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I have always loved Harman Kardon products, but this one was not for me. I bought this one to connect my iMac to a sound system. I do not have a television at this time to use as a conduit for my iMac and this Harmon Kardon Home Theater system requires one to change source settings as the menu only works on a screen. To make it work as intended, I would have had to buy a DVD player and TV capable of being used as part of a Home Theater System. What I did instead was to buy an Onkyo that connects directly to my iMac to provide sound to it for steaming movies from NetFlix or any other venue, such as Internet Radio and YouTube. The Onkyo does not require a screen to change settings as it can be done directly on the receiver, just as my previous Harmon Kardon was capable of doing. That the Harmon Kardon AVR-254 7.1 no longer is capable of setting changes without a TV is very disappointing!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Refurbished
This is a temporary receiver until a new receiver I am waiting to purchase arrives on the showroom so I wanted something cheap but does the job. I think there are better receivers in the market with similar price point. I used external amplifiers but did test the receiver's amplifier for short listening session which wasn't bad. Modest amp rating is probably underrated so it should have no problem driving most speakers to moderate listening level. I've used 7.1 setup using this receiver which really puts the load onto the receiver's amplifier and sound stage seems to clip at loud volume. By using a separate amplifier did solve this problem but sound stage is not convincing at all. Pro: Digital domain was easy to use and setup. Can rename each input to avoid confusion. Has 3 HDMI which should suffice for most users. Video processing is decent. Power output is decent for low price receiver. On screen setup is relatively easy to do and use. Front panel is easy to read and attractive. Con: Front panel input selection is awkward and time consuming. Included microphone does not accurately determine the speaker distance and level output (check the level with sound meter). Analog stage is mediocre and not very musical. Cannot activate rear fill channel when source is automatically to detect the encoding format. Conclusion: If you live in a apartment and want to setup a 5.1 sound system investing low budget this receiver is a good choice. Most people will be skeptical with 50 Watt power output but good 50W is better than cheap 100W so just ignore it. Simple surround sound selection will not confuse people not familiar with all sorts of surround format which is good. This receiver looks handsome and will fit the decor.Read full review
HK has removed preamp outputs from AVR 2600, the successor of AVR 254. If you do not want to pay extra for AVR 3600, AVR 254 is your best chance to hook up a high end stereo amp to an HK receiver. HDMI compatibility is an issue with AVR 254, as it does not have a pass through mode like in AVR 3600. If the receiver does not recognize your TV, it downconverts the signal to 480p with no option for a manual override. In particular, AVR 254 is not compatible with professional 720p Panasonic plasma displays utilizing the TY-FB8HM HDMI Terminal Board. Newer HK models like AVR 3600 also are not compatible, but at least have an option to disable the video processor and pass through the signal as it is. The older models like AVR 745 were compatible with Panasonic, but had only 2 HDMI inputs. The maximum consumed power of HK receivers stated on the back of the unit is almost a half of that in the specs. The maximum total output power cannot be more than a half of the consumed power in the AB Class. This explains why only the front channels are rated for continuous power with the rest of the channels only for peak output. If HDMI works for you, AVR 254 is by far the best value for the money today. At this price point you would not even get into the same class with other brands. With Cirrus Logic DAC's and no double conversion for analog inputs like in most other brands, HK achieves the best balance between sound quality and today's connectivity for the price.Read full review
This is a great piece of equipment. I bought it to replace an old AVR-210 and it is an excellent upgrade. The amount of ports this receiver has is excellent - especially the HDMI ports. I never realized how much I needed a receiver with HDMI ports until I hooked this baby up. I do have to say that keeping the wires/cords straight on the inputs was a bit challenging and took some time, but once hooked up the setup was made very easy by the included microphone auto-tuner. The on-screen menus are very easy to navigate once you're all plugged in, although programming the massive remote is VERY challenging - I've yet to figure it out fully with the setup that I have. That's the only detractor from this reciever for me. Plenty of ports and hookups though for any device you might need. All in all my purchase was very easy, and I got this receiver for a very good price. If you can figure out the remote, I highly recommend it!! Would have received 5 stars if remote was more easily programmed. The instructions for programming are very unclear. Thankfully it works great with my multi-remote that I already own.Read full review
First off, I am writing from the perspective of a newcomer to the home audio market. I have heard many good things about Harman Kardon's products for years, figured I would try one of their receivers when I got around to building a home theater. I purchased this system for my bedroom. I am currently using it in a two-channel format, But am planning on expanding it when I get a bigger place. The sound quality is what impressed me the most. I have yet to really bring the system up to reference level. Even in a two Channel format, it sounds WONDERFUL!! Harman Kardon's sound quality is not overrated. I almost think it sounds better than my reciever I have set up for an actual home theater in the living room with double the watts per channel!! The only gripes I have with it are that it can be a little difficult to program without a TV (saving for a good HD!! and only need one right now!) But once that is figured out it is a joy to listen to. I have a Harman Kardon DVD 48 hooked into it right now, and the combination is excellent for what I paid for it. I purchased both off of the Harman Audio Ebay page, and was extremely satisfied with the service of the site. All in all, an great bargain!!Read full review
