Power, Sound quality, Bass output, On-Screen Display

No station/source naming, Dull OSD

I just got this receiver a few days ago, and I must say I am very impresed. I was worried about the wattage, but found out that what H/K means by 45watts, other brands mean 100-120. I have a pair of technics towers with 12" woofers, and have gone through 3 different receivers now looking for one that would push them the best. The receivers included JVC RX-8010vbk, Sony Str-de685, Yamaha HTR-5550. The jvc did about the best, then the yamaha, and the sony....well...that one went back to the store about an hour after I got it home. Now I have the harman kardon and I must say it pushes the speakers with ease. I was looking for good bass and the receiver pushes plenty of it. I also really like the look of H/K's. The on screen programming is very helpfull, however very simple/dull. I wish it was color and used icons (makes it more exciting). A lot of people complain about HK/s remotes as being large with the buttons too small. I don't see this as a problem for me personally, it does just fine. The manual that comes with this unit is extreemly vauge. Only about 40 pages. The jvc and yamaha were over 100. I still cannot figure out how to change surround fields/dsp without going through the OSD, and the manual does not say. The remote did control my TV, Cable Box. There are plenty of inputs. I wish it had station/source naming. Overall, I am very pleased with this receiver's performance. Price was including tax.

Similar Products Used:

Jvc Rx-8010vbk, Yamaha HTR-5550

There is a few issue I''d like to address especially to anyone is new with HarmanKardan: 1/It is made in China 2/Instead of having volume control reading from 1 to 10, it reads from -80 to 10 which leds me to a major confusion 3/ Its remote control is very funtional but I find it oversized 4/A big reduction output between 2 channel and 5.1 (55watts x2 vesus 45w x5) Over all, this unit is a plus dues to a fact that its THD rated at 0.07%(smaller number = less noise)which will provide a clean, smooth sound(no humb in between songs) AVR220 has Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding but b4 watching movie, remmeber to manually select it by looking on back of your DVD or VCR tape.

lots of power. enough digital/optical inputs. Clean sound, lots of power for any home theatre system.

Very concerned about H/C quality. This unit is working fine now but so did my AVR45 for the first 6 months. lots of other receivers on the market as good or better then the AVR220 at a lower price with a much more reliable reputation

I was very reluctant to buy another H/C product after previously owning the AVR45 which was a complete piece of junk. So far this unit runs great and sounds very nice. I am still very concerned how the reliability will be in a year from now. This unit is slightly less power the the AVR45 however I have no noticed any lack of performance. Sounds great with complete poke Audio 5.1 system and 50" Toshiba TV. Multiple digital/optical inputs are very nice as well. So far I have no regrets purchasing this unit. I highly recommend that anyone who buys this H/C receiver purchase an extended warranty. H/C service and reliability is far below what you would deem acceptable for the great reputation H/C once had. I have some real difficulty with the fact that this unit is made in china. I have a very good understanding of electronic components and I can tell you that this may not be the same H/C quality as what was produced in the past. The only reason I purchased another H/c product is because future Shop bought my AVR 45 back from me after two years for 450.00 If you know what you want and don''t need any technical assistance or audio help then future Shop is Ok. However these guys are not very knowledgeable on the products they sell.

Similar Products Used:

H/C AVF45 - (The receiver from Hell)