bought a yamaha rxv-1600 to replace a rxv-992, made the mistake of selling the 992 first. 1600 never sounded the same, more power? better sound? not even close, was always messing with the damned 1600, could never get decent sound out of her, stumbled upon the pa5800 at the local new and used, didn't know a thing about the model or rating of it, all i saw was harmon kardon, $99.99!!! jumped on it. no regrets, use it as a slave amp with the 1600, warmer sound, better imaging, makes the internal yamaha amp sound like an even bigger P.O.S. then it is. no complaints, well worth the price, after getting the bargain price, am really considering junking the 1600 and going with an HK reciever.

Nice amplifier and a great value for 300; only reason I bought it. Was ready to spend big bucks on a Pass and then saw this and took a chance. Since we are using Gallo Dues/Micros/JM Lab woofer the amp barely gets wars and has more than enough power for these speakers. There is nothing objectionable about the amp. It does what it is supposed to do and it draws no attention to itself.

non detachable AC cable

sold a Parasound HCA 1206 for 800 and replaced it with this for 300; such a deal. Did not need the extra power of the parasound and the sixth channel so off it went.

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parasound HCA 1206, many solid state amps over the years...levinson, ps audio, spectral, Hafler, adcom

Excellent AMERICAN MADE build quality, Absolutely the best value for any home amplifier on the market.

confusing turn on lead..not a big deal though.

I bought my Harman/Kardon pa-5800 from ebay for 320 used. I was searching for a 5 channel home amp. I searched ebay, and every 5 channel amp started at 500plus dollars. Too much to spend. Ok so I can only afford a pa-2000 or the like. Wrong!!!I ran across this 5 channel amp for 320$! So I looked into this very site to decide whether this amplifier was a bargain...It said it was and,I did not go wrong. I havent purchased decent front speakers yet (floorstanding pioneersw/12"woofers) I was so surprised at how my 200$ front speakers came to life! I am big into clarity and mid bass in my truck, car, or house and was so surprised at the cleanliness of the power it produces. Sure its not 8000 watts per channel like everybodies cheap 200$ home reciever but realize less, clean power is better than false, dirty,over rated power. My kenwood 107vr boasted 130watts per ch. I bought my H/K avr-310 at45watts per channel and without the amp it had far more power,clarity,and livelieness than the kenwood crapper. I listen to all kinds of music, and feel the dynamics,imagery,power, and clarity of this amp is great. So to someone looking here do I buy one??? Heck yes this amp is the way to go without spending the $1800 to get a comparible model. As for the turn on mystery: use any 6-12 volt transformer (similar to a power pack for a nintendo) And wire it to a plug that fits into the back of the amp. vola your in business.I plugged this turn on lead directly to my reciever so it turns on when my reciever does. It took me 15 minutes to hook up. Get one you will be happy!

Similar Products Used:

HARMAN/KARDON AVR 310

Solid construction,excellent sound quality.

Remote turn on is a pain.

Thjs is probably the best 300 bucks I''ve ever spent on audio gear! Really kicked my Mirage 595is speakers right in the pants! I honestly did''nt like my speakers very much when they were connected to my cheap Sony reciever rated at 125 watts per channel. This amp has tons of headroom and is very conservatively rated at 80Wx5.The only problem is the remote turn on plug on the back what a pain.

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Marantz AV-550 preamp Denon DCD-1420 CD Player Toshiba DVD Player

Great Sound

Bad Image

Yes folks its me again. I wrote the stuff about this amp being crap.

However reason settled in on me and I thought I'd try it. No its not as good as the Krell but for the price its outstanding. I'm definitely a convert and I apologise for my first hasty and ill informed opinion. However I still have to say that HK is a bit emberassing to have in the house more of a ford taurus then a mercedes. But the price is right and it sounds surprisingly good. I will hide the amp behind a couple of cds and put a sticker on the nameplate

good price, natural sound

Wow! this amp did make my home theater system waking up, cause I didnot have a good amp to drive the Carver 5.2 speakers(4 ohm)system including the Yammi 795. Of course, I can spent more money on an ATI,Sherwood..(which have 5 channels run 4 ohm load),but this pa5800 is good enough to shake my apt already. Good bass,clean sound,the only thing that i got slight hum at first minute after the power is turn on.So far so good. Order at J&R .
****Help!!! Is anyone hook up this PA5800 amp the power trigger with DC 6-12 volt? Please show me because in the back and catalog never show which one is POSSITIVE or NAGATIVE. Realy thank you.

Exceptional value, built like a tank

yucky plastic binding posts

I bought the PA5800 from JandR for $299, just like many folks here. It arrived within 10 days, double-boxed. My first impression was that it was built like a tank, and equally heavy (~30lbs).

The inside is very well organized, with wires in neat bundles. The huge toroidal amp is in the front. There is a massive heat sink that runs the width of the amp. Simple, clean lines.

Why does HK have to put such cheap binding posts on such a high end amp!!!! You can't put spades in them because the plastic collar protrudes up from the base. I was afraid I'd strip the screw when I put in my bare Monster cable. Anyway, in the large scheme of things, it's a minor nit.

I have Infinity Kappa 6.1's as my mains, and those speakers were the main reason I wanted to get a separate "real" power amp. Due to budget constraints, (and having spent more money on my speakers at that time :-), I lived with a Sony receiver for a few years before upgrading now. I now have a HK AVR300 receiver driving the PA5800.

On to the sound. I immediately notice bass notes that were not there before. This is apparent even at low volumes. I put in Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon". The beginning of the disc there are these deep drums - I can feel them more than I can hear them! Amazing.

I can't tell much difference in the mids and highs. To be truthful, I haven't listened to my system a lot yet.

And yes, there's the hum that lasts for a second when you turn the amp on. No, it doesn't bother me.

In my opinion, the PA5800 is a keeper. I was debating the separates versus receiver question for a while. The other receiver that I liked, the Nak AV10 was ~$1000. In my opinion, the biggest differentiator between receivers is the power amp. Having bought the PA5800, I felt I could afford to get a cheaper receiver, and get a better system to boot.

I think I'll be upgrading my receiver again in a few years, when Dolby 7 channel shows up, but I can use my PA5800 in that system too. I can't think of a better value in Home Audio right now. Get one before they run out....

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None, this is my first 5-ch amp

Clean Power

Build quality could be better

I bought this amp a few months ago from JandR for 299, what a steal. This thing pounds! I had been running my Paradigm mini monitors from an H/K AVR 5 and it sounded good, but add the PA5800 and watch out. The build quality is not quite up to audiophile standards, but for the price I'm not complaining a bit. If you can still find one, buy it, you won't be sorry. 5 stars for value and boom.

All, construction, aspect, sound

None

I got this amp for 350 from J&R.
Extraordinary product, particularly for that price.
It drives the center, surrounds and the high pass of the fronts (Infinity 6.1i) driven formerly by a H/K AVR 70 and today by H/K AVR 500.
The sound and reliability are not to question and the quality of build is remarkable.
Hopefully this standard remains for future H/K amps.

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None

Haven't get it yet, but will post when I get the chance.

don't know

Well, I just want to share my experience with others. I was in ubid bidding at $207 and next thing I know I lost on the bid. So I call up all the reseller in U.S, and found that only JanR still selling them. The price range are from $299 to $349.

However, I did able to buy from JanR for $269.99 because I BS that other are selling for $249. There are some one selling for $199 but are sold out.


So for you folk who is bidding at UBID if you found yourself are bidding more than $269, you better call up JanR because they are not refurbished + warranty......

UBID often charge ridiculus shipping too, So you may need to consider that. JanR is charging 5% of the cost for the price.

I end up paying $283. This model has been discontinue and you are consider having it, my guess is you better act fast.

See ya.