Little distortion

Build quality

I have this preamp paired with the pa5800 and jbl hls series speakers. The preamp performs very well, but the build quality is less than expected. I have had no problems with the remote or changing between inputs like I've heard from others. Overall the sound is great, the quality isn't, but forthe price I have to give it five stars.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Onkyo

Very good build quality, superb sound quality, price, excellent FM, great prices going.

The AM is crap!

I got mine for $99+shipping. I needed only a high quality stereo pre-amp. However, sterep pre-amps are not cheap. I decided to go with either the PT-2500 or the NAD 917AV ($230). They do pretty much the same thing, ie dolby prologic preamp/tuners. NAD always have superb performance and the 917AV's tuner is the same as the standard setting NAD 412. I was going to buy the NAD, but then I found the PT-2500 for under $100. That decided it.

I was a little apprehensive becaue of a previous experience with an H/K AVR65. That unit was crappily built, had a high noise floor, and when the volume was changed using the remote control, the motor's on/off spikes infiltrated into the sound.

I am happy to report that, other than looking similar, the PT-2500 shares nothing with the AVR 65. It is very well made, sound quality is perfect, the tuner is superb, and I could not be happier with the unit. I cannot comment on the theater abilities, but I find that if I switch it to Direct (which is how I operate it), the sound is indistinguishable from when I run my CD Player directly into the power amp. The volume control is superb, precise and well controlled by the remote. The AM section of the tuner is just AWFUL. My car's stereo pulls in AM better than the PT-2500

I heartily recommend the PT-2500 to everybody not needing a good AM section and Dolby Digital.

Similar Products Used:

Carver CT-24v (piece of crap)

Straight forward design. Ease of use. Sonic purity. Build quality.

Not ac3 ready - no inputs. Must use decoder for dd and dts between preamp and amp (HK adp 303 or others)for dd or dts.

This outstanding piece presently sells for 149 at J&R. I replaced my HK AVR 25 MK ll with this and the PA 5800 for an unbelievably low price at J&R. It was the cheapest way to separates without high end prices. Plenty of headroom for HT and the sonic purity for music is equal to none. I bypassed the preamp with my cdp ie connected it directly to the amp - no difference in sound. This means that it is not coloring the sound and thus comes close to a passive preamp in my listening opinion. The unit is made in Korea while the amp is USA product. I could not be happier with the PT 2500 because my listening tastes lean toward music foremost and HT second. The newer DD/DTS receivers are being manufactured with less and less amplifier power since most people are including a powered subwoofer in their speaker selection. I run full range 4 ohm speakers that need amperage not found in many receivers though my HK 25 mkll did well the separates are obviously superior. Plan to add ac3 and dts through a separate decoder either through a dvd with 6 analog inputs and 6 outs (Panasonic has one coming out in this and the Technics brands with dvd audio). This should give me a great deal of flexibility to incorporate new technology without trashing everything every time something new comes out ie I can replace one piece not the whole system. Great piece but you will have to be creative to use new technology.

Similar Products Used:

Essentially an AVR 25 Mkll w/o the amp section which it replaced.

I have read (with great interest I might add) each of the reviews for the HK PT 2500 and the PA5800. I really don't have much more to add except a story about a real deal. A local company here in Mpls. bought all of the Wiz's stereo equipment from the east coast. To make a short story long, I picked up both pieces (after some price negotiation) for a paltry $340! Both pieces were new in the box and came with a full factory warranty.

My point is this - the deals are out there if you are willing to look AND negotiate. The manager that I ended up dealing with revealed that they still made a decent retail mark-up even after the negotiation. Of course, I believe that I got the better end of the deal since I now have, pound-for-pound, some of the best mid-entry equipment in the industry and money left over to enjoy other fine rewards.

Very clean sound, no coloration. Simple to use.

Badly written manual. Remote needs to be replaced with a good learning one.

Still enjoying this pre-amp and only paid $120 for it the price I got for my Kenwood receiver. Day and night difference between the two which makes me very happy to be owning the H/K. Using the radio shack remote which gives it a more solid feel to it, the suplied remote well you have heard the story. Need a DVD player now and then maybe the H/K Digital processor.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood Kr-v8540

Nice phono section, good FM, remote works fine, smooth sounding preamp

Chassis is too large, needs extra preamp main outputs

I'm using this outdated HT preamp as the heart of my stereo-only system in our family room. It's ironic that it makes makes one hell of a stereo Tuner/Preamp, especially for the money. I'm using it to drive a couple of Fairchild monoblock tube power amps (EL34 outputs), which are powering some JBL 4425 studio monitors (horns). It's got an excellent phono preamp, and really does my Thorens table/Ortofon MC20 cart justice. The unit I got from uBid was so pristine that I don't believe it was a "B" stock unit. I know they didn't sell very well, and I think Sid Harman was dumping new stock through though uBid.

Like the reviewer below, I bought this unit to upgrade to separates. I previously owned a Nakamichi AV-500. I now couple the PT2500 with a AudioSource AmpOne Power Amplifier hooked up to a pair of Infinity Delta 30 speakers. I use this unit solely for listening to music in stereo, and I must say the results are satisfactory. It performs well over a wide spectrum of frequencies, with tight undistorted bass even at loud volumes. Highs are clear and well defined. Mid-range is exceptional. The only complaint I have is the soundstage - It is not as wide as the Nakamichi that I owned. I wonder if this is due to the PT2500 or the AmpOne.
Cosmetically I don't find any faults with the unit. The clean, slick design is characteristic of Harman Kardon products. Buttons are well placed though labelling could be a bit clearer. I agree with the reviewer below: Leave the bass and treble controls alone for they do little to improve the sound. The contour button, however, does help to boost the sound quite a bit - I seem to get a broader soundstage by turning this feature on.

Overall, a 4 for performance and quality. A 5 for Value for the money.

Equipment:
Harman Kardon PT2500 PreAmp
AudioSource AmpOne Power Amp
Harman Kardon FL8350 CD Changer
Geneva PF470 Mixer
Infinity Delta 30 Speakers
Monster XPII Speaker Cables
Monster InterConnect Cables

I recently purchased the PT-2500 for $199.00 from J&R Music World (A.K.A. Jandr.com) along with the PA-5800 amp for $399.00. This combo replaces a Sony AV receiver that has served for home theater and general family music use for the past three years. The PT-2500 is huge for a preamp and a bit clunky looking, but at $200.00 I can't complain. For the time being it is serving its purpose in facilitating my change-over from a home theater receiver to separates. At some point I intend to upgrade to a better preamp with Dolby Digital and DTS. Any criticism of the PT-2500 I have is aimed primarily at the display. The display options for Dolby Pro Logic (such as center channel mode) and two-channel enhancements such as stadium and theater modes are so small as to be almost invisible from the seated position. On the positive side, FM stereo reception was clearer than with the Sony receiver and overall, quite good. Performance with VHS Hi-Fi, CD, laser disc and broadcast TV were all good. With CD and FM the sound tended to be somewhat laid back. The overall sonic performance is not state of the art, but not unpleasant either. The tone controls are best left at 12 o'clock where they do little harm. Likewise the loudness contour button. Throughout the years there have been a number of preamp deals such as this in the $200-$400 range, especially at J&R Music (Nikko, Proton, Onkyo, Audio Source etc., etc.) but none that sound this good. For once, no harsh, or thin or bloated sound. Four stars.

Like one of the other reviewers, I bought this preamp recently from J&R for $200. I bought it because I wanted to have power amps seperate from the rest of my components, but didn't want to have to buy a tuner AND a preamp AND a decoder AND an elecronic crossover (for my sub amp). Overall, I am very pleased with it's build quality and performance. The tuner (very important to me) is the most sensitive I've used, the processing works fine and is somewhat tuneable, it's got plenty of inputs, and it has a very high-quality "feel" missing from so many mass-produced units these days. It is large, but if you take the lid off it it's clear HK actually used most of that room for better electronics--and it looks great. There have been a couple of dissapointments, though: 1) It has a "sub-out" which is full range--basically just another output. What's the use of that? They shouldn't call it a sub-out unless it is a sub-out. Now I'll have to buy a seperate electronic crossover.
2) There is a variable delay of up to 2 or 3 seconds when you hit a preset button. Quite annoying.
Quibbles aside though, this is a really nice piece of equipment. I highly recommend it to anyone in the market for such a product. Get it while you can!