Is there any receiver better then the Harmon Kardon avr247 aound same price?

Polkie918

I got the avr247 and I love the looks and it sounds good but its giving me some problems....something inside sparked and it seems to still work fine but sometimes it makes crackling sounds in the speakers but not alot...

what would be BETTER then this in the same price range UNDER $500 which from what I look up is yamaha 663.....onkyo 606....OR??

what do you all think?

thanks

DollarDave

Check out the Marantz receivers at http://www.accessories4less.com/

Marty913

Polkie918 wrote: »

I got the avr247 and I love the looks and it sounds good but its giving me some problems....something inside sparked and it seems to still work fine but sometimes it makes crackling sounds in the speakers but not alot...

what would be BETTER then this in the same price range UNDER $500 which from what I look up is yamaha 663.....onkyo 606....OR??

what do you all think?

thanks

Marantz would be good. Also look at the Pioneer 1018 discounted to around $450.

kgingras

Marty913 wrote: »

Marantz would be good. Also look at the Pioneer 1018 discounted to around $450.

I've got the Pioneer 1018. For me it was a toss up between that and the
663. I went for the 1018 since it has an extra HDMI. I use external amps so did not care about the power rating. Keep checking Amazon as its sometimes offered for $399 on the weekends from J&R which is what I paid.

doggie750

What event did you witness this? Could you provide links or actual footage. I am in the market as well and your inputs with valid data is appreciated. Thanks.

Kex wrote: »

If you like harman/kardon sound, you may not like some of the alternatives as much, so be prepared to be disappointed. Marantz sounds like a good option though. Other receivers may not have as much power, since harman/kardon rate their receivers "all channels driven", not just two channels driven, or one (Onkyo seem to be the only ones actually stating that they only measure two channels driven, most of the others prefer to leave buyers in ignorant bliss). The specified 50w/ch of the 247 (@ <0.07% THD, 20Hz – 20kHz into 8 ohms) will usually deliver better results, when bench tested, than receivers costing $1,000 or more, claiming to output 110w/ch or more (the results are often actually better than what harman/kardon claim themselves).

Also, why did your 247 develop these problems? The model seems to have had some issues but there are still CP members using them and very happy with how they match up with Polk Audio speakers. Is it enclosed in a cabinet and not getting enough air? Are you driving it too hard (anything above -10dB on the h/k volume scale is probably too high for comfort), which actually risks damage to your tweeters as much as anything else? If you are not sure why the 247 developed those issues, you may risk something similar, or worse, with another receiver.

AsSiMiLaTeD

doggie750 wrote: »

What event did you witness this? Could you provide links or actual footage. I am in the market as well and your inputs with valid data is appreciated. Thanks.

Uh...................what?

Face

His google must be broken.

lakesailor

Polkie918 wrote: »

I got the avr247 and I love the looks and it sounds good but its giving me some problems....something inside sparked and it seems to still work fine but sometimes it makes crackling sounds in the speakers but not alot...

what would be BETTER then this in the same price range UNDER $500 which from what I look up is yamaha 663.....onkyo 606....OR??

what do you all think?

thanks

For under $500 there is nothing better sounding or performing than a working H/K. Working being the key word. You can fuind more features for the money; but not the performance.

lakesailor

Kex wrote: »

Home Theater Mag, December 2007 (prices below valid at that time):

Harman/kardon, AVR147 @ $449, rated 40w/ch.
- 0.1 percent distortion at 66.7 watts, all channels driven (five available).
- Full results: http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1107rack/index5.html

Sony, STR-DA3300ES @ $1,000, rated 100w/ch.
- 0.1 percent distortion at 46.8 watts, five channels driven.
- 0.1 percent distortion at 46.5 watts, all channels driven (seven available).
- Full results: http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1107rack/index7.html

Yamaha, Yamaha RX-V2700 @ $1,700, rated 140/ch.
- 0.1 percent distortion at 63.8 watts, five channels driven.
- 0.1 percent distortion at 47.9 watts, all channels driven (seven available).
- Full results: http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1107rack/index9.html

Review Introduction: http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/1107rack/index.html

That does not surprise me at all. H/K has always been very conservative with ratings. Interesting to see the claims from the others vs. actual output.

jon s

The Onkyo might be a better bet...

HT Labs Measures: Onkyo TX-SR606 A/V Receiver
Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1 percent distortion at 81.2 watts
1 percent distortion at 109.4 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1 percent distortion at 73.2 watts
1 percent distortion at 87.4 watts
Analog frequency response with stereo signal processing:
–3.25 dB at 10 Hz; –1.13 dB at 20 Hz
–0.06 dB at 20 kHz; –25.30 dB at 50 kHz

Polkie918

actually I think the HK 247 is under warrenty still and I may be able to send it in for a new or refurbed one for free....since everyone is saying the power is the best....and its obviously the sexiest one out there and the features is good enought for me i should just get it fixed.....

what about TRUE HD or Master HD sound.....THe onkyo has that but not my HK....



I know my 247 can get from $250-$300 sold....and the onkyo 606 is always on amazon brand new for right at $350.....



what do u all think


thanks alot so far.

nm4710

Honestly obsessing about receiver power output seems silly to me. Unless you listen to multichannel stereo, how often do you need significant wattage in all channels? On top of that, with most speakers having a sensitivity of ~90dB, most of the time we are running our speaks on less than a watt anyway. I understand the argument for power reserves in terms of dynamic transients..but wouldn't capacitance matter more than wattage there?

If one is that concerned about power, an external amp is the way to go - they generally have more honest power ratings and more capacitance as well. If you have 4 ohm speakers...don't even bother with a receiver unless it's rated for such.

I completely agree that the sound of HKs is different...but as Kex wisely stated it's not a power issue.

I believe the majority of polk speakers (all except the LSi line and RTi10/12) will perform well with any modern receiver. Differences in sound quality for these speakers will relate more to the receiver's equalization features, surround modes, etc. than its power output.

lakesailor

Polkie918 wrote: »

actually I think the HK 247 is under warrenty still and I may be able to send it in for a new or refurbed one for free....since everyone is saying the power is the best....and its obviously the sexiest one out there and the features is good enought for me i should just get it fixed.....

what about TRUE HD or Master HD sound.....THe onkyo has that but not my HK....



I know my 247 can get from $250-$300 sold....and the onkyo 606 is always on amazon brand new for right at $350.....



what do u all think


thanks alot so far.

The H/K has the proprietary Logic 7 seven circuitry onboard that was exclusively developed by Lexicon. It’s pretty impressive sound technology for the price. H/K has character in it’s sound; they also have pretty good peak instantaneous current ability as well. I’ll stand by H/K for the money. In that price range they are very tough to beat in terms of performance and sound quality.

Onkyo will give you more features but that is about it.

Ron Temple

I've tried Onkyo, Pio(10xx series), Denon and my HK 2xx series. All had enough power to push most conventional speakers. The differences are more in the processing and bias within the internal amp stages. It's subjective of course, but the Denon was significantly better sounding with or without Audessey than either the Pio or Onkyo. I'll also admit that it was a better HT processor than the HK. However, HKs 2 channel (Stereo Surround Off) processing, and Direct (6/8 channel direct) modes smoked the others for dynamics, separation and punch. The processing or lack thereof is the most transparent I've experienced. It compares more to some 2 channel pres that I've heard. It's my weakest component and yet I've never been dissatisfied with SQ. I was with the other AVRs.