Harman Kardon Receiver

The Harman Kardon AVR 3600 is the top-end of the new line of H/K receivers. It has the same looks and design aesthetics as the H/K 2600 and the H/K 1600, but with more advanced connectivity features.

Design Features

The H/K AVR 3600 has the company's signature minimalist industrial aesthetic: shiny black plastic and brushed silver metallic finish, with very few protrusions on the surface. The front panel has convenient ports for connecting game consoles or portable media devices. The ports are concealed beneath removable chrome covers.

The black control buttons are hardly visible when the receiver is on standby, but have blue backlighting, as does the large silver volume knob. The display has blue text and there is the illusion that the display panel extends over the entire front surface. The GUU is text-based, with very little along the line of fancy graphics, despite how relatively sophisticated the control and menu options are.

Although the receiver itself is fairly light and compact, the remote is a bit bulky in comparison. It has the same blue GUI and shiny black colour colour scheme as the receiver.

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Hardware and Performance

All the audio and video codecs and formats the the 1600 and 2600 can handle, are decoded by the 3600 as well. These include Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which are transmitted to 7.1 channels.

The real differences between the Harman Kardon 3600 and the other models in the line, lie in the built-in features. The H/K Bridge III, is a universal docking station for iPhones and iPods. It allows you to connect these devices to the receiver, using just one cable. You can play HD video from the source devices, and even have full screen HD menus to navigate from.

Videos from an iPhone that are not HD, are automatically optimised for 1080p display. As with the 2600, the H/K AVR 3600 uses Dolby Volume to keep the volume at a constant level when changing sources, or when loud advertisements interrupt shows.

The 3600 has a multi-room audio system and a Zone II remote. It also has pre-amp outputs for all channels, a feature that is not present in the 2600 and 1600.

Positive Features

• Fairly good power output at 85W per channel
• The Bridge II docking station for iPhone products.
• Multi-room support.
• Looks stunning.
• Pre-amp outputs for all channels.

Negative Features

• Automatic audio settings for your room aren't always reliable.
• HDMI bypass does not always work without lag.
• Relatively high price for the features it has.

Conclusion

The multi-room support and The Bridge III are features that make the Harman Kardon AVR 3600 worth buying, as opposed to the cheaper H/K models in the new line. In comparison to other makes, it is a bit pricey for what it has to offer in terms of technology and features, but the aesthetics and solid construction play a big part in its appeal.

The Harman Kardon AVR 2600 is the company's mid-range receiver. It is similar in design to the 1600 and 3600 models, with the same colour scheme and basic layout. With firmware updates, it is able to decode most of the latest audio formats and codecs.

Design Features

Like the other H/K receivers, the H/K AVR 2600 has a shiny black plastic front panel, and metallic side panels. The buttons on the front are kept to a minimum and the display screens on both the receiver unit and the remote, look sophisticated. This is mainly due to the blue colour scheme and the use of crisp text, rather than fancy graphics. The volume knob and buttons all have blue backlighting.

The aesthetics are this unit's strong point. If you want a receiver that looks stunning, you can't do much better than than the H/K AVR 2600. The minimalist industrial design of the receiver matches its ease-of-use. Although the receiver itself looks good, and is not too bulky, many customers feel that the remote control is too bulky – even for a relatively complex multi-functional receiver.

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Hardware and Performance

The Harman Kardon AVR 2600 has 7.1 output channels and a multitude of inputs, including four HDMI inputs, four composite video inputs, and two component video devices. It supports a maximum of six connected HD devices.

For audio connectivity, there are three optical inputs, six analogue stereo inputs, three coaxial inputs, and 7.1 multi-channel analogue inputs.

The receiver can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Although it does not decode Dolby ProLogic llz, the proprietary Logic 7 works excellently. The 2600 has Dolby Volume, so when you switch between sound sources, or watch commercials during shows, the volume doesn't suddenly spike.

The actual sound quality is good, but could be better for the price of the unit. One of the selling points of the H/K 2600, is how easy it is for a non-technical person to set up the surround sound, using the automated system. The effectiveness of the automated system varies: some owners have no problems, while others find significant faults with it.

Positive Features

• Great design, aesthetically pleasing.
• Decent number of inputs.
• Supports analogue multi channel input.
• Firmware upgrade gives 3-D support.

Negative Features

• No instant iPod connectivity support.
• Unreliable automatic audio setup.
• Audio performance could be better.
• Pricey, given its age and features.

Conclusion

The Harman Kardon AVR 2600 looks the business, but doesn't quite deliver the performance to match the price tag. It is still regarded as a reliable unit though.

Resources

You can learn more about the Harman Kardon AVR 2600 and find additional reviews here.

The Harman Kardon AVR 1600 is the entry level product in the company's line of A/V receivers. It has good looks and supports a wide range of audio formats and signal frequencies. It has the ability to upscale and downscale audio input for headphone, stereo, 5.1 and 7.1 surround speaker setup.

Design Features

Aesthetics have always been a strong point with Harmon/Kardon products, and the H/K 1600 follows the tradition. The glossy black and metallic silver finish, matches the minimalist looks. There are very few knobs and buttons visible from the front panel.

The buttons are black against a black background, and only stand out when the unit is on, via blue backlighting. The volume knob is large and prominent, and it gives the unit its iconic visual appeal. While the display brightness and the intensity of the volume knob and buttons can be dimmed, the power button tends to be too bright in a darkened room.

The front panel has ports for A/V, optical and coaxial connections. This makes it convenient to hook up game consoles and portable media devices, without having to shift the unit around to use the rear connections. The front ports are hidden under chrome covers.

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Hardware and Performance

The Harman Kardon AVR 1600 supports many of the latest audio codecs and surround sound formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The receiver has ten possible surround sound source inputs, including three HDMI inputs, four coaxial ports and three optical ports.

Besides supporting Blu-ray and delivering superb quality sound for movies and games, one of the nice features of the H/K 1600 AVS, is the ability to convert two-channel audio sources into full surround sound over all seven output channels; this is achieved using proprietary Logic 7 technology.

When sound sources are changed, there is a delay of a couple of seconds before sound can be heard. Although the channels are rated at 50W, the actual channel output varies, depending on when the H/K 1600 AVS was manufactured and which region it is sold in. Some users found their outputs to be 30W, others 40W.

The channel outputs can be automatically tuned for your listening environment, using the supplied multi-directional microphone. This makes for easy audio setup for novice home-theatre owners.

Positive Features

• Good design.
• Aesthetically pleasing.
• Adequate inputs and varied format support.
• Clear, crisp audio quality.
• Easy to use.

Negative Features

• Power output is lacking
• No pre-amp outputs for any of the channels.
• There are other brands with more features in the H/K 1600's price range.

Conclusion

The Harman Kardon 1600 AVS is a solid performer, and is a good choice for owners of older H/K receivers looking to upgrade.