Not too many - when it was working it was OK - spent the first 3 months and last 2 months in workshop.

After 2 months in workshop was notified a week ago that the parts were now unavailable for the FM/AM problems the system had and HK were shipping a new 510 which I received yesterday.

Apparently a lot of lemons exist in this model...

I was also dismayed by the poor service I received from HK. custoemr service told me over a week ago my unit had been received and the new unit was shipping. i called on monday for status and was told the previous customer service rep had not "released" the new unit for shipment and he would do so today...incredible...well I finally have received a new unit after going thru loaners and service issues since Feb 26th...I hope the 510 proves to be superior...

Clive

great features, clean sound, precise imaging, easy to operate

none yet

1st off I was leary about this model because of negative reviews, & complaints of unreliability. So I'm hoping to be trouble free. I had seen it reconditioned on ubid.com but then found a demo model on sale at circuit city with a 5 year extended warranty for $450.
Connections & set-up were very easy, the on screen menu's were a big help. The sound quality & imaging is incredibly clear & precise. I sat up all night auditioning all kinds of music & movies. . I tried classical (pachelbel, vivaldi, mozart, tchiakovsky, beethoven, bach) jazz (ella fitzgerald, benny goodman, duke ellington) pop (lyle lovett, richard thompson, everclear, mighty mighty bosstones, metallica) it reproduced everything very well though didnt really pound you as well as I would like on some of the harder stuff, but this might just be my speakers (which are also new, wharfedale modus movies 7) When I tried out movies on DVD things really excelled, voices were clear, imaging was precise & the ambient sounds completely filled the room. I selected scenes from the patriot, Mission impossible 2 & the matrix. in the patriot when mel gibson & sons ambush the british, it felt & sounded as if I were on the trail, I was literally on the edge of my seat. Also in the matrix, during the rescue scene with the helecopter - fantastic!.
Sound quality & presence is everything I could have wanted. But the features & ease of use on this thing really make it stand apart from other great sounding recievers in its price range. For music the "logic 7 m" & "theater" modes of surround decoding create a great spacious sound stage, for cable & my VCR the "logic 7 c" & of course "dolby pro logic" work best. & of course DVD's using Dolby digital (I'm using optical cable) completely blow my mind.
Best thing is this thing knows what I like & where i like it, when I go from a dvd to cd or cable tv, it knows what decoding method I use for each. so with a dvd it plays in dolby digital (or dts, depending on how the dvd was made) & when I flip over to cd it changes to whatever I used last (theater) then I flip over to watch some tv & it changes to what I use there (logic 7 c) also you can program the remote to start at a certain volume whenever you change sources or turn the unit on, so if I have it cranked one day & my wife turns it on the next it sounds civilized, or you go from tv to a much louder source,like a dvd you dont go from normal listening volume to deafening.
Best of all is the "night" mode, often times I watch movies late at night while the rest of the house is asleep. I used to watch an entire movie with my finger on the volume control, turning it up during quiet dialogue, down during chase scenes & explosions, invariably I would screw it all & go up during an explosion & wake the whole house at 3:00am with machine guns blazing. the "night" feature enhances quieter dialogue & diminishes the peaks (shouting, explosions, car chases & such), while maintaining the imaging of a film, it does cut off some of the surround effects & bigness of the soundstage. but so does jacking the volume up & down on the remote, & I can finally just sit back & enjoy a movie in the middle of the night.
I really feel as if I would have to spend 3-4 times as much to top it, even then I'm not so sure my ears would know the difference.

Similar Products Used:

Sony (own)
Denon, Bose (auditioned in showroom)

Crisp clean sound. Logic 7-very nice-I listen to all my CDs and radio in Logic 7 now.

Pricey, DTS needs to be better executed-maybe the AVR510 would be a better buy. Remote could use a TV/Video button so I could switch TV source.

Well, I am posting a follow up review. I've owned my HK AVR500 for almost a year now so I think if there were any issues with my unit they would have surfaced by now.

Overall I am very pleased with this receiver. I particularly like the Logic 7 feature. HK did a nice job with this. At first I didn't really care for it but after listening to music in Logic 7 I will never go back to stereo.

I did have it shut off on me twice during the first month I owned it but it hasn't done it since. Also, it does seem to generate quite a bit of heat so I wouldn't recommend placing it in a cabinet with little or no ventilation. I've also noticed that I get some static in the rear speakers when playing a DTS movie in my DVD player. I'm not really a huge fan of DTS anyway and since I only own one movie in DTS I don't really care (both DTS and Dolby Digital on the same disk).

I use this receiver for music 60% of the time and use it for watching TV, movies and sporting events the rest of the time. I frequently leave it on for hours at a time so it gets a fair amount of use.

Similar Products Used:

JVC

Very good sounding unit.

VERY POOR QUAILTY, PERIOD.

I purchased an AVR 500 back in May, 2000. After a little more than a month the unit started to shut it's self off. The owners manual stated that this was a protection mode for the Avr 500 and that it was a sign of internal problems. Anyways, the manager at Future Shop was good enough to exchange it for another Avr 500 even though it was passed my thirty day period. The second unit that I received started showing signs of internal problems after eight months of use. This second unit started to making "pooping" or "snaping" sounds when I used the Logic 7 music mode or 5.1 mode for movies. I then registered a complaint about the product with Future Shop's head office (Customer Support). They were very helpfull, however they only authorized a exchange of the product. So now I am stuck with another Harmon Kardon amp, an AVR 310. Who knows how long this one will last. Anyways this is my experiance with this product. If you are thinking of purchasing an HK amp, I would ask the the sales people to show you if Harmon Kardon has improved there quailty control before you buy. P.S. I also e-mailed Harmon Kardon about the problems I have experienced. Well, I am still waiting for an answer.

suprisingly powerful for 70 watts, clean sound at high levels, good digital reproduction.

bulky remote, no individual speaker level adjustments

i have to admit, i don't currently own this model, but i used one just long enough to develop an opinion of it.
i bought this unit as a fill in while my 3080 was in the shop having it's dolby digital board replaced (go figure). anyway, i went to circuit city and kind of spun around with my finger out and happened to land on this HK. i think i'm going to start making more decisions like that. i was pleasantly suprised!
lot's of reviews frown on this model because it's hard to hook up. that wasn't my finding. i never had to open the instructions. actually, i couldn't open the instructions because i knew i was going to take the unit back after a couple of weeks, but that's another matter. anyway, setup was a breeze, and in stereo mode, it suprized me by really filling the room with the sound. i was suprised because i have a 400 square foot room as a theater, and i wasn't really expecting 80 watts to fill that room, but it did it very well.
bass response was extremely pleasing. overall the sound was just great for cds with a digital connection.
the digital surround was average. i say average because i've never really heard digital surround (dolby or dts) that sounded bad, but i've also run a kenwood VR-405 in the same room and the sound on it is just as good. you'd think that an $800 HK would sound loads better than a $190 kenwood, but.....
still, it sounded good. although it didn't quite fill the room like it did in stereo mode. another thing that kind of irritated me is that there were no individual speaker adjustments. (that i could find anyway, remember, i never did look at the instructions, but i'm pretty good a figuring these things out) that is something that i've really come to love with my upper model kenwood. all speakers are individually adjustable. makes it alot easier if your room isn't perfectly layed out, or your speakers aren't positioned just so. that's an overlookable thing though.
the remote is another one of those good and bad things. bad because it's just too darn big and spread out. most buttons are too small. you just about need two hands to use the thing. especially bad in the dark, which is how i watch 99% of my movies.
one good thing about the remote is that it functions at any angle. you can point the thing in the complete opposite direction and it'll still reach the receiver. not something you see too much.

overall, i was very pleased with this model for the short amount of time i used it. i did notice the clicking with the volume control, but it was so miniscule that it's not really worth mentioning. it's apparent that it's just the way it's made and not a defect. it's really not even noticable unless you have no sound outputting.
i didn't run my video through the receiver, so i don't have any comment on the video jitter or drop out. i've learned that using the video switching on a piece of audio equipment is just asking for trouble, no matter how nice the piece is.
so i'll have to give the unit a 5. it did a great job as a fill in, even if it's a little pricey.

Similar Products Used:

kenwood VR-3080, other lesser kenwood models

Vesatility, Power, 4 digital Inputs, Sound clarity

Haven't had it long enough to find any yet

Let me say that I have been a H/K fan for years and I am very loyal to their products because they have never failed me. I just replaced my AVR 25 witht the 500 and I love what I hear! I love the way you can program each individual sound processor for each individual input and not have to keep changing them when you switch say, from DVD to CD.

Here are my comments on some of the complaints I have heard.

Clicking with adjusting volume: Ummm Gimmie a break..1. It isn't that bad, 2. you only BARELY hear it when you are adjusting the volume.. so if you listen to music or watch TV with your finger on the volume, & you are annoyed buy a sound slightly louder than a gnat farting,,, this might not be the product for you. But then again if you are that picky... you won't ever be satisfied because the sound this machine produces is beautiful.

The REMOTE: YIKES.. what a biotch.. I am still learning how o work this damn thing ( especially getting fustrated that the batteries Onecall sent with the remote were all dead). I don't like how you have to press AVR to turn the volume up and down. Say you switch to DVD.. then hit volume.. nothing happens.. youhae to press AVR again.. i don't like that.... but hey remotes make everything easier in the long run so no biggie. I like the on screen display only for balancing the speakers... everything else on the OSD is too confusing. But the remote allows you to do everything fromyour couch instead of having to go adjust the balance and bass by hand.


The manual: it sux.... but if you are smart enough to buy H/K then you should be abke to fugure out ow to hook it up. It took me about 5 minutes to find a typo. i.e. the subwoofer output is different on the receiver than in the book. Just toss it unless you want to read about what the different processors are or something like that.

NO experience with the volume going up and down on its own yet

All I have to say it that Top Gun sounds awesome. Even the Thomas Crown Affair sounds superb. I am planing on buying Air Force one and Blade next to hear it. Although I feel sorry for all you chumps who bought this at retail prices, I am sure you are enjoying the great sound as well. What are you thinking? There is always somewhere on the net where you can get it at a discounted price with all the warranty you need. I refuse to pay more simply because retail stores have commercials. But that is another story.

This is a wonderfull addition to my Home Theater and my next puchase will be the H/K DVD 5. Watch out neighbors!

Oh yeah.. if anyone ever tells you their Sony or Pioneer or Kenwood is better, first asked them how much they paid, and if it was the same amount you did, kick 'em in the nuts for being so wrong. Sony Pioneer and Kenwood are what I call the Poor Boy's Stereo.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR 25MKII

High current power, Logic 7

If some one wants to speak of the DSP used by a receiver, he should have at least a ELECTRICAL ENGINEER DEGREE. DSP means Digital Signal Processor! Both DSP and D/A are needed in a DD/DTS receiver. AKM converter can not replace Crystal DSP. In fact, they are BOTH in the AVR 7000. If you want to trash a product because of whatever reason, don't go beyond your knowledge.

sounds,design,high powered with no distortion.

minor clicking in right speaker when changing sound that's about it.

richard you must have had real bad luck of the draw with your receiver, i think i read other complaints from you before.as far as i'm concern i'm quite happy with mine,bought it new for $600 and in the last 4 to 5 month had nothing bad to complain about.i did have an audiophile friend of mine to come in to check out the hk500;we both agreed that for a receiver the sound for music and movies was excellent(he owns over$10,000 in audio equipment and over a thousand in cds and records)in one word he qualifies.
if in the future i have anything to add i will make sure to put a word again be it good or bad.

bye to all.(give 5* for till otherwise)

(bye the way the remote's not best but easy enough to use unless you got no fingers)

Similar Products Used:

first receiver

Clean sound, lots of features and digital inputs

Remote is very confusing at first

So far I have had the unit for almost a week. The sound quality using coax for the cd and dvd are amazing. The only issue I have struggled with is how to get more bass response from my sub. It is powered by a seperate amp, but does not seem to get near the signal as it did from my AVR 20 II.

I have enjoyed Logic 7 and think it is much more useful that traditional dsp modes.

Overall the sound of this amp is cleaner and brighter than what I am used to. I have found new enjoyment from old CDs and movies.

Thanks HK this one was worth the money!

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR 20 II

optical and coaxial digital inputs. DTS and Dolby digital decoding.

REMOTE

Purchased HK receiver from Ecost after the Yamaha receiver and it's replacement I had originally purchased would not work correctly. Now Ecost does not even advertise Yamaha receivers anymore. The remote is going to take some work. Have not been able to find a dsp mode for music where all speakers are on except the center. Wont give a review on sound quality until speakers have been upgraded. What I have heard from my current setup is good.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 1050