Unbeatable price/performance, strong 80 wpc

"Whump" sound at startup, low level hum when close to amp

Bought amp from J&R for $329 (actually $229 with my $100 off certificate from Amex Rewards program) - such a steal. Replaced my Nikko Alpha II power amp which was rated 110wpc, the HK is much stronger even at a rated 80wpc. I heard depth, and dynamics that I never thought I would from my Polk 10s. It was like I got new speakers, definitely night and day sound. Current pre-amp is PS Audio 6.5, saving up for DD pre-amp. Using Audio Technology LED meters to monitor power level.

As with other reviewers, the amp definitely let's out a brief "whump" when fired up - insignificant, just a matter of getting used to. Additionally, there is a distinctive "hum", must be the high current power supply, must be within less than a foot to hear. Aside from these minor anomalies, bargain, bargain, bargain....

Similar Products Used:

Nikko Alpha II

Sound Quality, Build Quality, Price Performance Ratio

A small hum through speakers at power up

This is definitely the best amp for the price. For around $350 or less you can't find anything better. It use to retail for $1000. The sound from this amp is very clean, highs are clear and lows are tight, and it has that warm Harman Kardon sound that I'm used to and love. The build quality on this amp is also great, it's made in the US and it looks nice too. This is definitely a great amp for those who want to upgrade to separates without breaking the bank. I think this amp will sound even better as it breaks in.

Quality biuld, cleaness of sound, lots of headroom

Non bridgeable

The first thing you notice about this unit is the biuld quality. The weighty look, the lack of cheap plastic parts seems to be an indication of the quality design put into this amp. I use it primarily for stereo through its partner (the PT2500) running a pair of Polk RT2000p's and the Polk CS175 when I run 3 channel Pro Logic on my TV. I have a complete HT setup in another room. If you ever priced a 5 channel amp it is almost impossible to find one at this price. The seperate 5 channel amp is aimed towards the middle and high end of the audio equipment spectrum. So to get this at $399 is very exciting.
I use mine to play primarily music and its performance is nothing short of superb. During crescendos in any kind of music, the amp capably handles the spurts of volume, even with volume knob on the pre-amp in the 2 o'clock position. There are no holes in the sound, which is a minimum requirement when you test anything that has an amp. I have played this hours on end at loud volumes and have yet to experience any fatigue or degradation of sound. It would be nice to be able to bridge the channels so that you can get at least 160 watts/channel. But it was designed for HT and not stereo.
Overall, at this price and up to $2000, you cannot find a better 5 channel amp. I have listened to B&K, more expensive Harmon Kardons and some other high end amps. Honestly I cannot say they sound any better. This has been the biggest steal in my audio purchasing endeavors.

Mine is teamed up with a Sherwood RVD6090, got both of them together for under $500. I don't think you could beat the sound for twice that cost. It's as good as they say.

clarity, clean power

non yet

I bought one of these bad boys used for $250. It is my first experience with a seperate amplifier. I have it connected to the front and center pre-outs of my Onkyo TX-DS777 receiver (a very nice receiver in it's own right), using 4 channels to bi-amp my front speakers and the other channel for my center.

All I can say at this point is WOW! This baby was a complete steal. I hear that it was originally a $1000 amplifier, and from what I'm hearing out of my Paradigm Reference 60 v.2s right now, I'm not at all surprised. The clarity, depth of clean bass, seperation, soundstage, everything, just improved by leaps and bounds. I was pretty happy with the Onkyo 777 sound, but felt that there was still something missing. I found it.

The Onkyo is rated at 105 w/ch, and the HK is 80. Do not let the numbers fool you. This thing has far more clean power than the receiver, although I'm sure that using it in bi-amp mode makes the difference even greater. Even when there is some serious kicking bass required, the highs stay clean and clear in this configuration. HIGHLY recommended.

If you can find one of these, don't hesitate. It's a steal.
Now if I can just find a job where I can work at home.......

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, pioneer, denon

Value, decent sound for the money

none, for the money it cannot be beat !!

This fine little amp is a bargin for the $299 it can be purchased new for from soundcity or J & R Music. Well built and overall good sound. Why are people paying over $350 at Ubid for REFURBISHED ones ??? Look around before you bid. Enjoy

Similar Products Used:

Hafler DH 220 .perreaux 2350

Plenty of clean, sweet-sounding power for the average small home-theater at a price so low that it defies logic.

VERY SLIGHT buzz in speakers on power up. Hardly worth mentioning.

Today my HK5800 arrived, exquisitely double-boxed from J&R. This is the first time I have ever bought a piece of equipment that I hadn't listened to. This purchase was based solely on comments here, the home theater forum, and price. To be honest, for $300 I wasn't expecting much.
After getting it out of the box and looking it over, it was clear that the build quality (on the outside) is not up to the standards of high end amps. The power button has a somewhat sloppy feel to it, and the quality of the case is something at or perhaps slightly below what I'd expect from a $700-$800 receiver. Somewhat compensating for this is the fact that it has a very sleek appearance, and a very cool power indicator light.

On to the back. The binding posts are the annoying kind with the collars which in my experience preclude the use of spade lugs. But otherwise all connectors and the power cable seem to be of good quality, and are sturdily mounted to the case. About what I expected here.

I don't frankly know what I'm looking at on the inside, but peering through the ventilation louvers gives me the impression that build quality was focused on the INSIDE of this unit. Everything looks immaculately put together. Good-sized capacitors, an impressive heat sink, and a surprisingly large toroidal transformer with nice, neat bundles of wires connecting to what I'm guessing are the amp stages. For someone coming from the receiver world, the guts of this unit looked very impressive indeed, especially given the $300 price tag.

I plugged it in to the preamp outs of my Yamaha receiver. I turned the amp on expecting to hear the transformer hum that I had read about, but was instead treated to dead silence. I heard the slight power-on speaker "buzz" that afflicts this unit. I have to assure you that it is so short in duration and insignificant in volume as to almost not be worth mentioning. And I am picky. So far, so good. I got past the expected quirks of this unit without being annoyed.

Now for some listening. I put in a CD (Mazzy Star). I liked what I heard. Not earth-shattering, but nice. Her voice gained a silky quality that I never heard before. Noticibly smoother and laid back. The improvement in bass is impressive. Keep in mind I've been listening to the amps of a Yamaha RXV-870 (whose quality I estimate to fall somewhere between the current 995 and 2095 models) for 6 years. Anyway, I'm hearing midrange and bass that just wasn't there before at all. Small improvement in imaging, but nothing revolutionary. So I crank up the volume to about 1/2 way, and........SPUTTER! POP! CLICK......

Uh oh. I turn the volume back down and it goes away. Turn it back up and the music goes back into stuttering fits. But this time I noticed that it was coupled to something which flickered on the CD player display. Yes, my CD player was skipping because the bass is that much tighter and punchier with this amp. I never had that happen before, but now the subfloor in my house is rattling around quite a bit. OK, now I'm excited (although I have to fix that CD-player-skip-at-loud-volume problem now).

Pop The Matrix into the DVD player. Cue up the lobby scene and crank up the volume. HOLY SMOKES I can't believe my ears. It's like a whole new system. Voices sound much more natural. Machine gun bursts and shotgun blasts have noticibly more midrange, making them sound less like firecrackers and more like firearms. The Yammie had a certain harsh edge that it put on everything which is now gone. It is replaced with what I can only describe as a "sweet" sound.

As far as output level goes, I was pushing the volume of my speakers to levels I never even DARED to try with the Yammie because of distortion. But this is clean. Man, my ears would have been BLEEDING if the Yamaha had been putting out this SPL. But the HK is singing effortlessly along with no audible distortion. Yes, this amp could benefit from more wattage. But now we have to think about the price once more... This is a GREAT value.

If you are used to listening to mid-range receiver amplification, this thing will rock your world for HT. For music, I definitely gained some punch in the bass and a lot of midrange. Also a little in the way of imaging. But to my ears, HT is where this amp shines in your system.

I will say that I found myself wanting to disengage the preamp's tone bypass and reach for the treble control to turn it up, but I know that is probably just my Yamaha-trained ears telling me what they've been used to hearing for 6 years. I will listen to it flat for awhile and see how I feel in a few weeks.

I give 4.5 stars overall rating, but I'm rounding up to cancel Carlos' obviously brand-based bias against this amp. For value, I give it about 7 stars on a scale of 1-5

Similar Products Used:

Mid-fi receiver amps in Yamaha and Kenwood products.

Received PA5800 yesterday from Sound City. Very nicely packed. Sound City does a fine job of protecting yourpurchase. Pristine condition. The PA5800 is a heavy unit for it’s published power. A large transformer is bolted to
the front face plate. A heat sink spans 1/2 the depth and 3/4 the width of the unit. Each amp has it’s own winding
off of the transformer. The PA5800 is driving the front and rear surrounds of a Yamaha RXV-2092 in my home
theater system. A Yamaha P-2700 is driving the front left and right mains which are large JBL units. The surround
speakers are DBX soundfield IV’s. After installing, the PA5800 , I immediately noticed an improvement in the
dynamic range and bass content of the surrounds, as compared to the amplifiers in the 2092. This may be a result of
less demand being placed on the power supply , allowing the Yamaha’s processor unrestricted current flow. There
were no mechanical noises nor was I able to hear any hum or noise coming from the attached speakers. I feel that for
($399.00) the PA5800 is an outstanding unit that would make a fine addition to most home theater systems. It’s
construction is first class and it’s styling is very easy on the eye.

Like everyone else, I bought this preamp from J&R for
$150, what a steal. I have it paired with the PA5800
amp. This is the best Amp/Preamp combo out there for
the money. I tested all the top digital models out there
and before I upgrade, I will wait until they work out the
bugs. Although I find Krell to be very good, just don't
have the money to invest. This system suits me just
fine.

My setup includes:
HK Pt2500
HK Pa5800
Pioneer Elite PD-17 301 CD player
JVC S-VHS7600
Sony 600D DVD
Sony TE-500s 3head tape deck
JVC 448 Mini Disc
Technics 1200M3D Turntable
Hitachi 53sbx59d Projection TV
Monster 400 interconnects
Monster Reference2 interconnects
Monster MCX speaker cable w/Banana plugs
Klipsch 10.5 front
Klipsch C1 center
B&W 601 rear
Monster HT3500 line conditioner

This is a question for Mike (previous poster).
I own an HKAVR85 would the pa-5800 seperate amp improve on the sound of my hk-avr85? I think they have the same power ratings. What receiver do you own before you added the pa-5800 ?