Got my HK AVR8000 from OneCall (1 Viewer)

[PatrickS]

Gabriel_Lam,
Thanks from all of us for staying on top of it!
Patrick

 

[Bruce.sb]

Well i give up-- I sent my unit back for a refund(though i have to pay for shipping back-lame).. When i purchase something new and expect it to work-- idont think that im being unreasonable-- i could hear the buzz accross the room on dips in sound and if i dont have something playing it would just continuously buzz-- and im not talking about a inch away to hear it-- i was 7-10 feet and could hear it plain as day. I think there is something going on-- if onecall goes through as many recievers as everyone says--then what are they doing selling jan/02 units--those are a year old. Some people are saying they got their units with marred up screws on the back(showing the units were opened)-- and there was the issue of this same exact thing happening a few other previous sales going all the way to the summer.Hk has done nothing to fix the things that were wrong-- if it was my company i would have things made right and stand beind my products and not only kept good customers, but made new ones by showing how they stand behind thier products. If they are going to be this lax over this-- what will happen when something else goes wrong-- no thanks-- i give my customers(i do web work) what they pay for and excect the same from the people and places i buy from without having to make compromises.. so for me-- Hk and onecall suck and unless i get a call from them saying "hey we want to make good"-- i will never,ever do any business with them again and tell all my buddies not to either...

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Well, the new year has now come and gone. As we expected, OneCall has got H/K to take some action. Harman is going to take the affected production runs back, and replace them with different production runs without the center channel output issue.

As soon as I know more about the details on how the actual nuts and bolts of how this exchange is going to take place, I'll post it here.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

OK, as I understand it, here's how it works. Apparently, the issue is, as they explained it to me, the actual design of the AVR8000. One of the wires leading to the center channel amp runs too close to that massive torroidal power transformer, which causes the buzz.

If you bought an AVR8000 from OneCall which shipped 11/23/02 or later and it exhibits excessive center channel buzz during idle, you have 2 choices:
1. Refund of your unit.
2. Keep your unit, get a $50 gift certificate from OneCall
What you need to do is email [email protected] with your unit's serial number and your purchase date. It will be handled on a case by case basis. Any questions you may have can be included in this email as well.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Gabriel,
Thanks for following-up on this issue for those who were affected.

 

[JackS]

I don't have the HK8000 but it would be nice if Harmon could give all owners affected a complete description on the exact fix. This would allow those who wish to accept the $50 gift certificate to possibly remedy the problem themselves .If the fix is simple, the cash back makes a great deal even better.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

Wayne Ernst & PatrickS: You guys are welcome.
JackS: I don't think we'll see anything really concrete from Harman until sometime after CES. Honestly, I think that's probably their biggest priority now, as it's a multi million dollar show, and they're deep into their prep. I'm guessing the fix would require some sort of shielding and relocation of wire(s) and or components.

 

[skip marr]

Mike Up - If you are concerned with the HK line but like the sonic charisterics, what other lines do you like? I have liked HK, but don't want to have future problems, so I would be interested in your opinion of what has similar sonic characteristics to the HK line. Have had Yamaha - no thanks!

 

[Matt Woodyard]

Why did they select 11/23/02 as the cut off date for action? This has been an issue much longer than that. I purchased mine from onecall back in early October when they first ran that offer and mine has the center channel buzz. In fact, I think I was one of the first one's to post about it on this forum and at avs. I suppose I will email onecall about it and see if they are going to accommodate all their customers or only those who purchased units in the more recent shipments. I certainly hope H/K finds a way to provide instructions on how to make the fix by the end user, I don't want to have to send the unit off to some repair center for weeks on end.

 

[DonJ]

David Proud
Addressing your comments on the Denon vs H/K here acouple of links for ya.
Hi Fi Choice on Denon
Hi Fi choice on H/K 520
Hi Fi Choice on Onkyo

 

[John A. Casler]

If you bought an AVR8000 from OneCall which shipped 11/23/02 or later and it exhibits excessive center channel buzz during idle, you have 2 choices:

1. Refund of your unit.
2. Keep your unit, get a $50 gift certificate from OneCall

Hi Gabriel, thanks for the update, which I was very interested in since I purchased two units and both had "multiple problems".

I called ONECALL and they said there is "NO" refund option, which is lousy since both of the supposedly brand new units are all but unusable.

One has already been to the service center and returned (still has problems) and the other was taken to a service center and they said they could not fix it.

This is quite frustrating since I love the HK sound, features and look. I also sell them to my clients.

But in any event it seems that ONECALL is not offering a "refund".

Thanks for your efforts,

John

 

[Scott Pagac]

I have to agree with questioning the cut-off date chosen by OneCall. I just looked at my receipt and it appears like I may be out of luck (11/18/02). I may still just give it a try and see what they say.

 

[John A. Casler]

Man, I think I got the Lemon of the bunch.

Last night I (for the first time) watched a VHS tape (the new James Bond) and it is analog and I had at least 8-10 sound dropouts of 2-4 seconds each.

So so far I have:

1)the center channel buzz
2)the Logic 7 rear channel problem
3)sound drop outs from all digital sources (in the middle of songs)
4)sound dropouts from analog sources (so far in the middle of movies)these dropouts are acompanied with a "pop"
5)no multiroom output from digital sources
6)no switched outlet when multiroom is "on"
7)no 12 volt signal output
8)a unit that has been in service less than 60 days that the authorized service center will not touch, and they also claim someone has opened the case (and it wasn't me)

After all this, all I want is one that works, because when it does work, it is way beyond any other reciever soundwise that I have heard (and I have heard most all of them)and it does things that only the MC1 and MC12 do in the Logic7 area and analog area.

I'd just like to see HK or OneCall (or both) step up to the plate on this one. Someone sold someone else some "known" faulty (or potentially faulty) merchandise and it is time to make amends.


John

 

[skip marr]

Let me know what you guys find out. I am considering HK and Marantz, but love the HK sound. Thanks.

 

[Jack_V]

Wow that post a couple back, made me decide on keeping a HK525 for $650.

Half the price of a 8000 on sale, and no issues I've found.

Has anyone done a A/B compare of the 8000 and a 525?

Is the 8000 sound really that much better to warrant the double or more cost?

 

[JohnnyA]

i'm a late-comer, but i've posted my initial reaction to this receiver here,
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...8&pagenumber=3
sorry to hear about everyone's problems.

 

[StephanB]

Well I thougt I got a good price from ubid 1223incl.S/H, however it was a JAN 2002 model and it had the buzz in the center channel i still have a kenwood 4080 and this model only had a lite buzz when turned all the way up. So I returned the 8000 and got myself a Kenwood Sovereign 5700 for 1000 bucks incl.S/H which fills my needs.

 

[StephanB]

OH I forgot to mention when i received my 8000 which was sold as new the bottom plate was greasy like bit dark and the metall had skuffs around the screws it looked like somebody removed it and put it back, I am just wondering if any of your modells came the same way.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

John A. Casler:

Wow, it does sound like your unit has some serious issues. Have you contacted H/K about your situation? They should be back from CES now and getting back to the normal grind.

Onecall is still offering the $50 gift certificate for those who are affected by an excessive case the center channel buzzing issue. There is going to be no refund at this time. H/K is still investigating the issue as well.

Jack_V:

Personally, I think the biggest thing with the AVR8000 is that it can overlay Logic7 over multichannel digital sources. This means you can use it with DVD's and things. The AVR525 can only process Logic7 over 2 channel sources.

 

[Britton]

I recently bought the AVR8000 from ubid and it has the center channel buzzing. I gave H/K a call and the rep I talked with didn't know anything about the problem. Not only that, but he was very rude and said he was skeptical because I read about the problems all of you were having from an internet message board. I'm really tempted to return the receiver simply because I did not at all appreciate the poor attitude I got from H/K. Also, it sounds like I might be left out in the cold since my unit did not come from onecall.