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.