Harman Kardon AVR35 Dolby Digital Audio/Video Receiver

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

Product Manual [459kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 17.3 x 6.5 inches ; 25 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 33 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: B00000JCTC
• Item model number: AVR35
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,814 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The AVR35 receiver is aimed primarily at consumers who haven't yet made the transition to digital home theater. Although the unit doesn't offer many bells and whistles, it's flexible enough to adapt to most systems. More importantly, the AVR35 provides excellent sound quality in home theater's most popular audio formats.

Configuring the receiver is relatively simple--even for technophobes. You can adjust the output level for each speaker from either the elegant front-panel controls or the full-featured remote. The remote has a logical design and can learn operating codes for non-Harman equipment. The easy-to-understand user's manual discusses each setup feature in detail and even includes suggestions for optimizing the delay times of surround speakers.

The user's manual also outlines each of the receiver's seven playback modes. For analog sources, you can choose from among Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby 3 stereo, two-channel stereo, or any one of three digital-signal processing (DSP) modes. The DSP modes enhance non-surround signals by adding reverberation and creating "space" in the sound source. The unit receives digital sources through either coaxial or optical inputs--the front panel indicates which is currently selected--and automatically processes them as either Dolby Digital or PCM data, depending on the nature of the data stream. The AVR35 even includes a Night mode, which enables certain Dolby Digital sources to be played back at full dynamic range while reducing the minimum peak level by up to 33 percent. This helps to control sudden spikes in volume.

The sound quality of the AVR35 is stellar, with crisp highs, present mids, and punchy bass. The unit's ultrawide bandwidth ensures full-bodied sound and ruler-flat frequency response. High-instantaneous-current capability allows it to reproduce transients more accurately and with less distortion than conventional receivers. Its transparent sound makes it a perfect match for digital audio, so it's no surprise that the unit is most impressive when processing Dolby Digital sources. Its discrete circuit design optimizes each channel's output and expands the sound field with increased channel separation.

Our only criticism of the AVR35 is that it's incapable of interpreting DTS signals. As DTS encoding becomes more widespread, users may find that they're unable to hear many sound sources as they were originally intended. Of course, you can always use the receiver's Pro Logic mode as an alternative to digital surround.

Pros:

• Outstanding sound quality
• Ease of use
• Full-featured remote

Cons:

• Unable to process DTS sound sources

Amazon.com Product Description

The most affordable Dolby Digital Receiver from Harman Kardon. Designed to deliver maximum performance at its price point, the AVR 35 has Dolby Digital on board utilizing the advanced Crystal Circuit, and a Harman Kardon's HCC capability and Ultrawide Bandwidth design amplifier section.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent AC-3 performance, a little shy with music, September 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR35 Dolby Digital Audio/Video Receiver (Electronics)

The HK AVR35 is my first home theater system, which I combined with Yamaha surrounds, custom built front and centre speakers, and a Pioneer DV414 DVD player.

The whole system intergrates nicely and DVD's sound great, although after a couple of months and many DVD's and CD's later I have picked up a couple of short comings of this receiver. The main downfall of the AVR35, is the serious lack of power. Many reviews say that the HK produces more power than one would expect from it's rated power output, put this is not the case. I feel that power is one of the most important factors to consider when chosing an AC-3 receiver or amplifier. With the HK what should be solid bass is actually more like a pat on the back!. Another quibble I have is the harsh tops that this unit produces. This unit is a very poor performer when it comes to musical reproduction. The HK does not produce a clean reproduction of the original source material. This is normally the case with low end equipment, but unlike many other systems the HK seems to take away alot of the musical information in an attempt to some how filter the frequency bands. This results in a loss of low frequency response, and clinical sounding tops. I have found that adding a subwoofer improves the low end some what, but there is still a lack of response above 100Hz. Even the head phone jack lacks sufficient output, and there is not even enough range in the bass and treble controls to compensate for this. Adding bass with the bass control knob only adds boom anyway!.

On the positive side, this unit is very well built, and there are plenty enough adjustments for all speakers, even from the remote. The tuner section is good, and all fuctions are easy to operate once you get the hang of it!. The remote works with all my other components which I have found very useful.

Although this is a negative review, I must admit that the HK does a good job with DVD's. You cannot even compare stereo or dolby pro logic to dolby digital, the AVR35 only comes to life with DVD's, and if the only reason you want this unit is to watch DVD's, then I would give it the thumbs up!.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harman Kardon receivers have superb sound, July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR35 Dolby Digital Audio/Video Receiver (Electronics)

Speakers and source components (CD player, Tape Deck, Turntable) will have the greatest impact on the sound quality of your HiFi, but the receiver is also important. Harman Kardon receivers incorporate a number of innovative circuit designs that significantly improve the sound quality of the receiver and the rest of your system. My father had been using another name brand receiver for a number of years and had been quite happy with it, but it eventually conked out. We replaced it with a Harman Kardon receiver and were both struck by how much better his whole HiFi sounded and the receiver was the only component we'd replaced. Harman Kardon costs more than the run of the mill receiver, but they are well worth it.

5.0 out of 5 stars AVR35 Grate sound with the right setup, February 4, 2003

By 

David Bain (RSA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR35 Dolby Digital Audio/Video Receiver (Electronics)

I had a look at a review from a gentalman from JHB South Sfrica
I have a AVR35 and it has a lot of punch good all round sound and excilent head room. The lows or low and the highs are crisp and clean. The system does need high end speakers though cheep custem home made setup will not work well with this system. I have a set of ecco kefs front center and siround and bileav me it does sound good.