RobTX

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $130.00 from E-Bay

Summary:
This receiver was great while it lasted. Picked it up for $130 as an HK refurb on E-bay about 3 years ago. Unfortunately the heating issues are all too true and mine finally kicked the bucket. My wife left it on and shut the door on the stereo cabinet. After that it developed a slight hum and about 2 months later started pushing even more hum and failed to push any audio even while it still powered on. It's a nicely finished unit and looks great in the cabinet. But yes it gets hot as hell. A few comments here about 45W being "more than enough" but I have to wonder if it really had the juice to sustain long periods of high output use. I never experienced any clipping, distortion or shutdowns though the heat build-up did seem extremely high. Pet peeves: If you unplug the unit - or in any way lose power - you also lose all your surround settings. This wouldn't be a big deal if you didn't have to reset each component - DVD, Video, CD, etc. - separately. Technically it's a "learning remote" but it's pretty difficult to effectively program. And without onscreen display (something you expect at this level of component), trying to navigate the unit's tiny display can be a pain. Never really seemed to push the center speaker all that effectively and I often had to bump the output level to hear dialogue all that well. Oh yeah - the decoder has a bit of a lag so that you often lose the first second or so of Dolby audio and then - *click* - it kicks in. At any rate, I can't complain for getting 3 years of solid use out of it for the price I paid. But realizing that this thing was once toward the upper end of the HK range, it's a bit disappointing to see such issues

Strengths:
Looks great Solid build Great for music and stereo output

Weaknesses:
Only one optical and one coax digital out Programming remote is clunky Decoder takes a second to kick in It's hot hot hot

Price Paid:  $1400.00 from Future Shop

Summary:
Bought the product in 99 and did not plug it in untill 2001 when I could afford proper speakers. Had problems from day 1 but of course warranty was expired. The system would suddenly start to increase and decrease in volume. Finallt did a hard reset and it seemed to fix the problem until a month ago. The system suddenly started shutting off. After a few occurances it shut down and now will not power back on period....off to the repair shop I guess.

Strengths:
Awesome sound....when working.

Weaknesses:
Please see review.

Similar Products Used:
5 disk CD player.

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Crazy Eddie's (Kamlo

Summary:
It's aweful to see that the people that wrote most of these reviews work for Harmon Kardon. The amp fried within a month, repaired twice in four months, but the problem never solved.

Strengths:
Tons of power, for only the front channel, the remote still works

Weaknesses:
Way too many to mention

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Fanthorpes

Summary:
I think this amplifier (AVR45) is brilliant. Never had a problem with it and the sound is crisp and clear. It offers plenty of power and never over heats or turns itself off. If your amp does this then check to see if it is wired correctly. These are often the problems when amplifiers (safety protection) kicks in and turns off the amp to prevent damage to the system. You need to make sure they are in 'Phase'. I don't believe that Harman Kardon would ship faulty / defective goods, I think it is more a case of incompetant fools who would be better with a single button amp (on / off).

Strengths:
Very loud and clear sound

Weaknesses:
Heavy

Similar Products Used:
Harman Kardon AVI200

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Myer

Summary:
I have used the AV45R for the past 3 years everyday and except for a 4 week period when it was being fixed for the overheating problem, it has been superb. The overheating caused the amp to go into protect mode, so it did its job. The transformer was replaced under warranty and I have had no problems since. It has a huge output for 45w. I run 2 huge home made front speakers with 12" Plessey drivers, dome mid & piezo tweeter. They are very efficient speakers. The centre & rears are Australian built Whatmoughs, and the sub is a huge Jamo (too big for the room in fact). I play music using the theatre mode, and all TV & DVD is pro logic. I am still impressed with this unit, especially the DVD playback. The remote, which can learn is also a treat, but takes some getting used to. The manual is one of the best I have ever used. A friend has bought the next model up in wattage output, and that too is impressive.

Strengths:
Bass response. Ease of operation. Warranty & service back up.

Weaknesses:
The overheating problem. Price in Australia was $1200Aust.