Harman Kardon HK 3390 80W Stereo Receiver

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 15 x 17.4 x 6.4 inches ; 20.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 26 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• 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: B00198BOAM
• Item model number: HK 3390
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,925 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #51 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Receivers & Amplifiers > Component Receivers

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The HK 3390 is a high current stereo receiver that will give you outstanding audio playback. It has 80 watts times two at 8 ohms and 100 watts times two at 4 Ohms. It has A/B switching and comes with a remote control.

Product Description

In the years since Harman Kardon engineers invented the high-fidelity receiver, we have taken to heart the philosophy of bringing the joy of home entertainment to as many people as possible, all the while improving performance and adding features. The HK 3390 offers the best in traditional analog two-channel audio, including a 30-preset AM/FM tuner, an integrated phono preamplifier for enjoying your vinyl library and a tape monitor loop that lets you listen to your tape recordings as they’re being made when used with a three-head tape deck. If high-performance audio reproduction weren’t enough, we’ve added composite video switching. Use the included audio/video cable to connect your iPod (not included) or other portable players to the HK 3390, or just enjoy your favorite television programs in stereo without firing up your main home theater. Whether listening to an LP record pressed last century or watching a movie you downloaded to your digital media player last night, your new HK 3390 delivers the powerful, detailed performance you’ve come to expect from Harman Kardon products. To obtain the maximum enjoyment from your new receiver, we urge you to read this manual and refer back to it as you become more familiar with its features and their operation products.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superior sound!!, January 6, 2009

By 

Walter D. Williams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harman Kardon HK 3390 80W Stereo Receiver (Electronics)

After spending a few years in a disease called audiophilia, I vowed to stop spending money wildly on different audio gear just so I could hear something different. I came to the conclusion after having a H/K theater receiver before that I did enjoy the sound enough to try another one as a two channel set-up. I sold my tube amp and bought the H/K 3390 from Amazon. Short story is the H/K 3390 sounds remarkable for 1/5 the price of the tube amp. The exponential in audio can be frustrating as you have to usually spend a lot more to get a margianally better sound. I'm not saying I will never dabble with more expensive electronics, but someone who buys this amp will be satisfied with the results.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Upgrade, March 20, 2010

By 

J. Irwin (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harman Kardon HK 3390 80W Stereo Receiver (Electronics)

This Harman Kardon 3390 was part of a larger upgrade to the home sound system, replacing an aging 90 watt per channel Yamaha. Also included were new speakers in the form of Klipsch Reference Series RF-62's, replacing Bose 501's. A similar review will be posted for the speakers.

As we all do, I started this upgrade project with certain assumptions - some accurate, some not. And like many of you reading this, I relied heavily on user and expert reviews from many sources on the web. But those aren't always helpful since the world of audio equipment seems to have its own peculiar lexicon with terms that are not defined and often fully understood only by the writer. Actual auditions of the equipment were somewhat limited by the fact that few dealers carry both brands where I live. This is a real problem since best results are achieved not just by selecting a good receiver and good speakers, but by hearing how they work together. For instance, "bright" speakers don't pair up very well with "bright" receivers - the result can be something too bright and potentially harsh sounding. That said, I nevertheless attempted to gain as much understanding as I could through things I read (reviews, blogs, etc.) and limited auditions of equipment. In the end, I feel rather lucky to have put together something that works very well as a system.

I've always been a believer in going with a lot of watts per channel, not so much to produce high listening volume, but to have plenty of "headroom" in the system so that the sound is better even at modest volume. 100 watts always seemed like a good target. I was therefore a little unsure of the 80 watt rating of the HK, but all the reviews I read seemed to indicate that it would be OK. For those of you who have similar beliefs and concerns, I can tell you that the 80 watt HK is plenty adequate for a medium sized family room, particularly when paired with easy-to-drive speakers like the Klipsch Reference. The sound quality does not seem to be compromised at all by the "modest" 80 watt output. I have not auditioned the HK 3490, so I don't know if the additional power makes a difference in sound quality or not. If you are driving less efficient speakers, it might be worth exploring.

As others have noted, the sound is uncolored, although it seems rather warm sounding compared to the Yamaha. It sounds great - deep and smooth bass, clear and smooth highs - with a high quality sound to it. It is not fatiguing to listen to it for extended periods of time. Some say it sounds similar to a Denon, but I find the sound of many Denon's to be less clear than this receiver. Perhaps I just haven't heard the right Denon yet.

Like a lot of folks my age (58), I have a collection of old vinyl albums that don't see much action. This was not the primary reason I chose a receiver with phono inputs, but it seemed like a nice feature to have for those rare occasions (the old Yamaha had this feature as well). The HK 3390 is said to have an audiophile quality phono pre-amp in it, so I figured I might as well try listening to some of the old vinyl stuff to see what that was all about. The quality of the sound in this mode is spectacular, and I now fully understand why vinyl is making a come-back. The old records will be seeing a lot more action now. They simply sound better than CD's when played through quality equipment like this (aside from the usual clicks and pops, of course).

This receiver is worth its list price. At Amazon's discounted price, it's a bargain. An old fashioned 2 channel receiver may not be for everyone in this high tech world, but for those of us who use a 2 channel set up, it's great to find a product where the money goes into quality rather than features we'll never use.

Now, about that remote..... yes, it is quite large, almost comically so. But it works quite well and controls a lot of different functions. And you won't have any trouble finding it!

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality and simplicity, November 19, 2009

By 

T. Bui "traveling audiophile" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harman Kardon HK 3390 80W Stereo Receiver (Electronics)

I was pleasantly surprised to have found an inexpensive receiver from Harman Kardon. This is an analog stereo receiver. No digital inputs such as HDMI and the like. No fancy equalizer. So do not consider it to connect to your brand new LCD or plasma TV set. I bought the unit to replace an older Integra receiver. I connected the unit to a pair of Monitor Audio A6 and a high-end Toshiba HDCD (high definition CD) player. The system was installed in my 500-sf study room just set up to listen to music while reading. The installation was quite simple. A pair of high quality speaker wires. And a quality RCA cable to connect to the CD player. As expected from what I read in the reviews prior to the purchasing decision, the sound was of high fidelity, and the AM/FM tuner was crystal clear even with a tiny antenna wire. As with any good receiver, the HK reproduces the CDs as it was recorded with no perceptible distortion (if any) . I tried the system with a variety of music types and with a variety of recording quality. The system does justice to all of them. Those that were inadequately recorded showed its flaws. Those that were artistically recorded sounded just wonderfully. Even at low volume. I also like the simplicity of the unit. Just a few buttons on the panel, and a dimmer function to dim the panel light. In sum, simplicity and quality. That all I need. Just pick a good CD from your favorite collection and enjoy.