Onkyo Cable Amplifier

The Harman Kardon AVR-254 7x50W 7.1-channel home theater receiver with HDMI 1.3a repeater is an affordable home theater system that gives you more bang for your buck. 7.1-Channel A/V receiver includes HDMI™ switching and audio/video processing. With 350 watts (50 watts x 7 channels) at your fingertips, movies will put you into the heart of the action. This is upscale video without an upscale price. The AVR-254 is Harman Kardon's most affordable receiver and allows you to upscale incoming analog video signals to high-resolution 720p output or select two HDMI™ inputs for audio processing - all with a Simplay HD™-verified, single-wire connection to an HDMI-equipped display. And the sound? Pure Harman Kardon audio, with the clarity possible only with EzSet/EQ™ technology and our high-current, ultrawide-bandwidth amplifier design.

Amazon Sales Rank: #43775 in Receiver or Amplifier Color: SilverBlack Brand: Harman Kardon Model: AVR 254 Dimensions: 6.50" h x 17.30" w x 15.00" l, 33.35 pounds Harman-exclusive Logic 7 Movie, Music, and game surround sound processing in 5.1 and 7.1 channels HDMI 1.3a with Deep Color and Faroudja DCDi Cinema video processing with upscaling to 1080p EzSet/EQ equalization for quick and accurate system setup Full Suite of Dolby surround decoding, including Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus XM Tuner Ready

From the Manufacturer Flexible Connectivity and Ultrawide Bandwidth at a Great ValueDriven by a passion for music and cinema, Harman Kardon engineers are fanatical about maintaining a balance between pure technology and a quest for artistic truth. Their devotion to detail and love for all types of music and cinema have produced some of the finest audio/video and stereo receivers available. The AVR-254 reflects Harmon Kardon's commitment to bringing you high-quality components that are packed with features, all at an affordable price. AVR-254 - 7 x 50W 7.1-Channel A/V Receiver with HDMI 1.3a Repeater, Audio/Video Processing and Upscaling to 1080p The Harman Kardon AVR-254 is the most affordable Harman Kardon receiver to feature both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding on the audio side, and Faroudja DCDi Cinema video processing to 1080p on the video side. That's not all though, the AVR-254 includes three HDMI inputs, connections for external amplifiers, EzSet/EQ technology to fine-tune your system to the acoustics of your room, and an RS-232 port for future firmware upgrades. The AVR-254 also features a high-current, ultrawide-bandwidth design that provides maximum fidelity and 50 Watts of power to each of its 7 channels. The Harman Kardon AVR-254 provides a host of connections and features View Larger

Most helpful customer reviews 130 of 142 people found the following review helpful. Would be the king of the hill, if it just worked... By Pierrick Verilhac I spent several months researching my new receiver for my home theater. I spent countless hours hanging out on the avsforum, read everything I could about receivers. I was looking for a receiver that would have the following features: - at least 2 HDMI inputs - great sound quality for music as well as movies - HD audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) support - would cost $650 MSRP or less The choice is clear: - Onkyo 606 or 705 - Yamaha 663 - Sony 820 or 920 - HK 254 - Pioneer 1018 - Denon 1909 or 988 I didn't even try the Onkyos, because I was afraid of the overheating problems and the humming noise reported on many units. Plus, they are downright ugly. The Yamaha had only 2 HDMI, and did not pass BTB/WTW, the Sonys are notorious for having the worst sound quality (unless you tap into the really high end models) across the board, so I didn't consider those either. I was then left with the HK, Pioneer and Denon receivers. I first bought the HK 254. All the users on avsforum swore by the HK sound. Well, they were right. The sound is nothing short of outstanding. The GUI is light-years ahead of the competition too. And finally, it is by far the slickest looking receiver of all. Now, on the negative. HK is notorious for releasing products that haven't been thoroughly tested, and that don't work properly until the firmware update is released, and even at that point, it doesn't always work right. Well, they got that right too... 1 - the fan noise on 2 different units was unbearably loud, and not only was it loud, it wasn't a constant noise: it was pulsating. Crappy quality control from HK, can't afford more than $2 on a decent fan! 2 - if you connect your PS3 to the HK receiver using HDMI audio out + Linear PCM (the only way to take advantage of the HD audio codecs), here's what happens: you get sound drop outs that last for several minutes in many bluray movies (There Will Be Blood is a good example). Also, in GTA IV, you cannot hear the dialogs from the person you talk to on your cell phone. When I say "you cannot hear the dialogs", I mean: there is NO sound at all, it's not that the volume is low. 3 - the surround sound never "locks" on the one you want, it always reverts to Logic 7 eventually, and even if you can sometimes get it back by cycling through the surround sounds, it doesn't always work and it is a major hassle. 4 - it can't pass HDMI video with video processing turned OFF (it's always on!), and it won't pass BTB/WTW either. I don't want to go into the details of all these bugs, but they completely kill all the enjoyment you could get from the unit. I exchanged my first unit, thinking I got a lemon, but the 2nd unit showed exactly the same problems, all of them. I finally returned the unit, disgusted with HK's quality control. I then tried the Pioneer 1018, the Denon 1909 and the Denon 988. All 3 of them performed flawlessly, without a single hickup. The Pioneer worked great but sounded a little weak, lacked punch and attack compared to the HK. It also had a very annoying bright blue LED that you can't turn off, and the worst remote I've ever seen. The Denon 1909 and 988 were very similar, the 988 having a very slight edge in terms of SQ for music, but lacked the extra HDMI input and didn't have the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Volume features. The 1909 was the only receiver I tried that could maintain the surround field perfect at any time and any given volume. I ended up keeping the 1909, because of its great sound quality and of its superb handling of surround field, thanks to the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Volume. Oh, and did I mention that it just works? ;) After my disastrous experience with the HK, I wouldn't touch that receiver with a 10ft pole. If you consider this unit, wait until HK comes up with a firmware update, and make sure that it actually fixed all