I always thought the most of Harman Kardon. Not anymore...
Written: Dec 26 '01 (Updated Dec 26 '01)
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Pros: Sound Quality
Cons: Reliability, Customer Care, Overall Quality
The Bottom Line: I will probably never buy a Harman Kardon product again.
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| duketheman's Full Review: harman/kardon AVR 210 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I bought the Harman Kardon AVR210 mostly because of the brand name. I always thought their products are some of the best. I was proven wrong (or maybe is my bad luck?)...
From the moment I got the receiver I noticed the antenna input has a loose connection, so when you use the tuner, you have to be really careful not to touch the unit or you'll loose signal. I thought I could live with that, so I didn't even call tech support.
Everything was fine (I have to admit the sound quality is good, too bad it's not reliable) for about four months, and then I started to have real problems.
I wouldn't get any sound on the speakers, so I had to do a full factory reset (according to the manual). The sound came back, and I was able to use the unit for another couple of weeks (I still needed to reset the unit twice a week, and every time I had to reprogram all settings - a lot of fun).
After about two weeks of reprogramming, the sound would not come back, even with the reset. I called Tech Support and I was told to contact a local Service Center. I contacted Custom Electronics of New York and I brought the unit in for repair.
It's been four weeks already and they are still waiting for the part... I don't know which part, as a matter of fact I called Harman Kardon Tech Support and they couldn't figure out which part either (the local Service Center couldn't provide that info). Now if Harman Kardon cannot get that information from the local Service Center, who could?
Anyway, I gave up hoping, I spent the Holidays without my receiver, I have to watch my DVDs listening to the TV speakers and forget about any music or radio shows. Harman Kardon promised they will investigate and eventually replace the unit if the part is not available or back ordered, but that takes time and I'm looking into another month without my receiver.
I had a problem with my NEC monitor and they replaced it right away (I got the new one in three days), so I know there is another way to assure a good customer care. Harman Kardon simply didn't choose it.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 350
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Epinions.com ID:
duketheman
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Reviews written: 1
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