Sound, ease of setup, large number of inputs or outputs

Remote - Most of my components could not be setup with just punching in the code. Also not enough buttons that correspond to the features on my other remotes

I just upgraded to the HK 510 after using a Kenwood KRX-1000 receiver in combo with a denon digital decoder. I essentially wanted to scale down my system and get DTS as well. Boy did I get so much more. I initally set this system up while only casually referring to the manual. I suggest you read the manual through before setting your system up. I won't rehash all the wonderful features this unit has. It has all been pretty much said, except one. I like to record off my VcR, and DSS receiver. It is so easy with this unit since record out is always present to the vcr and tape inputs whatever your source. You don't have to do complicating switching as I did with my other receiver. Until I got this unit I never thought a mid priced amplifier could really make a difference. This one does. I've used it a little with DVD's but I mostly use it it for audio. The 5 channel stereo is excellent. On my old unit with a denon decoder I found it insufferable. I purchased this unit as refurbished through ebay at a great price. If it only proves to be as reliable as it is good sounding I will be very happy for years to come. I originally had this unit paired with an Onky 601 DVD. The combination was breathtaking but the Onkyo died on me in two days. I now have a Toshiba 3205 on order and I hope this combination will sound as good.

Similar Products Used:

none

Smooth, deep sound, great asthetics. Features: Pre-amp ins & out, the ability to hook up an EQ, multizone, DTS, HCCD, MP3, Dolby Digital, component, optical, s-video and composite hook-ups. This year's series should be more reliable than last year's AVR 500 or even 7000 (read those reviews for more info.).

No sound defects. Feature-wise, however, here are some potential gripes: no phono plug, speakers a/b, Cinima Re-EQ or tape monitor. Onkyo gives you Cinima Re-EQ & Pro Logic II for less, Harman Kardon doesn't offer either. You may not miss these features though.

After comparing several products that are highly touted here, I came to the following conclusions.
You are entitled to disagree but here's my opinion for what it's worth:

Summary:

I ultimately selected a Harman/Kardon for its warm, smooth and well-rounded sound/tonal
quality. In the store, however, the Harman/Kardon did little to stand out from Onkyo, Yamaha or
Denon. At home, hooked to a set of Klipsch speakers, the differences became apparent. The
AVR-510 has just enough depth to give it the 3-D "stereo" quality I was looking for but not so
much reverb as to compromise sound purity. H/K is the perfect blend between the brightness and
depth of a Yamaha, the natural sound of an Onkyo and the up-front sound of a Denon.

Comparison:

Each product and line has its own distinctions. If you want an "ultra-stereofied" effect, go for the
Yamaha. Furthermore, if you're looking for numerous, quality DSP modes, Yamaha puts all to
shame. Unfortunately, Yamaha's brightness came at the expense of accuracy throughout the
remaining frequency range. In fact, the Yamaha's I listened to sounded like a DSP mode was
always enabled even when they were switched off. I wished there was a switch to get rid of the
constant reverb that made pop vocalists sound great one minute and jazz/classical instrumentals
(particularly brass instruments) sound hollow and slightly tinny the next. The Onkyo, on the other
hand, sounded smooth, natural and warm. Compared to the Harman/Kardon, however, the
Onkyo's I auditioned sounded, for lack of a better way to describe it, a bit flat, compact or
compressed. The Onkyo's mid, high and bass just blended to the point of losing depth. The Denon
AVR-1801, on the other hand, did a great job bringing all frequencies to the forefront without
adding excessive or artificial sounding depth-of-field. It would have been a great receiver but the
Harmon/Kardon won out yet again by accomplishing the same in a smoother, less harsh fashion.

Bottom Line:

Everyone has their own preference in sound. And everyone's experience with a particular brand
will be influenced by the type and quality of speakers they use as well as the their home's
acoustics. While Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo are fantastic when compared to Sherwood,
Kenwood, Technics, Pioneer or even Sony, Harman/Kardon, the inventor of the integrated
receiver/amp 50-some years ago, has demonstrated the ability to glean the best of all worlds into
one perfectly blended whole. For the price, it doesn't get much better than this.

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Side-by-side comparison of a HarmanKardon AV-500, Yamaha HRT-5250, Denon AVR-1801, Onkyo ...575x

Everything

None

Simply the best receiver out there on the market for the money!!! Quality, sound, ease of use, and looks are the best.

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Denon, Kenwood, Onkyo

Wonderful sound, easy setup, great looks, Logic 7

Remote has software bugs, but HK will replace immediately with updated remote

This is a wonderful sounding unit. It's looks are impressive which is nice since it sits out in our cabinet. The Logic 7 system works like a dream with CD's and regular FM radio. I looked at many units before finally deciding on this one. I am very pleased with my choice. For the money and the quality/options it has, it was a very very good choice.

The remote has problems working with other devices (i.e. Sony TV, Onkyo DVD, etc.), but this is a known problem to HK and they have a new remote that they will send to you if you have these problems. The new remote has improved software logic to solve these problems. Otherwise I liked the remote. It's comfortable, backlit, and easy to program. I really like the ease of balancing my system with the built-in microphone on the speaker. It worked like a charm.

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Dennon 2801, Yamaha, Onkyo 777

Lots of power, awesome sound quality.

Remote

After spending almost 8 years with my trusty Philips pro-logic receiver, it was time to upgrade my home theater system. I'd just bought a DVD player and a new TV, but I couldn't stand watching DVDs in cruddy surround sound. I had a hard time deciding between this and a JVC and Sony at half the price. Someone must have been watching over me that night because I bought the HK and haven't looked back since. The sound quality at the store was decent, but when I got it home and hooked it up to my Mission 701 speakers, it blew me away. Watching the Matrix with the volume at -10, the sound was loud enough to begin to get slightly uncomfortable. The sound is clear and smooth.

I run all my TV audio through the receiver, and keep that input set to Logic7 Cinema. I've tried it with other modes and the Logic7 just sounds far better.

I seem to be having the same problem with the remotes as everyone else is. I have spoken with HK tech support, and they have a newer version of the remote coming out in about a month. It was supposed to be out late Jan, but has gotten pushed back to March 9. From what their tech has told me, programming seems to be one of the issues it addresses.

I use my DVD player to play CDs, outputting the audio as a PCM stream through the optical input. I've compared the audio decoding from the receiver to that of just the DVD player by switching back and forth between the optical input and the stereo RCA inputs from the DVD player. There was a very noticable difference and it took all of 10 seconds for me to unhook those RCAs and I've not used them since.

I haven't found anything that will output undecoded MP3 files, but I was speaking to HK support today to find out the status of my replacement remote and asked him about that. He said they should have a product coming out in the next few weeks (about the same time as the remote). It connects to the USB port on your PC and will send undecoded MP3 files across an RCA cable to be plugged in to one of the digital inputs. He expected the price to be in the $50-$70 range.

All in all, I would highly recommend this receiver to anyone looking for a good quality unit. Feel free to write me with any questions or comments.

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Philips FR930

Good separation, especially in 5-Ch stereo mode, Appearance

Failed processor, Not enough power

To be fair, I have to say that the unit was purchased as an open box at Circuit City and to that I would say they didn't fully check the unit out before they put it back on the shelf to resell. Unfortunately I was only able to listen to the unit for one day. The next day I powered on the unit, it kept turning off on me. I tried reseting the power and the microprocessor, but no good, I had to return it so my review will be for the one day I listened to it. I think it is a pretty nice unit overall. Nice look, great flexiblity for someone that has a boat load of components. You can expand this baby in every way. Not enough power though, maybe an additional external amplifier would be the ticket for this one. I didn't test the component video or even the digital connections. One day doesn't give you a lot of time to play around. For what I could see though, the unit is pretty nice. However I am a little afraid of spending the $ for a new one because of the problem I had. I opted to buy a Denon 3801 and love it all the way. Too bad, it was either Circuity City's fault or HK's. Needless to say I didn't want to take the chance.

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Denon 3801

HDCD Power and Clarity compared to Denon, Yamaha, and Onkyo. Beautiful design. Learning remote control

NONE GO HK

This is the best possible receiver that you can buy for the money. The HDCD is incredible. The design is beautiful. The learning remote control is easy to use. The power is by far the best feature about the receiver. YES, HK has had its problems in the past with reliabilty, BUT they have beautiful product in the AVR 510.

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HK AVR300

Very clean sound, awesome DD and DTS, flexible setup options, looks good(important for some people).

Remote(Harman Kardon sending a new one).

The sound is incredible. I'm not gonna be describing specs of this receiver(you can find them at HK site). I was thinking about getting AVR7000 but then decided to get AVR510 because I just didn't see difference in sound quality and it's at least $400 cheaper.
The only little problem is remote( doesn't want to control all my units), but good thing is that HK has great customer service and they are sending me a new one.
Overall it's a great buy.

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Sony

Sound, simplicity of use.

B speakers would be nice.

Let me start by saying i'm kind of Harmon biased, my father turned me onto them around 1975, when he bought a reciever for the house. i have owned several of their products over the years and have always been happy with the products and quality of service. let me skip ahead a few years.......

I loved the avr30 for 6 years, thought it was time to go digital. after reading some of the reviews here, and a little listening, i went for the AVR510. WOW. i'll say it again. WOW. the processor blows away prologic. wish i though of it sooner. i picked up a dvd player at the same time along w/ a monster toslink cable. the theater modes are great , but i usualy stick to the digital mode. i only use this unit for movies and tv. i have a seperates system for music. although not as good as the avr30, the direct mode sounds good, better than ANY other reciever out there for even a few hundred dollars more.

I didn't buy the unit for the bells and whistles or for the remote but i'll say its nice. simple to use, clearly marked, lights up. i've found that even when i use the learning remote features in the past, you still need to keep the original remotes handy for some features (jog shuttle, still, etc..) so i dont even bother learning them other than maybe power controls.

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Harmon AVR30 w/ 3 NHT super zeros, 2 NHT hdp1, 2 NHT sw2p subwoofers

Clean power, flexible(lot's of I/O), HDCD

None so far

After having JVC RX888 for 2 years I decided to get something better. There are a lot of nice receivers in this price range. Listened to Onkyo 676, Denon 2801, Yamaha(forgot model). All of them sounded great and none of them is perfect(including HK). I just thought that AVR510 was a little cleaner. Don't take me wrong, all receivers I mentioned are high quality units, so it's my opinion only.
Give it a try, you wont regret it.

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX888