Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)My DPR 2005 had issues and I sent it in for warranty service. Harmans warranty department is great, and I was able to trade out my DPR for the new AVR 645, which retails $500 less then the DPR and outputs less power, but has more modern features such as "The Bridge", XM, USB, and HDMI connections. I am dissapointed to say that this unit does not have the EZset feature on the remote control anymore. God knows why as this feature was rated great! Now you have to run the provided mic and cord to the unit for setup, perhaps it works better this way and offers a more accurate EQ curve, I dont know.
Sound Quality- Well to be honest, the speakers I have are nothing great, but sound quality and loudness actually seem better then with the DPR unit. Distortion is hard to judge since my speakers are of low quality. This unit seems to seperate channels a little better for nicer imaging of the sound. Cranked up really pushes my speakers a lot more then the DPR unit. On this unit see no adjustments for speaker impedence as my DPR had, but judging from the sound it doesnt seem to matter.
Fit and Finish- same as any other harman unit. They look excellent, connections on the panels are plentiful and connect securely. A downside I noticed... The classic HK feature, the blue-lit volume dial... well the center blacked out plastic on the dial isn't blacked out enough and you can see the 4 led's behind the plastic on this unit which takes away from the nice blue glow your suppose to see on the perimeter of the dial.
Zone II Remote- Thankfully the Zone II remote control has been updated and looks about 20x better. It is gray and matches the other remotes color, it offers more control, and looks much nicer.
Features- This unit is loaded with just about every input connection you could ask for and has all the DTS, Digital EX, Prologic II and IIX, Dolby headphone, etc.... however for about 1/3 the price so does many other brand units out there. Harman does have the proprietary LOGIC 7 which I'll admit is a processing I choose most often and like, and the unit looks much better then most other units out there and does offer some video scaling... but heres my problem..
DOWNSIDES OF A HARMAN KARDON:
Price but more importantly... HARMANS seems to have some build issues. I see post after post of problems with units not working correctly. I am paying around 600 more for Harman that outputs less power then other brands(or maybe other manufacturers just dont list actual), has no more features then other brands (other then logic 7) and has a brand history of problematic receivers. I'll admit this unit looks great compared to most receivers, but there comes a line. How much are you willing to pay for a unit you pray to god works each time you turn it on, when you can drop $350-400 on a pioneer that I would never worry about not working, has more power output, and has just as many features just not the looks.It all comes down to personal preference. I'll give harman a try a little bit longer, but if I continue to have problems, I will no longer remain brand loyal.
Don't get me wrong these are awesome units and I am not down talking them, I just want to make you aware that there does seem to be some build quality issues, so take that into consideration. I can't speak for this specific model yet(AVR 645), i'm just speaking about others i've owned and read others complain about.
One note is the remote works much better at angles. With the DPR I had to have a much more direct line of site. At a 90 degree angle this AVR picks up commands from the remote! Excellent.
Pros:
Excellent sound, outstanding looks, great features,nice zone II remote, did I mention great looks, great Harman Sound, nice bass (bass especially with dvds, I have to turn db down and bass down to stop it from overpowering with too much bass), On screen setup, HDMI, XM, USB, IPOD, video scaling to component, nice EQ auto setup.
Cons:
Pricey when compared to some other brands, large main remote could be nicer, Heavy and large-however most analog receivers are, build quality might be questionable when basing on past models.
Thank you for reading this review. I hope it helps.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Harman Kardon AVR 645 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver with 2 HDMI Inputs
The Harman Kardon AVR 645 home theater receiver serves as the hub of your home entertainment system, providing a wide range of listening possibilities for almost any audio or video program source. This 7.1-channel surround sound receiver pumps out 75 watts of power per channel (with all channels operating at full power), for 525 watts of total power. The AVR 645's seven-channel amplifier provides the power to reproduce the loudest crescendos or cinema sound effects while remaining virtually free from distortion or system noise. It includes two HDMI inputs for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable. And it's compatible with the optional Harman Kardon Bridge, which links the receiver to your Apple iPod and enables you to control playback of individual songs and playlists via the Harman Kardon remote control.
When playing digital audio sources, the AVR 645 decodes Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, DTS and DTS-ES data streams. Two-channel stereo and matrix surround sources benefit from all current Dolby Pro Logic IIx modes and DTS Neo:6. The latest version of our proprietary Logic 7 process is on-board to create a wider, more enveloping sound field and more defined surround channel positioning, regardless of the type of source material. Additional audio playback options include a direct connection to compatible computer-based sources through a direct USB connection.
Along with two HDMI inputs and three 60MHz analog component video inputs, the AVR 645 converts composite and S-video to component for single video connections. The AVR 445 also provides A/V sync delay so that lip sync errors--commonly seen when digital video processing is used in a source, program or video display--are eliminated.
Thanks to a wide range of multizone options and a standard ZR 10 remote control, the AVR 645 makes it possible to watch and listen to a separate source in one room while the main home theater uses a different source. Using the assignable rear surround channel amplifiers, you may create a basic remote listening zone without any additional equipment, or the unit's multiroom outputs may be used to feed an optional, external power amplifier and volume control. For one-wire multiroom connectivity, the AVR 645 is A-BUS/READY, requiring only a single Category 5/5e cable run and an optional remote module to power a pair of remote speakers while controlling volume and enabling full control over the program source and connected IR-controlled devices.
Other features include:
All popular digital and matrix surround modes, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete and Matrix, DTS Neo:6 and DTS 96/24
EzSet/EQ for quick and accurate system setup and room correction
Dolby Virtual Speaker processing for use when less than a full 5.1 or 7.1 speaker complement is available
Dolby Headphone for spacious, open sound when using headphones
USB connectivity for audio playback with compatible computers and quick system upgrades
Full bass management for all inputs, including the analog direct inputs for high-resolution DVDs, DVD-Audio and SACD players, including Quad Crossover settings and individual settings for each input
Front-panel analog audio/video jacks may be used as either inputs or outputs for connection to the latest portable products or video game consoles
Backlit, eight-device, programmable learning remote control with two-line LCD display
It includes the following audio/video connections:
Coaxial digital: 4 in (1 front, which is switchable to output), 1 out
Optical digital: 4 in (1 front), 1 out
Composite audio/video/S-Video: 5 in (1 front, which is switchable to output), 2 out
Component video: 3 in, 1 out
HDMI: 2 in, 1 out
RS-232C: 1
USB: 1
What's in the Box Receiver, remote control (with batteries), EzSet/EQ microphone, extender rod for microphone, AM antenna, FM antenna, AC power cord, printed operating instructions
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