Harman Kardon AVR125 a/v receiver $199 @ Vanns

[JHawk]

Stolen from T-bargains

Harman Kardon AVR 125


Good Deal. Good receiver.

 

[teKillah]

Any good feedback from AVR125 owners ?

I was gunning for the 325 but guess its still pretty expensive

 

[msbytes]

I was gunning for the 325 but guess its still pretty expensive

Same here

 

[ericlp]

Nice reciever for brand new. But, a fast search on the internet has pricing as 179 @ ecost prob refurbished.

My only concern would be..........

45 watts x 5 into 8 ohms, 55 watts x 2 into 8 ohms <- Thats pretty low for movies but HK is known for under rating watts but still if you have big speakers with no sub your gonna be disapointed.

The worst thing about it is...

45 Watts @ <0.07% THD, 20Hz ? 20kHz, all channels driven into 8 ohms <-- Should be .05% like most dennons are. Other wise the louder you go and you will most likely have to run it louder hence 45 watts your going to hear the distortion.

Audioreview only has reviews from idiots buying used or from E-bay. Sigh.... But they do say that MSRP is only 255 bucks. Dunno how they came up with that #...

 

[Mustanggt]

I have tried the HK 125 and if you can get this unit for Under $200 its worth it, the 45 watts is more like 75 watts say comparing a Denon. I have the HK 525 and this reciever is state of the art HK makes great sounding recievers. My 525 weights 45LBs check your weights when shopping for HT reciever buy by the pound, I would hate to think a $299 denon rated at 90 watts has more power than my $1000 525 rated at 70 watts

 

[Lpenguin]

I have a HK510 for a couple years and love it. People are impressed by it's looks before they even hear it I think the power rating is 75 watts rms, but it goes much louder than you would ever want. The dishes it the kitchen will rattle and the cabinets buzz if you want. Lots of good features. $199 is a real bargin compared to what else you get for that price. I think the 125 doesn't have a few of the features of the other modles, but the looks and sound will be the same.

I really recommmend this one if you want an inexpensive home theater reciever.

HK's web site explains the power rating numbers:

A Harman Kardon 50-watt amplifier will sound better, louder and cleaner than most 100-watt amplifiers from other companies. The reason is very simple. We give "true" wattage ratings, and our amplifiers utilize something called High-Current Capability (HCC). Please see the comparison below for further explanation. Other companies (100 watts):

The rest of the explanation here.
http://www.harmankardon.com/faq/showFaqanswer.asp?faqId=214

 

[teKillah]

Well I took the plunge and ordered one, as I thought I will save some $$$ over the 325 which I don't think will come down in price.

Anyways I have a pretty small room, so lets see how it goes

 

[teKillah]

OOS now......

Looks like it really was a good deal

 

[nightman]

Can someone recommend any good speakers to use with this receiver which will not cost arm and leg?

 

[Mustanggt]

Watch frys electronics for sale on Polks I got 2 RTi70s for $358 a pair. Polk

 

[nightman]

Thanks Mustanggt.I'm looking now at Polk RM6010 Surround Speaker System at outpost for $299.

 

[azncarjunkie]

There was a lot of discussion about Fluance speakers being surprisingly cheap, yet very good for the money. Many people over at avsforum suggest these for low-buck HT setups. Click here for Fluance thread. I looked at the RT50 polk speakers at CC and was very unimpressed. Here's some info (I just woke up and am bored) about speakers and stuff.

An important thing to note is that watts are hardly the measure of how good your speakers will sound:
1) If you double the watts you only get 3 more decibels (technically twice as loud)
2) 10 decibels is often described as "sounding" twice as loud
3) tube amps often used by audiophiles, and generally have very low power ratings
4) a 97db sensitive speaker with 100 watts will be the same volume as a 100db sensitive speaker with only 50 watts. or a 103 db sensitive speaker with only 25 watts. This is measured at 1 watt of power at 1 meter away from the speaker.
5) 130 decibels is considered 'pain' (i.e., you'll go deaf pretty quick so avoid this)
6) a 100 db sensitive speaker will technically play at 118db (that's loud) with only 64 watts.

In a twisted way, a higher power rating can be a determining factor in sound:
1) Higher power ratings generally mean that you won't be running the amp at it's fully capabilities. This means that there will likely be less THD at 50% power, compared to 100% power. Therefore, if your speakers need a lot of power to get to an appropriate volume (speaker sensitivity comes into play here), then a lower-powered amp will have more THD (run at 100%) compared to a higher-powered amp (run at 50%).
2) This of course, assumes that all else is equal (i.e., same brand/specs, just lower power).

Regarding the Fluance speakers and why they could be good at such a low price!:
1) Not many speaker brands actually manufacture their own speakers.
2) Specifications for speakers are sent to giant speaker manufacturers where the manufacturer can create a new speaker
3) sometimes the manufacturer has a speaker that they produce and a brand will 'buy it' and put their dust cap (the central 'dome') on the front of it. They may or may not 'buy' the exclusive rights to purchase this exact speaker.
4) Fluance is supposedly made from the manufacturer Goldsky.

ok, too much typing. Write back if you care to know anything else.