Great sound, easy to set up, excellent DTS decoding

Remote stinks, lack of EQ controls for speakers, boomy DD 5.1 bass

While looking for my first receiver purchase I narrwoed my search down to this unit and the Sony STRDE945, they were both the same price (thats canadian price bdw). So it came down to the way they sounded. The Harman just sounds soo much better then the Sony. I do miss a few features that the Sony had. Especialy the ability to EQ each speaker, but on the other hand, who really needs that? Also the Harman has a front optical input and more inputs over all.

Yes the remote does suck, and also it does not control any of my other equipment. I've emailed them and asked for a new remote unit but have not heard back from them yet.

I find that the bass in Dolby Digital 5.1 movies is a bit too much sometimes, sounding boomy and overpowering. I'm kinda of a newbie at this stuff so I'm not really sure what causes this effect. on the other hand, in DTS titles, the bass then sounds too weak. I have been able to mess around with the bass levels for both modes and now things are starting to sound better all around.

All together, i couldn't ahve asked for a better unit then this for my first system. I just love it. Can't beat its price/features + excellent sound quality.

Similar Products Used:

none

clarity, sound quality, styling, flexibility

remote

As the owner of four previous h/k amps or receivers this one managed to impress me very quickly. I recently decided to upgrade to Dolby Digital and DTS. After auditioning several other products from Onkyo, NAD and others, the 110 was the standout. The back panel has enough inputs, both digital and analog, and setting up which digital inputs I'm using was relatively painless. In fact the overall setup was accomplished during a run home during lunch. (Like the overgrown kid I am, I couldn't wait until evening)
Upon completing the setup and powering up the unit, which integrated easily with my existing system, I was treated to wonderfully clean, warm sound. I am very impressed with the reproduction of details contained in Dolby Digital and DTS movies. The overall sound is very coherent and smooth. In all modes, this receiver is a strong performer. The ambience and clarity of the sound is impressive. The virtual surround modes are also excellent when used with non surround inputs such as VHS or non digital television broadcast.
I am currently using the unit in a medium-sized living room, and the conservatively rated power is more than ample. As a matter of fact I have not ventured into the positive side of the volume scale. The receiver seems to deliver sound effortlessly. Once again h/k demonstrates that high current, not just peak watts is the key in delivering powerful sound. This particular unit is delivering this sound through small B&W "Solid" speakers for main and surround and a JBL PB10 powered sub. Since the B&Ws are full range, I have the speakers set to large.
While listening to music or watching movies and considering the AVR110's price tag I find myself grinning like the Cheshire Cat who ate the Prozac.

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NAD, Denon, Philips

Great sounding reciever, lots of inputs looks great.

remote sucks but i emailed HK and they sent me a new one that worked just fine. They told that they sent a bunch if faulty remotes. So if yours is giving you a hard time let them know.

I think that this reciever is great sounding and if you are looking in to home theater for a low price go with this reciever but if money is not a problem then go with the AVR7000 or the new Rotel. I read a lot of the other reviews and people just don't understand that watts is not that big of a deal with a High Current amp. This is a high current amp. So if it was a low current amp it would be very close to 100 watts pre channel. So don't let the power rating confuse you like it does everone else. Higher watts does not mean that it's better.

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Technics sa-dx 1040(sucks big time)
Technics sa-dx 940 (sucks big time)

Great sound, looks. Tons of inputs

Remote is clumsily laid out. Could use a bit more juice

I've been using this receiver for about a week. It replace a JVC 8000vbk that I had prior that I liked, but was looking for a few more specific features. One of the main ones was to be able to play tv/vcr through only the front 3 speakers. The JVC only had 5 channel stereo, not 3 channel. The HK is completely noiseless. You can turn the volume up all the way (with nothing playing) and you hear absolutely no noise. Sound quality is top notch. I've noticed much better bass extension with the HK.

My only issues with the receiver are first, the remote. It sucks. The layout is very poor. However, this is easily fixable with a universal learning. My second issue is with power. The HK is rated at 40 continous watts. In theory, these are full bandwith and should compete with other receivers rated much higher. However, I have noticed a slight lack of power. If my room were any bigger, to really get the place kickin would require playing the receiver at full volume or more. That said though, the 40 watts are plenty for everyday use. I would think twice, however, if you plan to put this system in a very large room and like to listen to music at high volumes.

Other than that, this thing is awesome. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quality sub $500 receiver. If you've got the bucks, go for the AVR 310, otherwise this thing is great.

My equipment :

HK AVR110
HK FL 8550 CD changer
Sony DVD
JVC VCR
Paradigm Mini monitors up front
paradigm CC170 center
Paradigm Atoms in the back
RBH powered sub

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JVC-8000VBK

Clean sound and great Bass response

Have to do a little tweaking of the speaker settings for DTS.

I fell in love with this reciever the moment I heard a demo in the store. It has very clean sound and really blew me away. I dont much care for the remote but ah well what are you gonna do? Great reciever for the price.

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Sony and Pioneer

Absolutely 100% noise free. Very versatile. Integrated seamlessly into my home theater.

The stinkin remote. Runs pretty hot but what do you want when you listen to it cranked up half the time.

Well I must say I have been very pleased with this unit. Well, at least after the frustration of trying to program the stinking remote went away. This has got to be the cleanest sounding thing I have ever heard. I have heard a lot of complaints about this unit "lacking" power. I really cannot talk about that because I am using Polk RM660 sats and a Velodyne CT120 sub. They are powered MORE than adequately! I can turn this thing up until I cant stand it and it still sounds perfectly clean and effortless. My last attempt at purchasing a receiver led me to an Onkyo 575. I was not very pleased. It sounded harsh and lifeless. Needless to say it was returned. On a friends recommendation I decided to try the HK. It was a smidge cheaper so I was skeptical that it could even match the Onkyo much less sound better. Boy was that ever the wrong assumption! I am very happy with it and if you are reading this you are looking for a receiver or have recently purchased one. Do your ears a favor, pick on up take it home and see what you think. I would never have anything else.

Absolutely 100% noise free. Very versatile. Integrated seamlessly into my home theater.

BUT BUY A DIFFERENT REMOTE!!!

Well, you cant fault the receiver for the shortcomings of the remote.

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Onkyo 575 Denon 1601

Clean sound, a lot of digital inputs both (coax and fiber)

THE remote

I was looking for a musical Surrond receiver with power fit for a condo. I'm using it with an old pair (18 years) of Mission speakers.

I think that HK has a mature product in it's hand. The 110 is a GREAT entry level product and I hadn't the requirement for the 210(6 channel entry for pre-processor) or the 310 (multi room features).

The sound is very good! It's clean and, as always with HK, there is a lot of power in reserve even if you used only 2 speakers.

TO ALL HK 110 BUYERS. TO PROGRAM THE REMOTE, DO NOT USE THE CODES, THEY ARE NOT GOOD. USE THE FEATURE WHEN YOU SCROLL THE CODES ONE BY ONE AND FIND THE ONE THAT FITS BEST YOUR DEVICE. There are over 200 codes, it took me over 2h to program the TV, SAT, Video and DVD. I'm satisfied with the result.

Remember, HK sells 2 optional remote...

NONE

TOO MANY TO LIST HERE

worst investment i ever made. sounds terrible, I think that for the price you can buy a much better receiver from Denon or Yamaha. HK products are not worth it any more they concentrate too much on car audio.
For home theater and music I recomend YAMAHA
For music only DENON

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YAMAHA AND DENON

Awesome sound. More than enough power! Great looks. Ability to adjust each speaker's output. Value!

The remote is the worst I've ever seen. Cannot run any of my other components. Invalid codes.

First of all this an awesome A/V Recvr. I listened to many and this beats the Sony's and Onkyo's that were over $800. Don't be fooled by the power rating--the whole business with using watts to rate power is an age-old marketing scheme. Many out there think that the more watts, the more power. Not always the case--H/K AVR 110 is rated at 25 amps of POWER on demand. This rcvr has much more power than my old 120 watt Sony. I will stack this against almost any 100 watt recvr any day. Look at amp ratings when comparing receivers--not just watts. (Denons also feature high amp ratings).

What is most impressive is the clean sound. Crystal clear. When I listened to number of other brands in the same listening room I just noticed that H/K had a different sound than all the the others (Sony, Onkyo, Kenwood). Just a cleaner more "elegant" sound throughout the volume ranges. Hard to describe so I would encourage you to listen to one if you can.

I also found a number of other really neat features on the 110 so read the manual closely to really benefit from all the cool details this unit can offer. I am amazed at what you get for the price of this unit.

Bought on-line for $399 and this included FedEx 2-Day shipping from www.onecall.com. Awesome on-line retailer and best I've dealt with. Local guys couldn't get it or keep in stock they lost out. You can check stock before you order at OneCall. The company is in Spokane, WA and is one of only several H/K authorized on-line dealers. Great service and no NY hassle ect.

OK--the bad news is the remote. Only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Invalid codes. I cannot program my Sony 32 inch TV (except volume) or Sony DVD player to work with it. Both are Sony's most popular models too so kind of hard to believe. Buttons are also small and hard to find. Will have to get a universal learning remote ASAP. I knew the remote was a weakness going into the deal, however, the great sound and theater-friendliness of the unit more than offset the remote trouble.

Harman/Kardon. There is no substitute...

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Sony

Good, Clean sound

A little difficult to navigate / remote is not the greatest

I love this reciever. I looked at a ton of recievers before I bought this one. I am extremely happy with my choice. I listen to music alot and it gives me great sound. In addition, I just got a new DVD player and the sound is incredible for watching movies. I would recommend this to anyone. I LOVE THIS RECIEVER!!!!