Was good while it lasted.

The remote, and whatever else it was that broke down.

This is a follow up to my post from May of this year. This is not to knock the ARV210, just to relay my experience and views after owning this product.
This was an excellent receiver while it lasted, all the useful features one could ask for without the useless ones. Unfortunately my unit had recurring problems and had to be put down. The issue was with the volume control, in which the volume would suddenly start increasing on it's own. Luckily it didn't damage any of my speakers. I found out by chance, after coming across the HK service archives on the net, that this has been a long standing problem with HK units. The unit was taken in for warranty service twice. Both times the problem was initially fixed but either re-occurred or a new problem popped up. Eventually it was "repaired" to the point where there was no sound all coming from the unit. I have to say that I didn't trust the ability if the HK "authorized" service center at all! "Oh yes it will take 2 weeks to get parts" and I get a call 2 days later that it's fixed. I think not.
Anyhow my dealer sent it back to HK directly for them to look at. 2 weeks passed and we heard nothing from them. In our mutual frustration he offered to deal with HK later and set me up with another receiver of my choice. I did not get another HK.
I have found a lot of people who have the opinion that the quality of Harman Kardon recievers has gone down hill in recent years. I am beginning to think the same way. The dealer I purchased it from was excellent. The repair depot and HK service themselves were not however.
Apparently HK has a policy that they will try to fix the same problem 3 times before taking any action on replacement or refunds. Unfortunately be prepared for a long wait if anything goes wrong.
I was without my unit for a month as a result of this policy and was glad when my dealer offered to help me out after all the hassle I had to go through.

I really did love this unit when it was working, but after all I had to go through, I just couldn't trust HK's build quality and service enough to try out another HK receiver.
It was good while it lasted but the sour after-taste of HK service still lingers.

Sorry folks.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Pioneer, & Pioneer Elite

inputs, sound quality, appearance

burnt out, Remotes made before 12/2000 (they are very quick to replace)

I was very impressed with this A/V receiver's ability to drive my Paradigm Monitor 3s, cc-350 and surrounds. DTS concert DVDs such as Hell Freezes Over and audio CDs sounded incredible.

Unfortunately, the unit shut down the other day while watching TV at a low volume and would not come back on. Dropped it off for repair. If it happens again with this unit, I'm going directly to H-K to complain.

When this receiver works, I don't think there is a better home theater choice in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

JVC, Sony, Yamaha

Clean, Modern looks; 0.07% Distortion-less sound; Ease of use; Plenty of power

Remote is unatractive, but actually works well for me. Speaker setup/Dolby Digital setting does not display correctly at times.

One of the cleanest receivers I've ever heard. Very easy to use and perform all the necessary functions. 40 watts per channel in text sounds a little on the lower end, but truthfully easily could be 60-75 watts vs. other makes. The sound is uncomparable at this price, and a got a kick *ss discount and no tax.
Some weaknesses are the remote (which everybody and their grandma hates). Other than the looks, the remote actually works pretty well for me, even through my TV stand's glass doors. I ended up buying the HK TC1000-Touch Screen Remote anyway. One weakness that I don't understand is: about 15% of the time when I play a DVD thats encoded with Dolby Digital or DTS. For some reason it doesn't read correctly on the first try, so it displays the surround as Dolby Pro-logic, Logic 6 or Vmax, etc. An easy fix is to stop the disc, open and reinsert the disc. Other than that its flawless.
So anyhow, this stereo is highly recommended for home theater setups. DVD, CD and PS2 games will bust your ears with crisp clear sound. My first complete system, but most likely I'll have it for long while

Sony 36" Vega TV-V16
Harmon Kardon AVR-210
Harmon Kardon DVD 5
Polk Audio RM 7500s
Polk Audio PSC 350
Sony PS2

Similar Products Used:

Looked around at Denon, Sony, Yamaha receiver equivalents.

Excellent sound (bets i have ever heard), enormous number of inputs, configuration opportunities

None except for the problem described below (the remote is OK for me, I do neither need phono inputs, nor A/B switch)

I agree with all on that truly excellent product, even the remote is OK.
There is one glitch, however: When I insert a Stereo CD (havn´t tried DVDs yet, as my TV hasn´t been ordered yet) and I am connect to one of the digital inputs, the first moments of audio are dropped when the CD is spinning up (sometimes also when I change tracks). The delays last from 0s (in 80% of the cases) to 0,5-2 s, seldomyl it takes up to 10s!!!
This won´t happen if I am connected to the analog inputs.

Any thoughts on it? I´d like also comments of those who do not experience problems of that kind.

Otherwise it is a perfect product.

regrds,

Alfred

Similar Products Used:

none

Tons of S-vid inputs!, MP3 decoding, plenty optical and coaxial i/o. Plenty power for medium sized rooms. Great remote incl. an SPL meter that calibrates your system! Smooth, crisp, bassy, clean and no huming sound. Good strong build quality.

The remote is a little complicated. A little pricey.

Although all the receivers I have tested are lower in price, at cost it is all around the same price range which is great.
Best sound I've ever heard and don't be fooled by the 40 watts rating, it's still able to shake up the house even though my 5 year old vivid speakers are 8ohm and have a sensitivity of 89db. The inputs are loaded! I'm quite sure for common home theaters this will suffice. There's optical and coaxial inputs in front incl svid!

There's 5 svid inputs! and 4 outputs altogether. There's an on screen setup menu and adjustement for every channel and everything. The rerouted svid inputs are not affected by running them through the receiver although it softens the image it bit, it is not a problem. I can not see it as being futile for another 5 years or so.

As mentioned before it's strongest point is its sound. On standby or in silent scenes there is no humming or any sort of distortion even when the receiver is pumped up to MAX! Even at 40 watts I'm quite afraid to blow up my 150 watt rated front channel speakers.

The build quality is amazing, nothing is loose and nothing seems to have been cut short for value. This unit is heavy and a little large. It's very well ventilated. In my opinion its looks are truly attractive, simple and to the point although some may disagree, however many will agree that the front displays will part your eyes more towards the receiver's fancy green display then the eye popping dvd's you see and hear.

One very rare and very seldom used is its capability to decode the mp3 format although I haven't tried myself, I find that this is a very attractive bonus. And with actual, useful and enveloping surround mode this receiver gets an A+ for getting this right. Many incl. surround modes that do nothing but annoy you and make you pay for it even when you are not going to use it.

As previously mentioned the remote has a built in SPL meter and calibration system now how cool is that? Many custom installers will critize it for not being perfect and accurate but just being nitpicky. It actually works, and what truly amazing is that this is a receiver that listens as well literally! It sends test tones and calibrates each output for each speaker to make your listening experience the most enjoyable for any source. As a strengh, the remote is also a weakness. Why? Its supposed learning capabilities are quite difficult for beginners and buggy at times. I would advise buying a separate learning remote such as the SONY RM-AV2100 or the PROTON SC2000 for around 130 US. This will save you plenty trouble.

One small minor complaint is its manual: it's thick, long, boring and quite frankly unorganized. It's very cluttered.
Although you will rarely need to read through the whole manual.

My one advice is to purchase premium cables for interconnects and speaker wires to take full advantage of this wonderful receiver.

Compared to other receivers in a lower price range, it is hard to justify its cost yet make no mistake you get what you pay for and this holds quite true for today's elecronic components.

There are many more features and qualities that accompany this receiver therefore it is impossible to list them all for I am afraid I would need to write a 14 page essay on its greatness. If you are going to make one major receiver upgrade/purchase, you need to look no further. If price is a limiting factor go with the SONY STR-DE945 although you pay for useless bells and whistles and exaggerated power ratings, you get decent sound for a very good deal.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STD-E945, Kenwood VR-410, and JVC RV-8000K.

Excellent design of receiver itself, very clear, crisp sound, can play loud, no detectable noise, multiple sound fields that you may actually want to use

Remote and manual seemingly designed by people who might have met the people who designed the receiver, perhaps once, and probably in a bar

I had the good fortune to get an A/V receiver for Christmas/birthday, and it was the Sony STR DE545. It was easy to set up, and soon enough I was able to figure out how to get it to decode DTS bitstream as evidenced by the fancy blue light. However, the omnipresent hiss that I've since read so much about on this site was quite apparent, and I just couldn't take it any more. Especially since I have Infinity front speakers, which are efficient enough to make the hiss penetrate my brain. So I chipped in a couple hundred bucks and got myself the AVR 210. This thing is a wonder. No hiss. No background noise of any kind, and I can't even tell if it's on or off if I'm not playing anything. Functionally, it's bliss. Sonically, it's bliss. Visually, it's just my style. However, I had to fight with it for a while to figure out some simple things, like how to change the sound field from the remote (which requires two buttons in succession) or how to turn on the on screen menu (the button for which is hidden amongst 30 other identical looking buttons). I'm pretty sure I could design a more user friendly remote by pulling buttons at random out of a burlap sack. I like the shape of the remote, though (for what its worth). And the ability of the codes to actually correspond to and control anything else you own is dubious at best (I can turn the volume down on my TV, but not up). If only the chaps that designed the unit itself could also build a remote and take the time to write a manual that organized information in a way that makes sense to those of us who don't reside in the bizarro world, then this thing would be perfect. However, don't let these comments about the remote dissuade you. Just buy it, figure it out, and you will be rewarded.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR DE545

Clarity, usable surround modes

Remote, night mode

I upgraded from the Sony STR-DE545 for the same reason as some other reviewers - the white noise produced by its digital processing. My original priority was convenience, since all 5 of my other components are Sony. After owning the 545 for 6 months, I became much more concerned about a clean, clear sound at all volume levels, so I looked to HK.

After reading some warning posts on this site about the 210's inferior remote coding, I had planned on purchasing a 310 for its learning capability, but realized I didn't need the extra power or the multi-room feature. So I stuck with the 210.

Setup was straightforward given that I'd downloaded and reviewed the manual. The 210 doesn't seem to have the low end of the 545, but has a much more balanced sound with better separation and detail.

While I don't miss its white noise, I do miss a couple of things about the Sony:

-The digital cinema modes which allowed coloration of 5.1 material. The HK parallel might be the Logic7 C/M modes, but these are not designed for 5.1 signals.

-The compression feature. The HK's night mode subtlely reduces peaks at its "mid" setting, but does not render low dialogue as intelligible as the Sony's "standard" setting. This may just be the impact of HK's better overall dynamic range.

The main reason I've posted here is to share my experience regarding the remote and its control of my other components. HK informed me that units shipped after 3/1/01 would contain remotes with updated codes, specifically to address Sony issues. As it turned out, I had purchased an older unit, so HK agreed to ship me just the updated remote.

For whatever reason, they ended up shipping me the learning remote for the higher-priced AVR-310. They also emailed a spreadsheet of updated manufacturer codes. The new codes got me all major functions except my TV menu navigation and CD search buttons - which I was able to teach in about 2 minutes. For those of you with a similar setup, I would recommend contacting HK for the same solution. I've avoided spending $100 or more on a bulky external learning remote.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE545

great value, DTS, preamp out's, 6 channel direct input, a ton of inputs

only 40W but that's plenty more than i need

It was between the Denon 1801 and the HK AVR210. They were both the smae price at soundpros. The sound on Denon may be slightly better, but in the end i needed all the inputs of the HK. The front panel inputs are great (coax and optical). And the denon 1801 only has preouts for the R L and C channels. I dont use surround modes much but i like the 5 Ch stereo for parties. The remote control sucks but I can live with it for the price I paid. If you are a real control freak, go for the AVR310 with the learning remote. I happen to think the MP3 decoding is useless to most people but a novel feature. Slick looking unit too.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 704s, Pioneer 603s

Excellent sound, great looks, very easy to use and hookup, did I mention great sound?

Would have liked a backlit remote, remote can be a tad confusing at times, manual is kind of cryptic.

After acquiring a new entertainment center with nifty little shelves for all of my audio equipment, I was faced with a dilemma. I had a quite capable Technics receiver, but it tended to run hot, and quite honestly, I didn't feel comfortable placing it in a semi-confined space in my entertainment unit. Being thus justified, at least in my mind, I set out to buy a new receiver. I looked at Onkyo and Harmon Kardon mainly, and in the end I purchased the HK AVR210.
As I unpacked it, I noted with approval the full grill on the top, which I figured would help dissipate the heat. I also admired the clean lines and the general good apprearance of the unit; this was one handsome devil. Hookup was a breeze, and by using the on-screen menu, I got the speakers set up fairly quickly. The instruction manual is a bit hard to read, but when you can follow along with the onscreen menu, it is not too bad.
I was initially a bit timid about the conservative 40-watt rating; after all, my old Technics had been 100 watts per channel. How would a 40-watt receiver compare? Well, to tell the truth it did not. It simply blew the Technics away. The sound quality and clarity was wonderful, and the bass appropriately punchy. Overall, it was awesome. I currently cannot run the volume much higher than 'negative 20' on the readout. It will go up to 'positive 10'. I cannot imagine how loud that must be. These 40 watts put out a LOT of power, at least for my taste.
I am overall very pleased with the unit. After decoding the demanding DTS battle scene from Gladiator, I checked the top of the unit, and while warm, it was nowhere near as hot as the Technics would have been. The remote is reasonably easy to use, and I got all of my other component's functions added without difficulty. This is a really nice receiver with a lot of high-end features at a nominal price. I highly recommend it.

Similar Products Used:

Technics and Sony receivers; never anything this nice.

Great sounding receiver for under $400. Was set on just buying the AVR110, but found it for a great price at soundpros. Setup was easy with clearly makred inputs and lots to choose from.

Remote tends to not work sometimes. I bought the HK DVD5 which the remote claims to be ready to use out of the box, but it would not pick it up after multiple tries. Purchased the Home Theatre SL-9000 to replace.

My setup is as follows:

Harman Kardon AVR210
Harman Kardon DVD5
Polk RT35i mains
Polk CS245i center
Polk RT25i sorrounds
Polk PSW350 10" sub

Sound is great.. Gladiator is simply amazing. Connections are super easy to make. This is my first home theatre setup and I was fortunate enough to buy everything within a small amount of time. Makes my polk speakers shine.. Plenty of power at 40watts. I am still tweaking my sub woofer levels, but other than I have it sounding perfect for my relatively small room. Great first receiver for the money. I also like how it doesnt have all the useless bells and whistles like the sony's.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon DVD5