So I have decided on getting either the hk avr 354 or hk 3550 HD. Now my question is which 1 should I get and WHY. I am so confused about em cuz they seem 2 have the same specs but the 3550 HD is about a $150 more.
The 3550 has the A-Bus, a multi room convenience feature that you may or may not find useful.
Other then the 3550 HD looks I can't tell why it's more money. I will get the 354 from futureshop for $700 CAD and the 3550 HD will be off eBay for about 850-900 CAD. Keep in mind the 3550 HD from futureshop is $1300 CAD.
That does not sound too bad, perhaps because the C$ has not been doing too badly lately. They are having the 254 on sale for 599 right now, a claimed 200 discount, what a joke!
A few years ago I phoned HK and asked if I purchased from the U.S. would the warranty still work. The answer was "NO". At the time the C$ was very low so I would have to pay around 3K for the AVR7300 and something like 1399 for a 225. That's when I decided not to look at HK products ever again until they change their Canadian pricing policy. With the higher C$ now, the gap has closed somewhat but it is still significant, relative to other comparable brands.
So be sure to bargain hard, you can't do it with BB but you sure can bargain at certain FS stores. No harm trying anyway.