I purchased my AVR 65 from onecall in early February. I was assured that my unit was either fixed at the factory, in which case a letter from HK would be enclosed, or that it was a recent enough model not to need the fix.
So far it has worked flawlessly. The unit was built in November and has a serial number in excess of 4,000. My biggest concern is what if something goes wrong down the road? Of course that can happen with any consumer product so I am not going to worry about it until it happens.

My only gripe is with the on screen programming which is nearly impossible to figure out. My Toshiba 3108 also has OSP and it is so easy and intuitive that the manual is not necessary.

The sound is fantastic and I really hope that the receiver holds up. Sound and performance rate 5 stars but the poor manual and OSP should bring it down to 4. However, sound is what I am after and since it does that so well, I will give it the full five stars.

I recently purchased the whole 9 yards (HK AVR65, Toshiba DVD 2109, Infinity Speakers (RS5, CC3 and QPS-1) and a Velodyne CT100 Sub) and I am very happy with the results so far. The setup was reasonably easy and since HK have already identified and fixed the problem they had before (Humming due to some grounding problem), the receiver just performed great. To tell you the truth, I was a little apprehensive to buy this receiver after reading some earlier reviews but there is nothing to worry about now as that particular problem exists no more.

Is everyone that is having problems buying "B" stock or refurb units?-Seems tobe a solid unit-smooth ,accurate sound -lots of feature for the $$-I give it 4 stars

I recently purchased the AVR65 from www.soundcity.com (in NJ)for $669 plus $30 shipping to California. Hooked up an HK FL8300 CD changer with coaxial digital out and a Panasonic DVD player A110. My speakers are the Cambridge Soundworks original Ensemble system with Center Channel plus, Surround speakers, and powered subwoofer 2 which I've enjoyed over the last few years with a Kenwood pro logic receiver. I couldn't believe the HUGE difference in clarity that I'm hearing from the AVR65 especially the using the digital output from the CD. Haven't tried the DTS yet, but I assume it will be at least as good as the AC3. It was a great price and I received one with serial number >4000, so it dosn't hum one bit. The only negative is that the sound reproduction is so accurate that some of my older CDs where the recording quality is not so good now have all the inaccuracies of the recordings unmasked. 65 watts/channel is more than plenty for my 10x20room with 10 foot ceiling and hardwood floors.

After much reluctance due to reviews from this site, I decided to roll the bone and try the AVR65. I did research the competition ( Yamaha 995, Sony ES, Pioneer Elite) and found for the money that this receiver had the most to offer for around a grand ($770 onecall.com). I found the setup relatively simple. System consists of Polk Audio RM 7300, JVC 701 DVD, CD player and VCR. The manual is OK at best.
Cranked up the systems and let her rip. The DTS is unreal. My only complaint is the remote with the on-screen programming as well as the audio quality on CD’s. The CD audio quality is the only think keeping this as a 5 star. For the money (and some luck, no hums or hiss, Serial #4001+) this receiver is worth the chance.

Just spoke to HK tech and found out that serial numbers after 07705 have the hum/hiss ground problem. Those will earlier serial numbers have the fix if the there is a blue dot on box next to the serial number bar code.
The video problems have been reported so far on 30 or so units. No fix yet on this. Some have the problem and some don't. They haven't been able to fix this problem yet.

I bought this reciever and the HK 8550 CD player. Absolutely the best sound I've ever heard after auditioning many others. I tried different speakers and found the HK system to be the best sounding. I found the problems before the thirty days and I took them back. The Yamaha 2095 reciever with Yamaha CDC 765 CD player sound great but the sound isn't any better and it's more expensive. The 2095 remote has got to be the ugliest thing I've ever seen.
I'm waiting HK to fix the problems on the AVR65 and the HK 8550 then I will buy again.

This unit is a piece of junk.(to put it mildly) I went through 3 units,some had bananna plugs some did not,What the hell is that all about? Two units were over 4000 (sn) and they still hissed and humed at me. Part of the display glows when the unit is off (you can see it in a dark room).Unit would turn off at times if an input was changed,video board has problems with noise on the screen,when the unit was off and i was changing channels on my tv, would cause the sub to spike and switch on with a loud thump, Just turning the wobbly volume knob on this unit cries out flimsy. The front pannel is now made of plastic instead of metal like all the harmans of the past.I think that about does it,,,You can keep this poor attempt at a receiver.

After 3 months of researching Home Theater receivers and reading reviews all over the internet, I decided to buy the Harman Kardon AVR65. This receiver is an excellent purchase. As others, I was timid about the hiss and hum being reported. Knowing there was a fix in place at the service centers and that the second production run receivers (>4000 serial numbers) had this fixed, I knew I could resolve that issue. Mine had no problems. I compared the HK AVR65 to the Onkyo TX-DS656, the Yamaha RX-v795, the Sony ES50, the Kenwood VR2090, the Sony STR-DE925, and the Pioneer (forgot which one).
The feature set is pratically the same (different wattage, different AV inputs/outputs, different remotes), but the core feature sets are close enough for comparison. The Harmon Kardon won my competition for several reasons; 1) Reputation. HK has a long history of quality built products. Other mainstream companies are just now starting to make elite (>$1000) receivers. Could they be using the same old components? 2) Simplicity. The HK AVR65 is the simplest of designs. The Onkyo is the most "busy". And the Sony ES remote is a nightmare. There is no way my wife is going to be able to use any of the other receivers. Why do they have all those buttons and knobs??? The HK does everything they do and it's face is so streamline. It really is a thing of beauty. Packs alot in a simple package. It looks so much better than those other "busy" buttoned receivers. 3) Wattage. This is a deception. The HK boast 65wattsx5. BUT it is high-current output. And HK always rates their receivers conservatively. Here is an excellent article --> http://www.harmankardon.com/products/techcorner/glossary/highcurrent.ehtml

Believe me, this unit pushes out more power than the Sony ES50 could dream of. I have not been able to get close to full volume on my HK and still stay in the room. NO Distortion whatsoever.

4) Features. Let's see. Dolby Digital built in. DTS built in. Both auto-detected. S-video switching. 6 channel inputs. 6 channel pre-outs. Optical and coaxial digital inputs. Ultrawide bandwith (http://www.harmankardon.com/products/techcorner/glossary/uwbandwidth.ehtml). Crystal DSP circuit (http://www.harmankardon.com/products/techcorner/glossary/thecrystalcircuit.ehtml). Nice backlit remote. Excellent FM tuner and AM reception better than my Kenwood KT-88 tuner.

Drawback - no phono inputs. Yes, I'm over 30 and have alot of LPs. I just kept my old amp (Kenwood KA-128) and phono deck (Onkyo) and hooked it up through the tape 2 (monitor) inputs. Sounds great.

How does it sound you ask? Awesome! Clear sound. No noise whatsoever when idle. My setup includes HK AVR65, Kenwood dual tape deck, Panasonic DVDX-410 Divx/DVD/CD player, Sony CD player, Panasonic Hi-Fi SVHS VCR, Panasonic 32" tv with S-video inputs (I tested the s-video switching on the HK AVR65, and there is no signal loss when running the VCR and DVD through the HK to the TV). Speakers; 4 Infinity OVTR 1 (2 front and 2 rear), Infinity CC-3 (center) and Velodyne CT-100 subwoofer. The sound for DVD movies is remarkable. I will plug the Infinity's also! They are so crisp and pure. There is no load problems with HK at all. I watched Armageddon at a high volume and it performed effortlessly. The HK AVR65 does not struggle and does not overheat.

This unit performs very well, the sound is clear and specific, the controls are easy to use and the features are plentiful and complete. Power is more than ample and the price is right. I recommend it highly.

http://www.harmankardon.com/products/productlines/displayproduct.ehtml?id=11&cat=receivers

Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.
g-

I'm not sure how you did not notice all the problems with the HK. My AVR65 went back two weeks ago after a big struggle with HK. They would not take my unit back and the HK distributor did not want to refund the vendor I purchased it from. As far as the Hum problem, It can appear at any time and will come from inside the unit itself. It does not make any sound through the speakers it will come from inside the box (receiver) itself. As far as the TV interference problem there is currently no fix and your unit soes not need to be hooked up to the tv to cause this problem. The Hiss problem in my case came from the center speakers and was audible within 11-12 feet of the unit. It was not present all the time however. My unit would also cause a problem with my new sony WEGA if the unit was within 6 feet or so of the tv (unconnected by any cables just near it), however it was even worse when hooked up with audio/video cables. The current HK fix is to have you take it to a service center and they will replace a fuse and do a pretty lame quick fix crossover ground type weld. At this point I see several HK AVR65 owners trying to justify their purchases but several of these people have already posted on other forums that it was too late to return their units or "we're just defending our purchases" and some of the other posts I think may be from die hard HK fans or distributors trying to even the playing field to get these units out the door. ( FACT: HK has FROZEN shipment of this unit effective Feb.1st , I don't see any way that these so called fixed units even exist. I would say that this type of quality control problem should have been fixed at the factory and not with a bubble gum wrapper Mcguyver type quick fix. My service center didn't even know how to fix it, they were asking me what was wrong with it and what they should do. In closing I think the AVR65 should be a GREAT product and was just as excited as any of you, but I didn't see the point of defending this unit and thus causing other people to experience what I went through. Because of all these problems with HK's customer support is my main reason why I didn't remain an HK customer. I would say if you can't test it with at least a center channel your taking a risk, but I'm for example taking a risk ordering the Denon5700 ( Haven't heard it ). I guess that's just the game of life. As long as you can build confidence in your purchase and your warranty you should be ok for the next two years, otherwise go with something else and relive your conscious.

ITS GREAT ! You r going to spend 700 for the receiver or more, and in the store asking the seller "Tell me pls. serial number?"I hope it wont have hiss""in what time i can return the unit?"...And here is it a box on wich written "Made in China".Carefully you r opening the box, connecting,your heart is "beating"(not becouse you have got a new unit) loading first cd and..... like tiger you r jumping to one of your loudspeaker than to the second, trying differnt volume level,after five time running around the room you discover that there is no hiss,NO HISS what these people were talking!
but you still can't believe and trying to run one more five times across the room- still no hiss,you calling your friend"LISTEN!!! I BOUGHT h/K AND AND ITS HISSFREE!!!
Than you relax,trying to feel music but you cant put down your eyes from loudspeakers and cant win over your right ear which is still searching this f. hiss,what to do?than you finding out that this unit has got really good and nice remote control,its louder than sony and for this amount what i should expect more....