H/K 320...I have to ask

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gshisme
gshisme Posts: 1,038
edited April 2003 in Electronics
OK guys, on all the forums I have visited there is hardly a mention of Harman Kardon receivers. I will admit when I saw the dreaded "Made in China" sticker on the back panel my balloon deflated a little bit, but this is a very affordable receiver and in my opinion sounds great and is very versatile and has a hell of a lot of features. The more I tinker with it the better it seems to sound. Just wondering why it doesn't have a more loyal following?

As stated on my other thread in the speakers forum, Polk to a degree seems to be in the same boat. Finding H/K receivers at middle to higher end audio stores to audition is almost as hard as finding Polks. So what's the deal? I have been auditioning different receivers, seperates and speakers of other brands at double or triple the bucks that I paid for my system and quite honestly I think my "low budget" system sounds just or almost as good as a lot of them....Well maybe just some...But you get the point.

Well... I will stop rambling and ask for any thoughts on the Harman Kardon receivers.

Greg
suds, suds and more suds!
Post edited by gshisme on
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  • phuz
    phuz Posts: 2,372
    edited April 2003
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    Late model H/K stuff is great, when it works. :)

    My first AVR-510 was replaced after having it for about a week due to a problem. The second one is now being serviced due to a different problem. My H/K DVD-50 had to be serviced just a few months after buying it.

    Seems like H/K has some quality control issues these days.
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  • gshisme
    gshisme Posts: 1,038
    edited April 2003
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    HMMMM...Not good!!!

    Could be the answer to my question. What a shame..to me they are an excellent receiver. But like you said they have to work first.
    suds, suds and more suds!
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  • Ron-P
    Ron-P Posts: 8,516
    edited April 2003
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    Well... I will stop rambling and ask for any thoughts on the Harman Kardon receivers.
    Avoid them. I had one once (forget the exact model number). With in a month, it developed 4 problems, I returned it, bought a Marantz SR5000 for the same price.

    They do sound good, like phuz said...when they work.


    Peace Out~:D
    If...
    Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
    Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
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  • SPEAKER7
    SPEAKER7 Posts: 355
    edited April 2003
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    I can't complain!!!

    I bought my HK AVR 310 back in Sept 2001......and it's still running fine and I'm still very happy with it.........powering my RT800i (mains) CS400i (center) and my RT35i (rears). I notice quite difference in the sound coming from my center channel vs my older JVC 5ch receiver.

    This is only my personal experience...........


    dc.


    :D
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  • kanicker
    kanicker Posts: 86
    edited April 2003
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    I have owned the AVR 310 and the 320, the PA-2000 amp, and the FL8380 CD changer. Everything has worked flawlessly out of the box. I find the HK sound very pleasing on Polks. I have 800i, 35i, PSW350, and 245i.

    The 310 I got reconditioned. The 320 I bought brand new at Fry's Electronics for a very good price. I generally dont like to buy electronics at retail price, but I would think HK comes near to being "worth it."

    I wont consider any other reciever upgrades at this point. In my opinion, after listening to Onkyo, Denon, and Yamahas higher end models, I dont hear the upgrade. My next step is definitely separates, probably Rotel, Arcam, or Krell :)

    HK is most certainly worth your time to audition. Don't worry about the quality issues. They mainly applied to a small time frame, and were overblown. However, I am NOT happy with their DVD players. And I have stayed away from them. Mainly I believe they are feature poor, and overpriced.
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  • gshisme
    gshisme Posts: 1,038
    edited April 2003
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    kanicker,

    What is that time frame?

    Just curious...when I use the logic 7 mode it seems to drain the hell out of the amp listening to music cd's. -15 to -10 volume level for loud but comfortable music listening seems a bit much. Do you experience the same and is this anything to worry about. If I listen in stereo mode it dances..-25 to -30 but as soon as I switch to logic 7 it starts dragging it's feet. Does this sound familiar to you? I realize that it is driving three more speakers in logic 7 than stereo but then why don't I experience the same condition when listening to a 5.1 DD DVD?
    suds, suds and more suds!
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,027
    edited April 2003
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    My Dad and I call it the higher end Aiwa. Like what was mentioned above. Quality/Reliability is VERY low.
    Kan, Yamaha....High End? Holy Shiznit Batman! I am not a Denon fan, and I'm not a Yamaha fan. Pioneer Elite kicks though! Totally awesome stuff there.

    EDIT: You meant Yammer high end models. Ok.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • mrmusicman
    mrmusicman Posts: 303
    edited April 2003
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    I own an H/k 310 which I've had for just under 2 years.I use it every day,either CD/DVD/PS2/DTV/Xm Radio and rarely VHS.I had aproblem with volume control creeping up sometimes which was an issue with this model.Sent it back to C.C. and had the problem resolved under warrenty.The only thing I didn't like is it ran on the warm-hot side, but this is in a cabinet, and I added a small external fan and solved that.After a while I felt it was a little under powered so I recently added the Outlaw 755 5x200wpc.I am very pleased with that addition to the h/k.Ialmost forgot to mention my speakers,Rti 70 (bi-wired) fronts,CSi40(bi-Wired) center,RTi28 surrounds,Velodne CHT-10 sub,everything connected with Monster wire and cable.:D :D:D:D
    Outlaw 990 Processor
    Outlaw 755 Amp
    Denon 2900 dvd-sacd
    Dishnetwork HD-Dvr
    55" Sony LCD RPTV
    Lsi 9-fronts
    Lsic-center
    Rt55i- surrounds
    Velodyne cht-10 sub

    2007 Dodge Quad cab
    Kenwood Excelon KDC-X891
    JL Audio 300/V2
    Polk Audio SR 6500 - Fronts
    Polk Audio DB651 - Rear
    2 -10" Treo Subs
    Interfire IB 2600C sub amp
    Sirius Sat radio
    Ipod connection
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  • kanicker
    kanicker Posts: 86
    edited April 2003
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    I was talking about Yamaha's higher end of thier line.
    In comparison to my AVR320, Yamaha makes receivers that should outperform my own... in the $1000+ range. But I dont think I would rate the added performance as sufficient unless I go high-end... like the names I mentioned, Rotel, Arcam, Krell...

    gshisme: I listen to my Stereo through my PA2000, which is 100Watts per. I dont find multichannel stereo to be satisfying. Listening to movies at a fairly high volume, my reciever is set to -25 or so.
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