$499 from J&R Music World! This amp cannot be beat for this price. It sounds better and more powerful than many $1500+ receivers. It also sounds as good as amps up to that price. Great American craftsmanship.

Plenty of clean dynamic power

Strange whine noise upon power up.

My Harman Kardon PA5800 Review:

As many others here have stated their favorable review of the Harman Kardon PA5800, a 2 year old 5-channel amp designed mainly for home theater applications. Originally it came out with a MSRP of $1000. It boosts 80W/ch into an 8 ohm load and 110W/ch into a 4 ohm load with only 0.03% THD from 20-20KHz, all channels driven.

I got the unit on Monday, but didn't really get a chance to check out that night extensively since I had dinner plans, but I did manage to spend an hour wiring and re-wiring my HT setup to get the PA5800 in its new HT position. As my HT gear web page states, I own a Sony DB930 receiver, which also has 5 channels of amplification and a decent preamp section (the usual DD and dts decoding and plenty of DSP soundfields to keep a chimp busy on a Saturday evening). It also has 5.2 preamp outputs, so this made it a snap to connect my main front speakers (left, center, and right) to the PA5800, and have the rear channels powered by the receiver, which also boasts 2 LFE outputs.

So why another amp? Well, I'm been afflicted by the HTF (Home Theater Forum) virus. Also, I have plans on probably building a Shiva sub, and it would help if I had some additional channels of amplification, and also it allows me to hook up some speakers for other rooms without taxing the receiver. The 2 LFE outputs on the receiver should allow me to connect 2 channels from the PA5800 to the subwoofer for more LFE if needed.

I also wasn't able to crank it up on Tuesday night since I was out again, and by the time I got home, it was too late to truly and rudely annoy the neighbors. So finally tonight I got to listen to the amp at low, medium and high volumes. Oh, yes, it's got that weird whine noise upon power up, but it goes away very soon. Just going by my ears and my familiarity with some of my favorite CDs (mostly female vocalists) and DVDs, here's what I noticed as differences of sound quality between the receiver and the PA5800:

1. The imaging improved by 25% according to my ears, vocals centered better, the sound stage opened up a bit as well.

2. The low end and mid range also improved with better clarity and warmth.

3. Slight change in SPL/volume level, the PA5800 is a bit more powerful than the Sony amp section (though the Sony was tested to be around 92W/ch), so I have to say the PA5800's power rating is pretty conservative. I had plenty of volume with the knob at 3 to 3.5 on a dial scale of 0 to 10. I usually need to go to 4 with the receiver to achieve the same volume level. Yes, I have a small room for my HT for now.

4. I played the CDs in just 2-channel stereo (bypassing the subwoofer), and the speakers set to large, and with a 6dB bass boost, my front speakers performed pretty well. My speakers are home-built, and I think they are tuned to around 40Hz, so a subwoofer helps in getting the thump in the low end. I'd say the PA5800's 2-channel stereo was also a bit better than the receiver's output, bear in mind, not a dramatic improvement, but a smooth improvement.

5. HT playback was a tad bit better, the center channel had a slight improvement in dialogue playback.

The only thing non-positive I can say is that with zero-input and the volume knob turned up to around 4.5, I did hear a just a little bit more hiss coming from the speakers. But I can't truly say that's the amp or the receiver's pre-outs. it's like a little dither noise to smooth out the overall sound, so I'm not complaining.

So...was this worth $315 shipped from J&R? You bet! The performance and flexibility this amp will give me more than makes up for the costs. The downside is that now its presence has me thinking of pre/pro's now, but I think I'll hang onto the Sony DB930 and use that as my preamp for the most part because I am pleased with its preamp performance w/r/t DD/dts decoding, and A/V switching capabilities. So, if you think you need some added amp channel, you may be able to pick up refurbished PA5800's over at UBID's auction site since J&R is out of these factory sealed units. I give it a very good recommendation, and hope this helps you make a decision on whether this unit might be something you want to add to your Home Theater setup. Oh, don't get me wrong, I still love my Sony DB930, but you really can't compare a receiver's amp section with a true standalone amp section.

:D

Appears to be well built for the price

Constant Transformer hum, power-up hum in speakers

I bought this amp and the PT-2500 due to the reviews that I read on this page. I bought the pair from J and R Music for $329 (PA5800) and $149 (PT2500). I intended to replace my Onkyo TSV-515 audio/video Receiver which is 5-6 years old. I used it for both home audio and my home theatre. I needed the amp to drive my Vandersteen 3's (Front, 4 ohms), PSB 100 Center, and Klipsch KG2.5 rears.

I must say that I was completely unimpressed at the performance of the PT2500/PA5800 combination. The PA5800 sounded very thin and was not able to drive the Vandersteens very well. When I re-connected the Onkyo receiver (no loudness selected) the music sounded much fuller and dynamic. I have since returned these units and decided to stick to what I currently have (for now). I do not mean any disrespect to anyone who enjoys the PT2500/PA5800. It is my opinion that the best equipment for anyone is not based on name, or price (necessarily). It is what sounds best to them.

For less than the price of these two units ($480 + shipping), I believe that I could buy something that sounds (to me) much better than the PT2500/PA5800, thus 3-star value. Overall I think 2 stars.

build quality, power output, sound reproduction

insignificant "thump" at power up.....

This is an update to my previous review. I replaced my rear 601 speakers for the new Klipsch SF-2's. I have Klipsch 10.5 in the front, C1 as my center channel. With the 601, this amp overpowered it. Now, with the SF-2 bringing up the rear, I can really crank this baby up, and let me tell you, this amp has impressed me very much. Very clear highs and Bass tight.

Similar Products Used:

ATI, Acurus,

I had a Harman Kardon prologic reciever and loved the sound. So as I was deciding to get seperates for music/HT system I found this amp at JandR.com and figured if it sounded at least as good as my HK reiciever it was worth the $399. It really is one of the best amps up to about $1,500 or more. Absolute clarity and detail. Excellent for reproducing music and flawless for HT. Made in USA is always a plus. It did take a few days to break in. It sounded hi pithed and thin for the first couple of days. I expected that and the bass filled in a couple of days later. A steal for the price. I couldn't be more pleased.

i have a PA5800 and am very pleased with power and sound...one cautionary note to prospective buyers however:make sure it is plugged into a 20-amp circuit breaker, unless you are only powering low-wattage devices like a CD player off the same circuit...track lighting with multiple bulbs can overload you...a big TV can overload you...so, unless you know for sure that there is nothing on that circuit but the amp and a few low draw components, plug it into 20Amp circuit

Good clear 5 channel sound. Will wake up and kick my VS15 Cerwin Vega's. When I added the amp to my Yamaha rxv 995, it was a little bit of over kill. But when I play a CD that is older (analog made into digital), I have more than enough power. In Home Theater mode, three is the limit.

I really can't think of any.

This amp is not something to buy if you have neighbors that live close or don't like you to begin with. If you have a large cubic foot area that you can blast a lot of sound, go for it.

I really think that if I had smaller mains, I would have already blown them.

Similar Products Used:

None

system: h/k pt2500 & pa5800, sony ca7es (cd changer), ar9 ls (old, but beautiful), and aiwa ad-f1000u casette deck. no power conditioner and probablyexplains a hum heard in the amp/preamp, but not thru speakers. bought from j&r
on 12/23/97, received in 3 days. sounds better now than initially and indicates that a short term listening test would have been inadequate. system surpasses the replaced onkyo receiver tx890 which had more loudness, but a sorry bass. listen for yourself! this system has almost makes me forget my old marantz 19
(circa 1971). did not compare with some of the high end systems, because it is
difficult to see a complete system, such as parasound amp & preamp. but the
lower price (~$930) means i don't have to worry about keeping it when it is old.

A wonderful amp! I listened to many brands and found the HK to be quite warm for solid state, and under-rated at 80 wpc. One great attribute of this amp is it's ability to truly create a 3d image. It also has the ability to reproduce the most delicate highs even when the volume is cranked and gobs of bass are being handled. Upon hearing a well-known symphony, a friend commented that "I can hear every single instrument!". The build quality is excellent. There is a transformer the size of Rhode Island behind the front panel, and a pair of capacitors bigger than your thumb on every channel. Made in the US, this is a beauty!

A wonderful amp! I listened to many brands and found the HK to be quite warm for solid state, and under-rated at 80 wpc. One great attribute of this amp is it's ability to truly create a 3d image. It also has the ability to reproduce the most delicate highs even when the volume is cranked and gobs of bass are being handled. Upon hearing a well-known symphony, a friend commented that "I can hear every single instrument!". The build quality is excellent. There is a transformer the size of Rhode Island behind the front panel, and a pair of capacitors bigger than your thumb on every channel. Made in the US, this is a beauty!