Harman Kardon HK AVR 354

royalty · November 2009

Found a deal on one. I am not a fan at how the way my current receiver, the Onkyo tx-sr706 sounds. I think it is too bright for my tastes and for my current speakers. I can get a deal on one of these for around 250 to 300 dollars. Coincidentally I could sell my Onkyo for around this price. Should I go for it, or does this sound stupid. I have multiple amps in my setup so power is not the issue. I like a warmer sound and I have been told the HK's provide this. Thanks ahead of time.

ben62670 · November 2009

You will be very happy with the HK. I miss mine:(

royalty · November 2009

Thanks good to hear. I just really havent been too happy with the Onkyo.

kawizx9r · November 2009

Never experienced one but I've heard they're pretty warm so you should like that for HT. Although, they do tend to have firmware issues....of course there's always a way around that.

Have you looked into a Denon?

royalty · November 2009

I have not looked into a Denon. Two questions: Are Denon's warm? And, is there somewhere that I could purchase them refurbished?

kawizx9r · November 2009

royalty wrote: »

I have not looked into a Denon. Two questions: Are Denon's warm? And, is there somewhere that I could purchase them refurbished?

Not sure about refurb models, but yes they are warm. Very musical imo.

Pycroft · November 2009

I have an HK AVR 354. As a previous poster said, there were firmware issues. I would suggest not buying this if it is not coming from an authorized dealer. If it's a transaction over craigslist or ebay, you may want to be careful...at least ask if the firmware has been updated and/or if they have and problems with it. I find HK to be a very warm, musical AVR. I had the same issue with Onkyo, although your ONkyo is a newer model than mine was. As far as Denon, there are a few places that sell refurb's.
http://www.usa.denon.com/OnlineETailers.asp At the bottom of the website, there lists a few online refurb sites, but I wasn't impressed by them. Maybe you can find a deal. I also liked denon, and demo'd a number of others - Pioneer Elite, Denon, Onkyo, and Marantz. I chose the HK.

James

Conradicles · November 2009

How does one describe "warm"?

Pycroft · November 2009

That's a good question Conradicles...I am a musician. When I'd play...let's say...Dvorak's 9th symphony - Leonard Bernstein conducting NY Philharmonic...on my Onkyo - the violins sounded shrieky to me, and the lower strings/woodwinds, and somtimes even the brass sounded thin. When I listen to the same recording, the lower strings sound phenomenally warm (Musical description) and the highs on the strings/woodwinds sound precise and not shreiky. I guess everyone describes "Warm" differently and in different contexts.

James

cnh · November 2009

Nice description Pycroft...as AVRs go, though, Onkyos are not particularly 'bright' so I wonder about your speakers!

HKs and Marantz are warmer AVRs....and maybe more musical....some people though like bright...!

Higher end Onkyo's are a bit toned down---like the 876/906...an improvement over the 600s and 700s...

If you like HK you should also give Marantz 5003/4 or 6003/4 a try if you can find a good price there.

cnh

royalty · November 2009

Cnh, regarding your question about my speakers. I have tried several different kinds and models of speakers on this receiver and they all sound brighter when in comparison to other receivers that I have owned. I really just purchased it for the newer tech in it. In the end though, I have found it to be far too bright for my tastes. I guess this is a taste thing, but when I watch a loud, long movie my ears are quite fatigued due to the brightness.

royalty · November 2009

What exactly are these firmware issues that have been spoken of? The place I would be buying the HK from is pretty much HK's equivalent to Polk Audio Direct.

kawizx9r · November 2009

royalty wrote: »

What exactly are these firmware issues that have been spoken of? The place I would be buying the HK from is pretty much HK's equivalent to Polk Audio Direct.

Like I said, nothing I've owned or experienced just things I've read. I thought about getting an HK AVR254 since it's affordable and has alot of bells and whistles but that was before I got my Denon 2805. Maybe when I get back into HT I'll go with HK otherwise my first choice would be a Denon.

apphd · November 2009

royalty, there are many here that comment on how good a match up the HK and Polk are together, and the over all warmer sound the HK is over Onk. I can't comment as I've only used Denon, Yamaha, and Technics way back.

If you go to AVS Forums there is lots of info on firmware issues. Something to explore is if the firmware updates are only available to original owners and units purchased through authorized dealers. I thought they were available to all owners, but they may not be.

The way I look at it the price you can pick it up for is good, you can sell the Onk for close to that price it's a no brainer. This will allow you to decide if the HK hits your sweet spot or not. If not the journey continues, if it does but has issues that you can not correct with firmware, due to not having access to them, then you need to decide if you should sell that one and buy another from an authorized dealer.

Either way, for a little investment you will have the answer as to whether the HK is the one for you.

Pycroft · November 2009

HK had problems when its new AVR's came out. Most, it seemed, dealt with compatibility with components when you plug them in. I've read where an XBox 360 or PS3 wouldn't work unless you turn the components on in certain orders, etc. If you are buying it from the EBay store, that's where I got mine, and it's been flawless.

Ern Dog · November 2009

I have an HK635 that I'm listening to right now as my back up. Yesterday a fuse went out in my Pass Labs amp, so I'm using the HK till the fuse arrives. I have to admit that it sounds really good, nice warmth, and I've never had any issues with it.

mrbofus · November 2009

royalty wrote: »

Found a deal on one. I am not a fan at how the way my current receiver, the Onkyo tx-sr706 sounds. I think it is too bright for my tastes and for my current speakers. I can get a deal on one of these for around 250 to 300 dollars. Coincidentally I could sell my Onkyo for around this price. Should I go for it, or does this sound stupid. I have multiple amps in my setup so power is not the issue. I like a warmer sound and I have been told the HK's provide this. Thanks ahead of time.

When you say "bright" what exactly do you mean? Tinny, twangy??????
I have been looking for a new Receiver as discussed in an other post.
The HK ARV 354 is mentioned alot as possibley the one I should purchase. Cant swing new and have concerns with referbs. Althought some of the "experenced" folks here dont seem its an issue. I have been considering as I as one put it the "oinker", so looking forward to the continue replys to your post.
Greg

royalty · November 2009

To me brightness is an over-exaggeration of the high end that causes some people some discomfort when listening to music. It becomes especially apparent and tiresome when listening to said brightness for a long period of time. I dont know what causes brightness, but I do know that when I put the Onkyo on pure audio, where it turns off a bunch of the electrical **** inside the receiver, the brightness becomes noticeably turned down. While some people have a problem with brightness I know that others dont. You could even go as far to say some people like the brightness, but for me, I dont.

kp1706 · November 2009

I have had mine for about six months and I really like the audio sound and ability to tweak the receiver. Lately I have been having HDMI problems which may be related to my Fios/Motorola setup. If you go to the AVS Forum http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1043407 you will see a significant number of disenchanted owners, mainly due to firmware update issues. HK also recently updated their website and must have used a brain-damaged code writer because the new site has little info, and no continuity from the previous sites registered users.
Like I said, I like the sound but I am surprised by the number of people having problems and HK's pathetic responses.:(

devani · November 2009

too bad people have too many trouble with HK 354's....my 445 doesn't do HDMI decoding and I've had it for over 2 years without a problem....just make sure firmware issue is taken care of

domflane · November 2009

My 354 is my second HK AVR, I bought it as a floor model with the full warranty, I made sure of this because I had heard about all of the firmware issues. Ive had it about two months now and no problems so far. My xbox works fine through the HDMI and the sound is fantastic. A 235 was my first AVR and I was so impressed with the sound at 50wpc that i chose the 354 over an elite sc-07 when the time came to upgrade.

mrbofus · November 2009

xcapri79 wrote: »

I've heard the HK354 several times and I enjoy the HK sound.
The amps are fine in those AVR's and better than most.

Does the HK work well in both applications, stereo and HT?
Does any place do in home demo's? That would really help in the buying decision.
Greg

KASR · November 2009

My first AVR was an H/K and I was very happy with it - I had to make sure it went to a good home, or I wasn't getting rid of it! LOL!

Zion21 · November 2009

Does amazon sell this? I want to put my prime account to use!

mrbofus · November 2009

Many discussion I've read suggest a receiver with pre outs. What does one look for and expect to spend for an external amp down The road. Say for $500 or less.

kawizx9r · November 2009

mrbofus wrote: »

Many discussion I've read suggest a receiver with pre outs. What does one look for and expect to spend for an external amp down The road. Say for $500 or less.

Used comes to mind.
More bang for your buck imo.

royalty · November 2009

I have two used amps both under three hundred and they are both great. So yeah, go used its totally fine.

cnh · November 2009

royalty wrote: »

Cnh, regarding your question about my speakers. I have tried several different kinds and models of speakers on this receiver and they all sound brighter when in comparison to other receivers that I have owned. I really just purchased it for the newer tech in it. In the end though, I have found it to be far too bright for my tastes. I guess this is a taste thing, but when I watch a loud, long movie my ears are quite fatigued due to the brightness.

I think this is a bit subjective of course...I agree some...I will say that a 600 series is brighter than my 805 with Burr Brown DACs and higher current power supply....I will also say that Yamahas are generally brighter then Onkyos any model, and the Denon is NOT much warmer than my 805...I own a Denon and I've compared that to the 805...one is not warmer than the other.

I find NO harshness in the 805 with Polk Monitor Series speakers....but I can imagine some with the Rti series and the 600 series Onkyos...as that tweeter is naturally 'bright'.

I have found that Onkyos are actually fairly 'forgiving' AVRs making even bad speakers sound OK..

Having said this I am not going to tell you that Onkyo is as warm as an HK....But I will say that an 805 or higher will probably hold its own sound-wise with any AVR in its price range. And is DEFINITELY NOT fatiguing in any way? I've listened to my M70s/805/SACD/DVD-Audio player for hours upon hours...with no listening fatigue whatsoever..it's actually quite smooth and musical for a mere...AVR and mid-fi speakers.

But I do think HK...and Marantz might be the ticket for you! Heck, I'd consider those models myself...I'm not wedded to the Onkyo brand.

cnh

mrbofus · November 2009

Are the HK354 still available as New, or has it been updated with a different model?

domflane · November 2009

HK still offers the 354 as well as some more optioned models. In fact, there are even some of the older 247's and 347's that they are selling new. They models they discontinued were the non HDMI AVR's.

fhghg · November 2009

domflane wrote: »

HK still offers the 354 as well as some more optioned models. In fact, there are even some of the older 247's and 347's that they are selling new. They models they discontinued were the non HDMI AVR's.

I find NO harshness in the 805 with Polk Monitor Series speakers....but I can imagine some with the Rti series and the 600 series Onkyos...as that tweeter is naturally 'bright'.

Harman Kardon HK AVR 354

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