Very clean sounding with simple layout on controls

Remote not well designed, popping sound through speakers when switching controls.

Very clean sounding pre amp which brings out the best of my Fosgate amps. Movies sound smooth with seemless surround still have to play with adjusting the inputs on my three channel amp for center and surrounds to compensate for the rather large increments in volume adjustments on the H/K PT2500. It has a very Spartan feel to it compared to the reciever I was using before a Kenwood. Next I will look into a good universal/learning remote control to tie it all together. Great price for $149 at J&R's you cant beat it.
4 stars for the cheesy remote.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer cd player/Fosgate Audionics amps/ Tannoy speakers/ Definitive subwoofer

crystalline sound at a lovely price

spacing between input jacks on the back penal

This preamp sounds clean and sweet. I have it mated with the PA5800 amp which is then connected to a pair of Infinity Prelude P-FR towers to form a conventional stereo setting. The music signal source I am using is a HK FL8550 CD player with a HDCD circuitry on board to enhance the digital sound. I found that in listening to stereo music, the best sound effects could be obtained by bypassing the tonal control circuitry (pressing the DIRECT button) and disengaging the surround sound processors (pressing the OFF button). This cuts short the signal path and avoids potential contamination of the signals. The improvement on the sound is readily noticeable. The preamp has an excellent tuner section, of which many previous reviewers were also impressed. By listening to both your favorite music and talk show stations, you will immediately fall in love with it. And how amazing it is with a price in such a deep discount! The only downside I have noticed and still feel uncomfortable with is the too much cluttered space between the input jacks on the back penal, which makes it difficult to mount interconnect cables. If anyone can forgive this occasional inconvenience, he should feel his life be perfect with this beautiful unit and its equally excellent companions.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to the preamp/prep/tuner section of Onkyo, Denen and Harman kardon receivers.

Clarity, low distortion, number of preamp inputs and price.

None

I wanted separates because I have more interest in music (Jazz, R&B, ect.) than HT, but still wanted the flexibility to have HT incorporated in my system without hassle and major expense. Enter the PT-2500. I must say I did not expect much from a $125 preamp. But, mated with the HK ADP-303 Dolby Digital Decoder and PA-5800 5-channel amp, I now can enjoy music and HT at the push of my Sony AV RM2000 (wonderful piece). I purchased the PT-2500 for $125, ADP-303 for $150 and PA-5800 for $250.00 + shipping with full 2-year warranties on all items.

I must say that the PT-2500 is a great preamp (I am very discerning when it comes to music), the preamp section is dead silent, tuner is accurate and sound quality is fantastic. Mated with my Denon DCM-370 (which is also an excellent CD player) and NHT Super Two's, I have discovered nuances that I have missed previously on well-recorded discs. The soundstage has opened up, vocals and instruments are distinct and centered and the overall musical experience is outstanding. Home Theater has taken on a new level of excitement with the addition of a new DVD player. The soundtrack is accurate, voices centered and effects astounding. Even my wife is excited about the HT experience. We recently watched the Matrix on DVD, what a difference from videotape! We felt like we were right there in the lobby scene surrounded by flying bullets and crashing marble. You could hear each bullet cartridge hit the floor.

While I can definitely afford to spend much more on audio/video equipment, these items represent quality components can be purchased without breaking the bank. Additionally, I am ready for future digital formats, such as DTS.

Downsides:
As other writers have indicated HK has provided a somewhat cheap remote, but if you have several components, you will want to tie your system together with a good universal remote. The preamp inputs/outputs are cumbersome to use. You will have to take great care in wiring your system.

Overall I must comment HK for the fine products they have provided. Too bad they discontinued these items. If you can find any of the items new or used, they are definitely worth auditioning.

System:
Sony KP-53S65 - 53" Projection TV
Panamax 1000+ Surge Protector
HK PT-2500 - Preamp/Tuner
HK ADP-303 - Digital Decoder
Denon DCM-370 - CD Player
Sony MDS-JE330 - Mini Disc Player
Sony DVP-S330D - DVD Player
Sony SLV-998HF - Hi-Fi VCR
HK PA-5800 - 5 Ch. Amplifier
NHT SuperCenter - Center Channel
NHT SuperTwo's - Front Speakers
NHT SuperOne's - Rear Speakers
Sony AV RM 2000 - System Remote

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, NAD

Price and Quality. Full featured Home theater system at reasonable price when paired with the ADP303 Dolby Digital AC3 decoder.

None!

What a bargain! Nothing else at even twice the price even comes close. Although the HK 5 channel power amplifier is good, the Adcom 5 channel amps make this preamp sound even better! The HK PT2500 and Adcom GFA6000 make a great combination! Nothing but 5 stars for both value and quality for both of these units.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom GFA 6000 5 channel amplifier, Harmon Kardon 5 disc changer.

Like everyone else, I bought this preamp from J&R for $150, what a steal. I have it paired with the PA5800 amp. This is the best Amp/Preamp combo out there for the money. I tested all the top digital models out there and before I upgrade, I will wait until they work out the bugs. Although I find Krell to be very good, just don't have the money to invest. This system suits me just fine.

My setup includes:
HK Pt2500
HK Pa5800
Pioneer Elite PD-17 301 CD player
JVC S-VHS7600
Sony 600D DVD
Sony TE-500s 3head tape deck
JVC 448 Mini Disc
Technics 1200M3D Turntable
Hitachi 53sbx59d Projection TV
Monster 400 interconnects
Monster Reference2 interconnects
Monster MCX speaker cable w/Banana plugs
Klipsch 10.5 front
Klipsch C1 center
B&W 601 rear
Monster HT3500 line conditioner

excellent Dolby tracking, great Volume control, Phono preamp is excellent (for a H/T pre) switchable front panel A/V inputs

crapola remote, no sub volume, cheeseball power supply, made in Korea

well, folks, I wish I would have gotten this unit for $100.00, as many other reveiwers have, but I am an H/K dealer (through a distributor) and even at dealer cost, I paid about 200.00. this unit has had a few problems, ranging from mysterously shutting off to center and rear channel noise problems...just an all around peice of crap, in terms of reliability. I also do not care for the remote, but for a few hundred dollars, H/K will sell you a sweet remote to go with it! I am also dissapointed with the manual, saying the sub has adjustable output, but it is not even on/off, much less adjustable! since the DVD revoloution, I can see the logical thing to do is replace this with an Onkyo, which has onboard Dolby Digital as well as fully adjustable crossovers with adjustable gains! I compared the sound of my buddys Onkyo with my H/K, and needless to say, the PA5800 had less power and was noisier! I always build my own speakers, and the H/K was unhappy with a 2ohm load and shut off after getting VERY hot...the Onkyo was OK with it but both were happier with an 8 ohm load, although I suspect 4 ohms would serve either best, at least as a high pass...I have a big burly Carver running a beast of a Fosgate power series 15" in a transmission line enclosure to run the bottom end (take that, car audio boomer brats!) OK, well, enough complaining, how about them bears? the phono stage is pretty sweet for a H/T peice, but not many people use that, of course. This thing has the 2nd best Pro Logic surround I have ever heard, surpassing a Denon THX peice another friend has, with much better articulation of placement on low frequency effects especially...well, anyway, if you need a cheap prologic peice, this thing looks like a million, sounds good at worst, great for most applications, and can hold its own against most any reciever...happy listening!

Similar Products Used:

Haflet, Audio Research, homebuilt

Stereo bypass mode(direct), remote,strong tuner, straightfoward design.

large cabinent, no headphone jack, sub-out full range.

I purchased thisunit from J&R as many reviewers here. Price was hard to beat!! I wasn't really shopping for this paticular piece, but when buying the PA5800(now that's a deal!! made in the USA.!!)I reasoned that I needed a pre-amp right?.If I didn't like the PT2500 I could always use move up to a better pre-amp and even use the HK as a tuner if I needed to. Yes, the PT2500 is made in China, this was a consideration for me as I try to buy gear that is made in USA or preferably Japan. So I listen to the HK for a few weeks and getting ancy, thinking that I have gone cheap and could do better. My who ownes a maratz seperates system suggests the AV-600 Pre-amp( thx-certified, still lists for alot of money.) Well after buying a used AV600 I was not inpressed.I will admit that it does have a few features that the HK doesn't.( headphone jack, input control. gold conections, better base management through sub settings and a couple more Pro-Logic modes including THX). I am set-up for home theater but really my intrests are in music listening. I have to say I like the simplicity of the HK.At this point I'm not sure which one I will keep, but aside from being built in China and a few features ,I have come to appreciate the quality and price of the HK.

Similar Products Used:

marantz av600.

Sound, nice looking, strong FM reception.

Big big, weak flakey volumn knob

I want to set up a 2ch for a occasional listen area and I got this one, maybe because of the price and the ratings.
Well, the chassis is HUGE, oversize. I can't belive it. It has a lot of inputs but I just use to hook up a cd player and listen to AM, FM. The sound quality is good, clean and clear, nice bass. FM reception is amazing compare to my yamaha or any other receivers i've used. AM reception is normal. I don't like the volumn knob, I feel like it can break anytime. The buttons lay out is really bad, especially the loudness button, tiny and hidden behide the big volumn knob. I took me a couple day to realize there is one because I didn't care about the manual.
For the sound, I recommend it, but for the lay out, size, i don't like it.

Similar Products Used:

None

Just got the PT2500 from J&R [where else? ;-)].
The nice-looking PT2500's control layout and finish are first-rate. However, its size is too large. I have to place it on the top of the audio rack, much to my wife's chagrin.

The Harman Kardon PT2500 is a Pre-amp with Tuner and is a Dolby Pro-Logic Home Theater control center. I use it in Stereo mode only, though.

Pair it with my old SAE 202 power amp and Boston Acoustic A60 II, the PT2500 produces a nice sound -- clean and clear. The mid range lacks the warmth of the Onkyo 525 receiver it replaces (the Onkyo goes to the family room for Home Theater use). The sound stage is not wide.

I found that by leaving the Bass & Treble controls to their mid points and the Loudness button to ON position the PT2500 produced the most pleasing sound.

FM performance is very good. The well-designed remote is one of the most sensitive I've seen. You can even point it to the wall FACING the PT2500 to control it.

Good sound and great features, with the closeout sub-$200 price, PT2500 is a steal. Get it while it lasts. 5 stars.

I bought this pre-amp tuner along with the PA-5800 from J&R after reading a couple of reviews. The first thing I noticed is how well biult these units are. The units are quite large compared to other products on the market. However, the main attraction for me is always the functionability and sound as well as bang for the buck. The PT-2500 covers these criteria nicely. However, it lacks some features that are standard on today's receivers. First, as mentioned before, the subwoofer output is full range. I had also bought an advent av550s subwoofer which did not have any subwoofer crossover outputs to feed back into the amp. So with this particular combination, I had to purchase a Paradigm x-20 crossover to prevent the low frequencies from overpwering my Polk M3II's. Second, the variation of digital sound fields are limited to only 3 choices: Dolby surround, theater, and stadium. Some other effects would also have been nice. Now let me address what it does have and does do. The tuner was simply superior to the one on my Onkyo receiver which I replaced. I don't think I've ever heard such sweet sounding FM before I owned this pre-amp tuner. I live in Pennsylvania and I am able to pick up the New York stations without any problems at all. This particular pre-amp is also very unobtrusive yet it is not completely sterile. This is a quality one should look for in a pre-amp, however, I am sure I will get many disagreements on this point. A pre-amp should not get in the way of the amplifier sound. This is the first system I have ever had that I can listen to completely flat and enjoy it. Usually, a loudness curve boost is enjoyable on most receivers as well as pre-amp amplifier combos. This pre-amp allows the amp to bring back the quality of music denigrated by less well made amplifiers without coloring the sound. A well biult product at well worth the cost. I think of the home theater as a bonus since I have an HT setup in another location anyway.