Customer Reviews

Harman Kardon HK 3490 120 Watt Stereo Receiver

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I used the HK 3480 (the precursor to this model) for five years and loved it. The 3490 is even better. The sound is more robust and full, not different, but just more refined. It easily powers my Klipsch Synergy speakers and would pair well with any mid-level speakers. With 120w even inefficient speakers will have more than a enough power to move air.

Further, the 3490 has an important new feature: digital inputs. This is a very nice option for those who have made the jump to an all digital music library and use a digital jukeboxes like the Roku Soundbridge or the Squeezebox. Both players have digital outs and pair up nicely with the 3490.

The difference in quality from digital inputs or analog is debatable, but to my ear, going from the 3480 with analog cables, to the 3490 with optical TOSLINK, there was an immediately improvement in clarity. Songs with delicate sound work came alive. Soft details were more apparent. It's been a great upgrade for me.

It's important to note that the 3490 doesn't leave analog fans in the cold either. It has a very nice tape loop and a wonderful gold plated stereo pickup. In short, whether you're library consists of vinyl or mp3s this amp will do it all.

I have always been a fan of Harmon Kardon, and I bought the older 3480 because I'm a strict fan of stereo music listening. The 3490 is a very smart update to the 3480, bringing it into the 21st century with a host of digital options. For those who rely on an iPod for music, there is specific iPod cradle for this amp that allows you to play your iPod's music effortless over the stereo while controlling it with the HK remote. This amp is also XM Radio ready, just plug in your XM receiver and the HK will allow you to control it.

It's very hard to find a subtle, high powered stereo receiver with these features. The market has sadly moved away to the home theater, multi-channel world, but I'm glad Harmon Kardon is still loyal to their stereo listeners.

Build quality is very nice. It's not a flashy amp, it doesn't light up the room with needless LEDs. It's very understated, and handsome. HK even includes two little inserts that hide the front inputs and bass, treble, and balance controls (nice if you don't want people messing with your settings, or you appreciate a clean look.)

Other than the digital options, the tape loop and the phono pickup, the amp does allow video switching and pass through should you want to integrate into your home theater. The other notable detail are the speaker posts. They allow the use of banana clips or allow you to secure naked wire in two different ways to the posts. This is nice if you don't have a lot of clearance behind the amp.

At this price point, there is simply nothing out there that can compete with this amp in terms of quality, performance, or features.

I formally owned a Rotel RX-1050 and decided to give the 3490 a try. I really prefer a nice 2 channel amp to drive my B&H 603's and the HK does the job well. What I liked that you won't find in other 2 channel amps is two digital in's, xm ready, ipod integration and 2x sub out. For the price you really can't beat it. The size is about 33% larger than my Rotel. The power about 25% more.
The controls of course are very limited, source+balance+tone. No EQ.
The phono amp provided hum free sound from my Tech. 1200.
I will mention that the Bridge I device has some problems with this new amp. HK told me that the manual has a typo when they said the Bridge I would work with this device and I have to wait until the Bridge II is released in September.
My only other small complaint is the device has composite out for video. Why bother? This would have been a home run with component/DVI or HDMI out. Doesn't seem like it would have added that much to the price to add a HD capable switch to the device.
I'm sure a 3495 will come out in a year and fix this. :-)

I was in search of a good old-fashioned amp, a replacement for a previous Harman Kardon, so I was a bit biased...but this is an incredibly powered amp, with FM tuner, video inputs, much more, and at a price that causes one to stop dead in your tracks and order it. I did, and I have no idea how they put together such sound quality at such a low price.

I've owned my previous HK receiver for over 15 years, and it still works wonderfully. I wanted to upgrade to more power and features, so my old receiver will be relocating to my basement. First off, the HK 3490 is absolutely stunning. I've always been a fan of HK's commitment to minimalism but this receiver takes it to a new and beautiful level. The one horizontal row of slim buttons is not visible at all when standing a few feet away, creating the appearance of a completely buttonless perfect space, but when you're standing at the receiver, each button is clearly visible for easy operation. When turned on, the white glow of the power light and volume knob is very cool; the reading is clear, but along with the volume knob light, it can be dimmed or shut off. When turned off, the power light glows red. The sound is amazing. I'm noticing strong bass but more impressively strong mids and highs, so much so that, maybe it's just my imagination, but I think I'm hearing things in my music I never heard or noticed before. Stereo separation is good, and the receiver creates a very wide soundstage with a lot of presence. I do have two issues with the receiver, though they're very minor. The Volume takes some getting used to--I can be listening through the speakers at a perfectly comfortable volume, but when I switch to headphones, it's deafening. I have to remember to lower the volume by at least 15db before putting the headphones on. The other issue has to do with the power button on the remote control. Some have reported that the remote is rather big, and, well, it is, but that's not a problem for me because I use a Sony Universal Remote instead. What bothers me is that there are two separate buttons on the remote control for On and Off, which is somewhat awkward when switching both of those commands to the universal remote. Again, these are minor MINOR issues. Overall, this is a great receiver and a great price!

UPDATE: 28 Months Later (and 4 months out of warranty)! My HK3490 is dead. I moved last week, and despite packing it carefully back into its original box and taking it in my car rather than trusting it with the movers, my HK3490 is no more. It worked for a day after I moved. Then mysteriously, the next time I turned it on, it automatically shut itself off and displayed the error code "Voltage Protect Check Inputs." Even after unplugging all of the inputs, the error code still displayed, which the HK tech explained meant that there was an internal problem--a short or something come loose. It's not worth the trouble to ship it somewhere to get it repaired, and be without music for weeks or longer, so, already committed to the HK aesthetic with my other components, I just ordered a new one. I guess they don't make 'em in China like they used to in Japan or the US. By the way, my older HK receiver, now 17, is still going strong. It survived the move without a hitch.

I purchased the HK 3490 from Amazon to replace a 13 year old Sony receiver. The Sony had served me well, but it had a lot of confusing buttons and features, many of which were related to the surround sound Pro-Logic and video switching functions, which I never used.

I wanted to replace the Sony with something that was easier to use. I also wanted to stay at about the same level of RMS per-channel power (the Sony had 110 watts per channel RMS in two-channel mode, the HK 3490 has 120 watts per channel RMS).

The HK 3490 sounds very clean (low distortion) and has ample power to drive my Jamo 660 tower speakers and an older passive (non amplified) Jamo subwoofer. I especially like how the volume control allows very easy and precise control of the volume for low to moderate listening levels.

The HK 3490's tape monitor loop permitted me to hook up a small graphic equalizer (Behringer FBQ800 - also purchased from Amazon) to make more specific tone adjustments than possible by using the receiver's built-in bass and treble controls. A tape monitor loop is becomming increasingly difficult to find and many receivers no longer have them.

I still have an older TV that works very well. I hooked up various connections between the TV, DVD recorder/player and the HK 3490 with no problems. The 3490 uses only composite video connections, but for my uses, they are fine. I don't watch a lot of DVD videos, and usually don't listen to TV sound through the stereo. To me, the video signal looks just fine when processed through the HK 3490's video inputs and outputs.

It would have been nice if the HK 3490 had been equipped with a "tone defeat" bypass switch and a "loudness" button. Also, I would have liked to be able to pre-program "mono" and "stereo" FM modes for each FM preset. For future compatibility purposes, it would also have been good to have one or two HDMI plug-ins for the newer TV's. But these are minor shortfalls.

The optical and coaxial digital inputs (both located on the back panel) are a nice touch. I have the CD input button of the HK 3490 programmed to the "coaxial" input and one of the video input buttons programmed to the "optical" input. Both work well, although it appears that the tape monitor loop is bypased when either digital input is used. This is no problem, because by switching back to the analog inputs, the tape monitor can be used, if desired. (this will require additional RCA cables for the corresponding analog inputs.)

The built-in FM tuner works very well, and has XM capability, but no HD radio feature. I purcahsed a Sangean HDT-1X tuner to pick up HD stations. However, it would have been nice if the HD capibility was built in to the HK 3490.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase. The HK 3490 sounds clean and natural, and does not contain complicated surround sound features which are typically of little importance to those who aren't glued to the TV set. The HK 3490 is also modestly priced, costing far less than some surround sound receivers with comperable power.

I've had this receiver for a little over a week now, and I am incredibly impressed. I'm a college student working on creating my first high-end stereo system, and this receiver fit the bill precisely. I'm powering a set of Cambridge Soundworks T205 speakers, and they sound unbelievable with this receiver. The towers are bi-wireable, so I wired the high end to the A speaker-set and the low end to the B speaker-set, which allows for terrific separation of the of the high's and low's.
bottom line: for the money, this receiver is a no-brainer. incredible sound (not noticing any color or distortion), its varying inputs are a plus (few stereo receivers in this price-range have digital input, which are great for hooking up computers), and it can really crank up the volume when needed (no distortion at high or low volume).

There are higher-end stereo receivers with more features and the like out there, but this is a no-compromise solution if it has all the features you want.

I doubt there are a lot of people who own both of these receivers, but I now do. It's a long story as to why I did that, some of which will be explained here. If you are trying to decide which 2 channel HK receiver to buy, I can now share with you what I found in terms of how much difference 120 watts per channel makes vs. 80 watts, as well as the value in some of the extra features in the 3490.

Having put together an upgraded system about a year ago with the 80 watt HK 3390, Klipsch RF 62's and high quality cables from UltraLink, my older Yamaha CD changer (CDC-685) seemed to be the weak link in the system. Not only was the quality of sound not as clear and detailed as I would have wanted, but it was not as good as what I was getting when I put a CD in my Blu-Ray player. I assumed the problem was related to the older DAC's (digital-to-analog converters) in the CD player vs. the latest 24-bit DAC's in the Blu-Ray. It looked like my best solution was to replace the old CD changer with a state-of-the-art unit with 24-bit DAC's, which is what I was planning to do.

I then saw that there was an instant rebate / sale price on the big HK 3490 receiver, making it less expensive than what I was finding for a 24-bit CD changer. And it had the option of a digital optical connection from my current CD player that effectively re-routed the task of digital conversion to the HK's 24-bit DAC's - a feature the 3390 does not have. Getting that upgrade in DAC technology for less than a new CD changer, while adding another 40 watts to each channel, was irresistible. You might wonder how I know it has 24-bit DAC's when nothing in the Amazon description or the HK website actually says that. I found an on line "magazine" (Audioholics) with a glowing review of the 3490, along with comments at the end. One of those comments stated that HK had confirmed by email that the unit had 24-bit / 96 khz DAC's. Although the source seemed very credible, I also wrote to HK and asked for confirmation of this feature, and here's what they said:

The unit supports 2 channel PCM audio up to 24bit 96Khz.

Since my digital optical cable didn't arrive until the following day, I had the opportunity to test the new set-up with the same analog CD input as before. This isolated the differences in sound to just the change in receivers without regard to DAC's. I expected the sound quality to be very similar to the HK 3390, but with the increased depth that typically comes with more power output. In fact, the sound quality was a bit different - brighter and cleaner, along with the expected additional depth from the 120 wpc output. But the real treat was the Dolby DSP "virtual speaker" feature. I've generally not been a big fan of Dolby enhancements, finding in the past that they only colored the sound and detracted from "pure". However, this feature is really impressive, and the resulting sound is still pure yet more spacious and life like, especially in the "reference" setting. I'm hooked! It works miracles with vinyl, too, so if you are an aging baby boomer like me with a collection of old vinyl, you'll think you've died and gone to Woodstock. The 3390 has a great phono preamp as well, and it does a very nice job with vinyl, but the 3490 with the virtual speaker feature and higher output takes it to the next level.

When the digital optical cable arrived, I then had the chance to discover the difference from processing the digital input through the HK's 24-bit DAC's. This is where I was expecting a big improvement in the sound of my CD's, even though they were sounding much better already just from the change in receivers. The good folks at HK mentioned in their reply that the DAC's in the 3490 probably wouldn't result in a big change, although I think they were expecting that my CD player was newer than it is. The actual results here were interesting. I was previously annoyed by a slightly scratchy / shrill sound in certain high vocals, which is what I was spending the money to fix. With some CD's, the optical connection completely fixed the problem, while with some others there was not as much difference. It seems that some CD's simply weren't recorded as well as others. But for better recordings, the HK DAC's came through as I had hoped, and the improvement was unmistakable even to my wife who admits to having a tin ear. There is also a slight tonal difference in the HK DAC's with less exaggerated bass compared to the Yamaha CD changer, resulting in a more natural and less overwhelming sound.

So, is the 3490 worth the extra money compared to the 3390? Absolutely! I am a big fan of the 3390 (I wrote a review about a year ago giving it 5 stars), and I still think it is a bargain at its price point. But the extra cost of the 3490 buys bigger and better sound even at identical listening volumes, and the virtual speaker feature is very worthwhile. The digital input for the CD provides a purer sound in most cases. If you've got the additional money to spend, you'll be getting a whole lot more performance for not a lot more cash. With audio equipment, one often has to spend a lot more to get a small improvement, so this is a very favorable value proposition.

I just replaced my 30 year old Harman Kardon HK350i receiver ( and it still worked very well, and yes it was really 30 years old and used nearly daily and for long strectches)with this new HK unit. I couldn't be more pleased. I have it hooked into my ipod without the HK bridge, just basic RCA cables and the sound is terrific. The receiver is driving 6 Bose speakers in 3 rooms thru a Monster cable speaker switch without any trouble or distortion whatsoever. On the old unit I had an Audio Source EQ hooked up to it but this new unit doesn't need an EQ, sounds great on its own. However it is one of the last remaining receivers that has a tape monitor which would allow you to hook up an EQ loop, which I still might do to see if it makes a difference. I can't say enough about the quality of HK products. They have done it again with this great receiver. And a great price too, with free shipping and no tax thru amazon.com!!! I would highly recommend this product.
***UPDATE 9/2/09****- Wow! The price of this receiver really went up. On July 7th (less than 2 months ago) I paid $289.00 for this same product thru amazon. Why the $160.00 price increase? It doesn't make sense to me. I still LOVE the product at $289.00---I might only LIKE the product for $449.00.

I just got this a few days ago. I did extensive research on the best price point to quality stereo receivers out there. In fact, overkill on the research. I primarily wanted a stereo system for music listening only. It came down to this receiver and the Onkyo TX 8555. After asking a few people who know audio equipment a lot better then I do, I decided on the HK mainly because of the 20 extra watts per channel. But I bet the Onkyo is excellent as well. One of my reference people said the Onkyo might be a little weaker in the mid-range. I don't know if that's true. The 2 are almost identical in features and specs, but the HK also offers a little more flexibility plus the extra watts. I matched the HK up to a pair of KEF iQ3s that need good wattage per channel to get the most out of them. I primarily listen to acoustic music: jazz, blues and rock. The rock of course is not acoustic. I think this combo would also work well for classical music.

Overall as well as in each individual respect, the sound quality is excellent. It's smooth, clear and filled out across the spectrum. No fake extra bass and no edginess on the highs either and mid range completely covered. I hear many things that previously eluded me with my old Sony component system. You can also hear well at low and mid-range decibel. No need to blast or rock the room for me. I have not tried it at higher decibel.

I also offers a pretty good assortment additional features which for me are superfluous, though I do expect to use it with the HK special iPod dock.

There are surprisingly, few reviews on the internet for this HK, when you compare it to the plethora of Yamaha, Onkyo and Sony reviews, etc. For the [...] bucks I paid for the HK 3490 via Amazon I'd say its' a great deal. I have no audiophile experience per se, but I do play tenor saxophone so I have a trained ear and I know my jazz and blues. I know good sound when I hear it. There are no doubt better receivers out there for a lot more money but the value here makes this a winner in the low to mid- priced class. I'm very pleased with this great piece of stereo equipment.

Purchased hk3490 from and discovered a firmware bug after later adding the ipod doc. This was confirmed by a FAQ on the manufacturer website. They required an RMA of the unit at my expense to get it fixed. Shipping charges totaled $78.

Also, their FAQ has a dead link to request support. The real support form elsewhere on their site doesn't render correctly in firefox. And as confirmed by their support department, that form is partially broken in that the uploaded receipts never make it to their RMA department.

I would recommend dealing with a company that respects their customers. The HK is a good device. It's a shame they undermine the engineering with a duplicitous warranty.