Harman AVR 340 7.1 Channels Receiver

(This text has been updated. The Update is at the end/bottom of this review)

It has been awhile since Ive upgraded my speakers and receiver, as evident from my very first review ive written. But ive since discovered the “true” audio world where HTiB receivers and satellite speakers cant really compare to tower speakers (or well designed bookshelves) and “proper” receivers that are able to deliver strong power to them. One of my first foray was the decision on this Harman Kardon AVR 340 receiver.


-Appearance/Enclosure
These H/K's are, without a doubt, one of the most striking, sexy and yet simple designs Ive seen in the world of all-black or all-silver boxes with buttons smashed and stashed on the front, of many, if not most other manufactures. Even though this is the AVR 340, which was built and sold in and around 2006, it could still very well cope against its competitors that are sold today. On of the most striking features are, in my opinion the multiple Blue colored led's that shine the volume knob, the power button, and the front display. They are many times an automatic conversation starter, yet the blue glows are soft enough, for me at least to not get distracting in the dark when watching a movies or playing video games.

Aside from styling, the display of this H/K gives you large sized text visible from even 15 or 20 feet away. The dot-matrix display shows you both the Input Name (eg. VIDEO 1, TAPE, CD), and the sound mode (Dolby, DTS, Surround Off etc.). The same information is given in smaller, static text shown in their respective Corporate logo styling (for the surround modes), on the left and right of the display, which when I think about it doesn't make any real sense when the Dot-matrix display shows you what surround mode you are in. Though the input displays on the right could be useful when trying to match you preferred input relative to the connection on the pack on the unit, or also when you changed the input name from VIDEO 3 into DVD, for example.

The volume knob, while wholly functional, doesn't really feel too trusting. As in, it feels very cheap and could snap off if I spin it too hard too fast. So I usually use the remote control. But other buttons on the front are pretty good. Compared to my last Sony receiver they feel nice and functional.

-Input/Output connections
There are numerous connections into and out of this receiver, many of which I probably wont use for the time being. The connectors include Composite, S-Video, Stereo RCA (White-Red), Coax/Optical, Component video (which accepts HD signal, says the manual.), 7 pairs of speaker terminals, subwoofer output, and Pre-outs. If you look at some pictures on search engines you should get a pretty good idea of how many and where they are at the rear.

The rear also contains some unique connections. One unique connection is an I/O port called “The Bridge” that allows a user to connect their iPod to the receiver. This is beneficial to people who have iPods (with “The Bridge” cable) because it A) allows easy access to your tunes by using the remote and B) the connection is digital, so the quality will be as good as it can be. Another unique feature is a LAN/Cat5 cable interface so you can connect remote sensor pods (in conjunction with your Second Zone speakers) in other rooms so you don't have to go back into the main room and change the volume, for example. And finally, the rear has a set of outputs called “Pre-outs”. What these are is that it allows this receiver to only act like a video and sound decoder, and sends sound information through the pre-outs to an amplifier if the AVR 340, for some reason, cant give the necessary power requirements of, say some new speakers that require a large amp. You don't have to buy a completely new receiver, you can just buy standalone Amps that only create power, and use the AVR to control the video inputs, the surround sound settings etc. Pretty nifty.

The video and digital audio inputs are all assignable, so you don't have to exactly match what you have at the rear, but doing so will simplify matters.

As a final note, many might notice that this does not employ any HDMI connectors. This may turn people away from it, but I think Component is perfectly fine. 720P or 1080i over component is great looking. We don't really have an HDMI television to begin with, so im not really sure how much of a difference it would be, but high definition went into and out of the AVR 340 clear and sharp. This AVR 340 also upscales composite/s-video signals and sends them over Component, so you don't have to have multiple extra wires going to your Component capable television.

-On Screen Display (OSD)
This is the first receiver I own that has an OSD within it self, which I see is becoming more and more standard these days. Non the less, it does the job adequately and easily because of its large text size and good text contrast.

These are the menus and submenus to which this AVR 340 can display on screen.

INPUT SETUP
-Input (to select the input, which can be done on the remote too)
-Name (To enter a custom name for the input)
-Component in (This is where you can assign which Comp. In can be used relative to the current input selected.)
-Digital in (Same as Component in, but this is where you assign the Coax/Optical in)
-Auto poll (You can set this to OFF if you don't want the AVR 340 to try and “find” an analog source if the Digital source is interrupted, such as when a DVD is stopped or paused.)
AUDIO SETUP
-Tone (Can be set to IN if you want your custom bass/treble settings in effect. When set to OUT, the Bass and Treble settings go to default i.e. O (zero))
-Bass (adjustable from -10 to 10)
-Treble (adjustable from -10 to 10)
SURROUND SELECT
-(this menu allows you to select the surround mode you desire, including Dolby surround, DTS, Logic 7, DSP [Hall, etc.], VMAx, and good ol' Stereo.)
EzSet/EQ
-(this is where you set up a microphone in the area that you sit in, and the AVR 340 creates test tones to identify the speakers distance, size, volume loudness level, and the subwoofer crossover (The Front, Center, and Rear can all have varying crossover, so you are not limited to a “Global” setting.)
MANUAL SETUP
-EzSet Active (You can set this to YES if you want to use the settings created by the EzSet/EQ program, or you can set to NO if you want to manually configure the setup yourself.
-Speaker Size (The speaker size can be set to LARGE so bass can be directed to the spakers if you dont have a subwoofer, or SMALL if you do and want to have the subwoofer handle the lower bass notes)
-Speaker X-over (The subwoofer crossover can be set at 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, and 200 Hz)
-Delay Adjust (If some of your speakers are at varying distances from you seat, you can adjust to delay each speaker to get a more seamless sound environment)
-Channel Adjust (The “loudness” of each speaker get a balanced and equal sound from all direction of your seat.)
MULTI ROOM ~~(You can use your Surround Back speaker terminals as another set of Main speakers if you want to enjoy a different input in a different room. You lose the ability to use 7.1 surround sound though.)
-Multi-Room (You can set the speakers in the other room to ON or OFF)
-Multi In (This is where you select what source you want to listen to.[the source has to be from an analog connection, so an optical or coaxial sound source will not work])
-Multi Volume (You set the volume of the 2nd zone here. They are separate from you main volume controls.)
-SB Amp (You set whether you want to enable or disable the multi room function. Disabling causes the speakers to become part of the 7.1 surround sound setup)

-Setup (EzSet/EQ)
Setup was like any other receiver, just connecting the various wires and cords to certain inputs and outputs. But when the physical setup is complete, you should turn it on and run the EzSet program.

The EzSet/EQ, as mentioned before sends out test tones to each and every speaker. The sounds are quite loud, so you may want to leave the room when it begins. The setup takes about 3 to 5 minutes. And the results, to the best of my knowledge pretty good.

Also, note the “EQ” moniker at the end of the programs name. The EzSet/EQ also adjusts the way sounds are given. A sort of “Auto-Equalizer”. It changes the characteristics just enough to possibly make the sounds more better. But not enough to totally change the sound characteristics.

-Sound
--MUSIC
(I am using Infinity Primus P362 speakers as fronts, PC250 as center, and P142 as surrounds, and an MTX 10” subwoofer in a right hand corner, in a 5.1 setup)

After getting it out of the box, connecting all your connections, and adjusting to what you need, it all comes down to the sound, at least for me.

Ive listed to many varieties of music on this AVR 340, from Jazz, Classical, Pop, Game Music, 80's, Techno, and Rock, and many other musics that I'm not even sure what their genres are. Let me tell you now that all your music will sound many, many times better then what you may have bought 10 years ago, or for what you may have bought for cheaper, say sub $400.

Classical music comes vary alive, and I was even shocked sometimes. Some of them I didn't even know I had because they sounded so different then my last sound system. This is a little embarrassing to say, but one classical pieces actually made me drop a tear because it sounded so beautiful and lush. This receiver, matched with a nice pair of speakers could make your mind explode with emotion while listening to classics's. The highs in Violins for example weren't piercingly harsh or crunched up sounding, but came in like notes floating on a river.

Rock too sounded great, such as Led zeppelin's “When the Levee Breaks”. The harmonica and the drum really make you foot tap along with the music.

Jazz was awesome as well. The dynamics I felt made me think the guys were *right there*, playing and wailing their saxes on stage to a small crowd.

What im trying to say is that basically, this receiver is simply awesome. No matter what you listen to, where you listen, what you listen, and how loud you listen, it will always deliver the goods in a strong, powerful, puffed-up chest and chin-high kind of way.

--MOVIES
The first movie I watched was Saving Private Ryan. I actually bought the DVD (because Ive never actually seen the movie before) in anticipation for the receiver I was getting. I also called a friend over to watch it, as he too hadn't seen it yet. Let me first say that the beginning beach scene is one helluva fight scene. But he AVR 340 never heard, or felt like it was loosing steam because of too much bass. Gun shots, artillery you name it, sounded very powerful. Vocals came in clear and swift. I anticipate what movies I discover in my cabinet so we can re-watch them again.

--GAMING
(Using a Playstation 3, Call Of Duty : World At War)
Gaming was simply amazing and enveloping on this Harman/Kardon. Using an optical connection to get optimal sound, footsteps, weapon changes, and even an enemy's or friendly's breathing came in clear and distinct. You feel yourself actually into the game, and noticing many details that you may not have heard before.

-Reliability
Everything was fine and dandy for this receiver until the idea of reliability came into the mind. The first one I received actually had a broken Right channel. I sent it back for an exchange, and my second unit, which is my current, was fine at first, until I used the Second Zone speakers (which are actually in the same room as the main speakers for my setup [using the 2nd zone as PC speakers]) and listened to music slightly more louder then I usually did. After a minute of the same level, I noticed a strange smell occurring from the receiver. I turned the receiver off as I was a little frightened that it may burst the speakers because from an overload. But after I turned it back on, the 2nd zone right channel wasn't/isn't functioning. This also means that I couldn't do 7.1 surround. If Harman allows me to go to a high volume, I should expect the receiver to perform fine. They should have set a lower Maximum level if the receiver can't handle it. I am a little disappointed in the reliability of these things, as I wanted one that could function properly for many years, but such are the electronics of today. Other then one broken speaker output, it has been trouble free since ½ year ago.

-Conclusion
The Harman/Kardon AVR 340 receiver can be summed up by saying that it’s sleek, simple, and yet powerful. The handsome styling of the exterior will catch anyone’s attention, while its simple design also does the same thing. Simple can also describe the On Screen Display; it is easy to navigate and use while being fully functional. And finally, the sound is simply awe inspiring. Power and depth while being able to dish out beautiful, full bodied sound that can fill a small to medium sized room easily at pretty high volumes. Granted, if you own a similar performing home theatre receiver, then you probably won’t be as wowed as I was. I am simply excited because of all the wait and decision making that went into selecting this receiver against many others. I bought this receiver refurbished from Harman Audio’s own website, so I received their 1 year warranty, which isn’t really long, considering that two of my receiver’s have become defective, but Harman’s customer service makes up some of this partially because of their very excellent customer service.

The Harman/Kardon AVR 340 is an excellent all-round receiver, perfect for the beginner, while also good for the movie and music buff.
(I will try to update for a long term test, we'll see how long this receiver lasts because of the reliability issues. I may update in one year or less.)

UPDATE: Unfortunatly for this review, i cannot give a long term reliability test, as I have returned this AVR 340, and Harman Audio subsequently "upgraded" my rreceiver to the newer AVR 347. I may write a different review on it, but it is not too different from this 340. I still recommend the 340 if the user does not need HDMI)