Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon AVR 245 7.1 Channel Audio/Video Receiver

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought a Harman Kardon avr 240 but this is very similar to the 245 with a few minute changes such as hdmi capability. The Harman Kardon receiver sounds excellent. 50 watts per channel may not seem like a lot to those who rate receivers based on how much wattage they output. However, Harman Kardon uses power more efficiently than other companies.
Watts per channel is an incomplete measure of amplifier power. In terms of dynamic range and impact, it's current that counts. High current capability is an overall design approach encompassing everything from transformer design and storage capacitor size to discrete output circuitry and minimal use of negative feedback. This electronic equivalent of a high-torque, high-displacement racing engine results in audible benefits. You enjoy tighter bass, superb transient response and enhanced presence at any volume level.

Taking the receiver out of the box, I first noticed how heavy it is. It's built like a tank. I welcomed this craftsmanship considering other receivers in the store are mass produced junk that don't last. I've seen many other name brand receivers such as Sony that have the knobs come right off with little effort. For the peasant gang members who go to retail stores for their receivers this may be acceptable. For the rest of us that demand the highest quality value, buy Harman Kardon. The sound quality of the receiver is breathtaking.

I had bought a Harman Kardon AVR 240 receiver. I had nothing but problems within 20 minutes of hooking it up. The power kept shutting the receiver down and it was running really,really HOT...checked all my speaker connections and everything was hooked up properly. So, I got rid of it and ordered the new AVR 245. Hooked it up today and no shutting down, just clean and powerful sound. This receiver also has HDMI switching...I'm not too sure how to hook this up but it does state in owners manual that the HDMI switching only switches between sources for video...even though HDMI carries audio and video, you still need to hook up an audio line either digital coax or digital optical (I hooked up the digital optical). Sound is clear, as I have it hooked up to my Harman Kardon HKTS 14 speakers with a 12" subwoofer. I don't know why but this receiver doesn't seem to get as hot as the AVR 240 did (so far). In addition to having HDMI switching, this receiver has the XM satellite capability and also multiroom capability. I am using a Samsung 4051 LCD TV and running it through DirecTV (HR 20 DVR/Receiver). I am also using a Monster Power 3500 MkII power center. I would not hesitate to buy future products from Harman Kardon. They make a great product and Amazon offers them at a great price. Oh yea, I am using the OPPO 971 DVD player and it's all that.

I have the AVR-245 paired with a set of Athena Micra 5.1's and the sound is very good for a beginner HT setup. Dual HDMI switching, clear sound, tons of supported surround modes and inputs - this thing is a great value. If you have an Ipod and love to listen to music in your HT room, get the Bridge. That thing works very well with my Ipod Nano.

A few VERY minor caveats with this AVR:

* No 3-prong AC switching in the back for all in one power (no biggie, would be nice)
* Only 2 rear optical audio ins which get all too quickly eaten up with next gen hardware (I would sacrifice the whole lot of RCA/Svideo's for a few more rear opticals since I don't want to use the front jacks). It would have been nice to make that one optical out another reconfigurable optical in, but hey...
* Brushed aluminum surface collects oily fingerprints too well
* IR remote drop issues when using on carpetted floor, under a bright plasma or in a bright room. This is VERY annoying and happens not only with the supplied remote, but another runiversal as well as 2 Harmony 880's! GRRR...
* EZset calibration is WAAAAAY off. It will set your crossovers and distance out of whack. Measure with a tape measure from your sweet spot listening position, get Avia or DVE and a cheap sound level checker from the "shack that sells radios" to get it right.
* The manual is pretty sparse with good info and the learning curve is high for using all of the features on this thing so take your time and learn how to google!
* 14 gauge speaker wire is a pain to get in the speaker bindings - I should have went with 16 gauge since i don't have that far to run
* EDIT - The HDMI switching only works for the 2 HDMI ins and doesn't convert other video sources to pass through the HDMI out to the TV. For example, you can't plug in to the component, svideo or composite ins and expect for those sources to play over the HDMI cable running to your TV. Bummer, but still not a huge deal.

Overall, this is a great AV piece so far and for the discount that can be had here on Amazon, you definitely can't go wrong!!! Not super future-proof for me (or rather my DVR, PS3, Xbox360, HTPC, etc.) but for the money a very solid investment.

After a TON of research between the Denon, Harman, and Pioneer Elite, this one came out on top for price/value/features/sound quality/and incredible looks compared to the competition. The sound quality is bar none to other recievers on the market, Denon sounds amazing as well, no question, but the amplifiers and signal processing is every bit as good as Denon with out question. The reciever is VERY smooth looking, obviously looks the best out of the bunch. For HDMI switching and the other features, I just couldn't pass up on the price. I don't know about the other guys in the review with what their nice speakers are... but this reciever and my B&W's are a PERFECT match. You can definitely tell that this is a rich, high quality reciever.

I am totally satisfied, just make sure you run the EZ set up (auto set-up for the speakers). Make sure you push in mic jack all the way. Before sound is terrible, but afterwards-watch out you will be AMAZED-Its AMAZING, the sound detail is incredible. You will herre things in movies you never noticed before. This is my 2nd H-K receiver and i couldnt go wrong. My first was an AVR20 which is over 10 years old and still thumping strong- just replacing cuz it is only Dolby 2.0

As in the title, my first impression on the HK unit was high quality all around, both materials used and the rich sound. I'm sure everyone would agree on this. The unit itself is made of good quality aluminum which makes it quite heavy and sturdy, the front fascia is a very beautiful design and matches very beautifully with my large screen Sony tv, for that matter would match most tvs, as most have a silver-black color scheme. I have not seen a better constructed remote than this one has. The remote control body is made of rubberized plastic which gives it a very rich feel. I'm not a geek audiophile as yet, but from the way this product is constructed, I can say that they have spend a good lot of engineering to make sure things are ergonomic, reliable and live-up to the high standards.

The sound is just amazing, and this is with just basic speakers that came off my old hometheater system, probably like 30W satellites. I am overwhelmed even with this lowly speaker setup.

This is a great buy by all means.... 2 thumbs up..

I purchased this receiver after about 2 months of research. I kept coming back to Harman Kardon as it seemed to be the best receiver i could get for the money. So far i have not been dissapointed at all. Its easy to set up, looks great and sounds awesome. I am using a 5.1 set up of polk audio speakers that work flawlessly with it. I guess the only thing i wish it would do is upconvert everything to the HDMI output so i could have a single cable running to my TV.

I bought a Harman Kardon AVR 230 a couple of years back and recently decided to ugprade to the AVR 245. Amazon has an amazing price for this unit so I purchased one. Within a couple of days it made a clicking sound and audio disappeared. Turning it off and on again got audio back but I've lost all access to the On Screen Display (OSD), even on S-VIDEO connection. This is critical to getting it setup properly...

Amazon did a no-questions-asked no-cost-to-me cross ship of a new replacement unit which should be here in a couple of days, so hopefully the new replacement unit will work better (and longer) than the first.

I also purchased 'The Bridge' so I could connect my iPod to the AVR 245. So far so good. Displays song info on the unit's display, but haven't spent much time with it.

Love Harman Kardon, hopefully I just got a dud.

good things: sound quality is very good, amp exterior, connections

bad things: I never feel the fan working, the sound cuts some times when the movie change to next title, needs more power for the center speaker

I love this A/V amp. I agonize over purchases like this. I shopped online and compared A/V receivers for weeks before finally buying the HK. Bought it here on Amazon on a Sunday,it was shipped for free, and arrived at my doorstep on the following Tuesday! Paid at least $150 less than Fry's or Vanns's sale prices. Beautiful aesthetics. Love the silver and black faceplate and the blue LCD display. The front panel has a dim function on the remote control which is nice if you like to watch movies in low light. The sound is fantastic to my Infinity 5.1 speakers. I have no complaints whatsoever from the Audio/Video function of this device. If you have multiple components like I do from a variety of manufacturers and genres, the cabling and setup can be confusing and time consuming, but it's no harder than other amps.

I decided that HDMI pass through on this amp was ok for me because I will be upgrading to a HD or a Blue Ray DVD player soon anyway. Older movies are what they are and I like watching newer releases anyway. So I decided against the upconverting amps.

Other reviewers complain about the remote. I understand the complaint, but I don't think its that bad. Go buy yourself a nice learning remote and program all of your components into it and don't use the HK.

Another note. Buy yourself a nice filtering surge protector/power conditioner from Belkin, Monster Cable, Panamax or Furman. You can get some pops, crackle or other electrical interference occasionally. Expect to pay over $100 for one of these. You know you need one anyway to protect your expensive electronics from electrical crashes and other power surges.

I only gave it 4 stars because I believe there are no 1's and no 5's in this price range.