Harman Kardon Receiver

18 comments so far

• Rich Davids (Burlington,VT), 2008-12-23:

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  I just bought the AVR-154. Being a H.K. fan from way back I had confidence I was buying an awesome sounding receiver. I wasn't disappointed. For the money it can't be beat. I agree with the other reviews regarding the video switching. Forget about it. Use the receiver as a fine sound instrument. The manual takes a lot of patience and re-reading, and this is from an electrical engineer like myself. I hooked everything up correctly and still had problems. Troubleshoot one thing at a time and you'll fix it by trial and error. If you're not into electronics, buy something simpler to install or hire a "geekster."

  

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  M. lew, July 31, 2010:

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  I have just opened the box and tested this unit, have not had a chance to install. However, it may be a while before I can and this unit certainly deserves some praise. I have been an audio hobbyist for years, as well as a professional musician/production person at night. I build my own speakers, and have regular experience tuning and troubleshooting pro-audio systems in a variety of venues. I favor simplicity over complexity, always cut before boost, etc.. One of those guys that works with music enough that the home system is always a simple, purist approach with older tried-and-true hardware.
  
  So-- I wired the AVR-154 into an old (early 70s) single pioneer 4-way floor speaker. Not even running in stereo. No comb effects. Speaker in the center of the wall. No reflections.
  
  This unit is crystal clear, clean. Lows are pronounced, realistic, full but tight. Highs are not rolled off early, yet are present without any distortion that I can hear. Tight sound. Knowing what it sounds like to stand next to the drums, bass, keyboard, and hear everything happening around me, this receiver gave me a similar feeling. I could hear the instrumentation.

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• J. Gonzalez (Austin, TX, USA), 2009-04-09:

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  Harman Kardon offers a no-nonsense approach to style, design and audio expression. I purchased the AVR 154 to complement my audio/video system, which includes: a 1080p, 46" Samsung LCD; Sony PS3, 1080i digital cable box, Dell notebook, and Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 satellite/sub system. My a/v system is set-up in an apartment living room (14' by 16') with vaulted ceilings and the floor is carpeted. My favorite sofa chair is set-up just off-center about 11' from the center speaker and TV, but the receiver has ample features to help me achieve a sweet spot, set crossover points, and control my cable box without moving from my comfy chair. The receiver's dynamic power output combined with ultra-wide bandwidth and low distortion are a great match for the balanced tonal quality of the Polk satellites. Even with a rating of 30 watts per channel, movies and music have a renewed enjoyment. I selected this audio component specifically, because it has more than adequate power for my speaker system and living space. My impression when watching Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City Music Hall (Blu-ray) was sheer "awe". Watching and listening to Tim Reynolds pluck away at his acoustic guitar helped me appreciate his musical expertise in a new way; not to mention, Dave Matthews's vocals are splendid during the opening song, "Bartender". When watching BT - This Binary Universe (DVD) in DTS, the artist's electronic expression is revealed in crisp, clear detail and showcased the receiver's ability to accurately reproduce the wide-band frequency spectrum of synthesized sounds. While playing Battlefield - Bad Company, the game comes to life with whizzing bullets, exploding gas tanks, and angry mercenaries in pure Dolby Digital bliss. To connect my components, I used HDMI cables for video and optical digital cables for audio. This simplified connecting the components and maintained audio fidelity. However, the drawback to this set-up is that I could not program the HDMI 3 remote button to control the digital cable box. I had to program the Vid 2 remote button to control it. Not a big problem, but just slightly annoying, because I wanted to fully utilized the HDMI switching. In summary, if you just spent an obscene amount of money on a flat panel that has the audio equivalency to a portable laptop, shelling out a few hundred bucks on this receiver to give it a nice home in your living room would not be a bad idea. Or if you are like me, an extreme audiophile with an extremely tight budget, this is a great pick.

  

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• John J. Schroeder "John" (Green Bay, WI), 2008-10-06:

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  I wish I would have bought the AVR 254. The AVR 154 is a very good product, I'm happy with it. However, after I bought the 154, I found out that the 254 upconverts to 1080P, I feature I wish I had. Also, the video inputs must be consistant with the output on the monitor out. IE, HDMI in must be HDMI out. So, I had some s-video inputs, and I had to use s-video out. Kinda a bumper. However, if your strapped for cash and you don't need those features, this is a very good product.

  

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• E. Donahey (Oakland, CA), 2009-07-01:

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  After purchasing a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD, I was looking to add some serious sound, but without going broke. And really, I was trying to find a setup for around $400. My initial product search was focused on the "home theater in a box" type systems, but after reading countless reviews that recommended purchasing separates, I changed my focus. I'm glad I did. The sound from this thing is amazing. And don't fret about the 30w per channel. Paired up with Polk Audio's RM 6750 speaker system, the AV-154 blasts through my 14' x 18' living room. My wife says it sounds just like being in the movie theater. Gaming is a whole new experience, too. Mission accomplished--quality sound at a total cost (including speakers) just over $400. So why only 4 stars? The AV-154 can pass through HD video via HDMI cables, but you need separate digital audio hookups for sound. This is my one complaint. I ended up connecting my cable box and PS3 directly to the TV with HDMI cables, and used optical digital cables to connect those items to the AV receiver. A bit of a pain, but I'm very satisfied with the result.

  

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