Flexability, flexability, flexability

No front mounted AV jacks for the kids Playstation.

This unit had been sitting on the shelf at Circuit City for over a year as an open box item. It was missing both the manual and the remote. The Salesmen all made no bones about the fact that the unit could not be programmed without the remote and that several folks had purchased this unit with the hopes of finding a universal remote to control it. Well it looks like the folks at HK used a new set of codes for the Signature series and the unit just kept coming back. I’ve been using HK equipment for a while and still have an AVR-25, my first Surround receiver. A year and a half ago I found the Harmon Audio Outlet store on the web and got a steal of a deal on an AVR-65. This has served me well as a HT pre-amp using McIntosh amps for the front and rear channels and the AVR-65 for the center. Shortly after the purchase of the AVR-65, I picked up a TC-1000 remote to rid the coffee table of the remote clutter. I also purchased a software upgrade from HK for the TC-1000 and guess what codes are with it? Yep, the Signature series. So I got this unit for $399.00 in the hopes that the TC-1000 would not let me down. The salesman just said, “you’ll be back”, I said “Well I have 30 days to see”. Needless to say, I have not been back. The unit works flawlessly. The software version comes up as 2.7, which must be a late release as I have read many reviews that talk about versions of 2.12 to 2.2. No problems with sub-woofer settings or volume control noise. If you can still find one of these you better act fast. A flood of them has shown up on eBay recently and the price is going up!

Sound ,input versatillity,ease of use,5.1 analog input for future decoding (dvd audio , multichannel SACD)

Sub woofer bass management, software probleme, run a bit warm,

Got this processor it was approx. 6 month old . Everything look fine until i tryed to play dts programe then my sub woofer volume start going full blast when i turn the volume down from 4 to 1 and then shutting down at 0. It took 4 trip to the shop to finally detect the probleme which was software related. The # of the version is 2.12 It finally fixe the probleme The only probleme is it cost me 2 recone for my JBL 2245 But Harman paid for 1 recone so i was happy. Another probleme i encounter is if i shut everything up unpluge my sub amplifier input jack and plug it back , before i can start my amplifier i got to go and tell the computer that i have no more sub woofer and than put it back on . Failing to do so will make a very loud feedback in all my amplifier wich cost me a tweeter that time i dont know if other owner had that probleme ( please let me know)Other then that no other probleme. The sound is prety good, but the bass management sucks got to put front to small to get sub woofer to play in analoge mode . lucky the digital mode let you play full range because it would have been out the door. im a bass freak. For people that care the tuner is great, so is the remote.When changing between input or effect mode it mute for about a second . I had no other probleme for the last 2 year now . and i still like it but someday...

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AMC Great sound but no feature lack of input no video switcher ,Yamaha,Rotel lots of feature but sound like mid fi,Marantz was close but the Harman sound better, Lexicon MC1 sound great, one of the be

Value for the money, surround modes, support, number of inputs.

Audio performance.

This is a fine home theater processsor that worked (nearly) perfectly right out of the box. It is, however, only pretty good as an audio preamp. Setup takes a while--like several hours--but using the unit is easy after a little practice. All the surround modes work okay, and boy are there a lot of them. I find that playing around with the various modes is a lot of fun. One suprise: the MONO PLUS mode sounds good on music, DVD, satellite TV, you name it. I am happy with its bass management. To bypass the disparate woof processing I just put my subwoofer between the preamp and front power amp, the old-fashioned way. The tuner is good but not great. It is not as good as my 10 year old Harmon Kardon Citation 23 separate tuner. To be fair, I am in a fringe area and I think it would be fine in a place with stronger FM signals. There are many complaints about the remote control. It is, again, pretty much okay. It would benefit from a back light, and this really its only shortcoming. The lack of component switching is no great handicap. I am sorry to say the real problem with the HK Sig 2.0 is that its not more than middling fair as an audio preamp. I have had a lot of two channel preamps--solid state, tube--and this is not one of the better ones in terms of dynamic range, tonal accuracy or resolution of detail. Using the supposedly all-analog STEREO or 6 CHANNEL mode does not make much difference. This is not an "audiophile" or "high end" preamp. For example, it can''t touch my PS Audio 7.0. A buddy of mine has a 5 year old PAV which lacks the latest processing modes, but sounds much better on music and just as well on video. Despite the fact I am using the HK under adverse conditions, ie, a cold, humid wood-heated space, I have experienced none of the reliability hassles described by other users. I have software 2.10a and I have been offered an upgrade to the very latest software for only $35 trade-in if I send my used IC chip back to the manufacturer. Telephone support from the designer is not just good, but rather truly superior. The fellow I talked to was totally knowlegeable and helpful. In sum,I am generally happy with this preamp but I will probably not use it long because I am more of an audio guy than a video guy. he rest of my system consists of NHT 3.3 speakers, misc surround speakers, OCM power amps, a Toshiba HDTv

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Many 2 channel analog preamps.

Very natural midrange, Nice thick pleasing bass, easy to operate. Looks stunning and simplistic

Processing home theater, lacks effect, and spacing in surround.

I don't know why people are saying that this pre amp sounds 2d. It is far from 2d as those people are from reality. I think that everyone has taste differences. If your $90.00 preamp smashes it, then head on down to you nearest salvation army thrift store and get your self a $50.00 set of speakers and a 8 track to go with it. I think that head to head it is very similar in sound to alot of products out there. I just think that this one is priced higher. Anyhow I have had this preamp for over 2 years and I have had nothing but good luck and great sound. As for the bass management I think that the HK could have a little more control. I found that this piece was very musical, with the right sub woofer to added (rel) I have no complaints with the lucious mid range sound it is very impressive and the highs, as they are smooth and natural. I think that this preamp has gotten a bad performance rap. Yes I think the software sucks. the price may be a bit high, but if you and find one of these out there for under $800.00 and you don't do a whole lot of movie watching, i think that this preamp rocks. This is just an opinion, but the 90.00 preamp in the above review has no surround sound, remote, s-video swithing, rs-232 ports, digital inputs, on screen displays, and of course the cool blue lights. gotta go, I am on my way to buy a 90.00 preamp that won't meet all my needs.

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Onkyo pre, and amps setup.

Sound

Lack of better bass mangement

The Signature Series 2.0 processor/tuner offers great sound, terrific setup flexibility, and ease of use, though its performance is aimed more at audiophiles. It handles decoding for all the current surround formats Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, and DTS. In addition, the Signature Series 2.0 offers 5.1-channel analog inputs for newer surround formats, such as DVD-audio, where the decoding can take place in your source component. It has an RS-232 serial port for interfacing with home automation systems and upgrade ability.

The simplicity of the 2.0's front panel is a welcomed change to the usual buttons and knobs on most of today’s receivers and processors. There's a large volume knob, three sets of large push buttons (it allows you to scroll through the inputs, surround modes, and AM/FM stations), a mute button, a power on/off button, and a large LED screen.

Dissimilar to conventional preamplifier/processors and receivers, which pre-assign the inputs (CD, DVD, etc.), the 2.0 features six source positions that the owner can configure and custom name to meet their particular needs. The 2.0 comes factory-configured for the most common associated equipment, but you can easily alter them.

The video input, audio input, surround mode, bass/treble setting, and subwoofer level for each of the source components via the remote or the front panel. Once configured the system's simple onscreen menu, using the 2.0 is as easy as pushing a single button. Temporary modifications can also be sett from the remote. These changes automatically cancel when sources change or the power is turned off.

The 2.0's flexibility also includes a left/right and front/rear balance control plus various center-channel and movie modes. Of course it offers a "bass management" system, which allows you to route audio below 100 Hz from all five channels to a separate powered subwoofer, if you choose.

The tuner includes Radio Data Service (RDS), which automatically displays call letters, station type, and other information sent by stations supporting that system. Stations can also be named manually.

While the 2.0 generously offers six analog and six digital (four coaxial and two optical) inputs as well as six composite video inputs, there are only two S-video inputs and no component video inputs or outputs which is a problem if you want the highest quality video from DVD and HDTV. Furthermore, the 2.0 offers no digital outputs for recording. Laserdisc player owners may have a problem because it does not output a Dolby Digital AC-3 RF signal, they'll need to add an outboard demodulator for that.

The 2.0's non-backlit learning remote and lack of more sophisticated bass management is the biggest drawback, with this unit.

Despite its video-switching limitations, the Harman Kardon Signature Series 2.0 is an extremely well-built product that looks and feels solid and operates flawlessly. The 2.0 has a smooth and relaxed yet detailed low-distortion sound. For $384.00 dollars I have to give it a solid 5 stars for both Value and Overall rating.

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Very musical, very good detail, nice imaging and soundstage, realism to acoustic instruments, ambience

only 2 s-video inputs, remote is mediocre, bass management when fronts are set to large (no sub except for DD and DTS, not stereo, Prologic or PCM) and lack of digital outputs for DAT, mini-disc, CDR

First off, the previous review is bogus as they do not sell this at K-Mart (I hate when people post fake poor reviews for the fun of it - childish).

I used a Denon AVR-2600 with a Technics SH-AC500D processor (DD/DTS). This sounded quite good and I was happy with it. I am in the stages to building a home theater in the basement and wanted to buy an amp so that the receiver didn't have to drive the system in a 14' X 24' room. I found this unit with the matching Harman-Kardon Signature 2.1 amp (100 watts x 5 channels) for $800 + S/H and said what the hell as I heard good reviews on the unit and it wasn't much more than buying a 5 channel amp used. I snapped it up (dealer demo on ebay with warranty). I wasn't expecting much of a difference, but I was surprised. The music had a live realism to it that I didn't really get before. I was hearing the echo from the acoustic guitar chamber, vibration from the strings, breathing from the vocalists, piano echo, etc. I also got better imaging and soundstage (a sense of depth, not just width that I didn't really have before), and more details (like faint ambience). It was quite a bit of an improvement and I am now listening to stuff all over again with an element of surprise. No, this isn't as good as my friend's Lexicon MC-1, but it is not far off from his older DC-1 in sound quality. Other than the weaknesses I listed, it is quite flexible (assign an input, name it and be able to use any digital and analog audio input, connect both s-video and composite sources with the s-video and composite monitor outs and it will switch between them, levels on all channels for all analog sources, 6 digital inputs, etc.)

System:

HK Signature 2.0 processor
HK Signature 2.1 5-channel amp
Toshiba SD-2109 DVD player
Pioneer CLD-D406 LD player
Yamaha ADP-1 RF demodulator
JVC/Dishnet dbs satellite receiver/D-VHS VCR combo with DD
Philips 30 hour Tivo
Kenwood stereo power amp (bi-amp fronts - handles bass freq.)
Psb Century 800i fronts
Psb Century 200i center
Psb Century 300i rears
HSU Research VTF-2 sub
Toshiba CZ36V61 36" TV

I was surprised by the improvement with my speakers (I know they are good) as they stepped up to the plate with the upgrade and sound even better and up to par with the processor.

At the time of this review, www.harmanaudio.com is selling the Signature 2.0 processor and 5 channel Signature 2.1 amp together refurbished with warranty for $999 (FOR BOTH UNITS - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS STEAL). This unit used to sell for $2500 and is still $1400 from Amazon for the processor and $800 for the amp!

I am giving it 4 stars for value (at original price - 5+ for the price I got it for and the deal above) and 4 stars for overall (would be 5 except the description for 5 is "Far better than you imagined", which I expected it to be quite good so it should be 4.5 stars overall, but that is not an option).

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Sounds Great..easy to use once deciphered

First was defective, no component video.

After reading the other reviews I was glad I was not the only one effected. My first one was also defective out of the box. I work for a large electronics retailer so the Rep went out of her way to get me a new one. The new one was 100% out of the box. Not a single problem with set up. DTS and all surround modes work great, the seperation of channals was an unreal improvment over the outboard digital processor I was using before. For music playback I really started to love the unit. Soudstage, bass response and mid range clarity and detail was wonderful. I have very tweaked speakers that were originally $500 Paradigms. I had no idea they could sound this good.

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HK DVD 5

Great surround modes for 2-channel recordings.

No sub if main speakers set to large in modes other than DD.

I've used the Sig 2.0 over a year now and it has been a pleasant journey! The unit worked well right out of the box, no software malfunctions or any other trouble. I had mine tested at the store before I took it home. I've compared it with Meridian 565 at a friends place and was surprised over the 2.0's performance. Music-listening in stereo had the same clarity, detail and soundstage as the Meridian 565. The music modes for conventional 2-channel recordings was also impressive, the 565 was more effectfull but it sounded as natural as the Meridian. Impressive compared to the price, Meridian costs twice as much!

I still say aahh when I listen to my favorite CD's at high levels, the higher you play the more you want! It reproduces the music with such ease, you don't get bothered about the loud volume. I wonder if my neighbours do...

In the future I would like to see the possibility to upgrade it through the RS232-port, like Sony TA-E9000ES. Hopefully it will fix the sub problem (which is due to Dolby, they say that you can't have the sub if mainspeakers is set to large).

When I purchased this unit I was primarily looking for a preamp that could bring me music at highest quality, and enjoy movies and concerts in 5.1 surround. I listen to music 90% of the time and I really LOVE it!

Send me a mail if you want to now more, Magnus

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Performance and simplicity. One time speaker set up.

Can only use sub in DPL, DTS or DD. ie cannot use in stereo CD playback. (unless DPL is selected and you eliminate the center and surrounds on the remote temporarily.)Early software versions were deficient. Bass management cutoff at 100hz. The music modes are gimmicky. The best is stereo for music.

I have software version 2.10 now 2.10a is out but not worth fretting over to upgrade according to technical support reps. I cannot say that I have had any problems at all with this unit. It has performed flawlessly. Transparent on stereo modes - others leave a lot to be desired for music but the movie modes for DTS and AC3 are fine. Perhaps a later software edition will address this. HK does support the unit through upgrades. Esentially the same musically as the PT 2500 it replaced. I am satisfied.

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sound quality

funstion, remote

Well, for a product that is designed to be flexible it sure falls way short. My biggest beef with this product is its flexibility and function. I can not believe that a product at this price range is not capable of sending data to the subwoofer if you have large speaker selected when in Dolby surround mode. Well if you are thinking why not leave it set up in small speaker at all times?? Well when you are ready to listen to music which some reviews claim it does well and if you are like me and you have decent front speakers and think that a subwoofer only takes away from critical listinig you better be prepared to switch your front speakers to large in the speaker set up mode. A huge pain. Oh, did I mention the remote?.... I only hope that harmon/kardon put all the extra cash they saved on the remote and spend it on the quality of sound, the only part worth mentioning, and its also made here in the US.

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