The perfect receiver for a medium-sized Home Theater
Written: Jan 09 '03
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Pros: Good build quality, great sound, many inputs
Cons: No component video pass-through, complex remote, low power rating
The Bottom Line: The AVR125 is not about power, it's about delivering quality sound at moderate levels in small and medium sized rooms, and it does a great job.
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| rfman's Full Review: harman/kardon AVR 125 5.1 Channels Receiver |
Harmon/Kardon is a brand that I consider to be in the upper levels of consumer electronics. In terms of amplifiers and receivers, it’s not up to the level of Mark Levinson or Carver, but a Harman/Kardon is a step above your typical Kenwood or Panasonic gear. With that in mind H/K was on my short list of brands that I would consider, along with Denon and Nakamichi.
The advantage the Harman/Kardon has over those other brands is in terms of price. For about the same amount you would pay for your typical “Best Buy” type of receiver, you can get a really well-made receiver with a solid feature set and good design. Harman/Kardon products feel solidly built. The sheer weight and size of the power supplies they place in their receivers is a testament to the high standards of design that are adhered to. Not to mention the simple yet elegant front panel display and control setup which, unlike what it too often seen in Japanese design, is devoid of flashy displays and numerous small buttons. What it does have though, are useful and well laid-out indications of the current operating mode of the receiver.
The particular model I bought is the entry-level Harman/Kardon AVR125. Sort of like an entry level Mercedes C-Class, it has the same quality and design as its larger siblings, just with fewer features and less power, not to mention a price that rivals the mid-range offerings of most leading manufacturers. The AVR125 is a 5.1 receiver featuring true 45W par channel power output. Compared to many receivers in the same price range, and even some less expensive ones, this seems rather low, but two elements must be taken into account in this case: all Harman/Kardon receivers feature high-current amplifiers that allow them to drive low-impedance loads that are representative of most speakers at some points of the frequency range (a typical 8 ohm speaker can have an impedance below 4 ohms at some frequencies, which requires twice the current to produce the same power), so when some other amplifiers cut out below their maximum output power because of an overcurrent situation, the H/K keeps on going. The other caveat is that H/K measures the output power of their amplifiers with all channels driven, which places the most stress on the power supply. In this case, power is measured with all five channels outputting 45 Watts of power at the same time. Most manufacturers measure the output with only one or two channels driven, such as 2-channel stereo output with the three other channels inactive. It may produce 100Watts per channel with only the front 2 drives, but what will it do in a surround sound situation? So don’t discount this amplifier because of its lower power rating. A short listening session will quickly convince you that the power is all there, especially in small to medium rooms.
The Harman/Kardon features a multitude of surround listening modes including Dolby Digital, DTS, ProLogic, ProLogic II (music and movie mode), Logic7 (music and movie mode), 5 channel stereo and 3 channel stereo. This pretty much covers any type of signal you would ever need to deal with. DD and DTS are standard for DVD movies, and quite common for HDTV broadcasts, while ProLogic II in movie mode is great for stereo TV shows and older movies or VHS movies. It’s quite amazing to hear the improvements that have occurred between ProLogic and ProLogic II, and many TV shows and video games are taking advantage of it. Logic 7 is a Harman/Kardon exclusive system designed to simulate surround sound from stereo signals, a bit in the same way ProLogic (I and II) works. In my opinion, Logic 7 is much better for music than ProLogic II in music mode, as it keeps the vocals up front where they belong and keeps a more focused soundstage. Logic 7 is not as great for movies and broadcast TV however, since those are recorded with ProLogic in mind. 5-channel stereo simply treats the rear speakers like the front ones (like in a car) and sends all audio to the center as well. 3-channel does the same without the rear speakers. For stereo audio purists, there is also an all-analog mode for stereo audio signals where the input analog signal bypasses the signal processing stage and is sent directly to the amplifiers without processing.
Add to all those surround modes a multitude of inputs, and you’ve got a truly versatile receiver. The AVR 125 features three optical digital inputs and three coaxial digital inputs, one of each located on the front panel, as well as a 6-channel analog inputs for external surround decoders, and 3 stereo analog inputs. All of these inputs are assignable to the device you chose, so you can assign Optical 2 to DVD and coaxial 1 to CD or whatever combination you choose. There are 5 available devices to which inputs can be assigned (Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, DVD and CD). The only weak point of this system is that the analog inputs for each device is hard-wired, meaning that if you assign Optical input 1 to Video 1, it’s analog input cannot be used, and that analog input is wasted.
The AVR125’s remote control is complete, to say the least. It is of the universal type, allowing you to control your TV, DVD player and other devices with it, and it even allows for programming of 4 macros in which you can store a sequence of commands that could allow, for example, to turn all your TV, DVD player and select the correct inputs on the TV and receiver, with a single button press. This is certainly a desirable feature, especially on an entry-level model. However, I did not use this remote much, since I have a Philips Pronto touchscreen universal remote. My problem with this remote is that it has a lot of small buttons packed closely together that makes it hard to use. Couple that with the lack of a backlight, and you have a remote that is totally useless while watching a movie. There are video inputs for all but CD and Tape devices, but these are limited to Composite and S-Video. For those of us with high-definition progressive scan video devices, an external means of switching video will be required.
The AM/FM tuner is quite standard, although it has the nice feature of being able to directly enter a station’s frequency using the numeric keypad, and it also came with a rather good AM antenna. The best reception is achieved when you connect a good antenna or cable feed to the 75-ohm coaxial antenna input however.
But the important thing: how does it sound? It’s hard to give an objective description because the sound will vary with each type of speaker used, and well as per each listener’s ears. What I have found however is that sound is clean and powerful with no sign of distortion even at the high range of amplifier output levels. Low-end extension is great, with surprisingly powerful bass compared to its modest power rating, much of which has to do with the high-current amplifier used. The amplifier has great bandwidth and covers the entire frequency range well. There is no detectable background noise or hiss from the amplifier at extremely low listening levels. I’m certain audiophiles would find something to pick at, but I can only say that this is a great receiver that will provide great sound at a great price, although it won’t reach output powers that will blow up speakers or make you deaf.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 279
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rfman
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Member: Luc Delorme
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 103
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About Me:
Electrical Engineer, amateur photographer, car buff, technophile, video game player and collector.
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