is Harman/Kardon AVR 134 a decent AV receiver...

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thedbguy

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Hi Friends,

initially planned to go for a used receiver. but recently I have an offer of Harman/Kardon AVR 134 (new,with bill, waranty) for ~12k.

this is a basic 5.1 receiver, 100Wx5 channels, all DTS/DD modes,HDMI o/p, 6 ohms imp.
(this is more or less my requirement also)

pardon me. i'm new to HT. whether Harman/Kardon receiver are good ? i've heard onkyo/denon/yamaha/pioneer receivers, but not Harman/Kardon. i'm not able to find any reviews for this product. even Harman/Kardon india website does not list this model !!!
is this a good price to purchase ?

planning to pair it with Wharfadale 9.2 or MA BR2

any experts comment on Harman/Kardon line of budget receivers ?


Thanks
 
thedbguy said:
whether Harman/Kardon receiver are good ? i've heard onkyo/denon/yamaha/pioneer receivers, but not Harman/Kardon.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I dont know about the particular model in question.

However I have the following and using it for the last 5 years.

Amazon.com: Harman Kardon AVR330 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver (Gray/Black): Electronics

I brought it from the US and using it with step down and it has been working fine.

I do not know enough to compare with other companies like Denon, Onkyo etc. However from what I have read and heard, HK is supposed to be conservative on their wattage ratings. It means that what they advertise will be close to actuals.
 
alto said:
Therefore need to attach HDMI and optical/coaxial both cables?
Click to expand...

Yes. You will need to connect HDMI for video and optical or coaxial for audio. I would recommend newer avrs like yamaha 371, denon 1312 etc. for your use.
 
Hi... I am confused... that HDMi has only video and no audio.... Do u mean to say that... If i connect my PS3 and my set top box in the AVR via a HDMI or RAC component cable... and then connect my AVR to my TV with only an HDMI cable... i will be able to see the video or the game.. but audio wont be there...

I was planning to buy this one... just read this post so now confused... coz my plasma TV dosen't has and optical out...

i would be grateful if you could clarify the same...
 
AVR 134 supports only video over hdmi. You need to use digital input to get sound. Connect your devices to AVR using HDMI and connect the digital out optical/coaxial) also to the AVR. This will take care of the sound through AVR. But you won't get sound in TV.
 
so basically u mean to say... if i connect my PS3 with HDMi i will have to connect and optical cable from my PS3 to AVR 134 right?? and then i will get audio from 5.1 and not TV... and this goes similar for my DVD and Set top box...??
 
Yes thats correct.

so basically u mean to say... if i connect my PS3 with HDMi i will have to connect and optical cable from my PS3 to AVR 134 right?? and then i will get audio from 5.1 and not TV... and this goes similar for my DVD and Set top box...??
Click to expand...
 
Wow... that sucks... no wonder its so cheap... what if i go for Yamaha yht - 196... at 23 k with yamaha speakers included...
 
Hello,

Can I add to ask questions in this post because I have similar Amp.

I have just bought sony bravia HX75. I am kinda struggling to configure AVR.. What I need is (since sony has plenty HDMI ports), I would like to connect all my HDMI devices to TV and want my TV to (somehow) send audio out to my speakers using AVR 134.
Is it possible?

Regards,
A
 
baijuxavior said:
Just check the YHT196 specifications. I would suggest an Onkyo 3400/3500.
Click to expand...

Yes, i totally agree the output clarity is far better in Onkyo 3500/3400 than YHT 196. Maybe try it in a showroon to find the difference.

On the topic, I checked it personally myself yesterday in reliance Digital Chennai. It was brilliant in its sound quality than many other AVR's displayed and they did connect the coaxial cable to the speakers (JBL Cinema 300 5.1 speakers) , i questioned the same and they said it was difficult connecting and checking all the AVR's using HDMI :mad: , hence connected coaxial...

I almost finalised on Onkyo 3500(28K) and later listening in HK AVR 134 (Rs.19990)+ JBL 5.1 Cinema 300Speakers(Rs.19000). I started thinking of HK AVR+JBL speakers.

After reading the reviews i am now having second opinion on HK AVR. Maybe i will stick to my earlier choice Onkyo 3500... Any opinions are welcome...budget upto 40K .
 
aekpani said:
Hello,

Can I add to ask questions in this post because I have similar Amp.

I have just bought sony bravia HX75. I am kinda struggling to configure AVR.. What I need is (since sony has plenty HDMI ports), I would like to connect all my HDMI devices to TV and want my TV to (somehow) send audio out to my speakers using AVR 134.
Is it possible?

Regards,
A
Click to expand...

Check if the receiver and TV(sometimes port specific) is ARC (Audio return Channel) enabled. If Yes, Then it should work fine.
 
aekpani said:
I have just bought sony bravia HX75. I am kinda struggling to configure AVR.. What I need is (since sony has plenty HDMI ports), I would like to connect all my HDMI devices to TV and want my TV to (somehow) send audio out to my speakers using AVR 134.
Is it possible?
Click to expand...

Simply No through hdmi as this avr does not support audio over hdmi cable. Use optical out of tv to avr.

vasanthk said:
After reading the reviews i am now having second opinion on HK AVR. Maybe i will stick to my earlier choice Onkyo 3500... Any opinions are welcome...budget upto 40K .
Click to expand...

Instead of the AVR 134, check whether you can get Yamaha 371 or Denon 1312. Tey should be around 22-23K.
 
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