Testing your vintage memory ....

[ratltrap]

I'm hoping that someone out there is knowlegeable about the old HK AVR 70 through 85 receivers and can help me with my current predicament.

I have an AVR 75 that has been the centerpiece of my middleclass HT for about 10 years. I know it's way past due for replacement, but for the past few years our resources have been dedicated to an addition that includes, among other things, a new HT space. That will be great, but for now it has left us with enough debt that we can't replace the receiver with anything we'll be happy with. I'm willing to live with what I have for a while longer, except that in the interrum the remote control for the AVR 75 was destroyed and I can't figure out how to do the speaker setup without it. There doesn't seem to be a way to do the speaker setup from the front panel controls and I can't find an original AVR 75 remote or a set of codes that will work with either my Sony VL600 or my neighbors Logitech. However, I have seen original AVR 85 remotes for sale from several sources, including HK. Aside from the multiroom control key the 85 has the same layout as the 75 I just don't know if it is sending the same codes. BTW I sent an email inquiry on this to HK a week ago with no response.

So, my questions:
■Can anyone tell me if the AVR 85 remote will work to setup the AVR 75 speaker outputs?
■Should I spend a Benjamin on that remote and hope it works?
■What would you do?

 

[Cristofori]

I'm hoping that someone out there is knowlegeable about the old HK AVR 70 through 85 receivers and can help me with my current predicament.

I have an AVR 75 that has been the centerpiece of my middleclass HT for about 10 years. I know it's way past due for replacement, but for the past few years our resources have been dedicated to an addition that includes, among other things, a new HT space. That will be great, but for now it has left us with enough debt that we can't replace the receiver with anything we'll be happy with. I'm willing to live with what I have for a while longer, except that in the interrum the remote control for the AVR 75 was destroyed and I can't figure out how to do the speaker setup without it. There doesn't seem to be a way to do the speaker setup from the front panel controls and I can't find an original AVR 75 remote or a set of codes that will work with either my Sony VL600 or my neighbors Logitech. However, I have seen original AVR 85 remotes for sale from several sources, including HK. Aside from the multiroom control key the 85 has the same layout as the 75 I just don't know if it is sending the same codes. BTW I sent an email inquiry on this to HK a week ago with no response.

So, my questions:
■Can anyone tell me if the AVR 85 remote will work to setup the AVR 75 speaker outputs?
■Should I spend a Benjamin on that remote and hope it works?
■What would you do?

Although you most likely would not be willing to pay the price, here is an AVR 75 remote for sale http://www.remotes.com/store/harman_kardon/avr75.html

I recently had good luck getting a discontinued remote I couldn't find anywhere else for a decent price at ReplacementRemotes.com for my Sony cassette deck (they still make the cassette deck... thanks a lot Sony!), they did not have an AVR 75 for your unit, although they did have an AVR85 for sale.

They may also be able to repair yours depending on the damage or they will try to find the one you need if they don't have it in stock.

 

[M Code]

The HK AVR IR codes have been the same for the last 10 years, so any HK AVR remote will work fine..
Over the years..
New features and more inputs have been added but the primary functions of Volume Up/Down, Power On/Off, OSD, Cursor control, Source inputs, Tuner functions are the same.

Another suggestion is to get a Harmony 550 (about $50) as they have the HK IR codes in their data base.

Just my $0.01..

 

[ratltrap]

'Fraid there is no hope for the original remote. My lab pup got ahold of it a few years back and chewed the IR sender and half of the circuit board off. He is great with the grandkids and has saved a lot of hunting trips though so I can't stay mad at him.

Thanks for the link, but you are right about the price - $140-$185 for a remote - Ouch!!

According to that site the AVR85 remote may not be compatible with the AVR75 so I'll have to put a request in for ebay to email me when and if a used 75 shows up. Used to be there were reasonable prices on ebay, but these days resale outfits snap stuff up pretty quick. The AVR85s are going for $90 on ebay so I expect a decent one for the AVR75 will be about the same. Still way cheaper than the resale outfits.

Wish I could find someone that has an original that I could dump the codes from into a learning unit and bypass the original altogether.

 

[Cristofori]

'Fraid there is no hope for the original remote. My lab pup got ahold of it a few years back and chewed the IR sender and half of the circuit board off. He is great with the grandkids and has saved a lot of hunting trips though so I can't stay mad at him.

Thanks for the link, but you are right about the price - $140-$185 for a remote - Ouch!!

According to that site the AVR85 remote may not be compatible with the AVR75 so I'll have to put a request in for ebay to email me when and if a used 75 shows up. Used to be there were reasonable prices on ebay, but these days resale outfits snap stuff up pretty quick. The AVR85s are going for $90 on ebay so I expect a decent one for the AVR75 will be about the same. Still way cheaper than the resale outfits.

Wish I could find someone that has an original that I could dump the codes from into a learning unit and bypass the original altogether.

Put in a request for an AVR 75 at ReplacementRemotes.com. They may be able to find one for you for far less then $140-$185, or more closer to ebay's prices.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I wonder where $150+ prices came from?? For Harmony 550??
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000BDG3HU/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1270002298&sr=1-1&condition=used

Look for 2nd one, $55 in like new condition.