers, I'm limited to 5.1 when using zone 2 but it's done with one simple click and not through the menu. So with regret I have to send it back, as I have to de install and re install all this equipment, Crutchfield support was very good, I called tech support twice... Pros: Sounds good, the app for the iPhone and iPad works very well, you're capable of switching inputs, adjust the volume, etc Cons: Second and third zone have too many limitations, and this was the reason why I got this unit 7 out of 8 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Great so far Written By Jeff T, Richmond, VA on Wednesday, January 08, 2014 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) This replaced a Denon 3808ci. The main feature I was looking for was digital out for Zone 2. That function works well, however only if the original content is in 2-channel format. The Audyssey32 room correction is noticeably better and eight mic placements are allowed for the calculation. The GUI is much more intuitive and user friendly. Unlike other reviews I have seen, it does run any hotter than my old receiver. The ARC configuration is a little cryptic. I have decided not to use it, but did work with my Panny VT60. Bottom line is that sound is great, the room correction is really impressive and the sound stage seems more cohesive and integrated than the older model. I would recommend it. Pros: Great room correction, more intuitive than older Denons, digital out Zone 2. Cons: Flaky ARC 4 out of 5 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Great AVR Written By HowieR, Fort Lee, NJ on Tuesday, December 31, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Purchased one week ago as a replacement for an aged Onkyo in the family room. Right out of the box no problems. Fits perfectly in the console. AVR connection guide steps anyone through the speakers and input device connections. Plenty of HDMI inputs and outputs. Currently running a 7.2 configuration. Not yet taking advantage of multi zones but noted comments from other owners reviews. Using the Audyssey XT setup and microphone worked pretty well, however I did need go thru manual setup and tweak some of the speaker settings - subs and main speakers. Needed to make a fine adjustment to the xover frequencies for the floor standing speaker sound to open up more. Media server works great with streaming devices and controlling them from the remote straight forward. Found STB audio pass through a little quirky until setting change as well as power up was going into TV mode and not SAT/CBL. Using with B & W CM series floor standing speakers & Center, 2 subs that go down to 17hz and Klipsch ref series surround speakers mounted on the walls. Pros: Sounds great so far. A lot of musicality, not just oriented to theater sound reproduction as I have heard from others. 7 out of 8 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Denon AVR-X4000 IN-Command Written By Ryan, Herlong, ca on Tuesday, December 24, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Really like this amp 1 out of 9 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No No Joy Yet Written By JimS, Oklahoma City on Thursday, December 12, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) First unit arrived promptly but proved to be defective. Crutchfield offered replacement without any hassle, but delivery of this unit has been ponderously slow via UPS so I'm still waiting. Pros: Sounded good prior to repetitive shutdowns. Initial set up went smoothly. Cons: Play... shutdown. Play.....shutdown. Play.....shutdown. Ultimately it would shutdown with nothing connected. Web survey now suggests that others have experienced similar problems with the X4000. I hope the replacement works as advertised if and when it is delivered. 9 out of 25 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Disappointed - too late to return it though Written By Anonymous, Dunedin, FL on Tuesday, December 03, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I bought this unit in July and in October the unit shut down while using it and would not power up again. It went continually into protect mode. After working with Denon tech support (this happened just after Crutchfield's 2-month return policy) and was told I had to bring the receiver to a local Denon repair shop to get it repaired. A three-month old receiver! The authorized repair shop fixed a bad solder joint on internal connector CN203. I was told this was a factory defect (my receipt for the repair had Factory Mod. DZ10-171 on it for those who want more details). I asked the repair shop if there was anything in my home theater setup that could have caused/exacerbated this problem and he said no, it was just a factory defect. Beside that, I find the power of this unit to be weak. I replaced a Yamaha RX-2600 receiver with this unit and the power is NOTICEABLY less. I use all three zones of this unit and there is also an audio delay between the main zone and zone 3 if you and using the same source in both zones simultaneously. Both Crutchfield and Denon tech support could not find a solution for this issue. I stumbled upon a fix for me, which was there is not and audio delay between the main zone and zone 2 when playing the same source (the CBL/SAT source in my case) simultaneously. Luckily I stumbled across this and was able to rewire my zone hook ups to get by this rather unique issue I had. The remote is only semi useful. But I find the Denon iphone app VERY usable. Pros: Plenty of connections, including very good multi-zone support Internet connection and streaming pandora/XM-Sirius/etc works well Feature rich, about as many features as you can find at this price point Cons: Unit needed factory repair after only three months. That is just pathetic. The power of this unit may be disappointing to you if you are replacing another beefy-drive receiver The remote is only semi-useful. No backlight. Use the iphone/ipad app for configuration changes. 31 out of 32 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Does not meet my requirements Written By rmast, PA on Thursday, November 28, 2013 Replaced an Onkyo NR808 which died shortly after warranty expired. Specifications appear to be similar but I am hoping for better quality. My configuration has 7.1 in zone 1 (living room), powered zone 2 (kitchen/dining) and line in to zone 3 (office, powered by separate amp). Setup and connection were straight forward. Note that there is no physical manual. Instead you must use the included CD or better yet download the PDF. Setup software could be improved in the area of zone management. Zone 1 up and running is short order. However, now comes the issue. It is not possible to connect a powered zone 2 and keep 7.1 in zone 1. Most competition will on-the-fly convert from 7.1 to 5.1 when zone 2 is turned on. The Denon does not have this functionality. This is an unfortunate deal breaker. So it will be exchanged for a Yamaha RX-A2020. Fortunately it is on sale for less and adds additional features. The 9.2 system will allow concurrent 7.1 zone 1 and powered zone 2. Some other thoughts: The unit is smaller and lighter than competition. Remote is not fully back lit for all buttons and feels cheap. Sound after initial setup seemed good. Did not use long enough to compare to previous Onkyo. Did not try any networking features. Overall I think this is a good unit in many ways. However, it lacks the multi-room configuration of most competition. Therefore it seems overpriced making it not the best value. Pros: good sound, relative easy setup of main features, smaller case than most competition Cons: cannot use 7.1 in zone 1 anytime if connecting powered zone 2 7 out of 11 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No What a difference! Written By Mike W, Knoxville, TN on Monday, November 25, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I upgraded to this Denon AVR-X4000 from an older entry-level Onkyo which had served me well for 6 years. The difference was astounding. I plan to upgrade my speakers eventually, but this AVR has breathed new life into my DefTech ProCinema 600 speakers. Setup was fairly straightforward, and after running the Audyssey XT32 calibration, movies and music sound clearer, cleaner, and more lifelike. The sub is much better integrated than before, with smoother, less-boomy bass. I'm very pleased and highly recommend this receiver. As usual, service from Crutchfield was flawless. Pros: Audyssey MultEQ XT32 Clear, clean sound Straightforward setup Cons: None so far 7 out of 7 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No great product Written By Anonymous, Lexington, sc on Friday, November 01, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) Sounds great with my SVS speakers. Pros: Great Sound Cons: None Was this review helpful? Yes No Amazing! Written By Hansen, Alaska on Thursday, September 19, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I bought this as a birthday present/replacement for my AVR-2802. AMAZING. Still learning all the new features and available apps..but after a few movies... AMAZING. Crutchfield service = AMAZING. Pros: Sound quality & clarity, the ability to connect a multitude of components including old definitives and polks.. Cons: I was a little put off by the fact that the receiver is smarter than me. It told me during setup that one of my speakers was connected backwards. Really? 10 out of 13 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Excellent Product Written By HM, Merced, CA on Saturday, August 31, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I am glad I bought the x4000 which is the successor of the highly rated 3313ci. The feature that sold me on the system was the Audyssey MultEQ XT32, it's a great system for correcting room acoustics and is highly recommended if you plan on running dual subwoofers. I have an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings and my previous Sony system was a pain to listen to. Because of the open floor plan I only have 3 walls onto which I can attach speakers so I opted to go with a 6.1 setup. Fronts(L/R), Center, Surrounds(L/R), Center(Back), and currently a single subwoofer. Eventual plan is to add Front Heights(L/R) and a second subwoofer. There is room for also adding Front Wides(L/R) but that might be too much. Setup was easy and the GUI is very refined and easy to understand. The included microphone is fairly long but I had to buy an extension because my room is even longer. You place it in eight different locations near the main listening position which didn't take too long. It is very important to do this while it is quiet. All I can say is that once it's calibrated the sound is amazing, dialog is a lot clearer and audible, the bass is not overpowering just the right amount at the right time, and the surround effects really envelope you. My system is mostly for movies so I have not listened to music but that will depend heavily on the type of speakers you have. Having a HDMI zone2 output is great if you also have a projector and TV in the same room as I do. ... Pros: Audyssey MultEQ XT32 Zone 2 HDMI output Dual Subwoofers Easy Setup 4K future proof Cons: None yet 9 out of 10 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Great Receiver Written By Prince, Houston on Friday, August 09, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I bought this receiver to replace a 6 year old Onkyo. I was going to get another Onkyo, but, after some research decided on Denon. A little further searching and I went for the 4000. I am extremely glad I did. The setup is stupid easy. The features are many and useful (wireless would be nice, but not critical). The best part, however, is the sound. I thought the Onkyo did a good job, but after listening to the Denon for a while, I realized how wrong I was. 7 out of 10 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Flexible setup Written By John C, Indianapolis IN on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?) I have an all NHT system that sounds great with this receiver. Classic 4s sound great with traditional hookup. I may biamp or run an outboard amp in the future. I really like the HDMI to zone 2, but wish it would stay connected when powered off, like the first zone. Pros: Value, HDMI to zone 2, sound Cons: Zone 2 connection not avail in standby ( as far as I know) 8 out of 18 people found this helpful Was this review helpful? Yes No Hands-on research Features and specs chart | What's in the box? | In-depth notes What's in the box? Download owner's manual 7.2ch A/V Receiver 5.5' AC power cord Wireless remote control (RC-1185) 2 "AAA" batteries Audyssey setup microphone (ACM1HB) AM loop antenna FM wire antenna Owner's Manual CD-ROM Getting Started booklet (En/Fr/Sp) Warranty Information Safety Instruction Manual Denon Extended Protection Plan Sheet of adhesive labels Features and Specs General Number Of Channels 7 Stereo RMS Power (watts) 125 THD in Stereo 0.08 % Frequency Bandwidth (stereo) 20-20k Hz FM Sensitivity 14.8 dBf HD Radio Tuner Built-in On-Screen Display Thru HDMI Auto Speaker Calibration Audyssey MultEQ XT32 HDMI Standby Pass-through Yes Composite Video Conversion From Composite to HDMI Component Video Conversion From Component Video to HDMI HDMI to HDMI Upconversion Yes Internet-ready Yes Apple AirPlay Built in App Remote Control Yes Bluetooth-compatible No USB port for iPod/iPhone Yes DLNA Certified AudioPhoto MHL-compatible No Multibrand Remote Control Yes Learning Remote No LCD Remote No Width (inches) 17-1/8 Height (inches) 6-5/8 Depth (inches) 16 Weight (pounds) 27.12 Parts Warranty 3 Years Labor Warranty 3 Years Multi-room Audio--Video Powered Multi-room Audio Output Yes Preamp Multi-room Audio Output Yes Multi-room Video Yes Multi-room HDMI Output Yes Surround Processing Dolby Digital DD, EX, TrueHD, DD+ Dolby Atmos No DTS DTS, ES, HD, HDMA, Neo6, 96/24 Inputs & Outputs Phono Input 1 Audio-Video Inputs 7 Audio-only Inputs 2 Component Video Inputs 2 Component Video Monitor Outputs 1 Optical Digital Inputs 2 Coaxial Digital Inputs 2 Optical Digital Outputs None Coaxial Digital Outputs None HDMI Inputs 7 HDMI Monitor Outputs 3 Subwoofer Outputs 2 Multi-Channel Analog Input No Multi-channel Preamp Output Yes Main Speaker Output Pairs 1 Main Speaker Terminals Posts Ethernet Port 1 USB Connections 1 Front Removable Power Cord IEC 3-prong Product Research Audio Features Video Features Network + Tuner Functions iPod/USB Integration Convenience Features Remote Control Audio Features Equal Power Amp Design w Discrete Circuitry: The Denon AVR-X4000 is equipped with a 7 channel power amplifier rated at 125-watts (into 8-ohms, at 20-20kHz, with 0.08% THD, driving 2 channels) that reproduces high-fidelity sound in surround mode with equal quality and power for all channels, true to the original sound. The power amplifier circuit adopts a discrete-circuit configuration that achieves high-quality surround sound reproduction. To faithfully reproduce the original surround sound, each of the Denon AVR-X4000's seven channels are equipped with its own high-current power amp of equal power. Since these power amps also use discrete circuits configured with parts strictly selected for their contribution to high sound quality, rather than with low-cost integrated circuits (ICs), the surround sound playback is of impeccably high quality. Amplifier Assignment: The AVR-X4000's seven discrete amplifier channels can be configured to accommodate your type of home theater setup. 7.1Ch (SB/FH/FW): Assigns all power amplifiers within the receiver for the Main Zone. In this configuration, up to 11 speakers (Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, Surround Back L/R, Front Height L/R, Front Wide L/R) can be connected to the AV receiver. The receiver will automatically switch between the Surround Back (Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD), Front Height (Dolby Pro Logic IIx), and Front Wide (Audyssey DSX) speakers based on the type of 7.1ch content. You must use separate amplifiers for Zone 2 and Zone 3 speakers. 5.1Ch + Zone 2: The AVR-X4000's amplifier channels can be configured as Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, and Zone 2 for Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1ch playback in the main zone and 2ch PCM playback in the second zone. Surround Back, Front Height, and Front Wide speakers are not available. Zone 3 speakers must be powered by a separate amp. 5.1Ch + Zone 3: The receiver's amplifier channels can be configured as Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, and Zone 3 for Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1ch playback in the main zone and 2ch PCM playback in the third zone. Surround Back, Front Height, and Front Wide speakers are not available. Zone 2 speakers must be powered by a separate amp. 5.1Ch + Zone 2/3-Mono: The AVR-X4000's amplifier channels can also be configured as Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, and Zone 2/3 for Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1ch playback in the main zone and mono playback in the 2nd and 3rd zone. Surround Back, Front Height, and Front Wide speakers are not available. 5.1Ch Bi-Amp: Assigns all amplifiers of the receiver to the Main Zone with the front speakers bi-amped. Up to five speakers (Front L/R, Center, & Surround L/R) can be connected to the AV receiver. The Surround Back amplifier channels of the AV receiver are reassigned to bi-amp the front speakers. A bi-amplification connection uses two amplifiers for one speaker. One amplifier is connected to the woofer section of a loudspeaker while the other is connected to the combined midrange and tweeter section. With this arrangement each amplifier operates over a limited frequency range, making its job easier. Surround Back, Front Height, and Front Wide speakers are not available. Zone 2 and Zone 3 speakers must be powered by a separate amp. 7.1Ch/2Ch Front: Assigns all amplifiers within the receiver to the Main Zone for 7.1ch playback (w/ Surround Back speakers). You can also connect a second pair of front speakers that are different from the ones being used during multi-channel playback for playback of 2ch audio. The receiver will automatically switch the internal power amplifier between your multi-channel front speakers and your stereo front speakers when listening to surround sound or 2ch stereo. Front Height/Wide speakers are not available. A separate amp must be used for Zone 2 and Zone 3. 5.1Ch + Front B: Assigns five amplifier channels of the receiver to the Main Zone for up to 5.1ch playback and two amplifier channels to power another pair of speakers, often called "Speaker B". Surround Back, Front Height, and Front Wide speakers are not available. A separate amplifier must be used to power Zone 2 and Zone 3. 9.1Ch (SB/FH/FW): Assigns all seven internal amplifiers to the receiver's main zone and also requires a 2ch external amplifier for 9.1ch playback. The Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, Front Height, and Front Wide L/R speakers are powered by the internal amps. The receiver will automatically switch between the Front Height (Pro Logic IIz) and Front Wide (Audyssey DSX) speakers based on soundfield setting. The Surround Back L/R speakers will need to be powered by an external 2ch amplifier. Zone 2 and Zone 3 also require separate amps. 24-bit/192kHz DACs + AL24 Processing Plus Technology: This receiver is equipped with dual 24-bit/192-kHz DACs on all channels to decode and playback high-resolution recordings with less jitter and clearer sound. The AVR-X4000also offers AL24 Processing Plus for all channels (including Front L/R, Center, Surround L/R, and Sub). Denon's proprietary AL24 Processing, an analog waveform reproduction technology, expands the original 16-bit audio data to 24-bits; and can support up to 192kHz sampling frequency. AL24 Processing Plus thoroughly suppresses quantization noise (the difference between the actual analog signal and the quantized digital signal) associated with D/A conversion of LPCM signals to reproduce the low level signals with optimum clarity that will bring out all the delicate nuances of your movie & music soundtracks. Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit (D.D.S.C.-HD): The AVR-X4000 is equipped Denon's Proprietary Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit-HD, featuring a dual high-speed 32-bit floating point DSP processors for high-quality surround audio performance. All elements of the Surround Processor are optimized to the highest standards by the use of selected high performance and discrete components, particularly the A/D and D/A converters and the sophisticated DSP surround decoder. Hybrid PLL Jitter Reducer: The AVR-X4000 is equipped with a "Hybrid PLL Jitter Reducer" that is capable of reducing jitter and phase noise that negatively affect sound quality. The "Hybrid PLL Jitter Reducer" provided with this unit improves the sound localization, reproducing a natural sound field that is closer to the original soundtrack. Denon Link HD Jitter Free Audio: The AVR-X4000 also incorporates Denon Link HD, Denon's proprietary jitter-free audio transmission technology, which is designed to work with Denon's DBT-3313CI Universal Blu-ray Player (033DBT3313, sold separately). This feature separates out the timing data from the HDMI stream, allowing the receiver to re-clock the data with maximum precision, eliminating distortion-causing jitter for pristine sound quality. This technology transmits digital sound by transmitting the Denon A/V receiver's master clock signal to your DBT-3313UDCI and operating the ICs (integrated circuits) on both sides based on a shared, uniform clock signal. In digital signal transmissions over conventional HDMI connections, the ICs are operated with separate clock signals, resulting in considerable jitter and loss of resolution in the sound. Denon Link HD works not only with Blu-ray disc, but with all HDMI digital output signals; including DVD, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, music CD, and music streamed from a network. Multi-Channel Decoding Formats: The Denon AVR-X4000 AV receiver supports the following multi-channel (Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic) decoding formats. Dolby Digital: Dolby Digital, Dolby, Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD DTS: DTS, DTS-ES, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS Express, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo: 6, DTS Neo:X Dolby Pro Logic: Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Pro Logic IIz Note: Dolby Digital and DTS listening modes can only be selected if your audio source is connected to the AV receiver via a digital audio connection (HDMI, optical, or coaxial). To enjoy true 7.1ch Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS-HD surround sound, the receiver must be connected to your Blu-ray player via HDMI. Denon Original Listening Modes: Denon's Original Listening Modes, combined with Dolby Digital/DTS/Dolby Pro Logic processing, produce more realistic, powerful sound effects for your movie and music sound tracks based on the type of content and your home theater setup. You can choose from the following: Rock Arena: For rock and popular music sources, this mode surrounds you with reflected sound of the kind you would hear at a live concert. Jazz Club: This mode recreates the atmosphere of a live house where the ceiling is low and you are enveloped with rich doses of reflected sound. Matrix: With this mode, you can add rich reflected sound to 2-channel stereo music sources where reflected sound is normally not audible. Video Game: This mode is suited for achieving surround sound with video games.. Mono Movie: This mode is used when you listen to recorded monaural sound sources such as AM radio broadcasts or news programs from the center speaker. Virtual: Enjoy surround effects using only the front speakers or set of headphones. Multichannel Stereo: Left and right stereo channels are distributed to all the speakers so that stereo sound can be heard from all directions at any listening position. Note: This unit automatically generates a list of all the playable sound modes based on the input audio format and the current speaker setup configuration and displays the list on the screen. Therefore, you can select a correct surround playback mode even if you are not familiar with sound mode selection. Direct Listening Modes: The Denon AVR-X4000 offers two Direct Listening Modes which bypass the receiver's tone & DSP processing for higher sound quality performance. Direct Mode provides playback of 2ch or Multichannel audio in its original form, without any s


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Within two weeks or so (maybe earlier) (maybe later) (but no later than this month), I will "semi" stop blogging and forum posting. (Link to that other thread)
I'm mostly posting in DC anyway so it should be possible. I'm not going to stop posting in forums entirely but I don't plan on making any new threads anymore. (only quick replies)
Before that, I wanted to make one last free wordpress.com blog which I will abandon.
The blog contents will be pretty much a copy of everything I've concluded currently about productivity (including all my posts in DC) and I was wondering if anyone have any suggestion for a name for that blog.
Looking for a name that is:
-future SEO agnostic (something that years from now, people who may need the advice will have a chance of finding)
-have a central theme
-something that will lead to clearer tags/organization structures
I haven't learned CSS unfortunately and I still know little about advanced blog set ups so I plan the lay-out to be "ugly" but hopefully readable.
Zero stock images - Zero screenshots - All images doodled/scanned from paper or played around with Paint.Net (and I'm not an artist)
Haven't settled on a font and haven't looked through the entire library of free themes Wordpress.com has and as far as the lay-out, I'll probably try to copy App's Cranial Soup blog except for things like when images are besides the text and all the cool stuff like images underneath Things You May Like
It's not much but I'll give $10 donationcredits to the user whose suggestion I will use. I'd raise the credits but I only have $23.25 donationcredits total. All thanks from several different users here.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have recently stated workin on a new restoration project and could really use some help.
My new project is a 70's model yellow jacket and seem to be having trouble with the amp output and exciter. I am new to woking on these machines so any ideas would truely be great.
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Thread: 300 amp Yellow Jacket
12-08-2012, 09:10 AM #1Junior Member
- Join Date
- Dec 2012
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300 amp Yellow Jacket


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This conversation is closed.
How do you know if an idea is worth pursuing?
This is a general question, but I will give a specific example.
Not to long ago, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and put an idea for an app, (a game based on doodling), out into the world. I put my idea on a brand new crowdfunding site specifically designed to help raise funds for the development of applications.
I got a good start, but as the time ran down I realized I was coming up short. Unfortunately, my idea was not chosen for development.
The fact that my app didn't make it could have been a combination of things, my network was not big enough, the crowdfunding platform was to new, I may have not leveraged social media effectively enough, or the idea was just simply not good enough.
So my question is, how do I know if I should try to pursue this idea? How does one know when it is a good idea to pursue any idea? Many fail several times before they succeed, but how do they know it is worth trying again?
I look forward to hearing the comunities thoughts on this.
Yusuf Khan
Apr 8 2013: I think that if you are passionate about an idea and that you feel that it could make a difference to a persons life, then it would be worth pursuing. If we look at things with a economically feesible outlook, then we would never really enjoy all the thing that we may like or be indulged in.
- +2
With economics, what isnt feesible today might be feesible tomorrow, but if we loose hope in pursuing it today then we may not realise it when it could be. Many examples of such ideas exist such as the idea for aluminuim production, the idea of the difference machine(first mechanical computer in the world) by Charles Babbage who designed machines and never really get down to building them and the list goes on.
If you would, i have written a blog post on this specific kind of idea, and it might help you understand where im coming from. Please read it and let me know what you think.
Thank you
YusufApr 8 2013: Dear Amanda,
I see two different stages of an idea development in your inquiry:
1) How do you know if an idea is worth pursuing: This is the due diligence step of creating an action / business plan for the idea you have. As others have mentioned, research is the key. You have to investigate and find out whether your idea is palatable: Does it solve a problem? How many people does it affect? Is it proprietary? Is there anything else on the market like it? How much is it going to cost, and how will you pay for it? These are just some of the key questions you should know the answer to in your preparation phase, before you go head in.
2) Your doodling app example: Here you are already working on something, various options have been exhausted, and you are now asking yourself whether it makes sense to continue doing it. In my view, you should go back to your plan and review it. Do you have a contingency plan? Have you drained all your options? Are there any other options?
I see that you mentioned a few things you have already identified as potential negative effects (new website, weak social media positioning, etc.). This is your learning experience and exit strategy. Identify all of those, and recreate your plan based on solutions to the adverse factors. If it doesn't work after that, and there is no considerable progress, you might consider abandoning the idea and moving on.
Good luck!
Apr 8 2013: Thank you for the advise Stefan.
Family and friends gave me positive feedback, but again that is family and friends.
Putting an idea out there is definitely a learning experience! Not getting discouraged when it doesn't work is a whole different learning experience I am going through right now.
I think you have laid out some really good questions to ask when contemplating pursuing an idea. Do you think gut feeling has anything to do with it?
Apr 9 2013: Sure, I hope my little analysis has helped you a bit :) Gut feeling is a good indicator in my opinion of how fired up you are about the idea; research, planning, and preparation is what you need to make it happen in reality.
/SApr 8 2013: An idea is worth pursuing when it is concieved by a patient and disciplined fellow, when it has been critically examined, and has been enriched by wise counsel (there are people who have shown by their results that they've earned the right to be heard).
Now the purpose of seeking wise counsel is not to take every given advice as the hard and fast rule; but to help in having a broader perspective of things. Sometimes 'experts' are proven wrong by those who pursue their ideas with courage.
Courage is needed in the pursuit of a dream; because even when you think you are sure, you can never be really sure.
You gotta have faith in yourself, and in your dreams.
gale kooser
Apr 8 2013: Some great advice here & some I now use & others I will use myself in future.
- +1
An idea forms i my head-I figure out how to keep the costs down- & make a sample.
I take that idea & bounce it off other folks. If it does well in that area- wonderful.
I make up several samples & hit the street. Folks place orders via the samples.
No matter what-I keep those cost down but I do not squeak on quality. Never do that.
I have yet to advertize. Word of mouth is enough.
When you advertize, production goes up & at my age, I don't want to be chained to that wheel.
But that is for me & not others. If your young-go for it.
Apr 8 2013: What is young?
pat gilbert
Apr 7 2013: Fritzie is pretty smart for a gubment worker.
- +1
Yup the key is surveys. Make sure you survey people who play games otherwise your results will be skewed.
Ask questions that evoke emotions people buy for emotional reasons. In your case I would guess because it is fun.
If you ask enough questions you will get one answer that is dominant and that is the answer to what you want to provide.
E.G. a survey of candy might have the dominant answer of I want something that is crunchy and chewy. So chances are that if you are going to be successful in the candy business your candy should be crunchy and chewy. By the way can you think of a candy that is not crunchy and chewy or at least one or the other?
Budweiser used to be "for all you do this bud is for you", catering to an anachronistic class of people that worked hard. So if Budweiser was going to be successful it had to appeal to hard working blue collar types.
There is a plumber in our area who advertises himself as the smell good plumber. Obviously he surveyed and found that his potential customers didn't like the smell of most plumbers.
A home service company surveyed that the most important thing to homeowners were that contractors they used cleaned up after themselves. They determined that to a great extent this was how customer determined whether or not the contractor did a good job.
Look at the competition in your market and see what the primary emotional reason is that people play the games they play.
Do not survey groups as you will not get real answer
I did a survey here on TED for the first couple of thousand posts that I had made I averaged a point for every 35 to 40 posts this was worse than the most obnoxious ignorant people on TED. I was surprised because they weren't nearly as smart as me or as humble. So I did a survey to determine what the people said that got a high point value per post. In other words what did they want? answer short and pithy. I now get a point for every 27 posts.
Apr 8 2013: Hi Pat!
That is an interesting survey you conducted! If you were to ask me, pithy, yes, short? Well it would depend.
Anyways, I did conduct some informal surveys, but because this whole thing was a new process for me I may not have put enough effort into the survey part.
Do you think Budweiser came up with the add campaign by doing a taste test survey that reveiled their beer tasted better to working class people? Or do you think they decided who their target audience was first, and then built their campaign around them?
With the specific example of the doodling app, I had a hard time deciding who the target audience was going to be. In my mind, the game could be used for a number of different things, like as a tool for art teachers, art therapists, parents, etc. I could have probably made it more appealing to kids as a children's game but I didn't want to limit the game as only for kids.
So, do you have to be compleat lay clear on who your target audience is going to be before your idea can succeed ?
Thanks again for your thoughts
Apr 8 2013: Do NOT underestimate the importance of this. It literally is the difference between sucess and failure.
The taste or the beer is irrelevant. it is about emotion. Look at Red Bull it tastes like sh!%, but it seems to be selling moderately well?
A couple more examples:
Friend decided to go into the clothing business started out selling jackets to mom and pops but could not get enough volume. They started selling to department stores problem was the margin was too low. They then decided to sell to team sports with warm up jackets and it took off and they have been doing it every since the mid 80's. The market has changed so it is not what it used to be but they are still in business.
A software company started as a guy doing programming and after years of surveying while still working his company sales went into the 100's of millions by finding a niche in the market.
You are asking about different niches. The obvious question is what companies cater to these different niches? If there are none most likely there is not demand.
You are doing too much thinking and too much talking. Surveys are about LOOKING. So do a whole lot of looking and you will find the answer but only if you look.
Anyway it is just work if you do the work you will find the answer nobody is going to hand it to you.
Fritzie -
Apr 7 2013: Your question is broad, as you say. Two ideas come to mind. One is whether you did any sort of survey about what sorts of doodling ideas are already out there and thriving and what yours offers that others might not to a niche of users who are under-served by existing applications. You probably know that doodling is pretty big right now, with several very successful doodling programs out there, in addition to the fact that you can doodle on lots of computer apps or with just a pencil and paper.
- +1
Cranium and Yamodo are two games I know with a doodling component, and I am sure there are others. There is even a TED talk on doodling, though I cannot remember the speaker. Found it: http://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown.html
In terms of your broader question of how long to pursue a creative idea, many bloggers write on this topic, including Seth Godin, a TED speaker who has a searchable blog. I believe his book The Dip is on this subject. Also, you may be interest in the free course Design of Artifacts in Society, a free Massive Open Online Course through Coursera. The teacher is Karl Ulrich, inventor and faculty member at Wharton.
Apr 8 2013: Hi Fritzie!
Thanks for your feedback!
I did do some research on doodling games and I did not find anything like the game I was trying to make. If you would like to check out the video I made for the campaign, here is a link to it.
This was the first time I had ever put an idea out into the world like this, so I may not have explained the concept very well.
I am very familiar with the Sunnie Brown Ted talk. In fact I posted that talk on the Facebook page that I made for The Doodle Project. I even contacted her to ask if she would mind looking at my idea and giving me any advise or feedback she could. Unfortunately, she was very busy and I was only able to speak with her PR person, which is understandable.
I am also a big follower of Seth Godin. I am actually in the middle of listening to the Iccarus Deception, and I am enjoying it very much.
I have never heard of the free courses through Coursera. I will be sure to check it out.
Thank you for your thoughts and advise!Apr 9 2013: If you believe in your idea, you will work hard on it yourself and spend as much as needed. if you don't believe your idea truly, you'll try to find someone else to work for that.Apr 7 2013: Will you do anything with Fritzie's answer, it sounds good, tell the idea to your family and friends and see what they say. If they aren't thrilled with your idea, ask how you can make it better.Apr 7 2013: Give up when you've tried all the avenues you've thought of and a few more.