Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon AVR65 Surround Receiver

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

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!

I am pleased with the sound of my reciever and it is very simple to operate. I like all of the options i have when setting it up with its plethora of jacks. My biggest gripe has got to be the inability of it to play low volumes. The lowest level is a bit loud for listening to in bed and then it just cuts off. Other than that it is a great reciever and well worth the money i paid for it

The AVR-65 has the potential to be a great low to mid-range receiver. It handles the all basics (DD5.1, DTS, 6-channel analog, coax, and optical inputs, S-Video switching) nicely, without the added complexity of DSP modes and dozens of buttons and front panel lights you'll never use.

Unfortunately, H/K quality control has fallen down on the job. Internet review sites are awash in stories of AVR-65 owners experiencing an inordinate amount of hum, hiss, and RF interference. Mine is suffering from only the first two. H/K doesn't seem to want to own up to the problems at all. At this point, even if I can manage to get it fixed, I'm soured on the brand.

Too bad. Features wise, it's great, and when adjusted to volume levels that mask the hum/hiss, it sounds very nice. But the problems are unacceptable for a product at this price point, from a company with the kind of good reputation Harman/Kardon has. (Had.)

Descrete circuitry, high current amplification and onboard DTS make this receiver one of the best on the market. Sure, Sony, JVC and the scores of other stereo makers can give you 120 watts per channel, while keeping prices low. Why? They don't have descrete circuitry. Descrete circuitry? Separate decoder boards for each channel. Plus, with "high current" technology pushing the wattage of this receiver, you only need 65 watts. As a matter of fact, in a side by side comparison, the AVR65 was louder than the Sony, Kenwood, and JVC receivers I tested it against. Louder with two-thirds the wattage...

After many years of owning H/K equipment, including a Citation 16 that is still in service, I thought the AVR 65 was going to be the perfect A/V receiver for my surround system. Within three hours of hooking it up I experienced hum, noise, and an intermitent problem with the optical input. The end result was the AVR65 being replaced with the less expensive, yet equally capable, Onkyo TX-DS575. Both have discrete stages and HCC. If you are looking for an low/mid range A/V receiver, the Onkyo is the way to go. Both the H/K and the Onkyo have a similar limtation in the number and type of video inputs. I did not find this annoying on either one as the best picture will be possible with a direct link to the monitor.

I bought this unit in March of 99'. I'ts construction is solid. Sound is well detailed, with a great soundstage. Awesome DTS decoding.

The only cons are: 1. Not enough digital inputs. 2. No pre-amp loops on channels to integrate an outboard eq. for fine room tuning. 3. DSS input with a digital input for the audio.

During my research for a quality A/V receiver, I looked at products from Pioneer, Kenwood & Denon, among others. The HK AVR65 has only 4 A/V inputs & no S-Video input on the front. I have a need for a minimun for 5-6 A/V inputs & the wish for easy connection for a camera, etc., plus inputs for future expandibility. So, I am looking elsewhere.

How can people not be happy with this reciever? ...With DTS andDD, and multi-room output and an Onscreen display, it's features alonemake it a good value. The sound is superb, both for music and movies. I've not had any issues with performance or reliability with any of the HK products I've purchased over the years. Frankly, i'm stumped about the rumors of "unreliability" and background humm and hiss. MY AVR65 is totally silent.