Help me pick an H/K (1 Viewer)

[Chris_Liberti]

Well I wish I would have picked up the AVR7200 from one call while they were still in stock but considering that they are no longer available I have to decide between either a new AVR630, a new AVR7300(price is a little higher than I want to spend though), a refurbished AVR7200, or a refurbished AVR8000. I am leaning towards the AVR8000 because currently I am only running a 5.1 setup and I have no plans to upgrade anythime soon. If I do need to upgrade in the future I can always pickup either an H/K 2 channel amp or upgrade my amp section entirely. I also like that the AVR8000 has the pre-outs, main-ins setup so I can run a multichannel EQ (Rane or Audio control) down the road if I feel the need. I am currently running a Sony DA4ES and I am looking for a warmer sound through my M&K S-125 and SS-150. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Depending on the price of 8000 I would reccomend it since you're only running 5.1. If you ever decide to run 7.1 yuo can always add an inexpensive 2ch amp for the back surrounds since the 8000 has all the processing for DTS-ES and DD-EX. The 8000 also has a nice feature (technicly a glitch) that lets you apply logic7 decoding to 5.1 soundtracks, giving them a very beleivable 7.1 output. Only the MUCH more expensive Lexicon processors have this option of using logic7 on 5.1 material.

That said, if the price of the 8000 is close or more than the refurb 7200 I would go with the 7200. It has one of the best amp sections in current receivers and the processing on it is great as well. The 7300 seems like alot of money more than the 7200 to add PLIIx and Video Processing/upconversion, but if those features are important to you (PLIIx shouldn't be a big deal since you're still 5.1 w/ no future plans) then go for it. I personaly would only consider the 7200 and 8000 from that list due to their extremely high values. If you open your list up a bit, though, there are som great neutral/warm receivers from Pioneer Elite w/ some great features like component video conversion, auto room eq, and i.link for multichannel music. You may want to give the 54TX alook, it is available around $800 w/ some looking.

 

[CurtisSC]

Why do you call it a glitch? The reason the 8000 had that capability is because it has 2 processors. No other HK receiver now has that processing power.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Even the HK engineers admitted at one point that this ability was not intentional in the design. There's no mention of it in the manual either. It's an unintentional design variant that worked out to offer another level of functionality, a very good glitch.

 

[CurtisSC]

I had an HK525 and researched the 8000 a lot before I bought the 525. I always understood it to be a feature.

You are right though...no matter what it is, it is a nice to have.

 

[Brad E]

I got my 7200 from bestpriceaudiovideo.com

It is listed now for $899 and $48 for shipping. I had a very good experience with them.

 

[Chris_Liberti]

Thanks I ended up ordering the AVR7200. I got it for $700 on ebay direct from H/K. The AVR8000 I was considering is still on ebay if anyone is interested and it is I think $890 something to buy it now

 

[CurtisSC]

a 7200 for $700 is a great deal.

 

[Brad E]

Chris, was that 7200 on ebay a refurb? Good price if it wasn't.
You'll love it, but you might as well go and get a universal remote right now because the HK remote is a pain in the ass to use with other components.

 

[Dave Mack]

7200 better than the 630 I assume, yes..?