Harman/Kardon 3480 2ch. receiver

aaharvel

i'm thinking this would drive the LSI9's pretty decent.. 150x2 into 4ohms, both channels driven 20-20. It's got +/-45 amps of current.

I'm moving after I graduate and hopefully will have a 2nd room I can put the h/t mess in and use a simple 2ch. setup (no sub) such as this for the main living room.

Any one have any experience with this receiver?

http://www.harmankardon.com/specifications.aspx?Region=USA&Country=US&Language=ENG&cat=REC&ser=&prod=HK%203480&sType=C

Early B.

Yep. I had one. Awesome receiver. Go for it.

aaharvel

i know the lsi9's dip as low as 2.5ohms around the 50hz mark, but whatever. So this thing would be 4ohm stable then for moderate/sometimes loud (but not too loud=)listening levels?

Early B.

Unlike most HT receivers, this stereo receiver is designed to accomodate 4 ohm speakers. You won't have a problem and you've got plenty of power for your particular application. Besides, it's an HK, so you can feel confident that you'll be getting a nice, smooth sound. I also like the fact that the receiver accomodates two pairs of speakers, and you can even play all four of them at the same time if you ever want to fool around with "surround sound" or if you want to set up speakers in another room (I did that and it worked very well.).

Early B.

BTW -- aren't you at UNCG? How's my old alma mater doing? I went back last year after graduating almost 20 years ago. Beautiful campus. Students are the same, though, which is cool. Nice, laid back atmosphere conducive for higher learning. But in my day, the girls were prettier.

aaharvel

it's a good school- the professors are great. It's great for Sociology & Political Science, which is why I chose this place over others such as UNCA, UNCW, UNCC and Appalachian State, but i'm getting out of this town in June. No culture- just MTV/elimidate attitudes. **** really.

I'm moving to the coast. I want sand as my backyard.

2+2

Contemplating picking one of these up my self but wondering if my Rti100s would even notice a difference...gotta love HK current capacities....

lanion

I've heard nothing but good things about that... Also, I might be moving to Chapel Hill, NC in the fall. My Fiancee may go to grad school there.

AndyGwis

What's a fair price for a HK 3480? Maybe $150 - $175 for a nearly new or refurb?

I might pick one up this weekend. Love my Pioneer Elite A35R, but I think my future bedroom setup needs just a bit more juice. Also, I got a sub and would like to hook it up with LFE / Sub out instead of my current method.

Lastly, love my HK 635 and for $175, how can you go wrong with the 3480? 120 wpc 8, 150 wpc 4. Tuner (nice to have), phono, sub/pre outs, 2 speaker outs, VMax, etc.

zombie boy 2000

I just picked one up a refurb yesterday from a seller on Audiogon.
$185 shipped.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?miscrcvr&1183281517

He claims in the ad that it's his "only one", but you can tell from his feedback that he obviously has plenty to move.

Wifey needed a remote and I needed a cheap pre until I settle on something else. Includes phono stage as well. I'm sure I'll come around to fiddlin' with it's amp section just for craps and giggles.

AndyGwis

Cool. I believe I have found one locally, new, for $165 - $175. Seems like you get a whole lot of 2 channel fun for the small pricetag. Plenty of power, remote, tuner, Vmax, phono, 2 speaker pairs, etc.

I guess this product falls through the crack between HT big-box enthusiasts and 2-channel mid/hi fi enthusiasts. The first looks for bells, whistles, 7.1, WPC, etc. The second, separate components for everything, fancy brands, higher pricetags. I know when I went to Tweeter over a year ago for my first HT, I wondered why the hell they carried stereo receivers anymore. Now I know.

zombie boy 2000

Yup. You do a search on the Forum and you find some pleasant reviews from the likes of Early B and Zero. Like I said... I just needed a temporary pre w/ remote until I figure out my next move in that department. At this pricepoint, I couldn't really pass it up for all its functions.

It might be a gem. It might be a boat anchor. All I know is, it's cheap. I have a feeling the power specs may be a bit bloated (esp. the amps - 45!). I know HK is conservative, but this thing only ways 23 lbs. But then again...

Let me know what you think Andy before I go taking the Khartago out of the rack to fool around with the HK's amp section.

dipiazza

Pre Outs too. Looks sweet for the money.

NeilGabriel

AndyGwis wrote: »

but I think my future bedroom setup needs just a bit more juice.

care to elaborate??

zombie boy 2000

I know this goes against nearly every fiber of my being, but this meager lil' stereo receiver/pre is absolute honey in my system. Smoothed out the highs better than the Dared SL-2000A tube pre and introduced a bit of slam lacking with either of the passives.

Dollars to donuts... this is all due to a stroke of luck and a dash of synergy, but its got that swing. Zero listening fatigue. Foot-tappin' goodness.

Crap source aside.

This hobby is bonkers. Seriously. A "receiver" for crying out loud.

AndyGwis

Yep. Picked up one last week to give the new bedroom towers (RT600s) more power. Got a screaming good deal on a brand new one. Guy let it go for cheap cuz it had a bit hole in the box, but everything was mint. Still original packaging, NEVER opened much less used.

Now, a week after popping new tweeters in the RT600s ($160 from polk), I'm now probably selling the speakers. I know the HK can push the LSi7s, so I'm going after a pair of them. The RT600s are nice, but not getting any love from the girlfriend who wants bookshelfs in the bedroom. They are a little short to get sound over the foot of the bedframe, so a bookies on a higher stand would probably be best anyway.

Need to sell my PE A35R, and I guess these RT600s. Love the HK3480.

zombie boy 2000

Cool. I messed around with the HK's amp section before connecting it to the Khartago and though it couldn't keep up, it certainly wasn't a slouch.

Here's the ultimate rub. The HK's phono section is quiter than the Pro-ject Phono Box I had mated with the Debut III. I mean... those two were developed with the other in mind supposedly.

I'm extremely pleased that if I'm going to have to coexist with a bench-warmin', interim pre for the time being, that it should satisfy on this level. At least, I'll be able to take my time with my search and save the ducets proper without being egged on by bleeding ears.

Out of curiosity, what's the sensitivity of your speaks Andy?

AndyGwis

Right now, they are running some RT600s, which I believe are an efficient 90 db 8 ohm load.

I like the speakers, but (for looks as much as anything) I think the LSi7s would be a really nice match. With having a PSW250 for the low end, I think the LSi7s will be great on the 3480.

zombie boy 2000

For a bedroom system, you could do a whole lot worse:)

AndyGwis

Well, since we got a new pillow-top mattress, my GF loves to watch movies and TV in bed. I'm not opposed to it, either

Early B.

Ha ha. Glad you guys are luvin' the 3480. Sometimes I wish I were smart enough to say, "to hell with this hobby," sell off most of my gear, get a 3480, and be done with it.

AndyGwis

if only it were that easy. I'll end up getting some LSi7s, then find I love them and wonder. . . what if I had a nicer integrated in the bedroom? Or, maybe my sub is holding me back, etc.

Honestly, three years ago, I had a 27" Panasonic CRT and Panasonic HTIB in my living room, and a 13" TV in the bedroom. Can't believe how quickly I'm moving up through mid-fi.

AndyGwis

So, had a quick question about the HK 3480, and where better to post it than here.

I have the subwoofer connected from sub out (bottom one) to the RCA / LFE input of the sub. Doesn't look like the HK offers any bass management (crossover) options for large, small, sub on, etc. like my HK 635.

So, does it send full spectrum out through the Sub L / R, then the sub plays everything under it's crossover setting? Just checking to make sure I understand it. Since it only plays stereo (doesn't decode DD, DTS, etc.), there is no LFE track for movies, just straight stereo and sub plays anything within the crossover setting, right?

kalgiers

Correct. The subwoofer out jack spits out a full spectrum signal.

AndyGwis

Cool. Any advantage to connecting both the L and R sub out to my subwoofer line-level L and R ins? Seems a little redundant and a waste of an IC. . .

Unless anyone says otherwise, I'll just make sure the crossover and volume setting on my sub are calibrated correctly and stick with one RCA/subwoofer cable.

zombie boy 2000

AndyGwis wrote: »

Cool. Any advantage to connecting both the L and R sub out to my subwoofer line-level L and R ins? Seems a little redundant and a waste of an IC. . .

Using both will amount to about a 3db gain... nothing to lose sleep over.