Harman Kardon AVR-354 7x75W 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 15 x 17.3 x 6.5 inches ; 37.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 38 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: B0016BGRXG
• Item model number: AVR 354
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,876 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Flexible Connectivity and Ultrawide Bandwidth at a Great Value

Driven by a passion for music and cinema, Harman Kardon engineers are fanatical about maintaining a balance between pure technology and a quest for artistic truth. Their devotion to detail and love for all types of music and cinema have produced some of the finest audio/video and stereo receivers available. The AVR-354 reflects Harmon Kardon's commitment to bringing you high-quality components that are packed with features, all at an affordable price.

---

The Harman Kardon AVR-354 provides a host of connections and features View Larger On-screen graphical menus make setup easy

AVR-354 - 7 x 75W 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver with HDMI 1.3a Repeater, Audio/Video Processing and Upscaling to 1080p

The AVR-354 includes a full complement of Dolby and DTS decoding technologies, HDMI repeater capability, Faroudja DCDi Cinema processing, EzSet/EQ equalization and multi-room capability. It connects to a universe of digital and analog sources, as well as to external amps, and with the included Bridge II docking station it will play, control and charge your iPod. To ensure that everything works together seamlessly, the AVR-354 features a full-color graphical user interface and an eight-device programmable remote. Harman Kardon founder Dr. Sidney Harman has always believed technology should serve users, not intimidate them. The AVR-354 is a perfect case in point.

Make Your Movie Library Look And Sound Its Best
You know the latest Blu-ray movie or high definition broadcast is going to look great on your high-definition display. But what about everything else? The Harman Kardon AVR-354 improves the look of standard-definition video with advanced Faroudja processing, automatically upscaling lower resolution sources to the 1080p HD standard. Display settings may also be configured manually, allowing you to specify the optimal picture quality and aspect ratio for various sources such as game consoles or your current DVD collection.

And what the AVR-354 does for video, it also does for audio. In addition to decoding the latest Blu-ray surround formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the AVR-354 includes proprietary Logic 7 processing, which is capable of generating discrete 5.1 or 7.1-channel sound from traditional 2-channel sources.

The included microphone and EzSet/EQ system automatically calibrate the AVR-254

Fine Tune Your System Like A Pro
There’s an important difference between your home audio system and the ones you hear in movie theaters and concert halls. Professional systems are precisely calibrated by audio technicians to deliver the best possible surround sound experience. Harman Kardon’s powerful EzSet/EQ system gives you all the tools you need to achieve professional sound calibration at home. Just connect the advanced omni-directional microphone to your Harman Kardon AVR-354 receiver and follow the on-screen instructions. With a few simple steps, it will automatically adjust speaker channel levels, distances and crossover points to suit your exact room parameters. Room equalization is key to great audio reproduction, and Harman Kardon’s EzSet/EQ system makes it easy.

Listen To What You Want, Where You Want
As any family will tell you, a two-zone entertainment system can be a real crowd pleaser. While the kids watch their favorite movie on the theater system in the den, for example, you can be out listening to your favorite CD on the deck. The AVR-354 makes setting up a basic multi-room system easy. First, build a high-performance 5.1 channel home theater around your video display. Then assign the two remaining channels to a second zone, wire in an extra pair of speakers to a nearby room or outdoors and you’re done. With the AVR-354, each zone can choose to listen to what they want to and with included second zone remote, each zone can be set up with full local control.

The included Bridge II docking station plays and charges iPod devices

Spend More Quality Time With Your iPod
The iPod isn’t just a great way to take your favorite music and videos anywhere, its also a great way to simplify the entertainment experience at home. The Harman Kardon AVR-354 makes it easy with the Bridge II docking station for iPod. A universal dock that connects with a single cable, the Bridge II lets you navigate your music and video libraries with high-resolution on-screen menus using the AVR-354 remote. Browse your iPod the way you usually do, whether by artist, album or genre. Audio is played back in rich, room-filling detail that only a Harman Kardon audio system can deliver. Videos are automatically upscaled to the HD standard, even including 1080p, and the Bridge II keeps your iPod fully changed even when the receiver is powered off.

A Quick and Easy Setup
There’s no denying that a typical home theater system can be challenging to set up and use, but Harman Kardon receivers are far from typical. The AVR-354 comes with a Quick-Start Guide that walks you through the color-coded connections that you’ll need for even the most elaborate multi-channel systems. Once connected, you’ll discover your Harman Kardon AVR-354 makes navigation easier with intuitive high-resolution, graphical on-screen menus. To access the menus at any time from any source, simply press the AVR button on the remote.

---

Technical Specifications and Features

• Surround Sound Channels: 7.1
• Power: 75 Watts per channel, 525 Watts total
• HDMI Inputs: 3 with 1 output (v1.3a with 10-bit Deep Color)
• Component Video Inputs: 3 with 1 output
• S-Video Inputs: 4 with 1 output
• Composite Video Inputs: 4 with 1 output
• Digital Audio Inputs: 4 optical, 3 coaxial
• HDMI Repeater Capability
• Faroudja DCDi Cinema Video Processing
• EzSet/EQ Automatic Room Equalization
• Dual-Zone Audio
• Bridge II iPod Dock
• XM Tuner Ready
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Pro Logic II
• Dolby TrueHD
• DTS 5.1
• DTS-HD Master Audio
• DTS 96/24
• Logic 7
• Auxiliary Input Port
• RS-232 Port
• Full-Color Graphical On-Screen Interface
• Seven-Device Programmable Learning Remote Control
• Dimensions: 17-5/16" W x 6-1/2" H x 15" D
• Weight: 31.5 pounds

Product Description

Harman Kardon AVR-354 7x75 watt 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver is your all-in-one receiver for your home theater system. This 7.1-Channel A/V receiver includes HDMI switching and audio/video processing. With 525 watts (75 watts x 7 channels) at your fingertips, movies will put you into the heart of the action. Picture this! The AVR-354 not only includes a host of powerful features such as DCDi® by Faroudja video processing, Simplay HD™-verified HDMI™ 1.1 connectivity with full audio processing as well as EzSet/EQ™ and XM Ready technology – it uses a colorful user interface to make system setup and operation easier than ever. Add full multi-room capability with A-BUS® connectivity and you have pure Harman Kardon sound everywhere in the house.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, October 30, 2008

By 

Timothy Hendrix - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR-354 7x75W 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Electronics)

It's unfortunate about the previous poster but I have the same unit and it is incredible! The unit has all the bells and whistles that you would expect on a much higher priced receiver. Do some research on the the chips used in this thing, they are incredible and are found only in a $5000 high end competitors line. The weakness of this receiver is that it can sometimes be too rich of a sound and lacks the crisp high that some look for because, honestly the degraded sound that we have received from companies like Sony and what we listen to in our cars have ruined our idea of what even sounds are. Just a side note, one of my buddies was the one who brought this "weakness" to my attention because he said it didn't have enough high range. I told him well watch the whole movie and lets see how fatigued your ears feel. Afterward, he was amazed how nice and easy it is to listen to this HK. The strength is it's punch and ability in the home theater to make gun fire sound like gun fire and not rocks being thrown against a tin roof. HK doesn't disappoint in my opinion with this receiver and it's too bad one customer, and the only review had a experience that is honestly out of this world. HK customer support is probably one of the best in the world, and are often recognized for that fact. Besides one month old and breaks, why not take it back to Best Buy?

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sound's The Thing, November 9, 2008

By 

Stephen R. Kowarsky "Classical Musician" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR-354 7x75W 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Electronics)

I would encourage anyone to purchase this product. I have been researching and listening to receivers for more than three months, ever since a lightning strike wiped out my NAD T-762. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on the NAD's successor, T-785, which would have run about $2,000, when I saw this on sale for $599 and read the specs. What's not to like?

I am a musician, and to me, it's all about the sound. Harman Kardon was where I had begun, more than 20 years ago, and I knew it had sounded good. I am still using my 20-year-old JBL speakers, and when I plugged them in to the 354, I felt like I had come home. The sound is heavenly. I have no other word for it. I've been listening to Denon, Pioneer Elite, Yamaha high end products on high end speakers at Best Buy Magnolia, and couldn't quite go ahead. I know I would have liked the NAD. But why pay so much more? I don't think anything could sound better than this. I can listen to this for hours on end, and enjoy the bliss of warmth, clarity, and resonance.

I'm also very satisfied with the video. I had to tweak the brightness on my TV up a hair, no big deal. I really wanted 4 HDMI inputs, and this has only 3, but I worked around that using component for a non-HD source - ROKU Netflix player - that happens to have an HDMI output, and that has worked out well. So I have room for HDMI from my media server, DVD player, and HD cable/satellite. The upscaling works very well, ordinary DVDs look almost HD, and my ROKU Netflix player, which is putting out SD at best, looks better than DVD when upscaled through this. The NAD did not upscale, by the way.

Be ready for a few quirks. I think every product has them. HK is addressing them through firmware updates, and hopefully they will keep improving. I can bust at least one myth you may read about. Noisy fan? If my unit has a fan, which I doubt, either it's never on or a stethescope couldn't hear it. I am a fanatic about this. My PC is completely fanless.

I am mildly disappointed in a couple of things. Zone 2 has separate source and volume control, which is nice, but it works with analog input only, no digital. I use it for my outdoor speakers, and it's annoying that I have to put in analog connections just to use those. The PCM lock can be a little slow, so you can miss the beginning of a CD track occasionally, if it starts very quickly. My NAD did that too, so I'm used to it. I hope HK will improve this one. But it's not too bad, better than the NAD was. Lip sync delay setting is across the board, not per source. When I reported that, HK said, "We thought it was per source too," so it's probably a bug they will fix.

But to me, it's all about the sound. If you like to listen to music, especially classical music, which is what I listen to most, you won't be disappointed. This is a fine piece of gear.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Receiver, January 5, 2009

By 

Robert K. Mitchell "bigdawginva" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR-354 7x75W 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Electronics)

If you're taking the time to read this you're either considering your first AVR purchase or upgrading and, as I was, looking for a solid product that works and is easy to install and operate. I will not waste your time as many would by trying to convince you to buy this product over another or why this one is superior to others or reiterating its specs as I'm sure you've already done that much research. I will simply try to convey why I selected this product and how it performed.

First, a little background. I'm not an audiophile and, unlike many, do not attempt to be one. I'm 51 years old and have only owned two receivers before this one. The most recent was a twenty-year-old Pioneer VSA-1000 as part of a multi-component system. It's also been twelve years since the last time I connected my previous stereo system. My point is I have very little experience with these units and attempted to find the simplest unit that met my upgrade needs and would play nice with my three-year-old Pioneer plasma and Toshiba upscaling DVD player.

I considered most of the name brands and, because of my custom wall unit limitations, narrowed my choices to this unit, an Onkyo 606 and 705, and Pioneer's 918 and 1018. After spending dozens of hours of reading review after review, forum after forum, I decided on this unit based on its ease of use and reputation for sound. Sure, I could've chosen a HTIB but I didn't consider that much of an upgrade. I also discounted the one or two poor reviews by the anomalies associated with purchases. Someone's going to get a bad product regardless of brand. It's the luck of the draw and I accept that but also do not let that influence my buying decision unless it's pervasive.

The comments that kept coming up with this unit, and almost all HK's, regarded the well-written manual, quick start guide, ease of use and sound. I didn't see as many of those comments with the other brands. The first thing I did upon receiving this unit was to have the Dec 4th firmware update installed. I could've easily done it myself with HK's exceptional directions but decided to have BB do it for the same price it would cost me to purchase the required serial cable. During the couple of hours BB was performing this update I spent the time to read the quick start guide and manual. I believe those that have problems either don't take the time to read the manual or are unable to comprehend 8th grade writing. I found the documentation to be easy to follow and understand as well as use of the remote.

I have not had a single problem with this unit and getting it to perform as advertised. I connected my new JBL L Series speakers, my twenty-year-old Pioneer CD player (analog into Aux), the Toshiba (HDMI 1), Comcast HD box (HDMI 2) and HDMI Out to the plasma. I performed the speaker setup program, setup AUX for the CD player, and I was listening to music and watching U571 within 30 minutes. The depth charge scenes were incredible. While I certainly understand thousands of configurations exist within owners' homes I didn't encounter a single problem or issue with mine. I don't own a PS3 so I didn't care about any potential PS3 issues. The only change I had to make was to my Comcast Motorola Cable/DVR box. The 4:3 Override setting in the menu user settings had to be changed from 480I to Stretch (or OFF).

Finally, was this HT upgrade, with the five JBL speakers, sub and HK AVR354, worth $1,500? I'm still undecided but it was definitely an upgrade with improved home theatre performance, picture and sound. I'll need about six months before deciding whether I'm getting $1,500 more enjoyment from my upgraded HT system. However, when my daughter came home from work last night and said, without knowing I'd replaced the home theatre system, "What did you do? It sounds like I'm sitting in a movie theatre". That's all the feedback I needed.