KLH R7000 A/V receiver at Best Buy same as HK?? (1 Viewer)

[Danny Tse]

OK, OK....I was at Best Buy last night and I happened upon the KLH R7000. From what I've read on HTF, one should stay away from KLH receivers. But this one had me intrigued.... looks like an HK (the layout of the controls), feels like an HK (the notchy feel of the volume knot and the silver input bottoms), but the price was.... Actually, the price was not posted at the store and I didn't get to check out the back side of the receiver neither. I located the info online at Best Buy. $180.00....hmmmm.



There is a flip-down door that hids some of the tuner controls.



Wow! All binding posts!!

 

[AndrewErickson]

$180? Wow, that is expensive. I bought my HK for $400 online and I'm sure it would wipe the floor with a KLH.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Well it doesn't seem to be a re-badge of an HK and i seriously doubt HK would OE out to KLH. May walk like a duck, but it would be interesting to see how it quacks (sounds)

 

[Danny Tse]

I believe HK receivers are made by another respected HT receiver manufacturer. Anyone can confirm this?

 

[JamesCB]

Harman International Industries include the following brands:

Harman Kardon, JBL, Infinity, Revel, Audioaccess, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, Madrigal Imaging and Proceed.

( www.harman.com )

 

[Greg Thomas]

I stopped at Best Buy to look at the KLH 7000. It looks like it could be a HK but lacks some features. No digital outs which even the entry level 125 has. No pre outs on this model, no Logic 7 and the KLH only has a 90 day warranty. What is impressive is that this unit has component video inputs and 6.1. It has DPLII Movie, Music, Enhanced and Matrix. Never heard of DPLII Matrix. The unit also has DD-EX Matrix, but not DTS-ES.

Didn't get a chance to listen to the KLH, wasn't connected to any speakers. It looks nothing like the other two KLH receivers Best Buy carries.

I dunno, perhaps its a cheap copy of an HK design.

 

[Danny Tse]

Well, the KLH does have to cut some corners to arrive at its $180.00 price tag. Logic 7 is a Harman propriatary technology, so I seriously doubt it will get licensed out. My post was merely a "heads up" on a new product. As I understand it, Harman have its receivers OEMed from a manufacturer that also produces well-respected receivers under its own brand. Perhaps this is from the same OEM manufacturer??

 

[Jerome Grate]

In dealing with some people that just want to step into HT at a cost of 200 to 250 bucks, I would recommend this just for the price. It looks like it has 6 channels of amplification, and in most cases those folks will not care about the sound other than the fact it's loud and all over the room. For this type of person, this would be a good step for them.

 

[Greg Thomas]

Yeah, it would probably be a good entry level receiver but the 90 day warranty sucks.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Who exactly OEMs HK's receivers?

 

[Chu Gai]

Eastech makes for KLH (possibly the receiver).

I quote...

Our group has tremendous abilities in acoustic design, plastic injection molding, electronics, speaker cabinets, grill manufacturing, and driver manufacturing. Our goal is to provide our customers with a complete O.E.M and O.D.M consumer electronic product without having to use outside subcontractors. Our progress can be measured by our current major customers which includes JBL, Infinity, Sanyo/Fisher, Sony, Kenwood, Pioneer, Polk Audio, Aura Sound, Jensen, Yamaha, Panasonic, KLH, Hitachi, Atlantic Technology, Magnavox, Mitsubishi, RCA, Phillips, Zenith, and many others.

However many components from an individual vendor (notice I didn't use the word manufacturer) have multiple sources. For example Vtrek Electronics Co. Ltd. and Gh GrandHigh Electronics Co. Ltd also makes for KLH, Panasonic, Sherwood, etc.

 

[Danny Tse]

Here's the website to Eastech.

And here I was thinking Sherwood was the OEM for HK

 

[LanceJ]

I would like to see this receiver all hooked up with some decent speakers (JBL, Bostons, etc) & see how it sounds. I've listened to many supposedly "cheap" components & with quite a few have been surprized at their quality. It's not THAT difficult to make good-sounding equipment.

And it looks like KLH is trying to carry on its founder's mission (sort of): "The Life and Times of Home Audio Innovator Henry Kloss"

I keep hoping Tivoli Audio or Cambridge SoundWorks will design/sell an HT receiver based on Kloss' philosophy (here's my version): Basic Version 25 watts X 5 (a real 25 watts that is, because playing this at "just" 25 watts in stereo will get the manager knocking at your door--I guarantee this from personal experience as I used to own a Sony 21 watt/channel receiver from @1983); Dolby & DTS; Dolby Pro-Logic II & one simple DSP "hall" sound field; tuning, bass and treble KNOBS (like on the Tivoli Model One table radio); radio signal strength meter (very useful actually), function selector knob (but not the continously rotating type!) or individual buttons; individual LEDs for function selected; a 5.1 input (w/100% analog signal path); headphone jack; and a remote control. That's it. Basic "Plus" Version Same exact features as above but 75 watts X 6 (true seventy-five watts) plus DTS-ES. Both could be fitted with optional cherry, beech, or black ash side panels (so much equipment today is so sterile looking IMO).

If you want to see where I got some of these ideas from, do a search on Advent receivers, particularly the Model 300.

Thank you for reading my retro rant!

LJ

 

[Jeff Hipps]

To correct an earlier assertion made by Chu Gai, please note that neither Vtrek Electronics nor GH Grand High supply electronics to Sherwood. With the exception of one DVD/receiver, all Sherwood electronics are designed and manufactured in-house. As our parent company remains one of the pre-eminent OEM suppliers in the world, purchasing receivers from another company would be senseless. However, we do purchase some loudspeakers and speaker components from other factories.

Jeff

 

[Greg Thomas]

From the Sherwoodusa.com site...

In 1980, Sherwood was acquired by Inkel, Corporation of Seoul, Korea. Inkel is one of
the leading OEM manufacturers of audio equipment in the world. Over the last decade,
Inkel has supplied components to many of the world’s leading brands. In a recent article
in Stereophile’s Guide to Home Theater, Michael Fremer reported that Inkel’s recent
customers included Adcom, SAE, Kenwood, Marantz, Philips, Yamaha, Denon and
Harman Kardon. Inkel’s spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the list of
customers.
In 1996, Inkel completed construction of a new manufacturing facility located one and
one-half hours south of Seoul. This fully automated 12-story building is capable of
building 400,000 receivers a month. But capacity is only half of the story, the plant has
received ISO 9001 certification—the highest level available and is one of the few audio
plants in the world so rated.
With the facility in full operation, Inkel is now building approximately 30% of the
world’s Dolby certified receivers.

My Newcastle is made in Korea where Sherwood's parent company is based. My H/K is made in China so it is probably OEM by Eastech. But if I read correctly it looks like Eastech main emphasis is more speaker production than receivers?

 

[Jeff Hipps]

I try to never comment on our current OEM customers. That should be between our factory and the customer. However, to my knowledge, Eastech is not an electronics supplier to HK.

Jeff

 

[Philip Hamm]

I think the two OEM companies mentioned in this thread are responsible for a sizable chunk of the consumer electronics manufacturing business. I've had products from both and they are both excellent.

 

[ShaunLB]

I finally talked a friend of mine into stepping into the HT world last Christmas...his budget? $200 total. We went to best buy and got the 5.1 KLH "twist satilite/BB2 Sub" combo (the speakers, sub, and reciever all for $200 if purchased together).

How does it sound? Pretty darn good! Can it hang with my Polk RTi's and Yamaha reciever? No, considering the entire setup cost less than pretty much any single speaker in my setup, the fact his sound pretty good is impressive. The little sub is nice and the reciever (other than not having DTS) is very functional and never lacking for power.

I'd love to see a blind test conducted with some "budget" recievers and see this new 6.1 thrown in. I bet its quite good for the price, the warranty is a little short, but having owned a few KLH items in the past and seeing the newer ones my friend has, I bet it would hold up pretty well.

 

[Chu Gai]

Eastech, for those who recall, makes products for Outlaw and the other dynamic duo. As far as those companies I mentioned making products for Sherwood, that's what they say. Now that doesn't mean that they're making whole units, but are making some aspects of the finished product. No company is making everything themselves. That's just foolish and makes for poor economics.

 

[Rich Wenzel]

Taken from Eastech's website:
"JBL, Fisher, Harman/Kardon, Infinity,
Magnavox, Emerson and RCA from the USA.
"

Jeff Hipps, are you StereoJeff on the Avsforum.com if you odnt mind me asking?

Also, from reading Outlaw boards, I have read that Eastech makes stuff for ATI. They also obviously make stuff for Shrebourn and Atlantic Tech.

Rich