Thoughts on Harman/Kardon AV receivers

Hi all
Well, I'm seriously considering jumping on the HT bandwagon! At least as a starter setup, I'm thinking about a Harman/Kardon receiver. I'm not sure which one, since I've heard that the 7.1 chipsets don't sound as good as the 5.1s, both on this forum and elsewhere. In any case, I'd be using the receiver as a preamp, using my own amps. Not sure yet if I'd incorporate my Sequels into the mix, but it is a possibility. I've not read any articles on them, but in looking at them in the stores and checking out H/Ks Website, they seem very well equipped for their selling price, and they're HEAVY!!! They also look really cool when turned on, but that's a very, very minor consideration. I wouldn't care if it was just a black box with one LED on the front no matter what! Performance within a budget is what matters most.
One issue I found curious is that Circuit City no longer carry them. The nearest retailer is Fry's Electronics.

I had the HK330 AVR... I thought it was pretty good. Good current throughput and excellent customer service (even if I was the second owner)! I'd buy it again if I had to.

Not as good as separates, but then again, we're not asking it to do so anyway.

Joey

Tube60 said:

Hi all
Well, I'm seriously considering jumping on the HT bandwagon! At least as a starter setup, I'm thinking about a Harman/Kardon receiver. I'm not sure which one, since I've heard that the 7.1 chipsets don't sound as good as the 5.1s, both on this forum and elsewhere. In any case, I'd be using the receiver as a preamp, using my own amps. Not sure yet if I'd incorporate my Sequels into the mix, but it is a possibility. I've not read any articles on them, but in looking at them in the stores and checking out H/Ks Website, they seem very well equipped for their selling price, and they're HEAVY!!! They also look really cool when turned on, but that's a very, very minor consideration. I wouldn't care if it was just a black box with one LED on the front no matter what! Performance within a budget is what matters most.
One issue I found curious is that Circuit City no longer carry them. The nearest retailer is Fry's Electronics.

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Look at the Outlaws ... The 990, the 970, or the 1070 are all good options that are highly regarded.

I pussed out and got a Denon 2307 which is a nice receiver and all but I wish I had paid the extra cash for the Outlaw.

Hey Tube,

I can only speak for the H/K system in my car. It's the "Premium" system that BMW offers and it's total garbage. Because of it, I would never buy H/K anything.

H/K in its day was some good stuff, like Levinson, Madrigal, etc. But since those days when the companies changed, I have really not heard or read many stellar things mentioned about it. You will be surprised at the quality of sound you can get by using the Pre-Outs from a HT Receiver and your own amps.

I am in the same situation now wondering why kind of improvements I will get over my mainstream HT receiver I currently use (pre-out all) and going to a better product like Arcam, Aragon, Krell, Classe, Proceed, etc. There are the other "internet-only' companies like Outlaw and Emotiva which seem to garner a lot of good things about them, to think about too.

Dan

H/K is part of the JBL/Infinity/Harmon Kardon group of companies now. All with glorious histories and now they make consumer goods. Good goods, but nothing special, IMHO.

I've also just A-B tested my old Mirage speakers beteen my NAD 60Wpc amp with Adcom preamp/tuner versus a very large Yamaha 7.1 receiver I picked up cheap. The receiver is rated for more power, but it sounds lifeless and won't play as loud as the NAD. On a sonic scale, I'd rate it a 5. There's no gusto to the sound like the NAD has, and the stage sounds repressed. I wouldn't trust a receiver with the impedance of Martin Logans, either. Maybe using preamp outs and another amp it'd be better, but it's hard to say it would, and that's a lot of money!

It also comes with the entertainment of video menus you have to navigate in order to adjust the receiver's functions. The system is just the main speakers right now and I've spent probably an hour trying to get it set to just the main speakers and straight stereo. As I said, I got it cheap so no manual, but I'm not exactly an A/V retard and the sonic gap is huge.

BTW, I've been a Yamaha fan forever. I've got a Yamaha M-35 amp and NSA-635A speakers as my computer system, and even a Yamaha motorcycle!

Thanks all for the feedback! BTW I'd definitely use the unit as a preamp, even if I stayed with conventional loudspeakers, never mind my Sequels! I don't think even their top of the line receiver would deliver the goods to make them happy. But I will shop around for sure and compare other brands first. And I may just stay with Surround 2.0 anyway!

They used to make some good higher-end gear (I had the 3350 receiver) but now it's just mainstream stuff. It might be good, but if it is just for using with the pre-outs (as others have correctly suggested), why not look at something renowned for good processing like Yamaha or Marantz?

amey01 said:

They used to make some good higher-end gear (I had the 3350 receiver) but now it's just mainstream stuff. It might be good, but if it is just for using with the pre-outs (as others have correctly suggested), why not look at something renowned for good processing like Yamaha or Marantz?

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That's definitely a possibility. I guess I'm a bit biased with H/K, even if it's a vintage design of theirs!