Harman Kardon Citation 23 Tuners

3.5/5 (2 Reviews)


Product Description

Tuner


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Reviews 1 - 2 (2 Reviews Total)

User Reviews

Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:2
Submitted by Hilary Paprocki a AudioPhile from Rochester, NY

Date Reviewed: April 6, 2002

Strengths:    Sounds very good, looks nice, works well if you get a good one.

Weaknesses:    Construction-wise, a piece of junk. Just amazingly poor.

Bottom Line:   
This is a component with strengths and shortcomings. The black panel is stylish but unreadable; you have to memorize the button functions or get up real close to read the markings. The FM performance is good--if you get a good one. Audio is very good. AM is very good but not the best I've encountered. But construction is amazingly cheap. It looks like a badly-made budget table radio inside. I know that a significant number of these didn't survive from production to consumer because there were a lot of refurbs available. And I'm sure that the ones that are running won't run for very long. The first one I got was a mess and this one just broke.

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Price Paid:    $200.00

Purchased At:   Store in upstate NY

Similar Products Used:   Pioneer TX-9500 II, Dyna FM-3, a bunch of tube Heaths, Fisher 202-1 (tube)



Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Richard a Audio Enthusiast from Illinois

Date Reviewed: June 25, 2000

Strengths:    depth, clarity, sensitivity, fullness

Weaknesses:    IC chip failure, but promptly and easily replaced

Bottom Line:   
I just purchased a used HK Citation 23 tuner for $250 and find its performance to be beyond expectation, even though this model is 10+ years old.. I've auditioned other medium-priced tuners from other reputable manufacturers, and this one stands out above them all. I'm not prepared to pay $5,500 for a Musical Fidelity tuner and I feel I have the equal in terms of sound quality, sensitivity, and rich detail. Compared to other tuners, this one sounds like I'm listening to a high quality CD unit instead of FM - amazing. If you can find a Citation 23 on the used market, I highly recommend it. The only glitch was that the stereo IC chip in my unit went out when I brought it home, which the audio dealer replaced promptly and easily at no charge. It now sounds fabulous. It's a shame Harman Kardon has recently veered from its audiophile tradition with its new emphasis on "Home Theater" - what a waste of talented engineering from an reputable company.

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Reviews 1 - 2 (2 Reviews Total)

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