Let me just say that ive owned this reciever for more than 5 years now...and have had absolutely no realibility probs. Even after not servicing it, since its purchase its still runs the way it did when it came home. The sound it produces matches recievers today,but it was produced 6 years before. The sound is so clean crisp and warm...nad no matter at what level..does not hurt your years. Great clarity in all musical octaves. Also...for those of you complaing about the lack of a "speakers A and B"....there's a multi room feature which u can use. And although the lack of DTS shouldn't be too big of an issue....to me..it is just a little one becuase i listen to music dvd's...and lot of them come in only DTS and not DD. But the sound quality of this reciever for the DD makes me smile and forget about DTS. its hooked up to my Klipsch Quintet system....and so its sounds like i have monster sized speakers in my room, while all they are, are 7 inch tall. and hooked up is my baby..The Klipsch KSW-12 subwoofer.....this jus rocks the house down....and the downfiring makes you feel that bass guitar...or when that building comes falling to the ground. Admittidaly...the remote sucks and i often find that i get up to go the reciver and make changes. Love the fact that the unit looks so classsic and clean. Hoping however...when she dies when wont be for a very very very long time seeing as how she as served me for 5 years already....to get the AVR7200. But for now..she's all i need and if u buy one now CHeap CHEAP!!! Really reccomend this reciever it can compete with todays recievers for sound quality. Whether it movies or music...it performs like the professional that it is,and everytime it does it jus puts a smile on your face. despite what seems low for watts in todays world 85 watts does go a long way with this reciever...trust me...there is no distortion with good speakers all the way up to +8(the volume settings go up to +15)WOW!!!!!!Ive only been able to take it up that far...and things start falling of my shelves. And its still super clear AMAZIng !!!!Thank You Harman Kardon!!!!

I have to say that this receiver has been very good to me over the past several years. CD playback is very good with a nice warm tone. I really prefer the tonal characteristics of this receiver over others I have had. Many others are harsh sounding. It really shines in dolby digital 5.1 and has power to push my 5.1 Paradigm system to my satisfaction. I don't feel the need to buy a receiver with DTS or other new formats because the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is just that good. I would buy this receiver again without hesitation.

powerful good features. Good reeciver

remote fair. no feature for overloading I clip my speakers,blew them,put in line fuses in now.life saver now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

harmon kardon avr 85 rocks. loud &clear. defintive tech speakers , satlight sub. shakes the whole house. traded avr 25 for avr 85 + $$$$$$$$. Well wroth it

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avr 20

Power, looks, clean soud and not to expensive

Remote, lack of inputs, and no dts

a great produkt well worth the dollars. the only thing that a can complain about is the remote its just to plastic and feels very cheap. otherwise it sounds great with a whole lot of power. So if you can get a hold of this reciever for a good price buy it, you won´t be sorry.

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Yamaha

Clean power, uncluttered display, setup flexibility, bang for the buck

No "B" speaker outputs

This unit has performed beyond my ecxpectations. The setup was not as difficult as others make it sound. Just go through the menus and tell it how you want it to work. The owner''s manual is key for the setup process. Once setup, the sound quality with movies and music is clear and never tiring. I can blast it all day and it never tires. I went with a complete Harman setup (JBL S-310''s in front, JBL S-Center, JBL S-36''s for surround, JBL PSW-D112 250W sub, Harman International owns JBL) and it''s a blast. Jurassic Park is more entertaining than it was in the theater. My CD''s sound better than ever. This is one of those few times where the receiver and speakers performed as well or better than they did on the showroom floor. The DTS point is moot since most don''t have complete systems capable of exploiting it. Besides, it''s an older unit. You wouldn''t expect a 1976 BMW to have anti-lock braking, right? That doesn''t make it a lesser car though. Same with this receiver. It has all the right technology for the time it was built. I can''t imagine a beter $800 purchase, including shipping.

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Sherwood RV-6030R

Looks, DD processor in fantastic

Remote sucks, no direct input for expansion

Overall sound is good, powers my AR9''9 with ease and Dolby Digital is top notch. I am a bid disappointed with the 2 ch stereo performance. I bought this receiver to replace my 6yr old AVR25MKII which still kicks a** but no DD. I expected the 90wpc of the AVR85 to really blow me away but it didnt. Its plays equally as loud as the AVR25 (rated at 75wpc in stereo) the sound doesnt seem quite as clean. But I guess l ll deal with it because for under $300 (factory refurbished w/2 yr warranty) and the theater portion of this amp is fantastic.

I had this receiver for almost one year. At first I was very excited, then I grew tired of it after a while. I don't agree on the mentioning of its ability to be musical. I had a hard time enjoying music after the first couple of months. Although I do believe that I read somewhere that the 85 was bright and should not be matched with bright speakers. Which I had, I am using Paradigms all the way around. Anyways, after about a year I sold the unit and I am enjoying music all over again. But, this is not to bash the HK. IMHO the HK is a great receiver. It served me well. I never had one single problem with it. As mentioned before. It should have had 6 channel input, without it, I can not give it 5 stars. Had it had this feature I would have given 5.

power, imaging/precision

no DTS but Dolby digital will do , remote has cheap feel

I bought this baby for $500 from onecall. All I can say is it's all worth the money or rather I think I got a bargain. Imaging is very precise. You can turn the volume very high without distortion. Remote though has a very cheap feel. Though DTS is not available in this product, it is ok because a lot of movies are not available in DTS anyway...they are mostly encoded in AC3/Dolby digital. This receiver is great musically especially in watching movies at home which I do most of the time.

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RV1105

Music receiver more than HT

Remote, and time to learn it to operate

excellent receiver I highly recommend it. I used to have
harman/kardon AVR20 and upgraded to this, its worth it!
thought of buying DENON but I had a such a good experience with the AVR 20 so I stayed with HK. Although, it produces short and tight bass, just get a good sub for those who like their bass deep. I have these baby hooked up to NHT's
and this baby got them singing.

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any harman/kardon

Clarity, Price

Remote, Lack of DTS, Among others, but at this price much is forgiven.

About 6 months ago I picked this up with the FL8550 CD carousel at Circuit City's web site in a reduced price package for my primary system. I suppose I paid about $600 for the receiver (it's tough to say given the package aspect of the price). 6 months later, this receiver is now in my office, and a Denon 4800 is driving my system. The FL8550 is sitting somewhere being serviced. Two components bought six months ago for my primary system are serving duty in lesser applications (and one actually not doing anything at all). What a shame.

HK has some quality problems to work out, but this particular model seems rather robust (at least I haven't had any problems -- I'm knocking on wood as I type this, though). The same can't be said of the ill-fated 8550 CD carousel. It's a shame that the FL 8550 sounds so good when it actually works, or I could totally trash it in a scathing review.

This review will be fairly positive, however. The AVR85 receiver sounds great. The sound is particularly clear, with a decent soundstage. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the negatives, and then move to the positives.

First, as noted in other reviews, the remote is god awful. It was that remote that drove me to get a Philips Pronto (and I don't regret that decision for a moment). It has a very cheap feel, is poorly laid out, and is not particularly strong (i.e., must be precisely positioned to have any effect whatsoever).

Second, no DTS on this unit is pretty inexcusable. I know that many people feel that DTS is not necessary and overrated, and given the number of DTS titles available, I can certainly see their point. However, the titles that are available in DTS do shine when fed into a DTS compatible processor. I noticed a significant difference beyond just the difference in receivers (from the HK to the Denon) in DTS sources. I won't press the issue here, but let me just say that I, for one, was disappointed that this receiver did not feature DTS compatibility.

Third, the organization of the receiver is somewhat irksome. When feeding the AVR85 a juicy DVD soundtrack through a digital input, not only did I have to press DVD, but also specify the source (i.e., OPT, or COAX) with another button. If I did not specify, the HK would sit silently waiting for the analog inputs to start playing. A major issue? No. But an annoyance just the same.

These negatives are perhaps nitpicky (except for the remote issue).

Now to the positives. The AVR85 sounds great. Great clarity surpassing other receivers in this price point. The soundstage was reasonable, although about what I expected. The WPC with low THD are solid for this price point. The sound is not overly bright, and all things considered, it is a fairly musical receiver, which would make it an excellent choice for mixed audio/home theater duty. Of course, there are a lot better choices to be had at higher prices (the Denon 4800 being an example, as well as receivers from Yamaha and Sony as other examples), but if you are looking for a solid performing mixed duty receiver in the near $500 price range, and don't require DTS, I can't think of anything better. All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase of the AVR85, even if it is now relegated to office duty. My office has never sounded better (in the interests of full disclosure, however, my office has only had a Sony CD alarm clock before).

At this price point, if you can live without DTS, this receiver is a steal. It is an all around solid performer that does its job well, and then some. Some have reported getting this receiver for under $500, and if you can do so I would encourage anyone to check it out. This isn't a Wow! receiver, but at $500, you could do much, much worse. Hook it up to a pair of B&W 602s2's or M&K LCR55 Mk II's with a small powered sub, and you've got a solid entry level audio system. Go bigger on the speakers and toss in a larger sub, and you've got a versatile audio/home theater system that will likely sound like you paid quite a bit more.

However, I do want to note again HK's current quality problems, and given my experience with the FL8550, I cross my fingers each time I power up the AVR85. You can never be too careful.

My stars ratings are considering the price point at which the AVR85 can currently be found. For comparison, when I eventually write up a review of the Denon 4800, I would give that 4 stars on value ($1999 list is tough to swallow -- although you pay significantly less if you shop around), and 5 stars as an overall (to get any better sound, I think you would have to go separates and lots of $ more). Of course, if anything should go wrong with the AVR85, I would reduce the stars levels appropriately.

Happy listening!

Doug C

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Denon 4800