Harman Kardon DPR 1001 Digital Receiver

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

Product Manual [674kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 19 x 18 x 5 inches ; 17 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 17 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00008EDC9
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,859 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The 7.1-channel DPR 1001 digital path receiver features a full digital-signal path from input to output, combining high-power output, convenience, and leading-edge performance with a sleek, high-tech appearance. Winner of a CEA Innovations 2003 Design and Engineering Award, the 7.1-channel DPR 1001 delivers 50 watts into each of its seven main channels. It's also compatible with all popular 7.1, 6.1, and 5.1-channel surround decoding formats, as well as with all high-resolution video and audio formats and display devices, thanks to its wide-bandwidth HDTV- and DTV-compatible component-video switching, multichannel analog-audio inputs, and detailed bass management.

The DPR 1001's versatile setup and configuration options include independent multiroom-multisource operation and a comprehensive array of rear-panel and front-panel digital and analog video and audio connections. The receiver comes with Harman Kardon's programmed LCD remote control with EzSet functionality, plus a Zone II remote for control of a second-room audio system. The receiver uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) digital amplifier technology--which keeps digital-audio signals in the digital domain from input to the last stage of output--to achieve significant advantages in performance and physical design.

Harman Kardon's Triple-Crossover Bass Manager is among the most advanced bass-management systems available in any audio-video receiver or DVD player. This system lets you select from three bass-crossover frequencies for the front, center, and surround speakers to perfectly tailor the audio output fed to each set of speakers for optimal frequency response and performance. This compensates for the absence of bass management on many high-resolution optical players (like DVD-Audio or multichannel SACD players), making it easy to enjoy maximal sonic benefits from high-resolution formats. Advanced 24-bit, 192 kHz D/A converters ensure the highest possible resolution, fidelity, and dynamic range. Two proprietary Harman audio technologies, Logic 7 7.1/5.1 and VMAx, deliver heightened sonic realism from surround sound and stereo audio source material. When the unit's connected to a computer or sound card with a compatible coaxial digital-audio output, you can play back MP3-encoded CDs or Internet-delivered streaming media.

The unit's audio-video connections includes composite video, S-Video, and wide-bandwidth component video switching, plus a wide-bandwidth component-video output, which passes the full bandwidth of HDTV signals. Digital and analog front-panel jacks accommodate program sources such as game consoles, VCRs, camcorders, digital still cameras, and portable audio-video products. Exclusive to Harman Kardon products, the front-panel coaxial digital audio and analog audio-video jacks may be switched to function as record outputs for easy connection to portable recording devices.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed success, November 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon DPR 1001 Digital Receiver (Electronics)

I purchased the dpr 1001 in October and auditioned it for 2 weeks before returning it. Please take note that this is really, for the most part a positive review, and overall I was very impressed with this unit. Although it didn't quite fit my needs, it very well may fit yours.

This reciever is an entirely new technology so you really can't directly compare it to an analog amp. The amplifier section is entirely digital making this one of the first of it's kind. I could easily take pages with this review, but I'll try to sum it up with a pro and con list:

Pro:
Tons of inputs, many assignable. One of the coolest features of this is the ability to map inputs, much the same way as an audio mixing board. For example, you can tell the unit to use the optical 2 input for Video 1, or Video 2, etc, without moving any plugs. You can also tell it to turn the front panel jacks from inputs to outputs to record something to your mp3 or camcorder. Very nice.

Extremely quiet. The noise floor on this thing is about the quietest I ever heard, almost high-end. The amp is very revealing, a solo violin recording sounds startlingly realistic. Also the tiny details in movie soundtracks such as the whizzing bullets in Saving Private Ryan sounded absolutely clearer and more present than on anything else I'd ever heard, including a set of 6,000$ seperates I auditioned recently at a local high-end boutique. That impressed the heck out of me.

The HK Vmax processing is the first "play your cd's through all the speakers faux surround" I ever heard that actually sounded good. This makes the dsp on my old Yamaha sound like a 1950's reverb tank. Awsome.

Very small and light compared to other recievers in it's class. Since the digital amp puts out much less heat than an analog one, it doesn't require big, heavy heatsinks. Picking up this reciever feels like you're holding a cheap vcr rather than an expensive reciever.

Big LED display you can see across the room and a great remote that is easy to set up and use.

Cons:

This unit has only one real con in my opinion, but it was big enough to make me reluctanly pack it up and send it back; and that is the power delivery. The PWM digital amps sound remarkably clean, BUT they seriously lack the dynamic punch of an analog. They had a difficult time driving my PSB bookshelf monitors, and they are pretty efficient. In plain speaking, the amp sounded clean and bright, maybe a bit too bright, but lacked power. Everything sounded a touch brittle and the bass was significantly lacking. I am an longtime audiophile and no matter how feature packed and impressive a receiver is, if it doesn't sound great, it's useless for me. Ultimately it failed my acid test for sound quality, but just by a hair. Keep in mind I am extremely picky, being an audio engineer and someone who owned high-end seperates in his single, pre-child days, and i am sure a great number of people would be pleased as punch with the sound delivered by the 1001, especially classical fans, as the lack of high-current delivery and lower-mid punch isn't as much of an issue.

To sum it up quickly and simply. This is a reciver that does everything you could want it to, and very well. If you are either a fan of quieter music (chamber, folk, etc) or are mostly concerned with the home theatre performance, i recommend this highly. If, however you plan on driving inefficient audiophile speakers, or using it primarily for rock music, you may want to consider the superior current delivery and more potent bass/midbass punch of one of HK's analog models. I think the digital amp technology is in it's infancy, and although it's not quite there yet, in another few years, who knows?

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An EXCELLENT receiver and value!!, April 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon DPR 1001 Digital Receiver (Electronics)

I just purchased this receiver less than a week ago and I am amazed at the value and apparent quality of the piece, especially considering the currently discounted price. The sound is clean, and answering to perhaps one of my biggest concerns, 50 digital watts per channel is more than adequate for a basic home theatre/stereo system. It blows my 80 watt, 2-channel analog (piece of junk) JVC amp out of the water! I am so happy I bought this receiver!

As other reviewers have noted, the sound is clean, perhaps "too clean" for some audiophiles, however I play reggae, trance, and rock music, loud, and it sounds great! There is adequate bass, and I suspect the addition of a powered subwoofer will take it over the top - that is next on my list.

I suspect that some users who wrote reviews did not have the desire or patience to work through the somewhat laborious set-up required to optimize the sound. While the setup requires a somewhat sizeable time commitment, once you finish it is unlikely that you will ever have to deal with it again, at least until you make a change to your system. It is worth it because an accurate setup results in the cleanest sound I have ever heard, no matter what the source (DVD, CD, PC, TV/Cable, Laptop, Tape, Tuner, etc...I have all 7 of these sources hooked up). 6 of the inputs have connections on the back, while the seventh is made through the jacks on the front of the machine.

I think the biggest asset this receiver brings to the table, besides the crystal-clear sound, is the fact that each of the digital inputs can be mapped and assigned to any number of the seven available sources. There are more than enough digital inputs (3 coax, 3 optical) and outputs (1 dedicated coax, one dedicated optical), owing in part to the fact that one set of input jacks can be reversed from their default setting to become outputs - leaving you with two digital ins, and two digital outs (both coax and optical).

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT, esp. for $500, there is no better value anywhere! And in the words of another reviewer, "This is the best purchase I have ever maid!!!" I recommend that reviewer purchase spell check next!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice amp, January 10, 2004

By 

Nigel "nigel938" (Los Gatos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harman Kardon DPR 1001 Digital Receiver (Electronics)

I finally had to retire my Kenwood 2080. I liked the idea of an all digtal path. This Amp seemed to be the perfect fit.
With my old amp you wire the inputs, wire the speakers, set the surround volumes and you're done.
In this Harmon Kardon I was faced with a starship enterprise type remote that comes onscreen, but is poorly designed. I've never hit so many wrong keys in my life. Up and down move the speaker selection (although not in a logical order). I think I was spoilt by the 2080 remote that only added icons I needed to the huge LCD display. I tried controlling my DVD with the remote but you have to be fast, it reverts back to AVR within a couple of seconds (I'm assuming there's another setting somewhere to increase the remote time).
I liked the fact I wired an input then associated it (very nice to have, e.g. COAXIAL 3 is linked to VIDEO 4)
Now for the outputs, wire the speakers, set the level and sit back and listen. Good in theory but I then switched between my 5.1 source on my satellite and my DVD - all the speakers were wrong again. It turned out that every input mode (5.1 , stereo, DTS, Dolby Pro logic) has its owned settings . I kept getting a deep sense of Deja Vu as I recycled through the various types in my various sources.
My Bose AM10s weren't sounding quite right so after back reading BOSE manuals I realised the cross over frequency was wrong. I changed it and things started to sound better. I also realised that I had accidentally set the bass on the L/R channels to go to the sub instead of LFE only. After another 10 or so more Deja Vu settings with the various inputs I was finally cooking.
There's a nice EZSET feature to get the speaker levels, there's also a manual set that will show you the Db level to balance (very nice).
This amp has a very nice sound on low volumes, I've had it all the way up and there's minimal distortion. On the levels we normally use for movies and music it's very pleasant to listen to. If you like rock concert volumes then you may find this amp runs out of steam. It's the lowest power amp I've owned in many years but is more than sufficient for me.

Overall I'm keeping it, after setting all the various levels on all my digital inputs I feel I owe it to myself. This thing took a while to setup but now remembers all the various combinations and is low maintenance. Anyone who thinks this has a great remote has never used a great remote (like the high end Kenwood amps have).