looks kind of cool

low power

I don't understand some of the other users who say this unit gets loud. This unit doesn't get loud. I think my speakers are pretty efficient _ wharfedale 400s. The volume level range is from -70 to +5. When I'm watching movies or with some CDs, I have to turn it up to -8 or -7 to get it to a satisfactory volume. With some movies, even if you turn it all the way to +5, it's still not loud enough. And believe me, I'm no head-banger. I'm married and have 2 kids in the house and cannot be rattling the walls. But even if I could, this unit's rinky-dink volume wouldn't even be heard if you walked into another room in the house. I am very dissappointed, and unfortunately, it's past the warranty period. Well, at least it was only $130 down the can.

Extremely reasonable price. Dolby Digital/DTS with optical or coax input. High current. Automatic shut off. Has all the basics.

Remote is not well-designed. Lacks s-video input (not too big of a deal).

I tentatively bought this from Ubid, noting that many have listed this and the AVR300 to be problematic. However, after several months of usage, I have yet to (knock-on-wood) experience any problems. I bought this to replace an ancient Kenwood Pro-Logic receiver for the bedroom, and have been more than pleased with it. I coupled it with some satellite Harmon speakers (also purchased at Ubid) and, although it's not a movie theater, I have a nice setup for when I just want to hang out and watch TV or DVD in the bedroom. If you can get one at this price, I'd recommend it.

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Under rated power. Clean. Good closeout price.

Remote only works with HK CD players.

Made my decision to buy from the posts found here. Got a good deal at ubid.com ($140 includes shipping). This is a refurbished unit. I agree that symphonic music does not sound as good as vocal/guitar music. At first I thought it was the speakers until I read the following post. Also bought Infinity RS- 3 speakers from ubid.com. The amp tone controls are set flat and sound great. Very quiet.

clean,smooth bass

remote is touchy

i was worried about buying this amp,on reputation alone,cause id never heard or seen it.but i researched it,read some of the reviews on this site,and i am really happy.this is a real sweet unit,slickest design,best sound ive ever had out of my tannoy's,blows the rxv-870 out of the water.i'm HK for life now,buy this.

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Ease of use / HK quality

Remote control is quite confusing

A steal at $159.00 via a UBID auction. The unit I purchased was refurbished and had a 90 day HK warranty. So far, so good. I was, am, quite impressed in regards to the Harman-Kardon stance on user friendly products. The AVR-100 is VERY easy to set up and easy to operate. The exception is the complicated remote control, which has enough buttons to control the space shuttle. The owners manual is very straight forward and helped me set up my home theatre system within minutes. A very nice feature is the test tone, which allows the user to "balance", if you will, the signal strength to each speaker. Music and voice reproduction is crystal clear with no noticeable distortion. The unit does not support DTS, but it does have an optical connection for Dolby Digital and Pro Logic. Not high end by any means, but perfect for the person that enjoys HK quality at a reasonable price.

Excellent sound -- HK Quality

In my system (I have B&W DM604 S2s running stereo), I have found lately a scratchyness in the higher frequencies.

I am somewhat new to the HK line of products, however I have found this receiver to be exceptionally nice. The heat produced from it is very mild, the design is definately something to look twice at, and the controls are very solid--something I always look for in a product. For the price, it is an amazing piece of equipment, until you upgrade to a pair of speakers which retail for over 1600 dollars US, at which point you may notice some minor little flaws when listening very carefully to the higher frequencies (higher-voiced opera-type music).

I would love to try the AVR110, but for the price these run for nowadays (I believe I saw this one on eBay for around $100, but that sounds a tad too low) it is a nice unit for a bedroom or office system powering higher-end monitors or bookshelfs.

Great sound, value

lack of features, no B stero output, reliablility

I bought this from Ubid at a great deal to replace my Kenwood that blew out just hours before. I am used to buying refurbished goods from web vendors, and used to having to replace/repair them, as is expected. However, only 5 weeks after buying the HK it unexpectedly turned off when switching from DVD to VCR, it never came back on. Because of the limited 30 day warrentee from ubid I am forced to buy a new receiver again. I am not too bitter, as the HK gave me great sound and useablity while it was working, but next time I think I will get the a new product or a better warrentee. I am giving a rather low value rating because of its short life, though it shined bright during that period.

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Dolby Pro Logic, Coax input, straightforward owner's manual, styling

Lack of DTS, fussy remote

I have to admit a bias for Harmon Kardon. My last HK analog receiver put in 20 years of hard service, and would still be going except I ran out of inputs! The AVR may push only 50 watts/channel but with efficient speakers you should be OK. HK amps are extremely "musical" and with the digital coax cable hooked up, you can hear detail in Fantasia 2000 I thought was only possible in IMAX. Glad I didn't waste any money on DTS, Dolby Digital is all you need. There are still some AVR 100s in boxes at electronic retailers, and they're priced to move, since they're not the current model. The entry level HK is beautiful to look at, and to listen to.

High current, separate amplifier per channel (discrete decoding), no hiss at all, CLEAN sound, nice look

No DTS, a little low power (but that's an HK dude...)

What a nice receiver... For the price you get an Harman Kardon beast... It's true it lacks some features... but i can sacrify S-Video switching and DTS for great sound quality...

I use this receiver with cerwin vega speakers and it just sounds great... No hiss in surround speakers like with the jvc or kenwood... anyway it's another world !

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Dolby Digital; high-current (typical of HK); great looks; sufficient power.

Weak music reproduction; lack of inputs

Wanting to upgrade my trusty HK AVR20 to dolby digital and seeing the great price for a HK AVR100 at Future Shop, I had the opportunity to take home this receiver and tested it for a month. It sounded awesome while watching movies...dolby digital was a dramatic improvement over pro-logic...I was hooked. However, when I popped in my CD's, in particular any classical music, the sound was awful. The high frequencies sounded harsh, but more importantly, very little midrange frequencies. I checked my setup, changed from 'small' to 'large' front speakers...same result. Using a subwoofer only exaggerated the gap between high and low frequencies. The AVR100 is more suited for rock music & movies rather than the more sublte classical and jazz genres.
I read the reviews on the 'net for this model and can easily confirm them...it has most of the problems and short-comings associated with early dolby digital receivers. I decided to compare the two HK receivers at home and confirmed everything my ears were telling me...the AVR20 sounded warm and full with the same setup. After my wonderful experience using the AVR20 for the last 6 years, I was very disappointed to say the least and returned the unit.

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