Why no one here talks about Harman Kardon/ JBL/ Infinity

[anm]

Seemingly, there is absolutely no mention/ recommendation of harman products in these forums. But if you look at other US/ international forums, lot of people swear by the SQ of harman kardon.

What could be the reason?

Is it because it is not available on all shops except Harman franchise showrooms? Which means dealers etc on this forum would not gain anything by recommending harman/ JBL?
OTOH, it seems the prices are also controlled for these products by Harman - so there is no way you can get a better price on Harman products in India from a different seller. Even the end customer may be turned off by their pricing.
For example, 3490 stereo receiver retails at $274 in the US, while price in India is 30,000. More than double! - Amazon.com: Harman Kardon HK 3490 2 x 120W Stereo Receiver: Electronics

But if I look at cambridge audio products, for example, 640C - it is around 26,000 in India (correct me if I am wrong on this pricing), while in the US it is $558 - same price in India and in the US. Amazon.com: Cambridge - 640C v2 - CD Player - Black: Electronics

Personally - ff everything else is equal, I would go for a company that can offer global prices in India. Now, people can talk about taxes being higher in India and those kind of things, but they are equally applicable to CA as they are to HK.

What could be the reason people don't recommend HK products here?

regards

 

[moserw]

They are terribly expensive/over priced over here in Hyderabad at least. SQ is great but not really bang for the buck at those prices. An entry level 5.1 system starts at Rs. 1.5 lacs onwards over here. For that kind of budget you can do a lot better than Harman International. Also, since HK and JBL are owned by the same parent company they try to push only JBL speakers and demo with other speakers is not even an option. Not that I have anything against JBL...

 

[anm]

Entry level ones are cheaper if you settle for wall mounted satellite speakers - I think there was some cine system for around 40-45k, while an infinity system was for 89k - both included amp.

 

[bobby0909]

Higher price of the products under Harman Kardon brand is one of the main factor keeping the price consious Indians away from them .

Moreover, my personal take is that Harman Kardon products ,specially the AVRs produce a sound which is quite forward and bright which is not the average liking of the Indians.

 

[magma]

i agree with anm

i have heard a harman reciever 3390 with jbl speakers.
i liked the sound. yes it was forward, but it did get my feet tapping
(more about that audition later)

if you can get harman products from abroad then good on you.
The problem is that these harman products are difficult to fing in the grey market(ive come across only the recievers) and as someone posted here they are priced to high for the smart indian consumer

 

[hemantwaghe]

I had Herman Kardon in Dubai - Fantastic amp - and good thing is always claimed low wattage - so it shows the honesty.
Now I Have JBL control 1 speakers ,and another very basic JBL 5.1 speakers SCS 140 BK - and I find they are good at that price ( got dispsly piece in Reliance for 8-9 K . this set consists 5 small satellites and 1 Active 8 inch Sub!Link - India JBL

Site Says

JBL SCS140 BK
5.1 Home Cinema System

Four powerful, compact satellites and a voice-matched center channel speaker with a 200mm (8"), 100-Watt powered subwoofer deliver CINEMATIC ACTION as it was MEANT TO BE HEARD. Very, very affordable (as opposed to cheap) thrills.


Now ONE GOOD THING

I am certain this package is available for 25 K! ( Just check whether it is one off pricing!)This I feel far better than Onkyo or yamaha packages as it is with 8" active sub and smaller well made 2 waysatellites by a speaker company ( JBL)

Package details

Cinesystem 133
Package includes harman/kardon AVR133 and JBL SCS140Bk

India JBL


JBL India site

::: JBL :::

Their distributor Sahil Intl's site

FX Audio | JBL - harman/kardon - Infinity - Denon ProDJ | Dealers in India...

Note - Check JBL's Car speakers and Subwoofers - especially bass tubes!! Real punchy sound!

 

[anm]

It is great to see Reliance enter into JBL/ HK products. Hope some vendor competition is going to be good for the consumers, and JBL as well.

 

[hemantwaghe]

Unfortunatly hat was a single lot the've tried - They offered JBL Speakers with pioneer amp ---- nowdays I did not see any fresh stock!

 

[spirovious]

It is great to see Reliance enter into JBL/ HK products. Hope some vendor competition is going to be good for the consumers, and JBL as well.

anm allow me to talk abt Sony AVR too.They are well rated & good for music too.HK avr starts from 30k?

By the way are you looing for another AVR as you have Onkyo 606?

 

[micjak77]

When it comes to AVR's, HK is not considered in the same league as say a Denon Yammy or Onkyo. Thats how most people percieve it. And when it comes to JBL speakers. They are viewed more as a party speaker or the DJ kind, not seen purists or audiophile's swear by them. They have a rich leagcy though being closely associated with THX and Woodstock festivals and I know that they provide the sound in most of the cinema halls across the world. Despite all this their prices look higher to the avg Indian consumer.

my 2 cents!

 

[anm]

I don't have 606. I currently have 340 or 304 which came in an HTiB. I am looking to upgrade but not in a hurry.

Some indication of HK prices can be had here

http://sumaria.co.in/index.php?manufacturers_id=21&page=1&sort=3a

and here for packages
http://sumaria.co.in/index.php?cPath=45_81_83

regards

anm allow me to talk abt Sony AVR too.They are well rated & good for music too.HK avr starts from 30k?

By the way are you looing for another AVR as you have Onkyo 606?

 

[spirovious]

I don't have 606. I currently have 340 or 304 which came in an HTiB. I am looking to upgrade but not in a hurry.

Some indication of HK prices can be had here

http://sumaria.co.in/index.php?manufacturers_id=21&page=1&sort=3a

and here for packages
http://sumaria.co.in/index.php?cPath=45_81_83

regards

Hi,

we can expand list of AVR-
Denon,Onkyo,Yam,HK,SONY,Pioneer,Arcam,Marantz
Samsung will join in this year too.

 

[marsilians]

Couple reasons I have observed over the past 3 yrs or so.

1. HK was late catching up to the high resolution feature set. For instance even at the beginning of last year, its AVRs did not pass through audio over HDMI. Only video.

2. Onkyo in some ways pushed HK (and other AVRs) way down in their feature set by supporting the latest A/V formats targeting early adopters

3. HK had to deal with lots of quality issues over the last couple of years. Many AVRs just give up even within the first 6 months or so. I have seen HK offer the next generaiton AVRs for defective ones that were returned within the few months. which leads one to surmise that they did know and accept the issues. I understand they have addressed these issues but time is the best judge.

Seemingly, there is absolutely no mention/ recommendation of harman products in these forums. But if you look at other US/ international forums, lot of people swear by the SQ of harman kardon.

What could be the reason?

Is it because it is not available on all shops except Harman franchise showrooms? Which means dealers etc on this forum would not gain anything by recommending harman/ JBL?
OTOH, it seems the prices are also controlled for these products by Harman - so there is no way you can get a better price on Harman products in India from a different seller. Even the end customer may be turned off by their pricing.
For example, 3490 stereo receiver retails at $274 in the US, while price in India is 30,000. More than double! - Amazon.com: Harman Kardon HK 3490 2 x 120W Stereo Receiver: Electronics

But if I look at cambridge audio products, for example, 640C - it is around 26,000 in India (correct me if I am wrong on this pricing), while in the US it is $558 - same price in India and in the US. Amazon.com: Cambridge - 640C v2 - CD Player - Black: Electronics

Personally - ff everything else is equal, I would go for a company that can offer global prices in India. Now, people can talk about taxes being higher in India and those kind of things, but they are equally applicable to CA as they are to HK.

What could be the reason people don't recommend HK products here?

regards

 

[Guns]

JBL is best known for pro stuff. they have LSR series under recording and broadcasting which are excellent in quality and build check JBL Professional for further details, and the best part is they are available in India for almost the same price as US unlike the consumer stuff.

 

[anm]

Thanks Guns. I am primarily talking from cosumer/ home usage PoV.
Nevertheless, you can suggest few things out of pro stuff that can be used in home - like active x-overs, speakers etc.

regards

JBL is best known for pro stuff. they have LSR series under recording and broadcasting which are excellent in quality and build check JBL Professional for further details, and the best part is they are available in India for almost the same price as US unlike the consumer stuff.

 

[anm]

though getting defective piece is a nightmare, but it is certainly a wow customer service if we can get it replaced by a new gen brand new avr! I hope you are talking about Indian customers getting those replacements. That's a major plus point for JBL.
Is there any other company/ vendor doing the same?

regards

Many AVRs just give up even within the first 6 months or so. I have seen HK offer the next generaiton AVRs for defective ones that were returned within the few months.

 

[marsilians]

though getting defective piece is a nightmare, but it is certainly a wow customer service if we can get it replaced by a new gen brand new avr! I hope you are talking about Indian customers getting those replacements. That's a major plus point for JBL.
Is there any other company/ vendor doing the same?

regards

All observed issues were in the US. Also, their customer service is pretty good.

One reason they offered the new AVRs was the crappy ones they rolled out in the market before that. Personally, I would be suspect to upgrading to the latest line if the past history suggested widespread issues, irrespective of how good a deal it sounds.

 

[Guns]

As mentioned earlier please check the LSR range from recording & broadcasting except for the top end model LSR6332 3 way moniter the rest of the monitors are Active and bi amplified, so hunting for a matching amps is not necessary. These monitors have very flat response and the LSR6300 series are THX certified. further these monitors can be used for home purpose if you want. they have a distributor in Delhi( forgot details) from whom you can check and audition.

 

[anm]

Are these monitors meant for nearfield listening or can they be placed 10-12 ft away from the listening position, in a room size/ listening area of 15x15 ft?

regards

As mentioned earlier please check the LSR range from recording & broadcasting except for the top end model LSR6332 3 way moniter the rest of the monitors are Active and bi amplified, so hunting for a matching amps is not necessary. These monitors have very flat response and the LSR6300 series are THX certified. further these monitors can be used for home purpose if you want. they have a distributor in Delhi( forgot details) from whom you can check and audition.

 

[Guns]

Most of them are ment for near field that approx 1 to 2 mts distance while the top of the line is near and mid field which is 2 to 3 mts. i would suggest you read the spec details on the net.