Good looks, power, quality, awsome stereo sound, decent pro logic

Rears could use some more oommph

I bought this new when I only needed HT sound for my rented room. I had this amp paired with Radio Shack Optimus 7's, an Advent 10 powered sub, and a Zenith 27" TV. Kindda low fi but it rocked the 10x10 room I was living in at the time. I have since up graded to bigger and better speakers and a house but this amp still rocks. I will be upgrading to digital sound soon but I am waiting until the 7.1 amps really start coming out. This will then go back to the bedroom for surround sound there. Until then it still rocks the media room loud enough to upset the neighbors :-)

Similar Products Used:

Kewood amps

Powerful, prescise, quality

rear power, no DTS.

I am currently using the Paradigm Pick.
*Monitor 7s - $600 (bi-wired)
*Mini Monitors - $330 (rears)
*CC350 Center - $330
*S1000 Sub - $600
Matched with Harmon Kardon's AVR20II Dolby Prologic - $500
This is an awesome combo that provides dynamic clarity with precise thump for under $2,500. I bought this combo back in 1998, so I'm sure it could be duplicated for much less today.

Keep in mind, if you're the type of person who likes to critique classical music, don't expect miracles from under $3000 in equipment

Now that DTS has become mainstream I've considered moving to a receiver with that capability, but the sound from AVR20II is so good I'm skeptical that I'll notice a great improvement. The main drawback of the AVR20II is that the rear speakers are under-powered, however this is easily remedied...move the speakers closer the couch.

When I first bought this product I had problems with distortion if I adjust the treble or bass and there was a clicking sound when I adjusted the volume using the remote. I took it in for warranty repairs and when I got it back all the problems were fixed and I've never had a complaint since.

I recently purchased the AVR20II based in part on the opinions expressed here and in part on my own personal experience with HK products (I've had an HK casette deck (model cd-191) for over 10 years now and it still running strong!). I've hooked this baby up to a pair of B&O electrostatic speakers and the clarity of the sound is quite impressive. It's quite an improvement over the receiver that it replaced (a pre-1980 Philips model). OK, so given the time lapse between audio equipment purchases, I expected a significant improvement: but this is better than I ever expected! So you could say I like this receiver.
Now here's a question for you folks: I'd like to hook up a couple of rear speakers to the receiver to get the full impact of the ProLogic technology. What speakers would you all suggest would be best suited for this purpose (without breaking the bank)?

Thanks to all.

I worked at Circuit City and after all the comparison nothing comes to the H/K. I find the rear channels are, however a bit underpowered.
All in all though I love this unit. I use this for music as well as
Prologic. The clarity on this unit is unbelievable. The sound is crisp
and 'natural'. This unit is the best compared to price and value. When
I compared the H/K to the other units (Sony, JVC, Onkyo, Carver, ...and whatever they have at Circuit City) the sound distorts at high volumes
and lacks clarity. The H/K was the clearest unit amount them all!

For the price, this receiver is very good value for money. But the supplied links that connect the pre to power amp sections art the bottleneck to performance. One day I used Kimber Kable Silver Streak interconects in place of these links, and, boy, was I surprised at the improvement! Coloration was gone, and the sound positively sparkled as the hi frequencies seemed to acquire another octave in extension. OK, the Silver Streaks costs 30% as much as the receiver, but you want to get rid of the links and experiment with other interconnects to maximise the potential of this receiver.

I have heretofore resisted writing a review of the HK AVR20 II. However, in reading the glowing reports printed here, I must respond. I purchased this unit from Tandy's Incredible Universe for $300.. I bought it as a no-box demo, however, it came with a manual and remote. Wiithout a doubt, it has been one of the worst audio purchases I have ever made. To start with, it is vastly underpowered. It has not responded well too any set of speakers I have mated it with.. I tried using it as a preamp, matched with a Adcom GFA-7000. It didn't respond there either.
This unit is the worst of 5 receivers I currently own. All of the others are 100 watt per channel or greater. They include Yamaha's current RXV-2092, two Technics pro-logic units, and a 20 year old Optonica (high end Sharp). All of the other receivers have better tuners, also. If I could find a buyer for the HK, I would sell it in a heartbeat. To any prospective buyer of this model, look for more power and a better tuner. I rate it 2 stars.

I bought a Sherwood RV-5030R since feb 95 for 380$ can. As far as i cansee the main difference between the HK and the 5030 is the amplifier
section. Wich basically sucks on the Sherwood, but as an A/V unit thought... -Multi-room capability
-pre amp and amp fonction
inputs: -Front gold plated RCA jacks(switching vcr2)
-tape1 -tape monitor -vcr1 -vcr2 -tv/aux -cd -phono
-integrated tuner (30 preset)
There's also a vcr dubbing function wich allows you to dub protected
video tapes and listen to another source
tv monitor out, sleep function, dimmer for the lcd display
Now are those the same functions as the HK-20? (3 stars for the Sherwood)

I just got myself one of these units, and I must say that I am very impressed. I am by no means an audiophile, but I know what sounds good, and I know what I like. I have had a number of receivers in the past couple years, and this one is by far the best yet. After owning a Fisher, 2 Kenwoods, and a Pioneer, I think that I have finally found myself a brand that I like. This receiver proved to me that sheer wattage is not the whole story. It has lower wattage than all of my other receivers, however these are higer current, higer quality, lower distortion watts. In fact, it seems to drive my Infinity RS2000.4's better than any of my other receivers did. I also love the simplicity of this unit, no uselss soundfields or things like that.......it does what it says it will do and does it very very well. If anybody is in the market for a Pro-Logic receiver that performs wonderfully in every way, I would definately check one of these out. Not to mention the prices on these units are getting lower all the time.........so before you buy a receiver that claims higher wattage, and useless features really try and audition one of these powerful, musical, and reasonable little receievers....you won't be disappointed.

I've owned this receiver for three months and have one word to describe it. Awesome!! Excellent bass impact, smooth highs, and a near perfect midrange. If you want a receiver without useless features and silly pro-logic soundfields, this is it. The H/K is no high-end separates system but it excells in stereo for a receiver and will equal the performance of entry-level integrated amplifiers. Build quality is excellent. I found mine for $299 new. Unbeatable at that price.

I got an AVR20 for Christmas. I was stunned by what I'd been missing in my music. The H/K replaces an Onkyo A-8150 integrated amp which was rather cold and analytical, maybe even a little tired (sheesh it is over ten years old). The H/K is much warmer and I haven't had to adjust the bass or treble much to get a very sweet musical sound (purportedly a common problem with "mid-fi" equipment). When I first plugged it in I was disappointed; it sounded weak in the bass and very distorted, but burn-in came to the rescue. I swear every time I seriously listen it seems even warmer with a more precise midrange! If I had a complaint it would be the lack of gold plated jacks and binders. Until I got this receiver I thought my speakers were getting ready to give up the ghost. Good thing I got this receiver! Now it's time to build myself a home theater system.