Great sound, clean power, solid build design, and many digital inputs and outputs.

It has no 6.1, but that is totally ok.

This is the second half of my review. I was not able to fit everything I wanted to say in the first one. Some people complain about the power rating. Let me break this down for the non-believers. Many average receivers such as Sony, Pioneer, and JVC, claim that they have 100 watts x 5 power. Many people dive into purchasing one of these receivers just because of the "big numbers". However, these receivers use a very low current capacity in their power supplies, which means that they can not be turned up to even close to 100 watts per channel, without distortion and clipping. Poorly made receivers such as these will only give you approximately half of their rated power without distortion and clipping. After you turn them up past 50 or 60 watts per channel, that low current flow will have your speakers snapping, crackling, and popping like a bowl of rice crispies. This is where Harman Kardon truly excels over many other brands. The AVR 310 has 60 watts x 2 in stereo mode, and 50 watts x 5 in surround mode. This does not seem like high power, but it actually is. The current flow in the receiver, at 35 amps, is so high that it easily destroys any cheap 100 watts x 5 unit out there. The "clean power" of Harman Kardon, Sony Pioneer, and other well known brands is essentially not the same. The big difference is that the 60 watts per channel that Harman Kardon offers is actually "clean power" for each and every watt, because it is continuously driven by high current. The other receivers offer distortion free power, but only at a lower volume, and the low current flow causes a lack of bass, lack of clarity, and a massive loss in sound reproduction, no matter what level the volume is that. It is like trying to clean a large room with a small, cheap, little hand-held vacuum cleaner. The small capacity of the vacuum will just simply not be enough to handle the task at hand. Everyone in the world who likes high quality stereo equipment should test out Harman Kardon. They are simply the best sounding receivers available in the middle price range. There are other high current receivers out there which will ultimately sound better, but they are so expensive that most people would have to put up a second morgage on their house just to be able to afford one. Thanks everybody. If anyone wants to E-mail me, I am at dannywhitezom26@hotmail.com

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, JVC, Onkyo, Yamaha, Kenwood. None of them come close.

Good sound, solid build design, and many digital inputs and outputs.

It has no 6.1, but that is totally ok.

Note to James Kirk: This guy has been on here telling people that he hates the AVR 310, and decided to go with Denon. That is fine if he has decided to go with Denon. I just wanted everyone on here to know that Denon uses cheap Sanyo transistors and capacitors in their receivers. The cheap Sanyo parts are used in every unit, no matter what model it is. At least Harman Kardon uses their own high quality parts inside their receivers, so you know that you are getting what you pay for. Thanks for listening.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha.

Great sound, clean power, solid build design, and many digital inputs and outputs.

It has no 6.1, but that is totally ok.

I have been a fan of Harman Kardon receivers for several years now. I purchased the AVR 310 to replace my previous Harman Kardon AVR 20 from 1997. This new receiver is simply amazing. I have not heard another receiver in this price range which even comes clos, and I have tested out numerous brand names. This unit excels in virtually all areas of sound reproduction. I am using my Rotel CD player with it, and I have it connected to the coaxial input of the receiver, and I can honestly say that music has never sounded so good in my home. Old CD''s have come back to life with as much vitality as a 70 year-old man taking viagra. I originally purchased the Yamaha RX-V 800, but I was totally disappointed with the sound quality which it produced for music. The bass response in the AVR 310 is much richer and cleaner for music. The Yamaha was good for movies, but it was definately lacking in several other areas. The AVR 310 is a much better unit. If anyone purchased the Harman Kardon AVR 310, and is not satisfied with the sound quality, then it could only be caused by one of two problems. Number 1 - This person has not set up the unit properly. OR Number 2 - The person who purchased the receiver is completely tone deaf, and is unaware of just how dynamic the sound reproduction actually is. Movies sound incredible as well. I was watching Jurasic Park 3, and it sounded like the dinosaurs were actually walking around in my living room. The Dolby Digital and DTS processors in this receiver are absolutely astounding. I am completely blown away each and every time that I watch a DVD. I know that many people are disappointed that the unit does not have Dolby Prologic 2. However, the Logic 7 in this unit is the exact same thing. I looked into it, and I found out that logic 7 was the original name for Dolby Prologic 2. Harman Kardon came out with Logic 7 first, and them the other companies just took the same technology and called it Dolby Prologic 2. There is no difference between them. I just wanted people to know that. Some people also complain about the power rating. Let me break this down for the non-believers. Many average receivers such as Sony, Pioneer, and JVC, claim that they have 100 watts x 5 power. Many people dive into these units because of the big numbers. However, these receivers use low current in the power supplies, so they suck

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha.

rep,looks,features(?),remote that is damn near capable of opening your garage door

confusing as all get out, function that is being used should light up,not everything at once

i purchased the h/k avr-320 because their website said the unit was 96khz/192khz capable. i also purchased a dvd-audio player to take advantage of the higher sampling rate. well,after several days and several hours on hold for h/k''''s tech support, i still can''''t tell you why the 96khz indicator doesn''''t light up on the front panel. i had to read a review of a different dvd-audio player because neither panasonic nor h/k plainly states that dvd-audio doesn''''t work with toslink/fiber optic cables. analog connections for dvd-audio. huh? otherwise,the h/k avr-320 seemed to be a solid,quality unit. i returned my unit because i bought it specifically for the 96/192 khz feature. i wasn''''t impressed. actually, i like my sony str-845 much better. i know a week isn''''t a great deal of time to judge the unit.but my greatest dislike of the avr-320 was ergonomics. the illuminated display is just too damned busy. every freakin'''' thing is lit up with only a tiny l.e.d. to indicate what is activated. i''''ll admit if i could have figured out how to work the darn thing, got the dvd-audio working properly and heard a significant difference, the sony would be history. another thing i noticed, my sony str-845 has a better dts processor. much more dynamic than the h/k. with the h/k regular dolby digital was more dynamic than dts, and you know that''''s not right. for what the h/k costs as opposed to sony, i felt the h/k should have won hands down. that was not the case. i guess i underrated my str-845

Similar Products Used:

sony str-845

Sound, Features, looks, ease of use,Value for the dollar

None I have found yet

Love is too weak a word! I just got this unit to replace my Kenwood VR1090. There was nothing wrong with the Kenwood, I mostly wanted a digital output for my Sony Minidisk recorder & at this price I couldn''t resist. (The price is out the door!) I was concerned with the wattage but it seems at least just as powerful as the Kenwood which was rated at 150wpc. The sound is terriffic and I really like the design it''s a gorgous unit. Someone said the gold buttons were a weakness. I like them!

Similar Products Used:

Sony,Pioneer,Kenwood

Great Looks, Clean power, Great learning remote. Excellent Value!

none found yet

Great receiver. The H/K 310 has great looks and very clean power. It makes any speaker really shine. No distortion can be heard regardless of volume. Dont let the smaller wattage rating fool you, this receiver easily outperforms any of the cheaper Sony or comparable recievers that state 100x5 watts. The H/K easily has enough power to make any speaker pound. Although the remote doesn''''t look the best and the buttons are a little small. It is able to learn any button off of any remote you want. I have it controling everything in my system with ease. Built very solid. For the price you can''''t get anything better than this receiver!!

Quality, sturdy build. Very handsome. Loud, warm sound. Tons of outputs, pre-outs, 5.1 inputs, front optical/coax/rca/svideo in/outs.

You might have to repsond to H/K bashers. No component switching, only 5.1 channel

My AVR310 experience has been positive from day one. I had an old dolby pro logic Sony reciever, and that was the newest of my components when I bought this reciever. The H/K 310 brought my 16 year old Yamaha towers back to life. Power and loudness was never an issue in my apartment living room. The video menu makes setup a snap and gives you full control. This reciever inspired me to upgrade my cd player to a H/K 8380 (HDCD 5 disc)and my speaker mains to Polk Audio 800i. This combination makes for a perfect stereo listening experience. I simply had to post a review after seeing how much negative press that Harman Kardon is recieving on the message boards on this site. I can only fault H/K for the price of their products. I don''t think I would ever spend more than $500 on a receiver (unless it was a B&K AVR307), rather if I was thinking serious investment, I would go separates. Don''t discount H/K when making your considerations. Remember that all these companies provide a different "sound." Which means that Onkyo and Denon and Yamaha will all not sound the same, even at the same price range. Your best bet is to listen for yourself. If you ignore H/K, then you may be passing on a sound that you might really love. I have no brand loyalty, but let me assure you, there is no reason to direct brand hatred toward Harman/Kardon.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 409, Denon 1601, Sony 435

clear and undistorted volume at all levels. sound feild options. universal remote.

creates alot of heat, needs to be ventalated (just proves how much power it creates!)

the AVR 310 (for the price paid) is one of the best recievers that i have heard. even though it does not have crazy amounts of wattage, i fills the room with clear undistorted music. i have the AVR 310 hooked up to a pair of Wharfdale Modus one.six speakers, that i also bought on ubid. without a sub, the reciever can push enough bass to make the room shake. even at close to full volume, there isn''t any distortion or low muddy midlevel sounds. all through the range of listening the clarity is second to none. with the on screen set up and all the extras that come with HK''s 310, this is definately a a good investment for someone that has a well built theatre system. as for the remote, i like it. just read the direction manual and figure out how to use it properly. i have been extremly pleased with the quality of music the HK creates, my brother is now looking for one to replace his sony. he is jealous! and he is a bigger audiophile than i am..

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, onkoyo, sony

Sound quality, looks, DTS decoder.

Crummy remote, needs subwoofer level adjustments for each input instead of "one size fits all", gets hot.

The H/K AVR310 is good...real good for the money. Great styling and features as well as specs. Mine seems to operate hot but that may just be the nature of the beast. My old Yamaha RX-V1070 didn''t ever get this warm but then again, it had twice the power. Overall, I like this receiver...plenty of inputs and outputs, great sound, and DTS & Dolby decoder built in. Just can''t beat it for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Sony

It Works

Cheap Remote

Well, I think HK finally got it right. With all the reliability problems I have been hearing about, I think we were all scared to buy any HK product. This is the 3rd model line in 2 years. AVR 4x, 5x, 6x 7x, AVR 100, 200 etc and 110, 210, 310 etc.

So far so good. No problems. I did notice this model is made in China where my Signature 2.1 amp is made in the US.
It shouldn't matter as Rotel is made in China and not only
does it sound good but it is reliable.

Ok, the sound is well HK. Lots of high current power for good bass and clear mids and highs but a little laid back.

5 channel stereo is great and compares to the Denon. Vmax "near" is good but "far" is well far out. Very "squished sound". All mids, no bass or treble. Logic 7 should be Logic 5 is very impressive. I like it better than DPL for TV and Stereo movies. The rear surrounds really come alive.

DD/DTS are great and the 24/192 DAC's seem to make a difference in clarity. BASS/Treble are analog rotory controls but are cancellable. Speaker levels are saved per surround mode basis (nice). Bass management is also very functional. It allows various crossover frequencies depending on what the speakers are set to (Small, Large etc.)

The EZset feature is junk. The manual states to turn the volume to -15 and use EZset to calibrate the levels but all it does is set ALL channels to -10. Hence, the money they spent on that feature cheapened the remote. They should have spent the extra $30 into the remote.

So far, the remote is my only complaint.

I think it's slightly overpriced, but I guess it's justifiable because they put the money into the amo/preamp section.

I'm using this as a preamp to my HK Signature 2.1
I'm using B&W 602S2's for front, CC6 for center and Tannoy M1's for rear. My previous review was the Sony DB940 but alas it died and I upgraded to this beast.

No regrets.

4 Stars only because there is better out there.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Yamaha, Sony