Harman Kardon AVR 2600 65W 7.1 channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

by Harman Kardon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 18.3 x 10.5 inches ; 29 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 31 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: B002IKKFU0
• Item model number: AVR2600
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,223 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #29 in Electronics > Televisions & Video > AV Receivers & Amplifiers
  • #45 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Receivers & Amplifiers > Component Receivers

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

For more than 50 years, Harman Kardon products have been engineered to deliver the ultimate listening experience. That tradition continues with Harman Kardon's new AVR 2600 home theater receiver. High performance starts with a high-current, ultra-wide amplifier design which delivers uncomprimised realism and dynamics from your all your music and movies, including today's latest high-definition sources like Blu-ray. Connect your Blu-ray player to the AVR 2600 and it will play back the high-resolution Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks with stunning detail. The AVR 2600 can even deliver an exciting 5.1 or 7.1 surround experience from sources that aren't in encoded in surround sound using proprietary Logic 7 processing. This includes an iPod or iPhone with the optional Bridge III dock for iPod.The AVR 2600 adds the latest sound processing technology from Dolby laboratories called Dolby Volume processing. Set your preferred volume once and Dolby Volume maintains that level across all your content no matter what source you happen to be listening. When it comes to video, the AVR 2600 sets the same performance standard that it does for audio. Using advanced Faroudja processing, video is upscaled to stunning 1080p resolution while display settings can be indpendently optimized by source for the best picture possible. Setting up and using the AVR 2600 couldn't be easier. A newly developed high-definition full-color on-screen menu system utilizes both pictures and text to guide you in setting up your home theater system while calibration and equalization is both easy and accurate with the included EzSet/EQ calibration system.

Product Description

For more than 50 years, Harman Kardon products have been engineered to deliver the ultimate listening experience. That tradition continues with Harman Kardon's new AVR 2600 home theater receiver. High performance starts with a high-current, ultra-wide amplifier design which delivers uncomprimised realism and dynamics from your all your music and movies, including today's latest high-definition sources like Blu-ray. Connect your Blu-ray player to the AVR 2600 and it will play back the high-resolution Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks with stunning detail. The AVR 2600 can even deliver an exciting 5.1 or 7.1 surround experience from sources that aren't in encoded in surround sound using proprietary Logic 7 processing. This includes an iPod or iPhone with the optional Bridge III dock for iPod.The AVR 2600 adds the latest sound processing technology from Dolby laboratories called Dolby Volume processing. Set your preferred volume once and Dolby Volume maintains that level across all your content no matter what source you happen to be listening. When it comes to video, the AVR 2600 sets the same performance standard that it does for audio. Using advanced Faroudja processing, video is upscaled to stunning 1080p resolution while display settings can be indpendently optimized by source for the best picture possible. Setting up and using the AVR 2600 couldn't be easier. A newly developed high-definition full-color on-screen menu system utilizes both pictures and text to guide you in setting up your home theater system while calibration and equalization is both easy and accurate with the included EzSet/EQ calibration system.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE AVR-2600 is friggen awesome!, October 19, 2009

By 

Eric Stephenson "Professional Geek" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 2600 65W 7.1 channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

THE AVR-2600 is friggen awesome!

...how's that?

Like any receiver, you can spend a good amount of time setting this one up, and getting everything right. Harman/Kardon has done a lot to help with the graphical user interface and a very clean and easy to use OSD which is digitally converted and upscale by the receiver so that you do not need to run an analog cable to see the OSD...you can see it right through your HDMI if you want. The easy EQ Setup is okay -- it was very good at gauging speaker distances (and therefore delays), but terrible at determining levels/volumes for each speaker. I have 2 speakers (front left and front right) that are equadistant from the listening point...the HK system set one to +2db and the other to -7db...no idea how that happened... Anyway, I can overlook this as I am fully capable of setting these levels myself and the GUI makes the manual adjustment simple.

I have read on forums that some people have had trouble with the video, and even with HDMI bypass. I did not see this at all, and I tested the HK rigorously in this regard. My experience was that the HDMI Pass-Through worked flawlessly as tested from my HDTV Tuner, my Xbox 360, my Wii, and my standard def TiVo. All of them passed through as expected if I set the HK to do so. Similarly, if I allowed the HK to upscale or downscale, it did that too! I did not have a PS3 available to test at this time...but I soon will and will edit this review if necessary!

Audio Lag: There is a moment of audio lag upon switching sources...but my HK AVR-435 had this also and have many other receivers I have toyed with. I take it as expected. So I lose the first 1 second of audio...if it is really important I can usually pause the video feed and wait for the HK to make adjustments before playing (so I don't lose the sound)...but seriously, how often are the first 1-3 seconds of audio that important when starting any game/video? Once the audio has begun, I get no audio drop-outs whatsoever.

Dolby Volume is awesome! I hated the fact that with my old receiver I always had to remember to crank the volume way down before switching from my Xbox 360 (connected via component) to my TiVo (connected via RCA) because the TiVo volume was SO MUCH LOUDER naturally. Now, not only does Dolby Volume control loud commercials...but it keeps a constant volume from one input to the next...so if I switch from my TiVo to my Xbox and back to my HDTV, then over to my Wii...the volume is always consistent without me having to fight it!

In conclusion, for me -- everything works PERFECTLY, sounds terrific, and looks brilliant! I am very happy!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 254 or 2600?, December 18, 2009

By 

John Donnelly "Jersey John" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 2600 65W 7.1 channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

After 10 years of faithful service, my AVR-45 digital processor finally kicked the can. I put up with 2 channel bypass mode sound for about a week before deciding to buy a new receiver. My 10 years with a great HK AVR led me to a decision: should I buy last year's AVR-254 or this year's 2600? Ultimately I went with the 2600 for a few reasons. One, the Dolby Volume feature - it's really nice to be able to set a volume and not have the commercials blaring at me. Two, I read all of the reviews on the 254 and the problems many people were having. I figured it would be much easier for me to hook up my laptop to the 2600's USB port instead of figuring out how the RS-232 port works. Lastly, the Bridge III connection is a nice option - too bad it costs an extra $129! I know the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K includes (with the receiver!) an adapter cable, and you can control the iPod on screen - HK... take the hint and make yourself more competitive.
Downsides to the 2600 are as follows: There is only one pre-out (subwoofer). My TV's speakers can act as a second center channel, but there's nowhere to plug it in. You have to bump up to the 3600 to get that feature (1600 has only subwoofer pre-out as well) and that just is not worth the $$$, IMO. Last year's 254 had pre-outs for all channels... what happened to that feature)? I don't like it when companies drop features off - IMHO, products should only get better, in every area.
The auto speaker setup is nice, but I'm the type of person who likes to do that kind of stuff myself. I'll take the computers opinion under advisement, but ultimately it's my call. The nice feature is that, after you let the computer set the sound levels, etc. You can go in and 'tweak' the settings - nice.
The upconverting works really well, I am able to watch cable TV with an amazing picture. Be careful, if you're like me and your TV doesn't have an HDMI input (what can I say, I take care of my stuff - my rear projection TV is 7 years old!) so I can't watch DVDs in 1080i (best my tv can do) because of HDCP copyright protection. I even noticed today that I was watching the TV show 'Las Vegas' in HD, for all of about 5 seconds until the screen went blank and my receiver told me to plug in the HDMI or adjust the settings to 480i or 480p. If you have HDMI capable TV, no worries... if you have component only (analog) then be ready to be stuck with 480p until you get a new TV.

The sound, as I stated already, is second to none. The power rating is a true number, all other companies overstate their power ratings. HK's watts-per-channel figures may seem low, but the other companies inflate their power numbers, so it's really more of a deficiency on their part.

Bottom line: HKs sound is, in my opinion, better than the rest, but you sacrifice features and will probably pay more.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good upgrade over the AVR254, December 14, 2009

By 

Bryan L. Lydia (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harman Kardon AVR 2600 65W 7.1 channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

Recently upgraded to the AVR2600 after owning the previous model AVR254 for a year. They have really fixed all the quirks I had over last years model. Features such as Dolby Volume and HDMI bypass are very welcome including finally the addition of a USB port instead of DB9 serial for future firmware upgrades. Anyone who's tried flashing a AVR254 knows what I mean. Dolby Volume makes a huge difference when it comes to leveling commercial volumes between shows and switching between inputs. HDMI bypass enables the receiver to pass the HDMI signal through untouched and while you lose the nice volume overlays you may gain some slightly better IQ especially if your HDTV has a good video processor such as the one in our KURO. It still has the signature warm and full HK sound. If I had to pick a negative, other than the huge remote which doesn't bother us since we use a harmony one, it would be the receiver buttons. I love the minimal slick design of HK receivers but the buttons on this years model do feel a little cheap. Its not a big deal really and some probably won't notice. To sum this up if you had any issues with the AVR254 (pre 97.2.2 firmware) and but still love the HK sound, I'd recommend this receiver. It works great in our setup out of the box.

HT Specs:
Pioneer PDP-5020
HK AVR2600
Samsung BDP-2550
NVIDIA ION HTPC (HDMI output)
DT 2007TL (2)
DT 2300CLR
Polk R150 (2)