sounds big and spacious, preamp ins and outs, sub outs

not discrete output circuits

Great unit for $210.00!!! Easy to order online from HK. I would say is the best stereo receiver in this price range. Sounds great at low settings!!!! You dont have to crank it to get the bass you want. The pre-in and outs or great for upgrades or useing bose 901 eq. The best $200 dollars I ever spent.

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technics SA-GX 505

Price! - affordable for such a high-end product overall design and aesthetics modular design of chassis and circuits heatsinked driver transistors thick heatsinking of output transistors oversized transformer huge mainboard (includes the pre-amp,speaker protection and input boards) VMax is a welcome breeze banana type plugs power button doubles as a protection display when you accidentally short the speaker wires - turns red. heavy - solidly built

lacks a secondary power plug for another component such as a tape-deck or phono (i used the plug to power the DVD player) The heatsink is thick and oversized but it was not extruded from a single piece of aluminum - the fins were welded/bolted instead of being an integral part of the heatsink. remote control is huge but functionality is sparse - was expecting a more trimmed or slim remote - was also expecting a backlit remote for the reciever's price

I bought my Harman Kardon HK3470 paired with a Harman Kardon DVD21. Its a nice combination as a stereo a/v system. anyway, the price quoted is in Philippine Peso (15,500 pesos is roughly around US$ 288 at 54 pesos/US dollar exchange rate at the time of this writeup) im still burning it as recommended, and it still amazes me that something at this price range has musicality that tickles my ears. It has power reserves that definitely beats my Onkyo TX-SR700 (they almost weigh the same BTW) and is the leader in the pack as far as stereo is concerned. It has nice touch on its FM/AM side with addition of an RDS system (it automatically displays text of the radio station if the radio station supports RDS) and is stylishlly black. inside is where it shines - oversized insulated transformers, oversized capacitors and the whole board is dedicated to just the amp section. now that is a lot of board space to make the connections right and tough. the FM/AM tuning side is relegated to the side board and the control circuit is behind the front display - well designed to minimize noise and interference. Thick heatsinking that runs the length and depth of the reciever and the and the driver/output transistor circuitry is bolted with the heatsink - a modular and well thought design. driver transistors are uniquely heatsinked as well - this is the only reciever i saw that did that (*applause*). As usual, the output transistors are oversized. performance is as expected from harman kardon with its signature warm sound. not tinny as that of onkyo, not as muddled as that of yamaha - as the saying goes - just right.

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Onkyo TX-8511,Fisher 234(circa 1973),Denon DRA-685,

Ease of use, quiet, basic remote functions are a snap.

I won't be using Vmax! It sounds terrible.

Very easy to set up and use. My old receiver used banana plugs, so I was able to plug in my speakers and go. The sound is slightly warm, but VERY quiet (no noticeable hiss or hum). Plenty of power, too.

Goes loud Reasonably revealing Cheap direct from Harman 30 day full refund policy

Tuner section Artificially warmed over sound

Further to my post of the 3370... The 3470 seems much happier with my 4 ohn B&W Minipods, does run rather hot though. Tuner is not this receivers strong point Sound is not my personal tatse, too warm. But a good upgrade (for the price) from high street garbage. ...I am eagerly awaiting my Creek 4330R's arrival :)

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HK3370 Pioneer A400 (UK giant killer)

High current design has not yielded a tangible improvement in sound quality. VMAX is seemingly a worthless gimmick.

I bought this through E-Bay at the HK Store. It's reconditioned but looks new and included a 2 year warranty from HK. The price was right! However, the sound quality has been disappointing! This unit is capable of playing loud without distortion. Nevertheless, detail, clarity, and high resolution are missing. The amp's high current design does not equate to high definition sound. Listening to this unit is analogous to sitting within the first ten rows at an outdoor concert. I find it difficult to discern individual instruments from within most musical compositions. Perhaps this receiver could work better with (big box) JBL speakers. Harmon Kardon and JBL are both part of Harmon International. Used in combination with my Wharfedale Emerald 99 Towers, Sony ES cd player and Monster cables -- doesn't work!! I'm disappointed!! Music sounds brash and lacks the refinement of subtle nuances. It's an "in your face" intensity lacking definition. For me using the HK 3470 has been analogous to working with a high powered microscope and getting blurry vision. The overall quality of sound is muddy. If my opinions improve over the next several months, I will provide readers with an update. For now, however, my experience with the 3470 has been "underwhelming". VMAX .... Forget about it!!!

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I'm an audiophile with many, many, years of component experience.

nice and clear and very nice crisp bass.

the remot needs more work but dont let it stop you from geting it.

i am 16 and i love my music so much i spend about 1,000.00 for my stero. i have had kenwood and fisher and sony. this H/k was really nice and no back ground nise or hiss.

nice and clear and very nice crisp bass.

the remot needs more work but dont let it stop you from geting it.

i am 16 and i love my music so much i spend about 1,000.00 for my stero. i have had kenwood and fisher and sony. this H/k was really nice and no back ground nise or hiss.

Binding posts, sub pre in/out, learning remote, power, design.

Nothing worth mentioning.

I replaced an Onkyo TX-8511 with this unit for the subwoofer line output and binding posts. The sound quality is not quite as good as the Onkyo (sigh), but it's still good. However, the features make this receiver very much worth the money (esp. the price I paid). Binding posts, subwoofer out, pre in/out are very nice to have. The learning remote is great! It accepts button assignments from other remotes for each component so now I only use 1 instead of 5! The build quality of the remote is rather shotty though - notably the crappy sliding mechanism to access the number and a couple of other buttons. It is a nice looking unit with its reflective front panel too. VMax = blah. The sound is clear and it is fairly powerful, but it's just not as... poignant (?) as the Onkyo. If you're just building a simple 2 speaker music-only set up with tower speakers, i.e. no subwoofer required, then go with the TX-8511. All things considered I'm very happy with the switch. My system: - Harman Kardon HK 3470 Receiver - Sony SCD-CE775 SACD Changer - Axiom M3Ti Speaker 1 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) - B&W Solid Speaker 2 - Audiosource SW-10 Sub - Apex AD-1500 DVD

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Onkyo TX-8511

Yes yes, it is good receiver. Power, clarity, design... All was mentioned I think. But I found one problem on mine HK3470 (if it can be called a problem). It is channel imbalance on very low volume setting (about 7 or less o''''clock possition). Left channel is a little bit louder. But when the volume knob goes higher, everything becomes ok. Thats all I wanted to say.

Excellent sound quality. Clear and bright without harshness. Well suited to speakers using aluminum or titanium dome tweeters. Plenty of power. No need to crank it up; the juice will be there when it''s needed.

Ergonomics could use a general re-think. Remote control is not up to same standard as the rest of the unit. Binding posts are not as sturdy as they should be. Be careful attaching heavier grade speaker wire.

After auditioning several receivers in this class, I bought the 3470 as an upgrade over my tired, old HK PM645. I paid about $600 Cdn for the new receiver. For me, it was important to retain the smoothness to which I''m accustomed while moving up to newer features and more power. I think I''ve succeeded. Initially, I hooked the unit to my old JBL L60T''s and immediately noticed an improvement in clarity and spaciousness, plus considerably firmer bass. The amplifier sounded quite good ''right out of the box'' and sweetened up nicely during a break-in period of about 50 hours. Within a couple months, I also upgraded my speakers to the PSB 6T, also reviewed on this web site. The receiver seems well suited to the speakers and performs ably over a demanding range of music, from Praetorius to Pastorius to Skinny Puppy. Other functions of the receiver, such as the tuner and phono stage are certainly adequate but not outstanding. The power supply emits a slight hum, noticeable up close but not from the distance of your favorite music listening chair. To my taste, the Vmax feature is un-usable, but others may find it interesting. I use pro-grade signal processing for my own music making, so my expectations might be unreasonable in this respect. Unfortunately, when it comes to usability of the 3470, ergonomics take a back seat to stylishness. The face-plate controls are cool-looking but non-intuitive. The motorized volume control suffers from over/undershoot and the remote wins no prizes. Despite the minor concerns, this unit meets the criteria that really matters: sound quality. I''m a satisfied customer and recommend you audition this receiver before buying anything in this price range.

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HK PM645