Harmon Kardon

[Trix]

I grew up with Harman Kardon products. Therefors, my opinions are definitly not "neutral", or unbiased. That being said, I have always liked the sound that comes from their receivers. But, wouldn't necessarily consider them to be "the best" receiver manufacturers, just because I know my knowledge on mid- to high-end equipment to be quite limited. That being said, I still think my favorite HK feature is the power ratings and reserve. HK takes the effort to rate their receivers based on all channels driven, not one or two. The AVR 354, for example, can, and WILL drive 7 speakers with 75 watts each, unlike some receivers that are rated at 75 watts, but only driving 2 speakers, giving them approximately 30-40 watts per channel on 7 channels.

But, there are still area of vast improvement. As someone pointed out, HK does outsource their production in China. While this doesn't guarantee defects, HK receivers are known to have had their problems over the years. From my documentation, they also offer 2 year warranties on their receivers, but the 3rd and 4th years seem to be somewhat problem prone on certain model years. Someone also pointed out the video issues with the 254 and 354 this year. There is HK firmware available to remedy some problems, and since my 354, unupdated, has no problems at this time, I cannot comment on how perfect or inperfect the new firmware is.

So, all in all, I like the sound HK produces. I also like the relative price-feature point, though it is much more elevated than other entry-level receivers. Still, I've always held HK receivers in high regards, and have also been surprised at the lack of love for them on here!