Harmon Kardon AVR 2600 or 3600

rswroughneck · July 2010

Howdy this is my fist time on this forum and I am looking a getting a whole new entertainment system, I am leaning toward the rti a5 or a7 speakers for my fronts. My question is will a harmon kardon 65Wx7 or 80Wx7 be enough power for those speakers to do them justice more so for the A7's of course. To get the full sound out of the A7 speakers will I have to go with the 80Wx7 or is that even enough power?

thanks for your help

rswroughneck · July 2010

ok i think reading the reviews of the A5's and A7's I've decided to probably go with the A5's since I plan on getting a DSW pro 600 for base. so I guess my new ? is do you think the 80Wx7 harmon kardon reciever will make a $400 difference in the sound I get out of the speakers vs. a 65X7?

Thanks again

apphd · July 2010

Welcome to CP. Rule of thumb "always buy as much power as you can afford". This is just a generalization but has some value. Don't get too hung up on the numbers. HK is the only mass market manufacturer I know of that gives their power spec with all channels driven. Most others are 1 or 2 ch. driven. So with a claim 130W, if all 5 or 7 ch. are asking for that power the max potential for each drops below that 130. Not sure of those HK models but HK also has a rep of having a good amount of current available along with the watts. If your room isn't huge I think either one of those would do you well.

rswroughneck · July 2010

Thanks for the reply I know I've been told that sony or such numbers don't add up to the same thing as HK but its nice to have a better explanation as to why. Now I just have to figure out how much I can afford since I did just get done building the house.

AsSiMiLaTeD · July 2010

Either of those models would be absolutely fine for what you're wanting to do, and they both have preamp outputs so you can add an amp later if you want.

GMJim · August 2010

I'm thinking of upgrading from a HK AVR347 to the 3600 because of the HDMI 1.4a capability. The AVR 2600 doesn't have pre outs other than the Sub. The 3600 has 7.1 If you have the extra money go with the advice given. More power and pre outs in case you want or need more later. HK 3600.

rswroughneck · August 2010

Thanks for the reply's that is a good way to look at it now I just need to pitch the 3600 to my wife

packetjones · August 2010

I think that other of them will we've fine. I have a hk 254 which is only 50 w/chan. i have the a5's and think it sounds great.

GMJim · August 2010

rswroughneck wrote: »

Thanks for the reply's that is a good way to look at it now I just need to pitch the 3600 to my wife

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission:D

rswroughneck · August 2010

ok I just order a DSW micro pro 2000 sub, my room is about 17' by 30' and about 17' by 20' is where the speakers are going to be set around the seating. so I was wondering do you think that with the 8" micro pro sub I would benefit more from the base that the RTI A7 can put out versus my original plan of the A5's and would the A7's mean that I would need to get an amp to get the full value of them or would either of the above AVR's power the A7's just fine to?

domflane · August 2010

Will you be using your rig for music, movies, games or a combination? I had the same dilemma, but ended up going with the A5's because my PSW650 puts out more than enough bass and the A5's are a little better suited for HT. So i say go with the A5's if your going to be watching movies mainly. They will be easier to drive and they are quite a bit cheaper too. If your focus will be music, then I would go with the A7's or the A9's if you can swing them. They have a much fuller sound but will also be harder to drive. The big RTi's love power, so you will definately want to think about external amplification if you go this route.
Which reciever you choose all depends on what you will be using it for. How many HDMI's, preouts, etc.

rswroughneck · August 2010

I will be running a total combination of all three probably slightly more towards HT. Yeah I was planning on getting the PSW650 my self but I got such a good deal on the DSW 2000 I had to try the little 8" with 1200 watts. plus the wife likes that it takes up less space. but I doubt that even with 1200 watts that it puts out as much base as the 12" which is why i'm still leaning towards the A7 towers but I also haven't been able to hear my DSW2000 yet since I won't get home for another week. I guess I'm just thinking that I might want to give the system a little more help on the low end. Does anybody have experience with the DSW 2000 in larger rooms? do you think I would benefit enough with the A7's to make it worth the investment considering everything I would need it would eventually cost me about 800 dollars more to go with the A7's if you count the upgraded reciever, amp, and extra cost of speakers.

thanks

cnh · August 2010

A minor correction above...ONLY the AVR3600 has pre-outs. The 2600 discontinued them and only has 7.1 IN--see products page below:

http://www.harmankardon.com/en-US/Products/Pages/ProductList.aspx?SID=AVR

cnh

rswroughneck · August 2010

roger that thats why I said that I would need to get the upgraded AVR or 3600 if I wanted the A7's most likely, The ? I guess since being in alaska I don't really have a way to compare the speakers before hand to see if the sound I get from the A7 setup would be worth all the extra expense. thanks for the reply

cnh · August 2010

My favorite Rti is the A9 but the A7s would probably fair better with the HK if you don't have an external power amp. The A9s, a superb HT floorstander, but they really need external power to shine. The A7s are on the border between needing more power but still sounding pretty good off the AVR itself. You can decide yourself if they need more but can certainly enjoy them with the HK for now?

Good Luck!

cnh

rswroughneck · August 2010

The A9 would be awesome, but my buget won't let me go higher than the A7. Also I won't be able to afford an external amp at first. Man I would love to hear what those A9's can put out though. thanks for the reply

berryrock · August 2010

AVR 2600 is not just aesthetic. It has a multitude of features, including some of the latest codecs, including support for high definition audio Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio. This is impressive given the AVR 2600 is the lowest in the lineup from the previous Harman / V receivers.

Harmon Kardon AVR 2600 or 3600

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