Why No More Harman Kardon Receivers?

[sonicboom]

Hi everyone,

I think I am missing something.

Why is Ascend no longer carrying Harman Kardon electronics?

[Asliang]

They are kinda buggy, single HDMI output, weird DSP. I am not surprised.

[davef]

Hi everyone,

I think I am missing something.

Why is Ascend no longer carrying Harman Kardon electronics?

Sorry that I missed this post... Harman went thought a major restructuring about a year ago and after much frustration dealing with various CS issues related to order fulfillment, we decided to let our dealership contract lapse. We also found that it was impossible to compete with HK pricing on Amazon as they often retailed the products at less than our dealer cost :eek:

I am most pleased about this decision as it has allowed us to focus more on our core business.

[Asliang]

Yeah I notice stuff that sells on the Harman eBay Store (with warranty!) goes for pretty crazy prices, 50% or less msrp is not unusual.

[davef]

Yeah I notice stuff that sells on the Harman eBay Store (with warranty!) goes for pretty crazy prices, 50% or less msrp is not unusual.

Yeah, we never made a dime selling the goods -- it was more about convenience to our customers.

[sonicboom]

So what is a good receiver to match with Ascend speakers?

I have the CMT-340SEs and they are powered by a stereo Sherwood receiver. Sounds good to me, but I would like to hear receiver recommendations from those in the know. I now have a pair of 170s in hibernation since the 340s arrived. I would like to put them back into commission, so please recommend a good surround receiver to match with my speakers. Price range I am looking at is around $500-700.

Thanks a lot.

[jbistany]

Hey SonicB,

I don't know if this helps you but I have the 340SE L/R/C and the 200''s for rears. I'm running them off a Denon 1911 i got last year and its a mind numbing combo. I had a a couple Onkyo's for years before buying the Denon, I got a Pioneer 1020 but had HDMI issues so I took it back. The Denon sounded better than both, much cleaner and not as bright as the Pio or the Onkyo, especially when you crank it. The newer version is the 1912.

Good luck!

Jeff

[Dark Ranger]

So what is a good receiver to match with Ascend speakers?

I have the CMT-340SEs and they are powered by a stereo Sherwood receiver. Sounds good to me, but I would like to hear receiver recommendations from those in the know. I now have a pair of 170s in hibernation since the 340s arrived. I would like to put them back into commission, so please recommend a good surround receiver to match with my speakers. Price range I am looking at is around $500-700.

Thanks a lot.

You have a lot of options in that price range. The 340s are also some of the most efficient speakers currently offered by Ascend, so any modern surround receiver should be able to drive them with ease. Any of the big names should do fine: Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, etc. My personal preference for AVRs is either Denon or Yamaha.

Here are some links for AVRs in your price range. When shopping for receivers, I recommend you focus on features instead of power output. Pick the one that has the I/O connectivity you need, room correction options, and overall feature set.


Denon

AVR-1912 - $549 (http://usa.denon.com/us/Product/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pcatid=AVSolutions%28DenonNA%29&CatId=AVReceivers%28DenonNA%29&Pid=AVR1912%28DenonNA%29)

AVR-2112CI - $649 (http://usa.denon.com/us/Product/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pcatid=AVSolutions%28DenonNA%29&CatId=AVReceivers%28DenonNA%29&Pid=AVR2112CI%28DenonNA%29)


Onkyo

HT-RC360 - $549 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=HT-RC360&class=Receiver&p=i)

TX-NR609 - $599 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR609&class=Receiver&p=i)

TX-NR414 (coming soon) - $499 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR414&class=Receiver&p=i)

TX-NR515 (coming soon) - $599 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR515&class=Receiver&p=i)

TX-NR616 (coming soon) - $699 (http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-NR616&class=Receiver&p=i)


Pioneer

VSX-1122-K - $599 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Pioneer+Receivers/VSX-1122-K)

VSX-50 (Elite) - $600 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Elite+Receivers/VSX-50)

VSX-51 (Elite) - $700 (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Elite+Receivers/VSX-51)


Yamaha

HTR-5064 - $499 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr/htr-5064/?mode=model#psort=hightolow&mode=paging)

RX-V571 - $499 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/rx-v571_black__u/?mode=model)

RX-V671 - $599 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/rx/rx-v671_black_u/?mode=model)

RX-A700 - $649 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a700_black__u/?mode=model)

RX-A710 - $649 (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/rx-a710/?mode=model)

[Mag_Neato]

Don't forget about Marantz.

My SR6003 sounds very nice with my Sierra-1 NrT's. Marantz & Denon are under the same corporate umbrella. Marantz is focused on SQ more than features, which is where Denon takes the lead.

I found it refurbed at Accessories4less.

[Sam1000]

Accessories4less has a sale on one of the sherwood 972. It has Trinov room correction. I would have jumped on it if I had not purchased a pre-pro with Audyssey xt32.
I think Curtis got one of those now. You might want to PM him for feedback..

[curtis]

Accessories4less has a sale on one of the sherwood 972. It has Trinov room correction. I would have jumped on it if I had not purchased a pre-pro with Audyssey xt32.
I think Curtis got one of those now. You might want to PM him for feedback..
I really like the R-972, but it isn't a piece that is easily setup.

It has its problems/quirks, it is not polished. If you can get around these things, the capabilities of Trinnov are rewarding. In fact, I will go as far and say that for movies, after using Trinnov, it will be difficult to go to anything else.

I'm using it as a pre/pro and have been very happy with for the week that I've had it. It was $1800 retail, now being sold for $600. Problems aside, I don't think you'll find a better sounding receiver, but you will find receivers that work better overall.

Later, I will post a note to a friend that ask about it.


Here's the note...

It certainly has its quirks....but Sanjay and Manoj urged me to give it a try. I am using it as a pre/pro.

The remote is terrible, the manual is piece of crap, the video handshaking needs work, and the 3 second delay or so to lock into a codec can really bother some...especially channel flippers. In all, it seems some have more problems with the units than others. All my issues seem to be workable.

I will reprogram my MX-700 remote. The manual is a last resort for me. I have the video in bypass mode, and don't seem to have any problems there. The 3-second delay has not been a annoyance for me. The thread on AVS has been helpful.

Setup was pretty easy for me. I had no problems. It just took some time.

I am still messing around with the EQ, spatial/remapping options, but so far, the sound has been great. I watched Super 8 a couple of nights ago, and the integration of the whole 5.1 never sounded so good...I was truly impressed.

I wish it had Dynamic EQ, and some network functionality would be nice...but that's about it. For $600 bucks, and its sound capabilities are well worth it if the quirks/bugs/issues don't get you.

[Dark Ranger]

Don't forget about Marantz.

My SR6003 sounds very nice with my Sierra-1 NrT's. Marantz & Denon are under the same corporate umbrella. Marantz is focused on SQ more than features, which is where Denon takes the lead.

I found it refurbed at Accessories4less.

I was going to include Marantz, but the MSRPs were above his budget for the 5006/6006. Of course, one can usually find better prices with a little research.

[Mag_Neato]

Here's one at the top of his budget:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6006/MARANTZ-SR6006-Home-theater-receiver-3D-ready-HDMI-Air-Play/1.html

Almost sold out. Just one example. They have several pieces availabe, including the SR5006.

I am very happy with the sound quality.

[Sonic Ray]

Hey, this is slightly off topic, but for HT is 7 channel notably different from 5 channel? Worth it?

[curtis]

Hey, this is slightly off topic, but for HT is 7 channel notably different from 5 channel? Worth it?
It depends on size of the room and speaker placement...but yes, it can be a notably better experience.

[sonicboom]

I don't think I have the room for 7 channels. 5.1 will be the most speakers I can fit in my listening area.

Wow! So much options, it's mind-boggling. I appreciate your replies guys.