My system comprises a Harmon/Kardon AVR20mkII, an Aiwa LV-1000 Laserdisc player, two Optimus Pro LX5 minimonitors, a Miller and Kreisel VX-7B active subwoofer. Center and surround are by KLH and cables by Radio Shack. I use this for music and movies (I play CD's on the LD player)and I am continually astounded by the performance I get considering the price. The best word to describe this system is 'natural'. Highs are detailed without being harsh and bass is ambient and earth-shaking. I would invite hi-fi store keepers/critics to assemble this system as a trial and be amazed at what a 'modest' system can do.

Good ol' two channel stereo music.

A/V is a misnomer

I'm not a huge stereo fan, so if you're a true audiophile you won't take my review seriously. But to you casual listeners who never thought the "prosumer" (to me, this means Yamaha, Marantz, H/K and a few others) stuff wasn't worth the extra cost -- it is. This puppy had less power and features than the other receivers in this price range, but sounded better than all of them. I rarely watch videos, so it's mostly used to play music and that's where it excels. Having only Pro Logic and an underpowered rear channel (which is okay by me - it seems to match the speakers I put back there) makes it not quite so good for home theater stuff. Without the fancy-shmancy surround modes, it sounds better than my father's Yamaha which cost *much* more. I'll agree with one reviewer's comment on the clicking with volume adjustment. Irritating.

In all, good price (paid $350 Cdn. new), great sound, very reliable. Doesn't heat up as much as the 70s-era Yamaha it replaced. (Though I really liked the brushed steel look of the Yamaha -- sigh)

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 5xx (something or other)

Sound quality, connectivity

A bit dated now, rear channel power.

Well, The first thing I noticed was the rear channel - couldn't get the darned thing balanced for surround, even with ProLogic. Wouldn't be a problem, except my JBL monitors (front) are soooo bloody efficient that you NEVER hear the rears. What I did was got a 2-channel amp with separate volume controls for each channel (pro gear, consumer stuff generally doesn't have this feature) so that I could properly balance each channel. If you like the receiver, which most do, it has all of the preamp outs most higher end gear has and pick up a decent amp. I'll upgrade to a high end preamp this year with all the DTS and THX goodies, but this has been a quality piece that I have run pretty hard at times. Can be had at a good price for entry level or second system use.

System: Won't brag, do you really care? Suffice it to say that the neighbors run in fear when I'm in the Metallica mode!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite, Denon AVR series

Sound quality, connectivity

A bit dated now, rear channel power.

Well, The first thing I noticed was the rear channel - couldn't get the darned thing balanced for surround, even with ProLogic. Wouldn't be a problem, except my JBL monitors (front) are soooo bloody efficient that you NEVER hear the rears. What I did was got a 2-channel amp with separate volume controls for each channel (pro gear, consumer stuff generally doesn't have this feature) so that I could properly balance each channel. If you like the receiver, which most do, it has all of the preamp outs most higher end gear has and pick up a decent amp. I'll upgrade to a high end preamp this year with all the DTS and THX goodies, but this has been a quality piece that I have run pretty hard at times. Can be had at a good price for entry level or second system use.

System: Won't brag, do you really care? Suffice it to say that the neighbors run in fear when I'm in the Metallica mode!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite, Denon AVR series

Clean crisp sound

overheats

I bought this receiver at ubid because I needed something to practice cutting records with at home and I didn't have to hook up my carver amp and big ass MTX dj speakers everytime I wanted to mix. Only cost me fifty plus shipping. Whoa. So I bought some new turntables and a new mixer so i could set up my old stuff in my dorm room.

Really sounds terrific... Maybe is just sounds a lot better than my carver because the whole point of that is to make your ears bleed. But the scratches really sound nice and clear. Actually, it really is irritating sometimes because I can hear my mistakes better.

My only problem is that it gets really hot. I might be overworking it though. It's plenty loud. Louder than a lot of 100 watts per channel receivers

Here's my set up:

H/K avr mk 2
2 JBL ND310
2 Gemini xl600 tables
Gemini KL-10 Executioner mixer

I heard the rears are too quiet on this unit, but I haven't tried em yet, so I can't say. Keep it real.

Similar Products Used:

some sony receiver from back in the day

Reliability, power, and durability

None

I posted a similar review on the AVR 20 forum before I
realized that I actually own an MK II. So, instead of
repeating my review, just wanted to mention that it is
a great pro-logic receiver.

Similar Products Used:

None

Sounds great, stylish looking and performs up to specs.

rear speak wattage...low for todays stuff

IMO, the HK 20mkII is a very nice entry level receiver. I have had mine for about 2 years and am quite satified with
its performance. The sound is very clean and dynamic. It drove my Paradigm Monitor 7s effortlessly for a year without any performance problems. The only negative I have is the rear is underpowered...should have been at least 50watts like the front and center. The remote is easy to use. Although underpowered by today's standards, it sounds much better than you would expect from a receiver with its power limitations...it does indeed play loud. Pro-logic is very nice and produces video and sound that is crisp and sharp. As for muisc, I think the HK AVR20mkII is outstanding. The only reason I upgraded to the Denon 3200 was for more power and dvd processing not because of any dissatisfaction with the HK.
I like the HK 20mkII and now use it for HT in my bedroom...it's to good to get rid of IMHO...obviously I recommend this unit...and it can be had for less than $200 on Ebay (i've seen one)which is a great buy IMHO. The four stars rating is only because of or the lack there of of rear power.

Main Home Theater:
Denon 3200 receiver
Paradigm Monitor7 fronts
Paradigm Mini-Monitor rears
Paradigm CC-350 center
Mirage subwoofer
Sony S530D DVD player
Technics CD player and tape deck(from rack system...ugh)
Sony 61" widescreen tv
==================
==================
Bedroom Home Theater
HK 20mkII receiver
Paradigm Titan fronts
Paradign CC-150 center
Bose AM5 satilites in rear
Bose base module
Sony 31" tv

Similar Products Used:

denon avr 3200

great sound quality, and clarity at any volume, good looks, ease of use, speaker terminals

large bulky size, weak rear channels, a built in EQ would've been great

I'm a college student who bought his first receiver. I went to the Harman/Kardon outlet in Oxnard, CA and was not sure what to expect. I saw all the HK receivers from the AVR 10 all the way up to the AVR70. The price range was also well spread out. Having not much money, I bought the AVR 10. I was satisfied with the unit. While driving home, I thought to myself, 35watts per channel would not be that loud, (I have not experience high current). When I set it up and fired it up, I was impressed. From that moment on, I would never leave high current again.

A good 2 weeks passed and I saw an advertisement from Fry's, they were selling an AVR20MKII for $180, $20 more than the AVR10 I got from the outlet. I went back to the outlet and they matched the ad and I got my AVR20II. I hooked up the new HK to my Carvin 15in. 400watt speakers and boy was I impressed. It gave those things quite a workout. I have a JBL center channel, it's too small so I'll upgrade sometime in the future. I also have small JBL M5s as rear channels.

My friends came over and we watched a movie. There were so surprised about it's sound. The bass was so outstanding (the loudness button was off). I also like the feature that you can turn the display off. Though the JVC that I have purchased before had EQ setting,( the ones you can separetely adjust each frequency) I was not happy about the sound. I had to turn it up pretty loud, 45% just to get decent sound. As for the other pioneer, the volume had to be atleast 2/3 of the way up for decent sound. The HK, even at around 20%, the sound was impressive.

I also like the number of inputs it had, more than what I need. As far as Dolby Digital or DTS, I'll hold up for a while. 6.1 channel is coming and I don't want to keep upgrading system pretty often. I can live with Pro-Logic for a while, not until I get a DVD player though.

Overall I'm very happy with the receiver, I'll take Harman/Kardon over Yamaha, Denon, Nakamichi and those other so called high end receivers any day. For the price and the unit itself I'd give it 10stars, but 5 is the max.

Similar Products Used:

Sony receiver, the one with the egg shaped remote

size

I havn't seen this receiver in three years or so because it was taken when some PUNK robbed my house (oh well, I got to go stereo shopping). I figured I should review the old H/K because it was my very first receiver, and I loved it! When hooked up to a huge pair of speakers this stereo would rattle my parents entire house! The highs were lacking but that was due to the fact that I was running speakers that were designed moreso for low frequency (which there was no lack of). Pops would come home from work and start yelling, claiming my stereo was drownding out his truck's stereo when he pulled up the front lane .. this would always make me smile. I never really auditioned the ol' 20ii in surround sound, then again I don't think I missed a lot, (I have never been a fan of ProLogic). So if you didn't notice in the similar products category I have bought the new H/K 310 awhile back, and yeah I am still stupily in love with the products this company has to offer and awhile back was actually selling ther products to other consumers (very fun)! So, if you are interested in how the new 310 is working out for me, I will be doing a review of it ASAP!! If I could find another one of these at a good price I would buy it because it WAS my first stereo ever.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer606, Harman/Kardon310

Great sound!

Rear channel could use more power.

I have had my unit close to two years now. It is the first HK receiver I have owned and because of it I consider myself an HK customer for life. When I was first shopping for a receiver to buy, I never even considered HK, until I heard the AV20 MkII A/B'd with a Sony unit (can't remember the model) that was more expensive than the HK. The salesman flattened out the bass and treble on the HK, and let me hear the sound comparison between the two receivers out of the same set of speakers. The HK sounded loads better that the Sony. I bought the HK right on the spot and have not regretted it since. I wanted something with a little more watts, but the AV20 MkII was all my budget would allow. I found out the meager 50 watt(???) rating is nothing to sneeze at in HK land. I am running the matched set of Infinity Minuette(sp?)speakers, but I upgraded to a CC-1 center. I am running a 12" non-powered sub, but my receiver has no trouble driving it. I hardly ever have to turn the volume past 9 or 10 o'clock. Zero volume is about 7 o'clock. The highest I ever go is 12, and that is pretty loud. While watching T2 on LD, it rattles the walls to the point pictures start to fall off. I am going to demote the old girl, and move her into the bedroom. I am going to replace her job in the living room with the new AVR 500 and a BU-120 Infinity 150 watt sub. I was going to get the AVR 65, but I have read a lot of people having trouble with it. I have heard good things so far about the AVR 500. I have been anxious to get an AC-3/DTS receiver since I bought my DVD player. Once I get it, I will write a review on it too. The only reason I don't give the AVR20 MkII 5 stars over all is the lack of wattage for the surround channel. However, I do consider the unit the best "bang" for the buck!

Similar Products Used:

Sony