jimbro

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Ebay

Summary:
This little receiver sounds great! Power is a little less than what I would like, but really, whenever I crank it up, it sounds clean and loud, so I really cant complain. Lacks 4th channel for 4 way output, but works fine for that in 5 ch surround. The coolest thing about this is I can connect it to the optical in my PC sound card and listen to the following file types thru my home system: wav, mp3, flac, shn & ape. Now that is COOL! And is sounds great, no hum or hiss.

Strengths:
PC Connectabilty, overall sound.

Weaknesses:
Lacks 4th channel for regular stereo.

Similar Products Used:
Denon, kenwood

Price Paid:  $400.00

Summary:
This is a review for the AVR2000 which is the Asian model. I think for the price it is a very good buy. I have used lots of different recivers in this price range and I think the Harman Kardon stands above the rest. Build quality is pretty good and te receiver looks a lot more expensive than it is. Power is rated at 45x5 or 50x2 at 8ohms which is underated. This receiver can safely do 60-70W rms of power. t has a high current capability so in movies when there is a sudden surge in the volume yur speakers handle it, not like lesser receivers where the speakers gasp for power. Plethora of connections are avaiable though I would like to see a 6 channel input. The speakers canot be set to small in the radio mode which leaves me wondering what I should do if I have a satellite speaker that lacks a crossover bullt in. When you set the speakers to smal the HK cuts them of at 100HZ so be sure your sats can go down to 100HZ. I havent tried powering floorstanders yet but I dont think this amp is meant to power very demanding speakers. It is slightly bright but a lot better than the competition which is far far brighter. Sound delivery is smooth and effortless. You can turn the volume way up and it will not distort. The AVR2000 had a defect in DTS mode where the sub is lower in volume by 10db. This is a defect and HK says they cant do anything about it. I have to use the channel setting to raise the sub output and decrease my sats. Pretty irritating. Dolby digital is spot on and the internal DACS are pretty good. Overall a very nice receiver and nothing in this price can give it a run for its money.

Strengths:
Doesn't distort, vast array of connections, build quality, high current, dynamic range amazing (short bursts of power)

Weaknesses:
Cuts of sats at 100HZ, would like more power, DTS mode is defected, slightly bright

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Kenwood, Onkyo (comes very close to this unit)

Price Paid:  $340.00 from Brandnamez.com

Summary:
This is an excellent reciever. The sound quality is the best I have heard in this price range. The unit is very easy to use and it looks pretty good. As for inputs and outputs this unit has plenty. I have not been able to fill them all yet. It also has binding posts for all five channels of speaker outputs. I also feel this unit is one of the highest quality built units in its price range. Obviously I would love to have a unit with a brushed aluminum front plate and volume knob and completely gold plated binding posts and connections but things like this are just not reasonable in this price range.

Strengths:
Sound Quality Inputs Quality of Construction

Weaknesses:
None that I have found so far.

Similar Products Used:
JVC Yamaha Kenwood

Price Paid:  $400.00 from acousticsounddesign.

Summary:
I own the H/K 220, which appears to be the same as the 210. I first purchased a sony receiver from best buy for 300 bucks, and took it back in 30 days because it didn't have the connection possibilities as this receiver. I like that it has digital inputs on the front, that works well for hooking up my laptop for parties. Sound is phenomonal! Way louder and clearer than the Sony rated at 100x5! The front display is very sophisticated looking, and the lcd is the best combo of functionality and simplicity. Very good receiver, very pleased!!

Strengths:
Lots of power, onscreen display makes set up easy, front panel a/v and digital input a plus, and it looks awesome!!

Weaknesses:
the remote is trash as far as i'm concerned, bad button placement, couldn't get macros to work, no codes for some components

Similar Products Used:
Sony de675 receiver, currently use Infinity FPS1000 flat speakers

Price Paid:  $370.00 from etronics.com

Summary:
This is a review of the AVR220. I am very pleased with this receiver. The sound is very warm as compared with the Yamaha or Sony receivers in this price range. It has all the connections that you would need and then some. The decoding seems to be very accurate, and it is relatively easy to configure the system to your needs and room environment. I especially enjoyed the on-screen display, which allows you to configure using your tv screen. Also, features like Nightmode which decreases the sudden volume changes by one-third, and EZSet which uses a micophone in the remote to automatically configure speaker levels, were a big bonus.

Strengths:
Beautiful warm sound. Lots of connections. Very configurable. Nice looking face. Nightmode, EZSet.

Weaknesses:
No remote code that worked with my Sanyo TV. Switching sources on the receiver''s front panel is a little clumsy, but not terrible.

Similar Products Used:
Technics ProLogic Receiver