Are H/K receivers that good (1 Viewer)

[Brian_Tho]

I was on the 811, then switched to kenwood 6060, but know Ive read so much about h/k i think im hooked. I have found the 520 online for 480. That is to much receiver, I would like the 320. Is there anywhere online that has a good price on this unit. 300-400 range

 

[mike_frontier]

Brian,

Here what I have it set on about for each selection:

1. DvD - nice listening mode is set at about -24 to -17 or lower(if I want it to rock the house very loud) by DD5.1 .

2. Music - I put it in stereo mode and that will allow true 55 watts x 2 and I crank it at about -30 keep in mind that it goes to +5 to be the loudest.
If I want 5 channels on I usually have it on Logic7 for my directTV movie watching and ProLogicII (music mode).

 

[TimothyE]

Since this may be an issue for some it should be noted that the AVR-325 has a fan. That alone would disqualify it for me.

Yes, the 325 has a fan, but I have never once seen or heard it go on. It may be just there as a fail safe and to protect valuable equipment in the event of operation at an unusually high temperature.

I would love to know if any 325 owners have EVER seen or heard their fan run.

Tim

 

[StevenK]

Good point Steven, what receiver do you recommend?

Personally, I'm partial to Sherwood Newcastles. Problem is...they are hard to find, and run a little bit more than H/K. They have an excellent warranty (Jeff Hipps, a VP at Sherwood frequents this board from time to time and helps us out)...but best of all they are phenomenal for BOTH music and movies. I only got to experience the Newcastle 945MKII for a couple of hours, but in that short timespan, I felt it was heads and shoulders above my old H/K 520.

Alas, I had to return the receiver as it did not belong to me. Nowadays, I have to eek by with a Pioneer 811S for movies and an old Onkyo 676 for music.

 

[Cody_D]

The HK, NAD, Rotel, and Outlaw receivers have high current. Tha t means more punch in the bass and midrange. Most other receivers don't have this and they are not as dynamic. I went to ebay and got a used AVR210 for $220. You may need more power for your room. I would recommend the AVR320 on ebay for around $300. The others give you less bang for your buck


Cody

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

Personally, I'm partial to Sherwood Newcastles. Problem is...they are hard to find, and run a little bit more than H/K. They have an excellent warranty (Jeff Hipps, a VP at Sherwood frequents this board from time to time and helps us out)...but best of all they are phenomenal for BOTH music and movies. I only got to experience the Newcastle 945MKII for a couple of hours, but in that short timespan, I felt it was heads and shoulders above my old H/K 520.

Don't know if it is true or not, but I have heard through the grapevine that H/K receivers are a Sherwood Newcastle OEM product... That would explain their good fidelity!
I also agree that Jeff Hipps is a top notch dude! I emailed him several times with question about the Newcastle line and he responded very quickly and truthfully. He was up front about a small issue one particular model has. I asked a question via email on Sherwood's website and not only did Jeff respond to that, I also got a call from the Southern Rep answering my question! Now that is customer service.
In the end I did not buy the Newcastle because of the great deal I got on the H/K 520. Also there are 2 H/K service center within 5 miles of me. The nearest Sherwood service center is in another city...:frowning:
Ronnie

 

[Yogi]

HK makes excellent receivers in terms of sound, processing and features. Probably one of the best in those terms. The only gripe I have with HK receivers is poor thermal management that leads to various issues like overheating and shutdown.

 

[Jeff Massey]

I have heard they sound very good, but they have to be the ugliest receiver on the market. I not sure what would be tougher getting my wife to like the H/K or the SVS sub!

Sorry just my two cents

 

[TimothyE]

I agree that the H/K is not the most attractive to me, but my wife really LIKES it.

 

[Brian_Tho]

"In the end I did not buy the Newcastle because of the great deal I got on the H/K 520. Also there are 2 H/K service center within 5 miles of me."

That makes me feel really good about my purchase

 

[JohnnyG]

Don't know if it is true or not, but I have heard through the grapevine that H/K receivers are a Sherwood Newcastle OEM product...

Oh please! It is possible that the Korean company that owns Sherwood once manufactured H/K's when they were being built in Korea, but I think the association ends there.

Newcastle stuff is very good and so is H/K, but let's not start crazy rumours!

 

[Bert D]

If and when the fans actually go on in the HK 325's/525's ( because you are likely pushing out some major DB's ), how would you hear the fan over the sound ? I too would like to hear from someone that has had their HK fan go on and comment about it. Does every receiver that can draw over 1000 watts (HK-525) and run most 4 OHM speakers need a fan ?

 

[Mat_M]

If you go on places like www.audioreview.com you'll see that there's a lot of HK bashing due to poor reliability. My take on it is that HK's run really hot, and the people with reliability issues probably did not have good air flow. My personal experience with HK is this: Summer 2000 I bought an AVR300, and by March of '01, the video bus went bad. Well, it was under warranty so it was fixed for free. However, upon putting it back in my audio rack, I installed a 6 inch fan blowing directly onto the heatsinks. It may sound corny or crude to some, but it keeps the unit unbelievably cool. Most of my friends/relatives think it's a really neat idea too ). So for 2.5 years now it's been running strong, and I'm very satisfied with it. I would say that you'll be satisfied with the 325.

 

[StevenK]

If you go on places like www.audioreview.com you'll see that there's a lot of HK bashing due to poor reliability. My take on it is that HK's run really hot, and the people with reliability issues probably did not have good air flow. My personal experience with HK is this: Summer 2000 I bought an AVR300, and by March of '01, the video bus went bad. Well, it was under warranty so it was fixed for free. However, upon putting it back in my audio rack, I installed a 6 inch fan blowing directly onto the heatsinks. It may sound corny or crude to some, but it keeps the unit unbelievably cool. Most of my friends/relatives think it's a really neat idea too ). So for 2.5 years now it's been running strong, and I'm very satisfied with it. I would say that you'll be satisfied with the 325.

While I do not think that the reliability issues are related to poor airflow...if it were, I would still say H/K is to blame. A company should design a receiver to operate within a normal audio rack without the need for a user-installed custom external fan. I hate to sound so negative about the H/K...guess I'm just still bitter about the run-around Onecall and H/K gave me about my house circuitry not being able to handle the 520. Funny, it's handling a much larger, higher wattage amp just fine now.

 

[mike_frontier]

I have the avr125 and It stays on all the time, I never turn it off. As for the unti getting hot issue. I can put my beer on the unit and will keep it cool :p)
I have no complaints at this time either. Great receiver and all my friends jaw's

when they come over to watch some dvds.

 

[John Stegman]

Two years ago, I bought a HK AVR65 from the HK outlet site. Factory reconditioned. I have read all the reliability issues related to this unit, but have had none myself. Maybe the person that originally owned it did. I have left about 5" of free space above it to avoid any heat problems and it has given me wonderful, detailed music in return. Movies are the same way. Just great and tons of power! This from a receiver that I only paid $380.00 + shippimg.

 

[DonJ]

First off being a high current amp they run hotter than the standard and most of the shut experiences have nothing to with heat, HK's are very sensitive to power consumption you need to plug them in to sockets that do not have lights switches etc close to them.