Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon AVR 140 6.1-Channel A/V Receiver, Silver

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent sound.
.
Initially a bit difficult to set up
but once you understand it it is quite easy.
.
The manual is adequate but fails to provide
the insights that are necessary for those who
are unfamiliar with this type of device.
.
There are three types of video inputs and audio inputs.
The varying quality of each should be explained so that
the best choices are made.
.
There should be more example wiring diagrams as well.
.
I did a fair amount of web searching about the various
types of connectors to understand the issues. Receivers
have changed so now you have to route video as well as
audio and there are multiple types of each.
.
This receiver lacks HDMI inputs and outputs but those
are still so new you would have to pay 5 times what this
machine cost and you would be debugging their technology.
.
This machine has plenty of power unless you like it really
loud or have a very large space.

.

This is a great receiver and the sounds is awesome. There are 2 things however that I do not like about it:

1. My TV uses COMPONENT Cables for the video. The AVR-140's menus do not show on that. You have to switch to the regular composit video input on my TV and hook up another video cable to the receiver to see the menus

2. the 6th speaker turns it self off all the time. I called HK and they tell me it is normal that I have to turn it on every time I want to use it. I wish there was a way around this. If someone knows, let me know. It turns off every time you change channels or if the cable station changes audio formats (since I am hooked up with a digital cable for the audio)

Other then those two things, I would recommend this to anyone looking to get some seriuous sound for not a lot of money.

Awesome clarity and power as expected from Harman Kardon.
Second AVR receiver I've owned. Would buy HK again!

I had replaced an older JVC Dolby Digital reciever with this 140. You can't believe the difference between the 100w JVC and the 140 that is pumping half the watts. I have a mixed bag of speakers, Polk Audio Center, Harman Kardon bookshelf fronts, infinity sub and satelites and the 140 drives them quite well. I really didn't need to make any audio adjustments outside of reducing the sub a bit. really amazed at the sound this thing puts out. Loud and clear when you want it for video programs. I thought my speakers were the weakpoint in my system and I was considering changing them out; after the transition it was obvious the JVC was a weak sister. My speakers sound much much better than ever.

I bought the unit factory refurbished from Harman Audio. I like buying refurbished stuff and have had good luck. The factory has to double test it to make sure it won't come back again.

The sound quality of this receiver, paired with 2 Polk Audio speakers, is amazing. It may be advertised at only handling 40 watts per channel... but that's 40 watts per channel with all channels driven and at less than 0.07% THD. Keep in mind that a receiver rated at 80 watts using the same standards will only be 3dB louder.

There are many surround/stereo/DSP modes to choose from, and you can adjust the crossover for each set of speakers individually. I am currently running a stereo setup so this isn't particularly useful, but if, say, you 2 full-range fronts and 2 small rear speakers, you will be able to set the fronts to cross over at 40 Hz and the rears to cross over at 120 Hz. The receiver features a front coaxial and optical input, as well as two digital OUTPUTS on the back -- a first for any receiver in this price range that I know of.

On the downside, the remote doesn't feel very intuitive -- it's tapered at the bottom and this makes accessing the lowest buttons inconvenient. More significant, you absolutely MUST have the remote in order to adjust settings such as crossover, and you must do it via OSD. (I have this primarily as a computer audio setup, and luckily I have a TV tuner that allows me to view the OSD). The front panel controls allow you to adjust speaker size, bass/treble, levels, and delay... but you cannot adjust crossover frequencies. And you could say that the lack of HDMI ports is another con, though this is a 2005 model and the lack of HDMI has absolutely no impact on audio quality.

The receiver is working like a charm and is one of the nicest receivers on the market! Hope this last longer then my previous Onkyo(6yrs) and cost a fraction of the price!