Just picked up the HK from www.e-town.com for somewhere around $515 (everyone's talking about ubid but I've checked there for the last several weeks and never saw one) For CD listening I love it. I am using an HK 8400 CD player. I have both the fiber optic and the standard RCA connections hooked up and have found the sound clearer using the RCA (I think this means the D/A converter on the CD player is a little better than the one in the AVR75). Yeah the remote sucks but that's not a big deal.
One thing I am struggling with (if you have found the answer please email me) is I can't seem to get the bass to sound right in any of the 6 speaker configurations (5+sub) I have all Infinity reference series speakers and the bu-120 sub. It seems if I turn all the speakers to "large" mode the subwoofer is not used at all - even in dolby digital (however it works great in plain stereo mode).

Also -I noticed (as have other reviewers) that the sound isn't always clear from the rear speakers even with DVD - is this usual? (this is my first surround sound purchase)

Many ads for the HK say it has 3 video inputs - 2 with s-video.. well that's not counting the DVD input which also has S-video so in fact you can control 3 S-video devices (a definate plus).

I'm giving it a 4 star - you can't beat it for its price and it sounds awsome for good ol' stereo sound from CDs but I am a little annoyed with the whole "large/small" vs. subwoofer thing.

Just got my last night. I was disappointed with the sound because the lack of bass. The sound is very clean and clear as it claimed, but bass did not show up until I cracked up the volume. I am running it with AR-HO308 (L,R,Sur) + AR HO 215 (C). I have not tried AC-3 (still waiting for my DVD player). Dobly-Pro-logic sounded ok, but surround level was low and not very clear (I guess a common problem with alot of receivers.)

Well, it looks like it's time to invest in a Sub. I hope that will help. Overall this is not as good as I expected, but it still is a very good buy for under $500.

Yuan.

Well, just some followup to a previous review.
Got my dvd player (It's a Creative DVD player) I'm running it from my computer to my AVR75. The package I got comes with a DXR-3 decoder card which has a line doubler, and other neat enhancements. For 157 bucks, it KILLS any consumer player.

The sacrifice: not playing audio cd's in digital, and a remote, although I am contemplating a cordless mouse to alleviate that problem.

I guess there are moments when you know you've done the right thing. I was watching The Usual Suspects dvd, and at the end, there is an explosion, and my fiancee was getting ready for work and it was loud enough to scare her through her walls, with the blow drier on. No subwoofer, just through the Infiniti cs3007's. I can't imagine what a sub would do. I'm afraid she'll kill me if I get one more speaker or piece of equipment.

Watched Saving Private Ryan (vhs), and was blown away. It was like being back in the theater.

The unit is still great. Highly recommended for the price.

I got this unit from Ubid in March 1999, new for around $430. Great piece. Though, I got several complaints about remote (who doesn't :). It is almost impossible to use in the dark, and it does not have enough memory to program even the most essential buttons that I need to control TV, Cable, VCR, DVD and CD changer. Also it does not have 5.1 input, and therefore it is totally incompatible with DTS. But, what the heck, there are not many DTS DVD's anyway.I compared this receiver to many others from Technics to Dennon. I personally liked Yamaha, and HK came a close second. However the price per features ratio was better in HK. It has no problem with my Klipsch 10.5's, giving a clean and crisp sound. Dolby Digital and DVD will take you some time to set up, but in the end you will be amazed at the quality of the sound.

I saw mixed reviews on it before buying it, but for the price I had to give it a shot. I am not at all disappointed. For $450 from UBid.com, it was a steal. I'm building a great system around it with Infinity speakers, and my MD player sounds AWESOME through the optical digital input.
Best purchase I've made in a long time. I wish the remote was better, but fortunately I don't listen to the remote...

Well, I guess most of us here bought it from UBID.com and it was a great deal for this Receiver. No doubt if you are paying $500 or less, you definetely got a steal, I initially bought AVR 65 and compared with AVR 75. AVR 65 do not have the power comapred to AVR 75. However AVR 65 has DTS build in. I love my AVR 75 because it gave good crisp sound and and with DD it produce excellent sound. However, the surround may sounds a bit low, still this is a great receiver. I think if I would spent 600 or more for AVR 65 that would be a mistake because AVR 75 or AVR 85 is definetely be a better choice. Don't deceived by the newer model of HK 45, 65 (1999) because the AVR 75, AVR 85 is definetely a plus and cheaper compare to the newer mode. I definetely agree that the AVR 75, and AVR 85 has a suck REMOTE. When I play AIR FORCE ONE (where the jets at war) it really rocks my living room .

This is a great unit. Only complant is the 100 vs 80 cutoff. Great if you have small speakers but with better(bigger)speakers you lose 20 all the way around:-( For the money you can't get a better deal. As a matter of fact...you can't even get these anymore unless ubid gets some more B=stock units in, but its unlikly at this point. Too bad the new HKs are made3 in China and having problems with quality control.John^^

I am quite satified with this receiver. It produces excellent sound imaging that is both musical and theatrical. Having said that, I have to admit that in the beginning I did experience the 'growing pain' related to the poorly written manual and the poorly designed remote. But the bottom line is the quality of sound it produces. I bought it from Onecall for $545. It is a bargain as you can't find anything closer to that in Canada. It deserves a Five Stars.

I am an avid car audio enthusiast and this unit waz my first step into the world of home audio. at $400 from UBID all I can say is THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST REWARDING AUDIO PURCHASE I'VE MADE! I just completed building my first computer w/ DVD and SPDIF/AC3 outputs and I'm in heaven. its like having a movie theater in my house (except i dont get kicked out for having a female go down during the movie.....lol) This unit is THE SHIT!

I am a proud owner of AVR75 for the past 5/6 month and this unit has met all my expectations. It has been an excellent performer both in audio and Home theater. It is well made and so far it has been very reliable. It pays to read the manual carefully which by the way it is not very well written. The HK provides clean and powerful sound with strong base without any humming or noise that has plagued some of the AVR65s. It has all the important features such as Dolby Digital but no DTS (which in my opinion they missed the boat in HT market). I recommend the AVR 75 highly if DTS is not big on your list.