good sound

broke

I've been using the HKAVR65 for two weeks now. I read this entire post before I bought the reciever and figured the problems had been ironed out by now. I'm a big HK fan and will continue to buy their products but something is seriously wrong with this reciever. The first noticeable flaw was the sound cut off after about 2 hours of continuous play. Then one day, I found out that the unit will shut itself off if listening to it at -25 or greater for +/- 5 minutes.

I really just want the rcvr to work. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to get this thing working I would really appreciate it. I've installed a ceiling fan and bought an open air stereo rack thinking it might be overheating. My next step is to replace the wall socket and make sure a good consistent power supply is going to the unit.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

rd

I also purchased a HK AVR-65 a short while ago and must say that there is problems with this machine. It would seem that there is a problem with the DD/DTS decoding electronics somehow. In DD 5.1 mode DVD disc that have a high quality soundtrack, everything above 384kbps DD 5.1, does not sound very good because of high hiss in all speakers. Easy to hear around volume -20db and above. Problem probably exists all the time but it is especially easy to hear that something is wrong when you play a high qualiy (448kbps or above DD 5.1 soundtrack) DVD disc like Alien, Antz etc. I switched between my Sony S725 DVD player with built in DD decoder via 6.1 input on the receiver and when compared the sound on the HK is quite muted, a lot of hiss, simply sounds bad, Dolby Digital 5.1 sounds so much better through the Sony DVD player DD decoder that it HAS to be some kind problem. Not tried DTS sound.
On the plus side though the stereo sound through analog inputs is excellent. If only DD was this good I would be real happy... But I am sorry to say DD sound is so bad that I simply can't stand this machine in it's present condition. I returned the first unit I received because of this problem and the second slighly newer one shows the same problems. I'm ready for a nervous breakdown now and the only thing I wanted was a reasonabley good sounding home cinema receiver...

Superb Sound for Home Theater and listening music. Excellent Radio Reception. Plenty of S-Video inputs and outputs.

Unfortunately, no digital out. It does not use a Learning Remote.

This unit does heat up after awhile of use. This model was discontinued by Harman Kardon. It might be rated with low wattage but it puts out higher amperage than many other units.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer V-509S

Now that my basement is finished, I finally got to hook up an AVR-65 I bought at One Call (I spent big time so they gave me a good price!). I struggled with this purchase because of all the posted problems, but, like everyone else buying this unit lately, have not had a single problem regret. No hum, no interference, no heating. Quality was flawless.
I was also seriously considering the Yamaha RV-995, but could neither bring myself to either pay list price locally or get it by phone through unauthorized and back-ordered dealers. I'm not against phone-order dealers, as my working with One Call shows. I was just uncomfortable with spending this much on a "back door" deal.

Two features I thought I was trading on for this reciever, vs the RV-995 will not come into play for my needs. After less than a minute of listening to DSP I realized that, while the AVR-65 has only three modes, I don't care because I hate that stuff anyway. It all sounds phony and makes me wonder how it was meant to sound. So not having the 25 DSP selections in the Yamaha don't matter. Only having two digital inputs could be a problem later (verus one for every input on the Yamaha), but I am only using one right now, and may only use the other if I get a future digital connection to a satelite or cable (but not both). Having the 6 channel inputs for DVD-audio relieves this issue too. Actually, because I have DVD component connections to my TV and try to cut down on signal paths, I have very few connections to the reciever at all. Basically, its a processing amp for my speakers, not an elaborate control center (my kids watch the TV too and I don't want them to have to learn how to control the reciever).

Now that my speakers are a bit worked in (Carver Cinema System 5.2), I am very happy with the AVR-65 sound. It is not at all bright and has more than enough power. I'm looking forward to rediscovering some old material.

So there's my two cents worth. It's a great unit. Don't fret past problems.

The manual, BTW, is far from satisfying, so if you are new to HT as I am, it will probably frustrate you a bit. Not enough to take away from the final rating though...

Great sound just like other HKs.

On some production model, there is a hiss and hum problem, unlike the older HKs. Later production models work fine though.

Have been using it for close to 1 year now, I have never had any problems with it. If I'm not wrong those with serial number lower than 4000 have the hiss and hum problem but I'm not too sure since I've heard people with newer models having the same problem. But mine works perfectly so, I'm very happy with it.
I did try one in Circuit City which HAD the problems, hopefully none of the AVR 65s with the problems are no longer retailed in stores now.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR 25 MKII, Yamaha RXV-995

Clean high ends and fast bass. Lots of power (if you know were to find it).

One digital input??? The remote is a bit fuzzy. On screen display not that good.

At first the amp don't sound good at all. And it is here that most people make the first mistake. Don't switch it off!! Keep it turned on for at least 2 days and don't push it very hard. I'd say about -40db is the max. After the second day you can turn it up as loud as it can go. The amp has now been "run in" and it does sound better this way. If you have a sub, PLEASE set all your speaker settings to "small". It takes all the sounds lower than 100hz away from the speakers and routes it to the sub! I can watch "twister" at about -15db without any problems. It does not overheat or cut out at all. Why??? Because it has been run in!

The sound is great with very deep,loud and fast bass. The high ends is sweet and crisp. There is a very small "tic" sound when changing the volume, but who change the volume all of the time? This thing is rock solid and stable too! The volume can go from -64db to +5db. As all H/K's do, it is stable up to -5db or -8db depending on the dvd. This is not good news for your neighbour! This is loud, and I mean LOUD!!! I measured around 128db SPL!!! O, and the 65W per channel? Please!! At -10db, I measured a rms rating of 92W per channel driven into 8 Ohms! As I said before: lots of power if you know were to find it!

The only sad thing is the digital input. Only one! Well, I can live with that.

I think people should change in the way they write this reviews. It is not about the feel of the remote or how the front panel looks or the "blimp" you see when you change between video and dvd. It is about sound, and how it makes you feel. If you want to switch off a system after 15 or 20 min, it is a bad, ugly thing. If it makes your hair stand up and puts a smile on your face, it's a harman/kardon AVR 65RDS!!!

One tip: Keep the power clean. This is a very smart amp and it knows when it's recieving bad power. Make solid power connections and install a "power cleaner"

Similar Products Used:

Technics and Pioneer

Overall this product has very nice features.

Problems with optical.

I only kept this receiver for three weeks before I returned it. I investigated it after reading a favorable review in a respectable magazine. I purchased it soon after and became quickly displeased. When using the optical input from my dvd player, the receiver would switch off during silent audio portions of movie soundtracks. Then, it would take 1/2 second to switch back on. While listening to CD's this problem was worse. I'd miss the first second of a song and then it would click on. This became very annoying quickly. Other small problems also were characteristic of this unit. Thus, I returned it, searched the internet for reviews of other products and purchased the Denon avr 3300. This unit is fantastic. Harman/Kardon has always put out reliable electronics, this one, however, was a bitter disappointment. The Denon was a great buy. Unclestereo.com gave me excellent service and a great price.

Similar Products Used:

Denon avr 3300

Great sound.

It broke after 3 months and has taken over a month to repair and I still dont have it back.

Great system as long as it is working.

I recently bought the AVR 65 and the difference between it and my old Sony Pro Logic was amazing! A friend of mine had a new Yamaha 775 receiver and we did side by side comparisons and the HK blew it away. While both receiver's sound was crisp, the HK was definitely more dynamic especially on low frequencies. The HK really filled my high end Cerwin Vega 15" and made them sing! I would recommend this receiver to anyone who wants an outstanding piece of electronics at a smaller price.

Clean and powerful sound, AC3, DTS

OSD setup instructions is complicated; an unbalanced remote; unit is not suitable for stacking as it emits lots of heat; only one optical input available.

A lot has been said about this unit already. It is truly a remarkable receiver in terms of sound quality, features and price. This unit not only produces powerful and clean sound but also performs exceptionally for Home Theatre (AC3 and DTS) usage. As a discrimating evaluator, I have identified some minor weakness above which I think it can improve upon. However, those weakness are very minor and the sound quality outweights everything. After 3 weeks of auditioning this unit, I must say that I am impressed with the sound quality and have little hesitation in recommending this unit to anyone who is in the market for an exceptional AV receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Carver, Yamaha, Harman Kardon