Great sound. Powerfull. 120 Amps of direct current. 2 large ring transformers. Heavy buffer. Nice vu leds. Unconventional but good speaker terminals. Can be brigded.

Weaknesses??

This is the best amp I ever owned. Powerfull, neutral and capable of driving every speaker. When I hooked this baby up, I immediately noticed better bass, more detail and improved dynamics. I really like this amp, great sound and looks. Top of the line from the HK Citation team.

Similar Products Used:

HK, Sony, etc.

Clean, quiet, articulate, powerful and uncolored

Speaker connectors are not standard.

My system: HK Citation 22 HK Signature 2.0 preamp HK Signature 2.1 - 5 channel amp JVC XV-FA95GD DVD-Audio player HK ST-8 turntable with Shure cartridge Nakamichi RX-505 cassette deck Carver C-1 preamp (used for phono preamp) 2 - HK Citation 13 speakers (Dick Shahinian designed) 2 - Koss CM/1030s 3 Koss CM/1020s I am a great fan of HK's amplifiers. And this is one of their best, second only (in my opinion) to the legendary Citation 16. I purchased this amp at an eBay auction almost a year ago. The guy I bought it from had just purchased a $5,000 super-audiophile amp. He said he really couldn't hear a significant difference. Certainly not one to account for the difference in price. (The B&W 801s he was powering with the Citation amp sounded really good!) I'm not a specification wonk, but the specs on amp this tell a great deal. The frequency response is from 0.1 hz to 250 kHz +0/-3db. 200 watts per channel into 4 or 8 oms. Slew rate of 160V/usec. Signal to noise ratio of 123db. No transient distortion. And 120 amps of instantaneous current. In real terms, this means the amp is fast, articulate and quiet. No noise, solid bass, clean midranges, and open, extended highs. And lots of power -- enough to easily blow 3 amp fuses in my speakers on a more or less regular basis. And it has those cool little green peak power lights on the front. The only negatives I have found with this amp are the speaker connectors are not the standard five way posts and it does runs hot enough to cook a pot roast. Buy two and strap them to mono!

Similar Products Used:

HK Signature 2.1, Parasound HPA amp, HK AVR-500

Huge current capacity, ability to drive and control difficult loads, musicality.

Does tend to run HOT... but it's been plugging away witout any signs of distress for over 10 years now.

I have owned this amplifier for a little over 10 years, and it seems to be getting better every day. Well, maybe it's the fact that each time I upgrade something else in my system the Citation 22 clearly reveals each change, and it never stands in the way of the music. The KEF speakers I now have are gloriously musical. They also have the most incredible midrange I've heard for the price, and are capable of smoothly extended, detailed highs and tight, gut shaking bass when it's contained in the program material. They require a good head end and amplification to make them sing, and really let you know when something in your signal chain is letting you down or causing a problem... as I certainly found out after purchasing them.

Upgrading from Audioquest Turquoise interconnects to Monster Cable M1000i a couple years ago was absolutely required. Stepping farther up the scale to the Cardas Cross recently has been a revaluation! Changing out my old, original Monster Cable for the newer Monster M-1.4 bi-wire cables was another big improvement.

When I finally retired my 8+ year old CD player in favor of a Sony DVP-S7700 it almost made me weep with joy. What an incredible sound. Sheer exhilaration. With each step in my upgrade process I'm further amazed at the wondrous sound of which this amp/speaker combination is capable.

The HK Citation 22 is very dynamic on both music and movies. It has an ability to control speakers of all types, including those described as having difficult loads. The bass on music cuts is extended, tight and musical... yet there's plenty of "slam" for movie soundtracks. The midrange (which I think really has to be right to truly enjoy music) is natural, smooth as silk, and refined. The highs are detailed, without being harsh or glaring. The resolution and musicality of this amp are phenomenal, especially at this price. In addition, this amp really brings speakers to life, most likely because of the high current design and ultra wide-band abilities.

The soundstage is open, and there is more air around voices than I hear with other amps I can afford. The stereo imaging is both wide and deep. I've tried a number of decent amps in my system recently, but I haven't found one yet that I'd trade my Citation 22 for.

In fact, I've heard few amps capable of extended, detailed musical reproduction that were also non-fatiguing. But the Citation 22 is definitely one of them - and the least costly one by far. The only amps I’ve heard that make me want to switch are way outside my price range... so I'm keeping what I've got. (Though I am adding a HK Signature 2.1 5-channel amp for surround sound – when I upgrade my pre/pro to something with Dolby EX and DTS ES I’ll have 7 channels of wondrous HK amplification.)

Summary: An all around great performer.

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Adcom, Aragon, ATI, B&K, Marantz, NAD, Parasound and Rotel

Incredible clean power. I have had this amp for over 9 years with absolutely no failures. It has never shut down or clipped. I would recommend this amp to anyone looking for a 200w amp in 8 ohms.

None

This amp drives my Klipsch LaScala speakers and brings the highs to a new level. The mids are very clear and the bass is tight with a solid punch. I am very happy with the combination that I have. My other HK PA2200 drive the rest of the surround sound and my HK Signature 2.0 preamp handles the brains of the operations. If you can run across one of these amps that hasn't been abused, I would highly recommend purchasing one of them!

Similar Products Used:

HK PA2200