Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
bought a yamaha rxv-1600 to replace a rxv-992, made the mistake of selling the 992 first. 1600 never sounded the same, more power? better sound? not even close, was always messing with the damned 1600, could never get decent sound out of her, stumbled upon the pa5800 at the local new and used, didn't know a thing about the model or rating of it, all i saw was harmon kardon, $99.99!!! jumped on it. no regrets, use it as a slave amp with the 1600, warmer sound, better imaging, makes the internal yamaha amp sound like an even bigger P.O.S. then it is. no complaints, well worth the price, after getting the bargain price, am really considering junking the 1600 and going with an HK reciever.

Price Paid:  $300.00 from audiogon

Summary:
sold a Parasound HCA 1206 for 800 and replaced it with this for 300; such a deal. Did not need the extra power of the parasound and the sixth channel so off it went.

Strengths:
Nice amplifier and a great value for 300; only reason I bought it. Was ready to spend big bucks on a Pass and then saw this and took a chance. Since we are using Gallo Dues/Micros/JM Lab woofer the amp barely gets wars and has more than enough power for these speakers. There is nothing objectionable about the amp. It does what it is supposed to do and it draws no attention to itself.

Weaknesses:
non detachable AC cable

Similar Products Used:
parasound HCA 1206, many solid state amps over the years...levinson, ps audio, spectral, Hafler, adcom

Price Paid:  $320.00 from EBAY

Summary:
I bought my Harman/Kardon pa-5800 from ebay for 320 used. I was searching for a 5 channel home amp. I searched ebay, and every 5 channel amp started at 500plus dollars. Too much to spend. Ok so I can only afford a pa-2000 or the like. Wrong!!!I ran across this 5 channel amp for 320$! So I looked into this very site to decide whether this amplifier was a bargain...It said it was and,I did not go wrong. I havent purchased decent front speakers yet (floorstanding pioneersw/12"woofers) I was so surprised at how my 200$ front speakers came to life! I am big into clarity and mid bass
in my truck, car, or house and was so surprised at the cleanliness of the power it produces. Sure its not 8000 watts per channel like everybodies cheap 200$ home reciever but realize less, clean power is better than false, dirty,over rated power.
My kenwood 107vr boasted 130watts per ch.
I bought my H/K avr-310 at45watts per channel and without the amp it had far more power,clarity,and livelieness than the kenwood crapper. I listen to all kinds of music, and feel the dynamics,imagery,power, and clarity of this amp is great. So to someone looking here do I buy one??? Heck yes this amp is the way to go without spending the $1800 to get a comparible model. As for the turn on mystery: use any 6-12 volt transformer (similar to a power pack for a nintendo) And wire it to a plug that fits into the back of the amp. vola your in business.I plugged this turn on lead directly to my reciever so it turns on when my reciever does. It took me 15 minutes to hook up. Get one you will be happy!

Strengths:
Excellent AMERICAN MADE build quality, Absolutely the best value for any home amplifier on the market.

Weaknesses:
confusing turn on lead..not a big deal though.

Similar Products Used:
HARMAN/KARDON AVR 310

Price Paid:  $300.00 from J&R

Summary:
Thjs is probably the best 300 bucks I've ever spent on audio gear! Really kicked my Mirage 595is speakers right in the pants! I honestly did'nt like my speakers very much when they were connected to my cheap Sony reciever rated at 125 watts per channel. This amp has tons of headroom and is very conservatively rated at 80Wx5.The only problem is the remote turn on plug on the back what a pain.

Strengths:
Solid construction,excellent sound quality.

Weaknesses:
Remote turn on is a pain.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz AV-550 preamp
Denon DCD-1420 CD Player
Toshiba DVD Player

Price Paid:  $350.00 from JandR

Summary:
This amp is not something to buy if you have neighbors that live close or don't like you to begin with. If you have a large cubic foot area that you can blast a lot of sound, go for it.

I really think that if I had smaller mains, I would have already blown them.

Strengths:
Good clear 5 channel sound. Will wake up and kick my VS15 Cerwin Vega's. When I added the amp to my Yamaha rxv 995, it was a little bit of over kill. But when I play a CD that is older (analog made into digital), I have more than enough power. In Home Theater mode, three is the limit.

Weaknesses:
I really can't think of any.

Similar Products Used:
None