My First AVR

[balachander]

Hi, i am living in Dubai for last couple of years, i am planing to buy a AVR and 5.1. I have checked the market and with my friends. they all having Harman Kardon AVR 158 or higher versions with JBL/Harman speakers. One disadvantage is noticed was Harman AVR, does n't have enough input options like USB, IPHONE DOCK and Ethernet. My questions are below.

1, above input is neccassary for AVR as we can Media drive like ROku or apple tv for this purpose.
2, i didn't find any reviews for Harman in internet.
3, i am fan of Bose, can i wait and buy a yamaha receiver 7.1 (imported from USA) and bose speakers (used one 5.1).

Please enlighten me.

regards
bala

 

[jithudigitised]

i assume you are looking to buy AVR during the DSF. ..Nice..

BTW .. whats your total budget.

 

[haisaikat]

to answer your questions
1. These are not a must have but if you have iPhone, Pend Drive from which you intend to playback music via AVR these can be handy. Same for ethernet if you want to utilize network capability to stream music from networked sources.

2. There are plenty on the net which one is your preference just search with it

Harmon Kardon unveils AVR 700, AVR 1700 AV receivers | Expert Reviews

Harman Kardon AVR 3600 AV Receiver Video Review — Reviews and News from Audioholics

Harman/Kardon AVR 2600 Review - AV receivers - CNET Reviews

3. If you are inclined to bose then better buy their entire system instead of matching them as separates with AVR of another company, Bose works best with their own proprietary components better. But in feature lacks behind other companies like Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer, etc

 

[denom]

Have heard the HK AVR3600. Its a deadly AVR & one of those 'sleeper' models that people ignore due to sheer ignorance. Don't be fooled by its 80w/channel output, coz it sure packs a punch.

Pair it with Pioneer SP-PK51FS & your set for a good time.

 

[rajadeep]

After hearing the HK AVR3600 during the last Mumbai meet(which was attended by FMs like Denom,etc who are far past me as far as reviewing equips is concerned), I actually decided on buying it from USA... My parents brought it back with them about 2 months ago & I can vouch for it that its a fantastic AVR... It sounds nice even with my sad Sony speakers ... Another friend of mine who also wants to buy a HT accompanied me to my recent visit to various shops for selecting speakers... We had a head to head comparison between the HK with many AVRs from Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer etc... None of the 60-80k AVRs were able to hold their own against the HK... Only AVR which sounded just as good was the Marantz 5006... And the power rating stated by most companies like denon is a joke... My 80w/ch AVR 3600 kept at -15db volume sounded much louder & clearer than a 135w/ch Denon 2313 which was at -8db volume... Even the Profx guys noticed this & started defending the Denon saying that the clip that I was playing (ZNMD 8GB 1080p rip with 5.1 sound) was not recorded properly... I duplicated the same phenomenon with a 40GB Bluray ISO of Dark Knight... He then complained that my Media Player(Himedia 900b) was not a good source... I then duplicated the same thing using Denon's bluray player with a Bluray disk of Dostana... After that he just stoped talking ... Anyway after multiple exps like this one with my AVR, my friend too decided on the HK AVR3600... Now we are hunting for speakers... Looking at either the 48k Pioneer 51FS 5.1(best VFM) or going the DIY way by ordering Kits from Danny(GR research)...

 

[Kittu]

After hearing the HK AVR3600 during the last Mumbai meet(which was attended by FMs like Denom,etc who are far past me as far as reviewing equips is concerned), I actually decided on buying it from USA... My parents brought it back with them about 2 months ago & I can vouch for it that its a fantastic AVR... It sounds nice even with my sad Sony speakers ... Another friend of mine who also wants to buy a HT accompanied me to my recent visit to various shops for selecting speakers... We had a head to head comparison between the HK with many AVRs from Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer etc... None of the 60-80k AVRs were able to hold their own against the HK... Only AVR which sounded just as good was the Marantz 5006... And the power rating stated by most companies like denon is a joke... My 80w/ch AVR 3600 kept at -15db volume sounded much louder & clearer than a 135w/ch Denon 2313 which was at -8db volume... Even the Profx guys noticed this & started defending the Denon saying that the clip that I was playing (ZNMD 8GB 1080p rip with 5.1 sound) was not recorded properly... I duplicated the same phenomenon with a 40GB Bluray ISO of Dark Knight... He then complained that my Media Player(Himedia 900b) was not a good source... I then duplicated the same thing using Denon's bluray player with a Bluray disk of Dostana... After that he just stoped talking ... Anyway after multiple exps like this one with my AVR, my friend too decided on the HK AVR3600... Now we are hunting for speakers... Looking at either the 48k Pioneer 51FS 5.1(best VFM) or going the DIY way by ordering Kits from Danny(GR research)...

Did u apply the new firmware update on your AVR to enable 3d passthru? 1.4a compatible?

No doubt HK AVRs are great in power , but after sales services and sourcing of components is a nightmare for these.

 

[rajadeep]

Did u apply the new firmware update on your AVR to enable 3d passthru? 1.4a compatible?

No doubt HK AVRs are great in power , but after sales services and sourcing of components is a nightmare for these.

For the past 1 year or so all the receivers have come pre installed with the 1.1 firmware(for HDMI 1.4)...

 

[balachander]

Hi, i am living in Dubai for last couple of years, i am planing to buy a AVR and 5.1. I have checked the market and with my friends. they all having Harman Kardon AVR 158 or higher versions with JBL/Harman speakers. One disadvantage is noticed was Harman AVR, does n't have enough input options like USB, IPHONE DOCK and Ethernet. My questions are below.

1, above input is neccassary for AVR as we can Media drive like ROku or apple tv for this purpose.
2, i didn't find any reviews for Harman in internet.
3, i am fan of Bose, can i wait and buy a yamaha receiver 7.1 (imported from USA) and bose speakers (used one 5.1).

Please enlighten me.

regards
bala

thanks for your reply,
In harman, shall l go Harman Avr 158/230 with harman speakers or Product Code: BDS 570BQ/230-B2, HTK 9 SPEAKERS. the later one has in build Blu ray drive and usb port for firmware update and usb drive..

waiting for your/s valuable reply

 

[balachander]

My budget is $1000.00