Harmon Kardon receivers

[tntkain]

We were thinking about upgrading our receiver and have some interest in maybe Harmon Kardon, does anyone know anything about these receivers. I am not sure what model numbers, but any info on the brand in-general would help

[CosmoKid]

In general, HK makes some great pieces of equipment. They normally rate their power true to wattage so people who are blinded by numbers shy away thinking 60w x 7 is a low rating. In reality, their receivers will be on par with most other consumer receivers rated much higher.

HKs one knock has been their lack of bells and whistles and the fatc they are usually slightly behind the curve. So when everyone else is making a receiver with 4 HDMI ports, they opt fro 2. It took them a while to integrate satellite radio, iPod conenctors, etc.

But if you are looking for a great sounding receiver, HK is a good choice.

[SeanMF]

I've got the hk 254 and like it a lot. I recommend it or the 354.

[tntkain]

Brand wise, do you think Harmon Kardon is a better receiver than a Yamaha or Onkyo? I know our Onkyo is low-mid end, I am just curious as to what everyone thinks is better. We have Klipsch reference series speakers

[lojack1976]

I just got a Harman Kardon 247 a couple of weeks ago and moved my Onkyo 605 to the bedroom. These are both good entry level receivers, but I think the Harman is a little better in some respects while Onkyo excels in others.

The Harman is easily more powerful although the Onkyo is rated considerably higher. I noticed it right off bat. I had to turn my sub down quite a bit plus it drives my speakers harder. The sound is warmer too...something that many prefer. I have no preference in that regard since I like the sound of my Onkyo just as much. My speakers are a little on the bright side so the warmness of the Harman was the first thing I noticed over the Onkyo, so if you like a warmer sound you will love Harman receivers.

They also look great. Onkyo receivers look good, but Harman's are just plain beautiful. I think that you will like the display a lot better too. My Harman also has pre-outs if I ever decide to go separates. One thing I noticed about the Onkyo is that its video capabilities are better as far upscaling to 720p, but I no longer have a need for that anyway.

Harman has had some bugs in recent generations of receivers, but they've managed to correct them with firmware updates. Fortunately for me I bought a reconditioned unit(I still get the full 1 year warranty) and I believe it has a newer firmware so I haven't experienced any major problems. One thing, and its nothing major, is that I can't do 24p with this receiver. Its capable, but apparently there is a newer firmware that corrects the bug that I'm experiencing. No biggie though.

One other thing that did irritate me quite a bit was the auto calibration. Harman doesn't use Audyssey like Onkyo. The calibration setup was accurate for speaker distance, but it set speaker levels up horribly. I had to manually set them to me liking. The Onkyo was much better with the calibration as it set everything up perfectly for me.

Overall I still give the Harman the edge just for its sheer looks and true power that doesn't distort even at insanely high levels. The newer models have a lot of the newer features if you need them. I have no problem recommending their receivers. There are certainly other options out there, but Harman should definitely be considered. I co-sign the 354 recommendation.

In comparison to Yamaha and Onkyo I think that all three companies make great receivers. All three have distinct sounds with the Yamaha being neutral, Onkyo having a slightly warm and aggressive(I think that's a good way to describe Onkyo), and the Harman being warm and a little laid back. I would suggest that you go to Best Buy or a local mom and pop shop(the better place) and listen to all three brands with speakers that you either own or plan to buy and see which you like with them.

[Afflicted]

I had the 247. I bought it about a year and a half back and had a few issues with it. The center channel would consistently drop audio which got annoying at times bu t would come right back on a few seconds later.

The main issue that I had with it were the "sparkles" that would appear all over the screen after the reciever had been on for about half an hour.

On the plus side, their customer service was outstanding and being that the unit was still under warranty from Harman Kardon, they replaced it (and upgraded it to a 254) for free.

The only issue that I have with the 254 is that when switching from a SD to a HD channel, the picture drops out and is replaced by a bright green screen. Easy fix by selecting another source on the remote and then switching back.

After having said all of that, I do agree with what everyone else has said. The sound quality is outstanding and the unit itself looks phenomenal. I would purchase it again in a heartbeat.