Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver with iPod Control and HDMI connectivity

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 17.3 x 5.9 inches ; 21.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 26 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: B000MWPD0I
• Item model number: AVR 146
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,507 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Harmon Kardon AVR-146's sonic quality and sophisticated features make it an exceptional value. It pumps 30 Watts of power through each of its 5 channels, employing Logic 7 processing and EzSet/EQ technology to ensure that you always have crisp audio. It also features true high current capability, ultra wide-bandwidth amplifier design with low negative feedback, and all-discrete amplifier circuitry. Dual independent power supplies for front and surround channels ensure that adequate power is always present. With two-input Simplay HD™-verified HDMI™ switching and a wealth of digital audio inputs, the AVR-146 lets you connect and command virtually any home theater source.

Product Description

The AVR-146's sonic quality and sophisticated features make it an exceptional value. If A/V receivers are the heart of a home entertainment system, then Harman/Kardon AVRs are both heart and mind. They take the vast array of audio/video formats and sources, and make it easy for you to select a source, tailor it to the requirements of your listening room and then play it back without skipping a beat. As with the tradition of Harman/Kardon's revered audio receivers, the AVR-146 features true high current capability, ultra wide-bandwidth amplifier design with low negative feedback and all-discrete amplifier circuitry. Dual independent power supplies, for front and surround channels ensure that the power is present. The surround processing is handled by 24-bit, Twin-core Cirrus Logic 49500 series DSP, Logic 7 processing, A/V Sync delay and 100MHz component video switching, the AVR-146 is high in performance. Use the A/V sync delay to match the audio processing to the audio delay of digital displays. 6 Digital Inputs Dolby Digital EX & Surround Sound Dolby Pro Logic & II DTS & ES Front AV Jacks Headphone Jack High Current Subwoofer Preamp Outputs 7 Device, Pre-Programmed Remote Control 4 Inputs, 2 Outputs S-Video Dimensions - Width 44 x Height 15 x Depth 35 cm Weight - 10 kg

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I feel like I have new ears!, July 26, 2007

By 

Charles Griffin (DeLand, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver with iPod Control and HDMI connectivity (Electronics)

This will be the fourth receiver I've owned and by far the best. My last was the Onkyo TX-SR500, and it was solid. But I wasn't completely satisfied with the 5.1 surround sound generated from it. The audio was serviceable, but I knew it should sound better...especially considering it was connected to an excellent set of speakers (Onkyo SKS-HT500). So, without being too serious about it, I decided to look around for a new receiver.

I was specifically looking for an AVR that would support HDMI audio output now that I have an HD-DVD player, but frankly there aren't that many available in the store. I did find several affordable receivers that might be an improvement over what I already have. I especially had my eye on a Yamaha and this Harman/Kardon AVR. Neither supported HDMI audio, but they do provide HDMI ports for pass-through. Neither support TrueHD or DTS-HD, which also intrigued me.

When it was said and done, I decided those fancy features aren't really important for me right now. What IS important is a strong 5.1 surround sound at an affordable price. Did I mention both AVRs were out-of-the-box? I couldn't resist. I had heard some good things about the sound quality of H/K receivers and it's pleasing to the eye as well. I took it. And I'm so glad I did.

First, it has an amazing number of inputs and outputs. Plenty of ports for analog cables, coaxial and optical digital audio cables, s-video and component video cables. Maybe someday I'll actually have all those cables. As it is, I have my cable box and HD-DVD player connected with the fiber-optic cables and my other DVD/CD player connected by coaxial digital cable. And everything sounds incredible!

Now I don't want to imply that Onkyo is substandard. They make a great product. But my Onkyo AVR was probably a bit old and worn out. Sounds sometimes seemed muffled, particularly when watching movies with lots of explosions or gunfire. But the H/K is definitely an improvement. Right now, I'm watching one of the Harry Potter DVD's right now and I'm just enveloped in glorious 5.1 surround sound! The audio is sharp, crisp and, when need be, loud. When I played my Brandi Carlile CD, it sounded incredibly powerful and rich...and that's just from the Dolby ProLogic II - Music setting. I used to listen to CDs through the analogue cables to get decent audio quality from all 5 speakers and the subwoofer, but I think I'll keep the AVR on digital.

One thing that may turn-off potential buyers is the low wattage per speakers from the AVR-146 at only 30 watts per channel. I suppose if you need a new AVR for a huge Home Theater room you should get something more powerful. But I've had receivers with highter watts and they never sounded THIS good. I don't know what else to say about that...Harman/Kardon makes a great audio product and I'm truly enjoying my listening experience so far.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars HDMI Users- Beware, December 17, 2007

By 

Paul Reynolds (Myrtle Beach, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver with iPod Control and HDMI connectivity (Electronics)

I'm happy with this unit and it does sound great. I think the amplifier power is more than enough for a small/medium sized room. It seems to be a better quality amplification than what I was getting with my "more powerful" Sony receiver. Like others, the big reason I bought this was the 2 HDMI inputs and I was disappointed to learn that it doesn't process the HDMI data in any way. This causes 2 problems worth noting:

1 - It will not decode the HDMI audio. So you'll need to run coax or optical cables from your source device if you want surround sound audio. Otherwise, the HDMI audio is passed on to your HDMI display (which is probably a TV with just 2 speakers).

2 - It is impossible to get into the receivers settings without using the On Screen Display (OSD) and the OSD will not show up on a HDMI connected TV. Even though the unit has a nice dot matrix display, the settings aren't available that way. This means you can't configure the unit properly without having a non-HDMI display hooked up. I had to drag out a little 13" TV I had and plug it into the "monitor out" on the receiver to finish setting it up.

But now that it's configured and set up, it does exactly what I need at a great price!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but misleading, August 11, 2007

By 

Sound and Fury (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 146 Home Theater Receiver with iPod Control and HDMI connectivity (Electronics)

This is a solid component, but beware when it says "HDMI connectivity." I bought this model specifically for this feature, figuring the hookups to my HDTV would be simpler and the sound quality would be first rate, but it turns out that the receiver just "channels" the HDMI video signal and does not decode the audio that comes with it -- you have to connect separate audio cables anyway. If I had realized this when I was shopping, I would have opted for a model that was half the price. Harman Kardon is a reliable manufacturer, and I've been satisfied with the receiver's sound quality and ease of use, but this was a major drawback for me.