A whole bag of tricks and then some you didn't know were there.

None that I can see.

Let me just start out by saying that this receiver has a lot to offer and then some. It took me a while to decide on which receiver to buy but I'm glad that I finally decided on this one. I was reading through the manual, this thing can do just about everything that you can imagine. There are a ton of different receivers out there and it is hard to know which is best for you. They throw out all these numbers and figures expecting you to know it all. Don't be discouraged with HK smaller wattage, this thing sounds a lot better than most with a higher wattage. I don't quite have all my speakers to test out the whole surround sound effects. I did test it out though in the store and was just blown away. This is a great receiver for the price. This is a my first HK and if they keep building them like this, then I'll probably be back when this one is runned into the ground.

Similar Products Used:

Sony

Excellent Sound Fields Pro Logic II great for analog sorces Adding 6 channel input excellent idea Plenty of power for any speaker system

I hope there is no problems like with my 510.

Well I just got the 520 in exchange for my 510 which I owned for about 2 years, before the darn thing started pick up interference and creating a terrible humm, that would go away after the receiver would be on for over 20 minutes and then come back in intervals, extermely annoying !!! However I will have to say that the 510 was a great receiver prior to the above problem. Thank god for the Circuit City service plan they exchanged it for the new one no problem. Well the 520 is a much nicer receiver, I am totally in love with some of the new formats especially PLII and DTS-ES, makes everything sound that much better. I also noticed that the receiver is reproducing the sound a little better then the old 510, more sound with less crank. I am a fan of the HK and I hope that the problem I had with the 510 was not one that will be repeated again.

Similar Products Used:

HK 510/7000 -- both returned with problems Onkyo 697/797 -- not as accurate as the others Denon 3802/5803 -- great receiver - 5803 is running my main system (I love this beast), preffer the HK 520 v

Sound is excellent, power is very stable with lots of reserve, tuner works very well for my area, and I love the looks.

Quirks are irritating, surround modes are limited, (some rather useless). While it does get real hot, it doesn't seem to effect the performance.

This review is about the 510, not the new 520. I write in response to some of the other reviews on other HK units. I used to own Bryston which is VERY musical, and while I enjoyed listening to music, I had wanted to upgrade for DVD enjoyment (DTS, etc.) One of the my requirements is the ablility to handle low impedence loads i.e. 3 ohms, because my main speakers are home made. From the time I first listed to now I can tell you the HK is very musical. I get wonderful stage presence with a natural, inviting imageing. The smoothness of this receiver is truly wonderful. On the negative side is it sometime acts quirky, with functions not responding, getting stuck in DTS mode, and modes that are useless. That being said, HK has been very good at responding and providing service for the problems I've had. While it's not the Best deal in town, I have never been disapointed in the sound quality whether listening to cd's or dvd's.

Similar Products Used:

HK 500 (replace by HK with the 510) Sony and Yamaha.

Exceptional sound quality, plenty of power

I got this reciever to replace an AVR 510 which blew up aften only 6 months of use. The 510 was a display model from ABC Warehouse. As a side not I do not recommend buying anything there since I have had trouble with everything Ive ever bought from them. Anyway the 520 definetly has great sound. Very clear I cant hear any distortion. The reciever does seem quite powerful and looks great. I heard that Harman Kardon products often need repair. Nothing seems to be wrong with this one yet. I blame ABC for the problems with the 510 now that I have experienced a new 520. It does seem that every detail of music or movie sound is reproduced. I would have to recommend this reciever. I cant be sure that it will be reliable since I havent had it long. I think its a safe bet and Harman Kardon will stand by it. It is, of course, a hassle to have repairs done though.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon AVR 510

POWER and Musicality.

None

To the previous reviewer, I as well do not own this receiver. Unlike yourself however, I fully recommend this machine and back its 5 star rating. For the past three months I have been demoing this receiver in various audio shops against the likes of the Denon 3802, Onkyo 797 & 700, and by far this is the best sounding receiver of all of them. The Onkyo's while sounding warm and weighty in two channel stereo, cannot compare to the HK in soundstage and vocal presentation. The Denon, while sounding very good, could not recreate the natural sound that the HK possesess. And while it's only rated at 75 wpc, when compared to the others at 100 and 110 wpc respectively, it is only slightly outpowered by the Denon...slightly. This also has been backed up by several professional reviews that I have read. No matter which floor standing speaker I demoed the HK on, it pushed them all effortlessly without distorting or clipping at volume levels which most of us would never listen to in our own homes. I don't consider myself an audiophile, but musicaly, to my ears, the HK Avr 520 just sounds better. The salesmen in several audio shops agreed, and it wasn't the most expensive of the bunch. Don't get me wrong, the Denon and the Onkyo's are great receivers and I would be happy owning any of them, if I hadn't listened to the HK. They all sound great when listening to movies, and while the HK doesn't have six or seven channels of amplification, like most, I really have no use for it at this time. I still have the option to upgrade later when more than a dozen movies are formatted beyond 5.1. While I prefer the HK, I fully understand that it is my preference. I don't plan on writing negative reviews of the Denon or Onkyo's just because I like the HK better. I've read their reviews and after listening to them over and over again for the past three months, fully understand why they are rated so highly. With that in mind, I'll go ahead and give the HK AVR 520 a 5 star overall rating and pick up where the other reviewers before me left off, sans one.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3802, Onkyo 797 & 700.

Fits in well with other receivers in its class.

Nothing glaring for a mid level receiver. Could use some more power

First off, I don't own this receiver. It was on my short list when I recently purchased a receiver. I did give it a listen and compare it to other receivers. Needless to say, I can not stand by while people who don't want to feel stupid for their purchase give this thing 5 stars and sing its praises. Its not a bad receiver, but 5 stars for Value is supposed to be a "Giant killer." Give me a break. It could use more power and sound isn't as "forceful" as some of the others in its class. As far as features, its about on par with others in its price range. Again, not something that would warrant 5 stars. Its a good receiver and a decent deal, but better deals on better receivers can be found. Needless to say it wasnt my final purchase. If it had a rating in the low 4's, I would be OK with it, but I don't want people seeing it at almost 5 and think they are getting a Lexus at a Yugo price. Other manufacturers to look at are Marantz, Onkyo and Denon.

Similar Products Used:

AV Recivers by Yamaha, Pioneer and Denon.

Seamless decoding of everything I throw at it, DTS, HDCD, AC3, etc... HDCD is noticeably more brilliant decoded by the reciever than on the three players I've used on it. SACD on six channel in is a breathtaking experience.

Gets fairly hot (as with my past two HK recievers) But quality speaker cables help alot. Where have the real volume knobs gone, I miss em. Digital volume controls are with knobs that spin and spin are for those who don't know any better and shop at the ****Mart's for thir audio needs. The dislpay dimmer is too hard to get to and doesn't dim the entire diplay as the ones in the past did.

This is my third Harmon Kardon Reciever I first purchased the AVR 25II it was a magnificant reciever all around. I replaced it with the AVR 55 such a sad day the days of good movies as well as stereo audio were over, it excelled at movies but left a lot to be desired with regualar music. I swore I'd never buy HK again, untill I heard the AVR-520 my desires in a HK reciever at a reasonable price have been realised. (I'm so happy with it I'm not even upset that I could have saved a couple hundred shopping around) I still miss my old 25II it was beautiful as well my first reciever, the AVR 520 is a very worthy replacement which meets and exceeds todays needs.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Yamaha, B&K, Denon, NAD

Sound Quality, features, HK brand

Tends to create a lot of heat. Manual is a nightmare...

This review reffers to the AVR5500, which is the european version of the AVR520. I have searched for an A/V receiver for a long time. I heard almost any (under $2000 in Israel) A/V receiver on the market, and It came down to 3 final contestants: DENON 3802, HK 5500, ONKYO 797. The HK took them easily. The warm smooth sound and amazing quality, keeps getting me excited every time I put a Johl Lee-Hooker CD. The setup is a bit tricky, and the manual is a disaster. It took me some time to find out how to properly read the manual, and then every thing went smoothly. The HK creats a lot of heat, and needs good ventilation. I haven't had any problems with the system overheating, but better safe than sorry. My system: JmLab Chourus-715 JmLab Chourus-C JmLab Chourus-705 Toshiba SD-210E DVD HK AVR 5500

Similar Products Used:

DENON 3802, ONKYO 797, YAMAHA 2200

Sound Sound and more Sound !!!

Produces a lot of heat (good for winter time :-) ).

This review reffers to the AVR5500, which is the european version of the AVR520. I have searched for an A/V receiver for a long time. I heard almost any (under $2000 in Israel) A/V receiver on the market, and It came down to 3 final contestants: DENON 3802, HK 5500, ONKYO 797. The HK took them easily. The warm smooth sound and amazing quality, keeps getting me excited every time I put a Johl Lee-Hooker CD. You can add DPL-II and DTS-ES and get one of the best receivers in that price range. The setup is a bit tricky, and the manual is a disaster. It took me some time to find out how to properly read the manual, and then every thing went smoothly. The HK creats a lot of heat, and needs good ventilation. I haven't had any problems with the system overheating, but better safe than sorry. My system: JmLab Chourus-715 JmLab Chourus-C JmLab Chourus-705 Toshiba SD-210E DVD HK AVR 5500

Similar Products Used:

DENON 3802, ONKYO 797, YAMAHA 2200

Logic 7, pre outs for all channels if you want to add additional amps.

Gets very warm as per usual with HK.

One of the best bang for the buck receivers I have listened to.For 2 channel music it's one of the best, only Marantz came close in it's price range(sorry Denon fans).Logic 7 kicks for vhs or tv, way better than prologic II.As for the guy below, why would you even try to listen to it if it came out of the box all scratched and gashed up?What kind of idiot writes a review with a damaged unit.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon, Marantz