Strong (not like NAD C370)

The treble is no god for your ears with "wrong" speakers, cheep and thinn box, overrecomended.

If dark speaker ok, atherwise buy NAD !

Similar Products Used:

NAD C370, NAD 2100, H/K 760, B/W 802 S3 (needs more...)

I'm considering buying a HK 690 as well, together with a TU 950 tuner. I also consider the AVR 65 because it offers quite a lot for the price. However, I am under the impression that the HK 690 should be better than the AVR 65. From what I have read in a German magazine called "Audio" the HK 690 is considered to be a very smooth and "round" sounding amplifier that even the rather analytical Germans could appreciate. Especially its cd-input quality should be better than a HK receiver's input. An illustration: An AVR 41 gets 60 points whereas the HK 690 gets 75 points from Audio, which is rather high.
I also would like to read something more about people's reactions to this amp. It seems not very popular. Dolby Digital is, I gather.

Because I have only heard it once at my local dealer I'll give it 4 stars. It should at least be appropriate.

Quality finishing, ample power (80 Amps), Nice smooth 'round' sound, many inputs

Cheap looking remote control. Long warmup

I've got this amp for about a year now, and it's hooked up to a set of Hepta Fourtune speakers, and a Rotel CD player.
It takes a wile 9about 30 min.) to really heat up, and show it,s potential. I found the mid, and high range to be exceptionally clear for a amp of this priceclass, and the bass is simply one of the best in it's class. With a power source capable of blazing 80A through your speakers if necessary, it's quite capable of delivering a good and solid round sound regardless of the speakers used. The only downside to this Amp is that it's rather picky about it's source input. I first used a HK CD-player which gave the overall system a bit of a discosound feel (lots of bass and high, and no midrange). After trying out a few players I finally hooked it up to a modified Rotel player whichseems to suit the system very well. The Amp seems to favour analitical source over a bit more coloured source, except for the Phono input which is of a unusually high standard. I hooked it up with my Project 6.1 turntable without a prestage (which I normally use), and after about six months I dicided to sell of my turntable prestage, because I couldn,t tell the difference. All in all I have to say I'm absolutly pleased with the Amp, and by the looks of it, it will stay in my possesion for a long time. A definite must for vinyl lovers on a not so large budget!!!

Similar Products Used:

Marants PM50 Mk II, Nad Amp

sound, dynamics

long warmup, switch noises

I received this amplifier in exchange of failed HK660, which Harman was enable to repair.
Compared to HK660 this amplifier has definitely more accentuated bass. It looks to have much
much more of dynamic power as well.
I like this one very much but find that HK660 was a bit better,
for it had more neutral and natural sound. This new one looks to be a bit too athletic and rock-
oriented. Both HK660 and 690 sound better than any other integrated amplifier in
this price range.

Similar Products Used:

HK660, AVR300

Clean and strong power amp section, very good bass

Crappy preamplifier stage

Let me first introduce my system as a whole:
AH!Tjoeb CD-Player w. Philips Gold Pin Tubes, Damping, DIY power cord, TjoebSjoes feet
HK 690 integrated
Dynaudio Audience 60
Ortofon SPK 100 speaker cable
DIY interconnects: X-1,5 cables from www.TNT-audio.com

I have started to build a system about a year ago and at first used a TEAC AH500i integrated which had a pretty good sound, but just didn’t have the power to control the Audience 60s at higher volumes. For example orchestral music got muddled. Also bass extension and control was not as good as with my friends Yamaha preamp-DIY power amp combo, so I started to look for a stronger integrated amplifier.
After reading rave reviews about the HK 680 I tried to purchase one, but I was just a little late because they had just been sold off. To compensate me, HK Austria offered me the 690 for a 30% discount and so I took the chance. I was quite happy, even though I realized that when I turned down the output of the AH!Tjoeb and turned up the volume on the 690 the sound became a little better.
Then I went shopping for a system in the range of $4000 for my parents and we listened to a Dynaudio Contour 1.3MKII – Myryad MCD 100 – Myryad MI 120 combo and our yaws dropped! THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! Clarity, soundstage, detail, emotion, power! It was all there, to an extent I hadn’t thought possible at this money.
So after returning home we compared my system with what we had heard. My parents were being nice when they said that my system was “pretty good for the money”. Well I had spent about $2200 so I thought that maybe it wasn’t possible to do much better for this kind of money. What was the difference? The soundstage was collapsed, details which where crystal clear with the Myryad system were well hidden in a somewhat messy sound. It was just not real, so much more “radio-like”, less exciting.
Anyway, I like to experiment and so I tried a new CD 2 weeks after that “Myryad-experience”. Then I had the idea to use the AH!Tjoeb’s volume control and plug it directly into the power amplifier inputs of the HK 690. WOOOOOMMM! There it was again! Soundstage, clarity, detail, excitement! Not as refined as with the Myryad but very good and much more powerful! The Myryad was the skilled musician where the HK 690 was a dressman in a designer suit with a lot of muscle! But well controlled, with grace and elegance!
I would be almost perfectly happy if I wouldn’t have to change the connectors everytime for dedicated listening. Also the CDP’s volume control is always fully open after switching on, so this kind of connection needs to be used very carefully!
So I may have to start looking for a new preamp....

Conclusion:
If you are using a non-audiophile CD-player and your main aim is to have a great “party-system” buy with confidence. For the money you get lot’s of power and control.
If you are building a somewhat audiophile system you should carefully listen to this unit before you buy, and maybe try it without the preamp section. If the sound gets better your CDP deserves better....
5 stars for power amp, 2 for the preamp, so I’ll give it a 3 overall and a 4 for value

Similar Products Used:

TEAC AH500i, Yamaha $1000 preamp plus DIY power amp, NAD 3020 (?), NAD pre-power combo