Smooth sound, HDCD for cheap.

None yet.

I bid on this changer because I wanted to try HDCD for cheap. I did this before checking the reviews posted here. After reading the reviews I thought it would be trouble. Well I am pleasantly surprised. The unit I received was in new condition and has worked flawlessly with very nice sound. Yes it searches the disk tray every time it is closed but it's not that annoying and it does it quietly. For the level of sound quality, good looks, and ease of use I think the 8370 is getting a bad rap. I have to give it five stars for my money.

Similar Products Used:

Denon DCM-560, Marantz CC-65SE

DAC is HDCD

You name it...it doesn''t work

I got the unit as a refurb from Harmanaudio.com, and it didn''t work right out of the box. Same problem as the others had with disc recognition. My system is powered by an H/K AVR which is excellent so I thought this CD was a steal for the money, well it was a good deal for H/K, not for me! DON''T BUY ONE EVER, take it if it''s free and display it to look cool, cause that''s all it does well. I am sending it back today! I don''t what I will get. I am leaning to Onkyo....

Similar Products Used:

JVC, Krell, Oknyo, Sony...

HDCD, LOOKS NICE, HEADPHONE JACK WITH ITS OWN VOLUME CONTROL

DOESN''T WORK--POORLY BUILTE

I reviewed this player a few weeks ago and after having a more knowledgeable experience with it I felt I should review it again. Well, the player doesn''t work. I bought this item refurbished, so I can''t believe that the Harman Kardon factory doesn''t test items before sending them out--it broke within weeks of buying it. I tell it what discs to play, and it just skips over to the next tray position after trying to read the selected disc--it''s almost as if there is no disc in the tray number I choose, but there is. Once in a while, after keeping it going in its never ending cycle, it will read a disc and play it, but this happens rarely and randomely. I have no control over the music I listen to. I am going to return it and buy a new FL 8380, because the older refurbished stuff doesn''t seem to be working out. I''ll review this new player when I get it--hopefully it will work.s

Similar Products Used:

CAN''T REMEMBER

HDCD Decoding...Price....great sound on any type of disc

Could be a little faster changing discs

I was a little skeptical of HK changers dues to reviews on this website....but the 8370 was a steal at 79.00 on UBID....I was told by HK that the 8370 and 8380 were essentially the same except for the faceplates so I didn't feel I was going to miss anything in the sound department.
The disc change speed could be a little faster but I have no complaints with the sound

Similar Products Used:

Sherwood Newcastle CD 980

Burr Brown DAC, HDCD decoding make for high quality sound

Clunky disc changer

The Burr Brown DAC and HDCD decoding filter make this a step up from your typical hard, brittle sounding 1-bit DAC machines. Definitely far better sounding than anything else you can find for around $100. HDCD discs absolutely sing, making you realize that traditional compact disc definitely does not represent "perfect sound." (uBid, doesn't seem to have these anymore, but H/K has an "outlet" web site where its HDCD players are available at a steep discount.)
On the downside, yes, the changer really does suck. If you're after the capability to quickly and easily change between various discs this will drive you to distraction. The stupid thing clunks around for seemingly hours to find the track you want. Also, the all-disc random play mode is designed to play two tracks from each disc before changing to the next disc, weird!
I have not had any of the reliability issues with my 8370 others have reported. Still, I've seen such reports several places, so I don't doubt that many people have had problems. My advice is to buy a refurbished unit as the initial problem was probably found at the factory and repaired before shipment. This is my case and like I said, I've had no problems whatsoever.
Overall, if you're looking for good quality sound at a great price, and don't mind putting up with a clunky changer mechanism, you will not be disappointed. This is by far the best sounding CD player you're going to find for around $100.

Similar Products Used:

Technics, TEAC, Kenwood, Onkyo multi-disc players

LOOKS GREAT, HDCD PROVIDES SOMEWHAT BETTER SOUND, EASY TO USE

VERY NOISY AND CLUNKY LOADING TRAY, TAKES TOO LONG TO LOAD AND PLAY CD

Overall, this player is a great deal. For only $150, considering it decodes HDCD, that it looks great, and that it's easy to use, I am very happy. If I could change anything about it I would have to say that the clunky, noisy, slow loading tray has to be changed, but whatever. Although many people say HDCD makes a huge difference, I can't tell too much of one. The sound is definitely better, and the vocals sound like they are in the room with you, but it won't blow you away or anything, it's just slightly better. For more information on hdcd, go to www.hdcd.com. Basically all HDCD does is decode CD's that were recorded with 20 bits of information on the disc rather than the standard 16 bits. The problem is that HDCD's are very rare. I'm waiting for sometime in the future when 32 bits can be decoded. In sum, I like this player a lot, and am glad I own the latest in audio reproduction--HDCD.

classy-looking player, HDCD decoding

clunky tray mechanism

I've owned this player for about 4 months now and have been fairly happy. The sound quality is good but somewhat light in the bass department. HDCD discs sound excellent, but the 6 db of attenuation for normal discs (required by Pacific Microsonics- the creator of the HDCD filter) is annoying. I have to crank up my amp when playing regular discs. Reading some of the reviews for this player, I became aware of a couple of things. One is that the player is not at all horrid sounding as some of the reviews indicate, it just needs some more bass. The second is that I payed too much for it.

DAC, HDCD, passable headphone amp, programmable w/o remote, looks better than the FL8380 (don't like that gold faceplate)

quirkiness

Well, I got this player for a mere $119.00 off of ebay (could have ahd it cheaper, but I went with Buy It Now to save time). It was the first component of my new system, and I decided just for kicks to connect the analog output to my old (horrendous) Aiwa shelf system. The improvement was simply fantastic--the DAC really proved it's worth. I was quite impressed with looks and sound reproduction. As others have noted, though, it does take a couple seconds for it to check the platter every time to insert/remove discs. Not really a problem for me, as I don't insert/remove discs from my chair, or in the middle of listening anyway. By the time I'm all settled, it's been done doing it's thing. Other people have reported problems with skipping/dropping tracks--I have experienced no such thing.

Now for the down side: I matched this thing with a harman/kardon AVR 7000, which has superior DAC and HDCD as well, so I just use it as a trasport. I really don't consider it my ideal transport, as such a beast would be completely silent (this barely isn't), and lighting quick (again, this one is on the fast side of quick, but isn't "lightning" by any means). However, it's just a transport, it looks good, it matches my receiver, and if the two are ever separated (to be in different systems), the Burr-Brown DAC and HDCD should come in handy again. Overall, a great little package, especially considering what you can get it for these days.

Peace
policy

Similar Products Used:

Many transports from Sony, JVC, Kenwood, etc.

Great sound from 2 Burr-Brown DAC

Noisy transport, poor reliability,

I too got this at Ubid and it was a big disappointment. First of all, the transport mechanism is extremely noisy. Then the plate always spin around upon powered up eventhough there is no CD in them. Seem like it is trying to read through to see what's there and you just can't stop the damm thing until it is done going through all the slots. This just drives me nut. Then it started to skip tracks badly after one week of use until it just stop playing completely. I had to take it in for service and eventhough it was under HK 30 days warranty, it took that long just to order the parts from HK. Now it starts to skip again and there is no warranty left :-(

The only reason I bought this unit in the first place to replace my Onkyo Integra player is the dual Burr-Brown DAC. The BB DAC does make the HK sound much better but other than that, the Onkyo is a much better designed and built unit. The Onlyo is at least 4-5 years older but its transport is smooth, quiet and the controls are easy and functional.

I can't speak for the reliability of HK products in general but this one sucks, even for the price I paid. I ended up buying an external DAC to use w/ my trustworthy Onkyo.

Spud.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, AMC

Nice Appearance

Rotten transport mechanism, horrible disc changer movement

If you just need a unit for parties, this might be the one for you. The sound is OK and the unit looks nice. Put it on random and (try) to forget about it.

If you enjoy listening to music, do NOT buy this unit. It sucks. The trasport is louder than you can believe, and the disc changer is possessed by demons that prevent it from operating in a logical fashion. It will move on its own while you are trying to eject a particular disk and follows the longest route immaginable to play the disk you want to hear.

The Denon sounded better, but finally broke. I'm getting rid of this unit because I truly hate its programming and loud, illogical movement.

Similar Products Used:

Denon multidisk player