What's up with HK?!

[mouettus]

I red a LOT of threads here and I finally signed in to give my point of view of a couple of things. But now it's question time.

WHAT'S UP WITH HARMAN/KARDON?!

People doesn`t seem to like it very much. All I can hear is Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon.
I may just have a low-end yammie but geeze I'm putting my HTR-5750 in combination with my polk series and it's very unsatisfying from a musical point of view (doin' real good in movies tough) because they're getting too much detail --> sound to harsh. And it seems all the same with other brands I've tried. Yamaha's too harsh, Denon doesn`t have any wow effect. Same with Onkyo and even Marantz!! Then I've tried an HK at FutureShop with my polks... "what a totally amazing discovery!" (copyright Wayne's World).

So I'd like to know why don`t you audition this brand of receivers more? Hearing music from this metal box's just sweet. Now I know that my polks are power hungry so I was looking at the AVR-635 that has 75x7 high current AND pre-outs if I wanna add power amps later on. What do you think of this my friends?!

Finally, I'm living in Canada so I'm so much sqeezed in my selection :S Would've like the BA 7120 but then... NO SHIPPING TO CANADA! I don't care for the video part of the receiver cuz my dvd is directly connected to my tv... and what the hell is a VCR again?! lol. I'm just looking for good decent raw power cuz I like high music levelz.

**65% music listener, 35% movie guy

Comments??? Some other ideas for sweet sound with Polks???

 

[Nomo]

I simply don't care for the looks of the HKs. As silly as that may sound, my system is set-up in my living room so the appearance of them put them out of the running right away.

 

[philipolkoneer]

That's exactly how I feel about H/K. I really don't like how they look, never really have.
I've autditioned several H/Ks and they didn't sound really any different than the other brands, so I didn't get hooked on them.

 

[korgoth]

hk's are great receivers. i actually like the look of them, but not including looks, Hk supposedly is very accurate compared to some other brands. The power ratings are also very moderate, so a 75x7 rating of the 635 will easily compete with a 100-120 wpc rating of a denon or yamaha

HK's are known for clean sound. and moderate power ratings... many people like them, and they are actually recommended quite a bit on here. just maybe not as much as a denon or yamaha since they have the newest models out right now.

 

[PENG]

I red a LOT of threads here and I finally signed in to give my point of view of a couple of things. But now it's question time.

WHAT'S UP WITH HARMAN/KARDON?!

People doesn`t seem to like it very much. All I can hear is Yamaha, Onkyo and Denon.
I may just have a low-end yammie but geeze I'm putting my HTR-5750 in combination with my polk series and it's very unsatisfying from a musical point of view (doin' real good in movies tough) because they're getting too much detail --> sound to harsh. And it seems all the same with other brands I've tried. Yamaha's too harsh, Denon doesn`t have any wow effect. Same with Onkyo and even Marantz!! Then I've tried an HK at FutureShop with my polks... "what a totally amazing discovery!" (copyright Wayne's World).


So I'd like to know why don`t you audition this brand of receivers more? Hearing music from this metal box's just sweet. Now I know that my polks are power hungry so I was looking at the AVR-635 that has 75x7 high current AND pre-outs if I wanna add power amps later on. What do you think of this my friends?!

Finally, I'm living in Canada so I'm so much sqeezed in my selection :S Would've like the BA 7120 but then... NO SHIPPING TO CANADA! I don't care for the video part of the receiver cuz my dvd is directly connected to my tv... and what the hell is a VCR again?! lol. I'm just looking for good decent raw power cuz I like high music levelz.

**65% music listener, 35% movie guy

Comments??? Some other ideas for sweet sound with Polks???

http://hometheatermag.com/receivers/index1.html

If you are interested in seeing some lab test results, please follow the above link and read for yourself. Within the same price range, HK specifies their power output in a more conservative fashion but the net result is that they still offer less power than Denon and Pioneer. They would beat an equivalent Yamaha in all channel driven but lose in 1 & 2 channel driven, and power into a 4 ohm load.

Other than that my comments on HK receivers are:

1) High current capability
HK, like Denon and Yamaha, all boast high instantaneous current capability, but I would pay more attention to their power into low impedance load. As such, the Denon 3805, though a few pound lighter than an equivalent HK, seem to have the upper hand in terms of power into 4, 2 ohms (compared to HK's 630, 635).

2) Musicality
I too listened to several models of HK driving Polk speakers. To me, the AVR430 and lower models could handle the RTi8 but not the RTi10 or 12. The AVR630 worked very well with the RTi10. However, I did not find it sound any sweeter, or warmer than even my Sony DA4ES. I used to have that Sony driving my RTi Polks. It didn't sound all that bright at all. HK, Denon, Yamaha all sound good to me too, as long as you stay away from the entry level models. Of course, people's sense of hearing are not necessarily the same. If you find it's sound different and better, go for it, but if you wonder why others don't talk about HK too much, it could be because most don't find them sounding, looking, or feature wise better (or worse) than Yamaha and Denon.

3) Price
If I were in the U.S., I would have purchased a HKAVR7300. In Canada they go for the manufacturer's list price. There is no way I would pay the Future Shop $1,299 for a AVR340 when I can get a Denon 3806 for the same or a Yamaha RX-V2,600 for less. The day the Future Shop start selling HK at prices comparable, or even slightly higher than their U.S. street prices, will be the day I would even consider HK as an alternative.

 

[dis]

The day the Future Shop start selling HK at prices comparable, or even slightly higher than their U.S. street prices, will be the day I would even consider HK as an alternative.

I completely agree, they are way too over priced up here

 

[mouettus]

price is not a problem when you buy online! but hey... please someone but me the BA 7120 in the US (then ship to Canada) and I jump straight into it.

I've never heard BA amps but my brother-in-law owns old BA large loundspeakers driven by an old 2-channel HK amp/receiver and man it sounds warm AND clean (that's what I'm looking for in music sound!!!)(...then ultimum crispness and detail in movies)

thx for the replies... keep on putting more... it helps so damn much

 

[Audioholics]

WHAT'S UP WITH HARMAN/KARDON?!

Honestly? They try to tell us how to run our business. As soon as we talk with them about reviewing a product they COMPLAIN about how our affiliate advertising shows unauthorized HK dealers... It's uncanny. I think their whole PR firm has A.D.D.

Here was/is our continued suggestion to them:

1) Think of this as a SERVICE. We point them out - you shut them down. Or shut up, because you obviously don't care to stop the online dealers. WE know where the unauthorized dealers are. Our READERS know where they are. PriceGrabber knows where they are... apparently ONLY HK can't figure out what to do and would rather complain about it and refuse to send us products to review.

2) This is simple. HK SENDS us the product... we REVIEW the product... millions of readers SEE the product... we SHIP the product back...

Every time we think we get past this issue, they go back into a coma and don't send us gear for review. The next time we talk (months later) they bring up PriceGrabber and it starts all over again.

This has been going on FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF. No joke.

So if you want to know why we dont review HK products, now you know. To be honest, we're at the point now that we don't even bother to call anymore.

 

[Daz3d&Confus3d]

Thats disappointing considering the thousands of audio enthusists that visit this forum and its numerous threads regularly. And truth be told they are hurting themselves because I for one came here for advice last fall for a receiver and HK never was much of a consideration because they're isnt any product reviews to be seen or read.....made it easier for me and in my price range I was able to quickly narrow it down to Denon, Yammy, and the Elites.

 

[farscaper]

I completely agree, they are way too over priced up here

I agree. I like HK but there is no way I would put HK ahead of Marantz. Thats just my opinion. In Canada, the current prices seem to fall...
Marantz 5600 for less then $800.
NAD 743 for about $950.
Or, you can get the HK 235 for $800 or the new HK 240 for $900. You don't want to know what the 635 is at.

 

[mouettus]

like I told you guys, the prices on the internet for the 635 goes from 600 to 900 CAD plus shipping. If I can have it at home for 800-900$ shipped, then I'm a happy man.

Thanks for givin me an "ahead reply" for my question. Its not that you don't like how HK sounds, its because they act like crap with you so you don't get to review the products.

But like I told you... give me a nice warm and crisp sound and I don't care of buying something else. Just don't come with Denon, Yamaha or Maybe Marantz because I think those receivers don`t have that much of a beautiful sound;

Yamaha: too crisp with my already precise Polks (good for movies though)
Denon and Marantz: Just reproducing sound... bah... lol
Boston Acoustics and pro equipment/brands: never heard of them since there's nowhere to demo/find them around here (that's the saddest thing)

Suggestions then?? (warm sound)

 

[PENG]

I was going to buy on line until I was told in no uncertain term that unless you buy from authorized dealer within you home country (Canada in this case) you don't get warranty.

As to the warm sound, I have no idea why you find HK warmer than say a Denon, with your RTi8. I assume when you did the comparison, you did so listening to music in "Pure Direct" in order to bypass all processing including EQ stuff, right?

 

[jcPanny]

Harmanaudio

Check out the Harmanaudio store on ebay for a good price on a refurbished HK 7300 or 635. Since it is from the manufacturer, the warranty should not be a problem.

 

[mouettus]

Check out the Harmanaudio store on ebay for a good price on a refurbished HK 7300 or 635. Since it is from the manufacturer, the warranty should not be a problem.

Warranty for refurbished items are only 90 days... :S

but damn... forget about prices and stuff... lets talk about sound! Give me some headlines please lol

 

[PENG]

Check out the Harmanaudio store on ebay for a good price on a refurbished HK 7300 or 635. Since it is from the manufacturer, the warranty should not be a problem.

jc, I did try that route over a year ago, and was told to phone the Canadian distributor. Anyway, the guy didn't seem to worry about price, he just want to hear opinions on it's sound I assume. I offered my opinion already, time to hear from others.

 

[mouettus]

I assume when you did the comparison, you did so listening to music in "Pure Direct" in order to bypass all processing including EQ stuff, right?

ABSOLUTELY! I think this is the best way to test a receiver. You're getting pure sound and power directly from the receiver

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

Warranty for refurbished items are only 90 days... :S

but damn... forget about prices and stuff... lets talk about sound! Give me some headlines please lol

Product Condition: This is a factory remanufactured unit carrying the original factory warranty.
What is factory remanufactured? Click Here to find out.

This is a quote from the harmanaudio store on ebay. The warranty is two years. I bought one there and had a hassle free extchange when It came with a dead processor and they paid for the shipping. It was a pain but the customer service was exceptional. They extended the warranty from the time I received the replacement (and they gladly gave it to me in writing). I would highly recommend buying from the harman ebay store



Warranty

Purchases from Harman Audio include the original warranty. The following links provide all product warranty information.*
Purchases from Harman Audio include all applicable parts, accessories, manuals, remotes and the original manufacturer's warranty. The following links provide all product warranty information.

Harman Kardon Warranty:
5-Year Loudspeaker Warranty (pdf)


Harman Kardon Electronics Warranty (pdf)

*These files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Please click here to view our Frequently Asked Questions.

 

[mouettus]

Thank you all for your replies... but I think I finally came to a conclusion. HK is like Sony; you buy great products but you pay for them.... a bit too much. So I finally ended up choosing a Yamaha RXV-2500 that I'll be amping with outlaw in the future. What do you think of that?!

 

[mustang_steve]

Yamaha is good stuff.

I'm a Yammie fan myself. In general, I foudn their products to be really solid...and they IMO look better than the H/K.

Yes, the aesthetics of the H/K units kill it for me.

Pretty much the only products I'll buy from harman Intl. Are Infinity car speakers, and JBL horn drivers. Those I found to really stand out, especially the Infinity car stuff in price/performance.

 

[mouettus]

All right! Everybody stop! I'm changing my mind again. I just went to 2 Ottawa specialized audio dealers and they both show me a NAD (T743). OMG I think I'm in love. And I finally came with an answer to my question: Who is the culprit for over-bright sound on my system? And the answer iiiiiisssss...?! (drumroll) YAMAHA!!!! lol. These 2 stores had both the 2600 and T743 in demo with the same speaker sets. And OMG I'm finally able to listen to my alternative metal / rock and having goosebumps for hours!!!

Specs:
- 5x50wpc Extreme High Current (seems too low but just ISN'T!!!)
- DTSs, even including enhanced Stereo (sounds great btw)
- 5.1 preouts (2 subwoofers)(for further amplification if needed)
- Direct remote volume level buttons for surround, center and subwoofer(handy)
- OSD (convenient)

Cons:
- Ugly oldish faceplate lol (but hey... performance before looks!)

So I think it's the end of the story. Got the answers I wanted. Thanks everybody for all your help and see you in other threads, 1000 bucks later!