Harman Kardon AVR65 Surround Receiver

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

Product Manual [599kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 17.3 x 6.5 inches ; 32 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 34 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: B00000JCRO
• Item model number: AVR65
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,176 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Harman Kardon's top-of-the-line AVR65 surround receiver is a shining example of HK's long-standing tradition of mating useful, creative features with outstanding sonic quality.

The AVR65 delivers knock-out dynamics, delicate imaging, deep bass, and clear, extended high frequencies, showing sincere consideration for stereo devotees and home-theater enthusiasts alike. And with nearly every known home-theater convenience on board--from Dolby Digital and DTS surround processing to bass-management and six-channel analog inputs for current and future surround formats--the AVR65 ranks among the best available surround receivers.

Setup, ever an issue with home theater, proved relatively painless with the AVR65. Rear-panel inputs and outputs are all clearly marked, and--unlike some surround receivers--most essential functions can be accessed through front-panel controls rather than merely through the remote. The remote can control many other non-Harman products in addition to the AVR65, but it takes a careful reading of the well-written manual to set this up.

The AVR65 automatically senses the type of digital surround encoding in use and adjusts to accommodate it. One caveat about the digital processing is the 48kHz limitation on the digital input. If your DVD player can output sampling rates up to 96kHz (the DVD-video maximum), this output will not be usable with the AVR65. However, the AVR65 does offer six-channel analog inputs to accept decoded digital signals from DVD-video or the coming 192kHz, 24-bit DVD-audio format.

To further "future-proof" the AVR65, Harman has designed the model with two other unique analog features: High Current Capability (+/- 40 Amps) and Ultrawide Bandwidth (8Hz - 80kHz). Because loudspeaker impedance (the inherent resistance to the incoming voltage) varies with frequency, the amplifier may need to deliver, at moments, up to six times the current load required for the speaker's impedance rating; the AVR65's High Current Capability does just that. Harman's Ultrawide Bandwidth offers linear frequency response to around 80kHz, well beyond the range of human hearing. This reduces undesirable phase shifts within the audible spectrum and increases "headroom," the amplifier's ability to reproduce complex, dynamic transients (such as cymbal crashes) with greater accuracy. The benefits of these features came through clearly in our testing.

Other features of the AVR65 include a bass-management system, six-channel analog preamp outputs, an Advanced Crystal DSP circuit with additional fancy surround processing, an on-screen control system, multiple AV inputs (including S-Video), a multiroom control system, and all-discrete amplifier circuitry.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• High-quality sound
• Multiple surround configurations
• Future-ready design

Cons:

• When manually fading out, the volume control cuts to silence unnaturally early
• No dedicated level control for headphone jack

Amazon.com Product Description

The best value in audio/video receiver technology available. The AVR 65 utilizes the Crystal Circuit for the most advanced digital signal processing, including Dolby Digital and DTS. The AVR 65 provides a combination of power, performance, and control unmatched by any other brand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good Receiver - Horrible Service, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR65 Surround Receiver (Electronics)

The HK AVR-65 is a great receiver - especially when trying to put together a DTS system on a relatively "sane" budget. The sound quality and features are unmatched for a receiver in this price class. The problem is with HK's backing of the product. Four months ago the center channel on mine went dead. A fluke by the statements of the service technician. HK still cannot deliver the parts to repair the unit. The repair technician has told me that this kind of treatment is typical from HK. After numerous calls to HK's service department I have decided to sell all of the HK equipment I currently own. So if you feel "lucky" I strongly recommend the AVR-65. But if you even have the smallest problem with it you might as well throw it in the nearest dumpster and buy a sunfire.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good Receiver But Zero Reliability, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR65 Surround Receiver (Electronics)

Less than a month after installing the AVR65 it failed and had to be brought to a Harman Kardon service center for repair.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Receiver for under $ to Date!, December 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR65 Surround Receiver (Electronics)

This is an excellent A/V receiver, DD, and DTS sound awesome. I do realize that some people are having problems with humming or hissing, or RF Interference. Well there's a solution when the first batch of the 65's came out they had problems. Units made after January '99, and after the 10,000 serial number range were supposedly fine. My unit was purchased in August '99 for $ the production date is March '99 the serial number 11,073. Disregard the people who had problems with these as they probably purchased this unit when it first came out. This is an excellent receiver, and should sound superb when I hook it up to my Nakamichi PA-1 amplifier. Saving Private Ryan in DTS on this unit sounds amazing. A must have, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!