The Harmon Kardon is clear, loud, and has a great display with a handy remote. 4 optical inputs (3 rear- 1 front) Dolby Dgital with prologic surround 2 and DTS ES 6.1 channel. On Screen

Definetly is not a reciever that is incredibly powerful and doesnt have much bass unles with a subwoofer. Remote is complicated, programming and setting up channel levels is difficult.

I strive to look for clarity wherever I go. Sure a good reciever could have the power to handle bass and is loud, but I enjoy a reciever that is clear and still powerful. I purchased a Onkyo SR-500 because I am a beginner at home theater and required only a 5.1 reciever that had power. Powerful reciever that I cranked and it handled my two Polk Rt-15i like a dream UNTIL two weeks later after I had purchased 2 Bose 101 speakers, M&K subwoofer and a Bose center channel the Onkyo blew up. Sparks from the top and smoke rose out of the vents. Angry, disapointed that I didnt even have it up loud and it thankfully shut itself off knowing something was wrong since the little LED light kept on blinking took it back. After that experience my Dad talked me into top end recievers such as Pioneer, Denon,Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, McIntosh but looked at them. McIntosh is what I wanted but was expensive and then I heard the Harmon Kardon that was the last AVR 320 still available that I could afford and It is the most clear and powerful reciever I have ever heard that was at a good price. It cranks with no distortion and is clear as a bell on every input even the Fm tuner is clear, and after hearing it connected to my new Nakamichi DVD player It is simply the best to me.

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McIntosh, Rotel, Onkyo, Bose, Outlaw Audio, Denon, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, Sony, Yamaha. My System Harmon Kardon AVR 320, 2 Polk Audio Rt-15i A main 2 Bose 301 B , 2 Bose 101 surround speakers

Great audio quality on CD, FM and DVD sound Nice On-screen menu display It’s a Harmon Kardon –built in America? Looks Cool

Poor surround emulation and sound enhancement Not enough digital hookups on rear panel A little weak in the power output – regardless of what anyone says it doesn’t compare to 100 watts/channel.

I replaced my Sony db830 with this receiver due to a slight hissing in the rear surround channels (common on the db830). I first bought a Yamaha 5560 (I think) but when that one was hooked up my CD’s sounded horrible. I returned it and paid the higher price for the HK AVR320 ($520.00). Generally I am very pleased with the sound reproduction on FM and audio CD’s – it’s very warm and true. DVD audio is also excellent using straight digital pass through. However I do have some complaints. My Sony DB830 was much better at enhancing non-digital sources such as TV or Satellite movies as well as digital DVD’s. The Sony had two Cinema modes one which enhanced special effects and the other voices. These proved very useful. Also, the sound reproduction using Dolby Logic II under any mode (emulation, movie, etc.) sucks! Finally, there are only two optical connections on the rear and one in front (which is downright stupid). I now have an optical cable sticking out the front as I have a total of 4 digital connections (3 optical, 1 coaxial) – when I bought it I only has two.

Clean, clear, detailed sound. Clean power is put out to your speakers. On-Screen Display is very good. Good connectors and well-written manual.

Remote needs some R&D. Fix it. Auto-setup of speaker levels needs some new software programming.

I am completely blown away by this piece of electronic wizardry. I used to have a Sherwood 8090R that was a decent receiver. I began shopping around after I bought some new Athena FS2 main speakers. Once I plugged in the AVR320, I was simply amazed by it. The soundstage has vastly improved and I am now hearing things I've never heard before. I was tentative at first about the power rating, but I was told that H/K rates their power different. They use CONTINUOUS power. Not peak power. The best part is that the receiver puts out clean sound no matter what the volume level. The detail and transparency in the music is much better. The onscreen display helps making setup easy. It takes no time at all to get it set how you want. There's lots of connections, so nobody should have a problem. I had never heard Dolby Pro-Logic II before I got this receiver. H/K does a very good job with it. Being a gamer, the Nintendo GameCube is a great compliment to the receiver. Many of the games are in Pro-Logic II and sound just fantastic. And with the receiver putting out clean sound, it makes it even better. The remote is the only weak spot on this remarkable machine. I think that H/K needs to do some research into fixing this. It is very top heavy and tends to fall off the edge of furniture if you are not careful. It is also missing a backlight or glow in the dark keys. It is impossible to read at night. Some of the buttons are small, but isn't too much of an issue. Also, the auto setup for the speaker levels is not accurate. It really messed with my levels and I had to go in manually to get them back sounding balanced. Here is my system setup ------------------------ Athena Technology FS2 Main speakers Athena Technology C1 Center Channel Wharfedale SP-85 rear tower speakers JBL 10" 100-watt sub BIC Venturi 10" 160-watt sub JVC D-Series 32" TV Samsung MP3/DVD player All on Monster THX Cable.

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Sherwood 8090R Denon AVR-2802 Pioneer Elite models

Powerful HK sound High Current Discrete all channels Ultra-wide bandwidth

Only 35 mhz component switching No a-b speaker switching

I had Yamaha 5560 for awhile. It had very clean sound, A-B speaker switching,component switching, many different dsp modes and more than adequate volume.However, as a few days went by, I began to miss the warm sound and deep bass of Harmon Kardon. The Yamaha was a bit too bright for my tastes, although it had so many features at such a great price.Its a beatiful amp, but just not my cup of tea. I returned the 5560, and exchanged it for the HK avr 320. I was aware that previous HK receivers have had plenty of reliability problems (I have the avr -500,)but I find their high-current power almost addicting.Besides I could always return it to Future Shop within 30 days if I wished. It took me only about 20 minutes to set it up at home,and the first thing I did was check out Logic 7.I have heard people whining that Logic 7 has a flat frequency response. All I did was set all speakers to LARGE setting , and set the bass to L/R + lfe ..it seeemed common sense, since Large setting doesn't just mean the size of your speakers per se, but really the frequencies they can produce. Lo and behold, the bass was typical mind-blowing HK bass! This monster can pound without a subwoofer.Perfect, just what I wanted. What r those people talking about, "flat frequency response"? I love the way you can set the bass to either MAIN , SW or BOTH.I have the Polk rt 100i s towers with built in subwoofers, so I just use main. I am also sick and tired of hearing people say "oh, it sounds amazing for 55 watts per channel." HK rates its amps the proper way, in continuous average power, my friends. Those low-end entry level amps are rated in a way that makes it sound like they produce much more power than they do. They are usually rated at 1khz in one channel at peak power. This means that if u cranked up the volume on your Sony to max, you might get 100 watts there at a frequency that u won't hear very often. The HK 320, if rated that same erroneous manner would probably hit 200 watts at least. Moreover its 55 watts of CONTINUOUS AVERAGE POWER is not just at one frequency, but the ENTIRE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM of 20-20000 hz. Get that into your heads, they r not underpowered.Add to that the HK 320's 35 amperes of high instantaneous current capability...it has the power to slam those diaphragms in your speakers instantaneously either backwards or forwards at its discretion. THD is 13 times better than Sony's or Panasonic's entry level models. Yet you don't pay that much more. Do you realize that if u wanted to get just a few decibels increase in volume on this amp, you would need 10 times the wattage? Amperes then, are far more helpful in preventing harmful clipping and distortion and the 320 has plenty of this.

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Yamaha Kenwood

high current design, banana-style speaker posts, numerous digital inputs/outputs, HDTV-compatible video switching, DTS-ES decoding, pleasant front facade, heavy duty heatsink

no 5-way speaker posts, no speaker set B outputs, no on-board 6th channel amplification for DTS-ES, non-intuitive remote, could use more digital inputs, could use a secondary 5.1 channel analog audio input (for people with both SACD's and DVD-audio), could use an extra component video input

I just upgraded my HK AVR-65 with this model because I needed more digital audio inputs. I got this model at ubid.com for $329 plus S/H. For starters, this unit (just like any other HK receiver) has a high-current amplification. It also features ultra-bandwidth audio reproduction. This comes in handy when you have audio sources such as DVD-audio, DTS CD's or SACD's. It's capable of decoding 24bit/192kHz sources. The AVR-320 is also capable of decoding DTS, DD, and DTS-ES. However, the latter requires an additional amplifier for powering the 6th channel externally. Another cool feature of this model is the HDTV-compatible component video switching. I've been playing around with my H/T setup for the last few years to get the most accurate musical reproduction from my system. I didn't like the fact that I would suffer of listening fatigue on certain source material. I thought replacing the AVR-65 with this model would solve it. It didn't. Since then, I made two additions to my system: better speaker wire and an AC line conditioner. And what a surprise! I no longer suffer of listening fatigue. I can simply plop down on my sofa and listen to various audio sources (mostly digital) without ever feeling tired. No more skipping from one song to the next. Now I can actually listen to whole CD's, and the music being reproduced through my system is quite engaging. I learned later that the current and thus the amplification properties of the AVR-65 and this model are in fact the same: +/- 35 amperes. Anyways, my system is finally complete, and my AVR-320 is an integral part of it. It also does a good job of decoding DTS and DD. If you can get this unit for roughly $400, it's a steal. Make sure you get yours with a decent warranty. Mine came with a 2-year warranty from HK. Overall I give this unit 5 stars. It rules!! My HT setup: HK AVR-320 JBL S-center JBL S312 (front) JBL-S26 (rear) Zenith 27" flat screen TV (tube) HK FL8370 (dedicated for DTS CD's) SONY SCD-222ES (dedicated SACD and CD) Toshiba SD-5700 (DVD-V and DVD-A) Pioneer DVL-919 (dedicated LD) PS2 (w/ Logitech wireless controllers) Monster MCX-1s w/ banana-style MLock Master Pins(front speakers) 10 gauge speaker wire with Monster banana-style Quick Lock terminators (center and rear) Monster HTS-2500 (AC line conditioner) Acoustic Research Pro interconnects (compon

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Denon, Nakamichi, Bang and Olufsen, Kenwood, Sony, Yamaha

Good power and sound. Lots of features and inputs for expandability.

Horrible Remote

My old HK 690i receiver finally quit working after 18 years, so I bought the HK320 to bring me up to current technology. Overall, this unit is very nice, with good construction, great features, and a good price. I do not think the sound is as good in stereo mode as my old HK, but it is very close. I really like the VMax feature, which duplicates surrond sound with only two speakers. It works very well. My only complaint is the remote. It is poorly designed, with buttons that are too small, and too hard to find,

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none

Features, power, sound

REMOTE

I waited for a while before i wrote this review. I didn't want to give a review based on post purchase excitment. I am very pleased with this product. My decision to buy this unit was based mainly on features. This thing has a ton. Expandable for days. preouts for all chanels including rear surounds. It only has one sub out though. The power rating is very conservative. 55 watts for 5 chanels is enough for me and a lot more than you would expect from anyone other than harman kardon. The unit jumps 10 watts in two chanel mode, and it is noticably louder. Sound remains clear and in control at high levels. The on screen options are extremly nice. You can dim the display, it has a small speakers option that cuts out the lows below 100hz. Tons of optical and coaxel inputs. The dual zone option would be nice but i don't plan to use that any time soon. I have a pa2000 for my fronts just because seperates are the way to go. The down fall is the remote, it is nasty. It works thats the best i can say for the remote. Night feature compresses the dynamics so when there is an explosion in your movie it doesn't knock you through the wall when your half a sleep. I have seen the concerns about HK quality control and yes it should be a concern. The unit is well worth the money but you may get a lemon. I have been lucky and haven't had any problems so far. I have owned Marantz, Denon, and Onkyo. This one takes the cake for bang for the buck. I think it is also the best sounding out of the brands and models i have owned. I am not an audiophile and i don't think SOME of the people saying they are relize 2 months of demos at the hifi store don't make you an audiophile. I have been to numerous hifi stores and owned alot of mid-fi stuff and i consider myself an audio enthusiast. So check yourself before you title yourself "audiophile" after hearing a pair of B&W'S at the store.

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Marantz, Denon, and Onkyo

Everything...

Could use a *touch* more power I guess...

Hmm, what can I say? I guess to start, I purchased an $8000 home theatre/audio system which was powered by this reciever and when I fired her up, the music quality blew me away! I listen to intricate mixture of metal, rock, symphonic elements and other styles sometimes all mixed into one and I need clear reproduction to hear it all. I get that with this reciever. Power: 55 X 5, thats enough power for me! Looks: Find a cooler looking reciever, I dare you! Price: Ouch! In Canada its expensive... Features: 6.1/7.1 compat, DTS, fully configurable surround setup, easy to use on screen display, relatively easy to use. One Last Thing: Im 19, this is my first H/T system and I set everything up myself. For all those whiners who cant RTFM, why dont you get someone to set the thing up for you? You claim to be audiophiles but whine at a small manual? Setup is easy as long as you think everything over. The remote is okay too.

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Sturdy construction, extra remote for multiroom function(though I don't use it)

really tight RCA connections, too many lights and display on unit could use a bit of other improvement.

I bought the AVR-320 from www.acousticsounddesign.com, and let me start by saying this site had the best price I could find online, and they back the original manufacturer's warranty. The box is very sturdy, and weighs about 35 pounds. I am not an expert, but I like quality in my music, and I am young so this is my first A/V receiver. It sounds really good with my other equipment, and I think I'll be upgrading my speakers next. I only needed a 5.1 receiver, and that is about all this one is good for, even though it decodes DTS ES; it doesn't amplify any more than for 6 speakers. I have a small room and the power rating was plenty, and I expect the same for most rooms unless really large. As for setup, easy on-screen menus, although you need to hook up a video cable to your tv to see these.

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Sony

inputs for future upgrades, preouts for all channels, looks good, multi room/multi source, 2 remotes

overkill on the manual(plain English plz)

I come from a small city, so it's hard to audition good electronics. So i go by review from magazines and people like you. Well i've had an Onkyo tx-sv535 for six years, now i've decided to upgrade everything to digital surround. I first bought a cheap Sony 5.1 reciever to use until i find a good value reciever. It sounded ok with my Bose Acoustimass speakers. I then bought a pr. of Paradigm M3's v.2 and good quality cables/connects. Now i noticed how bad the Sony sounded, since I could hear alot more with the paradigms. I returned the Sony, after i recieved my refurbished H/K from HarmanAudio. I didn't bother trying to program the remote, since i lost my patience with the Goliath of manuals. Besides programming it, the controls are pretty easy. After everything was set up, i switched back/forth from the H/K with the Onkyo. And to my surprise, the Onkyo sounded better(2 ch.). I have confirmed this with all my friends after i bought some Paradigm Reference 60's and hooked them up. I'll probably keep the 320z since it is a great budget home theater. It looks good and has great features. So if you're thinking of buying a lesser reciever, don't do it. Save a little longer and you won't regret it. Guess i'll have to invest in a separate 2.ch. system for listening to music.

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Onkyo TX-SV535, Sony ??