After spending about 15 hours reading hundreds of reviews online, I decided on the HK, and picked up the AVR5, as it was the most affordable CC had (at $299.) I wasn't expecting too much, since it was at the low end of the line, but apparently everything people say about HK's are true: they are simply phenomenal. I hooked this unit up to a pair of Polk RT55's and a CS245, connected everything with monster cable and monster connectors, and oh...my...GOD these things sound great! The clarity is fantastic; every instrument is clear and precise. It does lack some punch on the heavy bass if you're a bass freak, but for accurate sound reproduction it's fantastic. And I am quickly learning that power ratings don't mean anything. One other reviewer said it best: "Apparently, not all Watts are created equal." This unit fills my 12X15 living room easily. The surround modes are a bit weak, but regular old VHS movies still sound great. One word of caution, however: make sure you have an extra A/C jack and some room away from your TV, as using the same A/C jack or placing the HK too close to the TV may cause picture distortions. I moved my unit, for example, from the shelf below my TV (which caused distortion) to a shelf 8 inches down and 6 inches to the side and it's perfect.

Make no mistake, this receiver is incredible, and for those on a student's budget (especially a law student at a private school!) you can't beat it.
Unequivocally, 5 stars.

I bought the AVR5 at Circuit City for $244.95. It was listed on J&R's (www.jandr.com) home page for $249 so I printed the page out and brought it to CC for a price match. They gave me the match plus $5 off without any problems.
I'm replacing an NAD 304 (2-Channel Integrated Amp at 35W/channel) with this receiver because I want 5.1 channel sound since I have a Panasonic A310 DVD player that I've been watching with only 2 channel sound. The A310 already has onboard AC3 decoding so the AVR5 was a good match.

I'm very happy with the purchase. The AVR5 is inexpensive and sounds great. There's no hiss, even at max volume. The only thing is that the NAD seemed to have more presence at low volume levels. When the volume is medium to high both sound identical. It's only when I have the volume at low levels that I can tell the difference between the two in 2 channel stereo mode.

This receiver is incredible for the price. I've seen it for as much as $399. For $250, it's a real bargain.

Let me start off by saying that this is a great receiver. For the money I don't think you could do any better. Don't be put off by the low wattage ratings because this thing is LOUD. The salesman told me that the difference btw this receiver and say a Sony is that HK uses a different type of bandwidth so in actuality, if their receiver is rated at 35 watts/channel it's more like 130 watts when compared to the Sony. You guys who got Circuit City to take off the price from J&R got lucky because when I tried to do it they said they wouldn't because it wasn't a local retailer. So when I started walking out they said "OK we can sell it to ya for $274" so I got a little off. Paired with my Cambridge Soundworks Satellite speakers and Sony CD Player this system sounds amazing, especially for movies. I would highly recommend it!

Guess what (This is the best cheap PreAmp/Tuner I've seen)! It's a great low price receiver, but it's an EXCELLENT preAmp.
If you got an extra $350, try to get the PA5800 power amp to match this with and connect your DVD (with Dolby digital 5.1 through to the preAmp outputs) to get True to Life Dolby digital sound! I spent a few weeks trying to find a preAmp with Dolby digital, but I remembered that most DVD decks have it on board, therefore there's need to get a preAmp with the dd5.1. Just buy a receiver with the 5.1 preAmp outputs and you save yourself at least 1000 clams!
Excellent sound repro all around! (Even for the serious jazz lover.)

I researched about the realiabilty of the Harman Kardon products and came across a site www.ubid.com where they sell thousands of refurbished
Harman Kardon products. That tells you something about the Company and
its product.

May be they are the poineers but they have one of the worst realibilty
and service charges in the industry.

When you buy a high end product you expect it to perform and last as well.

For the same reason I would give this product a Single Star and advice
people to consider reliability before picking up a receiver.

This receiver is a little wonder! I picked mine up as an open box special for 209$ and my only regret is I didn't pay a little extra for a brand new one! Seriously, I feel that it is an exceptional value at any level. This is one clean receiver for sound, looks, and functionality. My uncle has a very expensive Rotel, he was very impressed by my AVR5 and thought it gave him some serious competition. Then, I played a Dolby Digital 5.1 dvd for him and he was really starting to grin. Then, I told him the price and he was shocked. That is a great feature in this little champ, having that 6 channel input for Dolby Digital as well as pre outs. That means it has room to grow, it will make a great pre-amp/tuner for not only stereo, but for home theater applications as well! Even though it is rated at 35 wpc in any mode, it can drive modest speakers fairly loud (if that is your thing). I can't wait to pair the AVR5 up with the Harmon Kardon PA-5800 amp. This will bump up the wpc to 80 and reduce the receivers work load, hopefully making it even more clean! Now I must address one thing that really bugs me and that is the reviewer who posted a one speaker review for this product. I am sorry, but actually owning the product or at least hearing it for a substantial amount of time (at least more than an hour) is the only fair way to judge it. Not just "researching" older receivers on ubid (bah!). Just to enlighten some people, most companies take units off of the production line every so often to crack them open and test them to make sure things are being manufactured right. They can't legally sell these as new units so most compainies are forced to scrap them. Now at least with bid sites a lot of companies are getting to recover some of their money by offering these older units, test units, returned units, or (in some cases) fixed bad production run units at discounted prices. Harmon Kardon sells a lot more products to people than most electronic manufacturers so for these reasons don't judge them by their amount of refurbished products. As a general rule don't shy away from a refurbished product if you get a warrenty because most of the time there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. Anyways, back on track, this is an awsome budget receiver. Get one if you have been thinking about it and don't let the 35 wpc fool you. I have saved tons of $$$ and gotten better results doing REAL research. Actually listen to products and check for deals. Due to this fact, I have a more expensive sounding system as well as more features than I really paid for. Im happy to say this little guy helped contribute to the cause. Now I'm saving up for that amp, can't wait...

Excellent receiver! The last high quality budget amp I owned was the NAD 3020 and everything I've owned since then has not met its standard until I purchased the AVR-5! Very warm but detailed sound with none of the harshness I usually hear in low budget receivers. I purchased it for $199 at 6th Ave. Electronics (they do mail order). For that price it is simply unbeatable for sound, features and flexibility. Like the NAD, the 35 watt per channel rating does not justify its ability to produce clean, loud output. I also like the sub-woofer pre-amp output which works like an electronic cross-over. The versatility and flexibleness of this amp is amazing. It is a handsome unit as well, ith a simmple, clean front-end that gives it a look of timeless quality. Champagne on a beer budget!

Price/performance ratio. For the money its the best I have seen.

none

When I purchased this reciever I was unsure of my interest in home theater. I have been an avid car audio enthusiast for a few years, but home audio was a new field to me. I decided to go with a cheaper model just in case I wanted to bail out later. I was not hoping for too much, but I must admit, I have been very impressed with this reciever. On paper it doesn't seem like much, but specs do not tell the whole story. The fact that it was dolby digital ready came in handy when hooking it up to my sony player, as I was able
reap the benefits of 5.1. The remote, which is often overlooked, is layed out very nicely. In fact, I like the remote more on this model than many of the higher end ones. The unit also has a very clean look to it, no fancy graphics or a plethora of buttons, just clean sound at an affordable price. I would reccomend this reciever to anyone on a budget, but still has the craving for the home theater sound.

Similar Products Used:

Tested many others in price range, HK was by far the best.

great sound, great value, great price

Excellent sound, don't be fooled by the low watts per channel, by far the best for the price.

Very powerful for the money - 6 inputs. Digital Ready

haven't found any yet

I'm very happy with this receiver. I bought it originally for my room in an apartment or my dorm. However, I connected for now, in my living room at home. Being a very large living room, it was still full of sound with this receiver and Polk RT25 speakers and Sub. I have yet to find any weaknesses. I ended up paying about $190 for this a Circuit City and there is nothing else that even compares to the quality/price ratio. Don't be turned off by the low wattage. HK makes up for it with the amps (hence the larger size of this unit)/discrete circuitry which you can find out about on their website. Excellent - highest ratings.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Oknyo, Kenwoods (don't know models but the ones in the same price range)