I got my AVR 65 2 weeks ago from Uncles' Stereo. It has no hiss, no hum. From what I know only the earlier productions have them. This receiver is one of the better DTS receivers out there for the price range. DTS is fantastic.

When I got my AVR-65 last month I thought I got lucky, as I did not notice any hum or hiss. A week back I switched it on and behold ! There was the hum ! The front three speakers were humming noticeably ! The center speaker's hum was so loud and annoying that I had to disconnect it !
One-call would not take it back as it was way past their 10-day return period. I contacted H/K who gave me the nearest serviec center's number. I spoke to the service center guy who did not sound very happy. He said it would take 2 weeks to fix this problem ! Planning to sell it after I fix it. (I know, will lose $$)

I just ordered the Yamaha RX-V995 from Good Guys for $850 (after bargaining a lot). Have decided not to buy a H/K again !

I have an HK AVR65 produced in Jan of 99. The serial number is over 8300. I have no hiss or hum in this unit. The problem that I have had is lines or static interference in my TV. When I use the Pioneer DV-414 with OPT and S-VHS inputs and outputs, the picture is crystal clear; better than I thought with my TV. I have a standard VHS input into the AVR65 with Monster Cable and a cheap RCA cable into the TV. Could this unsheilded cabel be causeing the problem? Is any one else with a newer model having similar problems? Otherwise, I just live the sound of this unit. I looked at many other AVRs, but could was not happy with any others.

I recently purchased the AVR-65 at a local electronics store called Fry's. I've been wanting to upgrade to Dolby Digital ever since I hooked up my Sunfire subwoofer and since I liked my older prologic Harman-Kardon AVR-20 receiver, I decided to give the AVR-65 a try. It wasn't too difficult to set up if you read the instructions. I used my SPL meter and calibrated to Dolby Reference level (way too loud to actually watch a movie at!) but was unable to calibrate the Subwoofer since it doesn't have an LFE test tone and I loaned out my Video Essentials DVD. The Dolby Digital steering is excellent, I have watched The Mask of Zorro, Grosse Point Blank, and The Right Stuff so far. However, it has some serious limitations that will force me to return it. I have noticed a humm in my speakers when it is on and no signal is going through it. I also find that if I set my front main speakers to Large, it will not send signal to my Subwoofer, if I set the mains to Small, they cut out all frequency below 100Hz. I find this unacceptable. My LR-Front Mains are capable of going down to 45Hz fairly flat and I don't like having voices come out of the S-W. The remote isn't bad, it is backlit and looks similar to the Home Theatermaster remotes, it can control pretty much all of my gear albit with a few funny button locations. I'd recommend this receiver if you don't need to have the low frequencies go to the main speakers and if you can find one without the humm.

I like the H/K AVR-65, I have experienced no Hiss or Humm problems, I received the unit on Dec 23, 1998 ( Merry Christmas )
The Audio/Video processing with a Pioneer DVD, RCA DSS and a Top Line JVC
VHS was excellent, crisp on all fronts. The remote was nice, and easy to use,
System Setup was a small pain, but after reading the manual a bit closer, not to
bad. Unit has DTS, and in stereo mode, hooked up to a set of Klipsh B/K's
will blow you away...

Purchased HK AVR 65 recently which replaced HK AVR 25 in order to get AC3 and DTS. Reviewed manual carefully and hook up went fine. Have had not problems with anything, really like difference between AC3 and Pro Logic on DVDs. I have had not speaker noise or TV reception problems that some have had. Unit does have a lot of setups possible, and one needs to be careful and follow instructions. Bass management is a little different in that several choices are available, and you need to be sure to turn subwoofer "on". Everything can be set with video controls which helps a lot. Only problem I have had is not being able to set universal remote to operate my Dvix Pro Scan player.

Svideo Switching, Sound Quality, Dolby Digital

None

I read the reviews on this site and was leary of the product because of the humming, non-functional ports, etc. For the price, I couldn't find anything comparable. I haven't had a single problem with the unit. I can switch from satellite, dvd, svhs and 2 more video sources with no distortion to crystal clear video. The sound is also crystal clear. My unit was turning itself off one day. This WAS annoying until I realized I had set the sleep mode to 25 minutes. It's a complicated unit and not for someone who does not want to spend several hours learning how to optimize it's operation. If you are willing to spend the time, you won't be disappointed. I also bought mine from One Call for a little over $500. I've had it plugged in and functioning everyday since ! The clarity at high volume levels is amazing for the price. If you don't need the high volume, look for a unit that does not feature high current output (that's what generates the heat).

Great sound, great price....great package. I can do without all the phony-bologna soundfields on other receivers, just give me good sound from DD and dts sources at a good price.

I just picked up the AVR65 receiver after reading the reviews here first. Anyway, I haven't experienced a single problem mentioned here probably because it is a later serial #. I must say that I compared a Denon (I can't remember the model) and the Yamaha 995 model and the HK was superior in sound quality.The Yamaha was a nice sound but lacked the richness that the HK had. HK 45A of current really powers my large front speakers and brings out the dynamics well at all volumes. The bass is crisp at low volumes as well. Using an optical cable for my DVD player (Sony) you can hear all the subtle sounds that my old sony receiver did not bring out. Anyway, at an audio dealer in Dallas I listened to the 3 above brands (Yamaha, HK, and Denon) on the same setup and the richness of sound is unparalled. It is also nice that is automatically switches between DTS and Dolby Digital formats. I really see the value (I am an EE) for having 8Hz-80Khz bandwidth. That is SERIOUS ENGINEERING!

HK gets 5 stars for what is it designed to do! (Sound, quality)
4.5 stars for programming and setup. (kinda difficult)

Overall 5 stars!!!!

Sorry, I made a mistake..It was 795, not the 775Geez

I have listened in depth at Audio Insight in Plano to the 995 as well and the HK still blows it away. The sound quality and low hiss are nice on the yamaha and the fact that you have an impedance selector that can go down to 2ohm but it doesn't sound nearly as dynamic as the HK especially on low frequencies.
It's a great receiver too, just not as good as the AVR65 sound wise.
5 star for sound (all modes)
4 star for mediocre control
5 star overall (for overall performance)