NickT

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $85.00 from ebay

Summary:
I stumbled on the Citation 21 on good ol' ebay whilst looking for a pre-amp to replace a blown Quad 34 which I didn't feel was an economic repair. I was familiar with HK gear from the '90's and it always seemed to have a good reputation. Happy as hell when nobody bid on it, and I got it for £85.

As many inputs as you could possibly need, useful features such as a subsonic filter to remove unwanted extreme sub-bass, MM/MC phono inputs, true bypass on the tone controls, CD direct in and excellent build quality.
I've no idea on the build date, but that's kind of irrelavent for good audio gear (how many old Quad amps are still around?) - and it matches my HK cd7500 player.
I've tried running the cd7500 direct into the pre-amp to bypass the control circuitry and the sound is seemingly unaffected.

This feeds a Quad 306 amp and Ruark Talisman 2 speakers. The sound is very transparent and all in all, it's a very good pre-amp.

Strengths:
All the inputs you could need. Well featured.

Weaknesses:
Remote control would be nice, but I'm not complaining. The buttons are a little 'clunky'.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
harmon kardon citation 21 preamp and 22 power amp for sale
$400 canadian cardz0000@yahoo.ca
works and looks great

Price Paid:  $87.00 from eBay

Summary:
I fist heard the 21 at a friends house hooked up to Klipsch KLF 30's through an Ampzilla....was completly blow away. He told me that it was the pre amp but I did not beleive him so I got one for $87 on eBay. As soon as I truned it on and the 1st sound I heard, I knew this was something special. What a diffrence it made. I have it currenly hooked up to my JBL L100T through and Onkyo 777 (used as an amp). Using HK 7525 CD player (closest sounding to phono)....man what sound...By the end of this week I will be getting some McIntosh equipment from my x-boss (C35 pre, MC-782 amp, and MR-7082 tuner). I will let you know how that sounds....thill then, this preamp is the best sound I have heard yet...

Strengths:
Sound quality, eBay

Weaknesses:
None...remote control would be good

Similar Products Used:
Stated above

Price Paid:  $100.00 from second-hand-shop

Summary:
I bought my 21 from a guy who didn''t know what he was selling, so I only paid 200 DM. I can listen to my records and CDs with my Brinkmann-Amplifier and also use my Denon 3801 7-Channel by using the CD-direct-channel of the Citation. Excellent buy for everyone who wants both high-end-stereo AND 5.1 or 7.1 amplification.

Strengths:
Both MM/MC, Clearness

Weaknesses:
none so far

Similar Products Used:
Denon PRA 2500, NAD 3120 Pre-Section 5 x ProAc Super EBT, 2 x ProAc Supertower Teufel 4000 sub, Thorens 320/II, Denon 3801, Denon dcd 920 with alchemy dac

Price Paid:  $200.00

Summary:
This product dates back to the 1984-1988 timeframe. It's got everything but a remote. I can't vouch for the phono stage since I haven't used it. It is overbuilt, but the sound is definitely solid state. Some graininess in the treble and the mids are cold. Has CD direct input, which is swell if you have a volume control on the cd, but otherwise is useless. Bass is the strong point. Generally uninvolving sound. If you have a tube amp that is overly warm, this would be a good match. It can't compete with any of the above preamps in a neutral system, but they all cost more. Five stars for features and flexibility, but only 3 for sound....

used with:
HK Citation 22 amp
HK Citation 2 amp
HK Citation 23 tuner
Quicksilver 8417 Monos
HK 8550 CD Player/Theta DS Pro Basic II D/A
Vandersteen 3 speakers

Strengths:
Flexibility; build; features; bass

Weaknesses:
sterile sound; CD direct is of limited value

Similar Products Used:
Forte 40; McCormack TLC-1; HK Citation 1