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Official Harman Kardon AVR 1600/2600/3600 owner's thread - Page 74

post #2191 of 2737
10/18/11 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by curtlots View Post

I don't remember exactly what I had to do to tap into the Parasound, it's been a long time and it's very hard to access.

You are telling me. I recently unhooked my 12v trigger from the parasound and it was a royal pain since I didn't want to remove the 85 lb beast totally from my space so I was trying to reach around behind it to unscrew the terminals. Took me 5 minutes to do it in the cramped space I have to work with.
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post #2192 of 2737
10/18/11 at 9:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by andersjr82 View Post

I found an HK-authorized retailer selling the AVR 3600 for $100 more than Newegg has it priced. Is it worth spending an extra $100 for the "authorized" tag? Will HK honor warranty items differently depending where the item was purchased?

Anybody have any experience with this?

I looked at the H/K AVR 3600 on Neweggs site and went to details and it showed on the right side a 2 year manufacturers waranty. If I were you I would call Harman Kardon and ask them about it.

A few months back I purchased a 3600 for $431 shipped from Harman's Ebay store and I got two bad ones then got a good one. I liked the sound but my curiousity got the best of me and I bought a H/K AVR 7550 from their store. I sent the 3600 back and haven't regretted it for a moment. I'm even retiring my B&K amplifier because the 7550 has so much power I don't need it.
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post #2193 of 2737
10/18/11 at 10:08pm
I'm confident the 3600 will do well for 2ch but how does it sound for HT? I received an email from a friend who owned the Emotiva UMC-1 and he said it was great for 2ch but he was not impressed with it for HT.

My previous unit was great for HT, ok for 2ch. I don't want to get a unit that is great for 2ch but not very good at HT.

Is there a unit that is great for both 2ch and HT?
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post #2194 of 2737
10/20/11 at 5:09am
Hey guys i'm in the market for a new reciever. My current one is an HK avr25. I am really thinking of upgradeing to an avr 3600 but i have small kids so i cn't have it on at night. Does the 3600 have a hdmi stand by pass through? I guess what i'm asking is what would i have to do to watch tv and have the sound just coming from the tv? I'm wondering if not this one would the marantz sr 6005 be a good one.
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post #2195 of 2737
10/20/11 at 10:49am
Quote:


Does the 3600 have a hdmi stand by pass through?

No.
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post #2196 of 2737
10/20/11 at 1:58pm
Hi everybody. I'm new in the forum. It was good to find this Forum about HK x600 series receiver.

I'm a little confused and concern about my receiver. I bought the AVR 1600 along with the
HKTS20bq speaker set. By 5 months i was experimenting setting crossovers for the satelites
speakers level and volume from subwoofer in order to find the perfect blending, and according to my ears
i found it. And happens that i just bought (two weeks ago) a pair of polk audio R300 floorstanding
speakers, for the fronts, to complete my 7.1 system. I know that these polk speakers have a lower frequency respond.

I don't know what happens but the sub lost the deep and accuracy that had with the satelites.
An example is, when i play the Flo Rida's song "club can't handle me" there's some parts where you
feel the, i don't know how to call it... continue booming maybe. But with the polk speakers conected the bass
is so weak and non detailed.

I have tried a lot of things, changing the croosover frequency seems to have no effect, i have changed
the fronts crossover to 80, 100 and 120 and seems nothing changes. I have increased the sub dB level
and the sub volume and the only thing i get is like muddy bass. I think it would be enough with setting
the crossover frequency to the same value for the satellite speakers (120) but seems it does not work.

Could someone help me? i don't want to feel worried about the invesment i did with the Polks.
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post #2197 of 2737
10/20/11 at 8:57pm
don't know what happens, i left the receiver unplugged from the AC. When i arrived home today i turned on and everithing was fine.
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post #2198 of 2737
10/22/11 at 6:18pm
Can the 2600/3600 can matrix a 5.1 TrueHD stream to 7.1 via PLIIx without a loss of quality?

Any insight is appreciated.
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post #2199 of 2737
10/22/11 at 8:17pm
I looking at the AVR2600, it's now showing up under $400 on seller sites. Love to hear one but my Best Buy doesn't have them to audition.

How does the audio compare to the Denon AVR-1612? Not too bright to mate with Paradigm speakers?

I've read the manual through but can't find if it takes 5.1 LPCM on the HDMI?


Any help appreciated!

Dave
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post #2200 of 2737
10/22/11 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlarkin_dc View Post

I looking at the AVR2600.

I've read the manual through but can't find if it takes 5.1 LPCM on the HDMI?


Dave


Yes..
The 2600 can handle 5.1 and 7.1 LPCM via HDMI...

Just my $0.02...
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post #2201 of 2737
10/25/11 at 5:56pm
Hi,

I was hoping that someone could end this frustration for me. Has anyone been able to pass a 3D signal with lossless audio (DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD) from a Panasonic DMP-BDT210 through a Harman Kardon AVR 2600 or 3600? The AVR is set to HDMI bypass and is 1.4a compliant.

I know I can pass a 3D signal through the AVR, as my PS3 works just fine (1080p 3D and lossless audio). I can also play a 2D blu-ray with lossless audio in the 210 Panasonic.


What I have tried with two 3D Blu-Rays (Avatar 3D and newest Pirates of the Caribbean 3D movie)

1) 3 different sets of HDMI cables (TV to AVR and AVR to 210)
2) Re-flashed the HK 2600 1.4a firmware
3) Tried different power on sequences
4) Tested using Deep color on or off (210 setting)
5) Tested having “HDMI audio” on or off (AVR 2600 Setting)
6) Tried resetting the 210 to factory defaults several times (as described in the 210 manual)
7) Tried resetting the HDMI settings on the 210 (as described in the 210 manual)
8) Tried a different HDMI port on both the TV and AVR
9) HDMI bypass is set to on (AVR 2600)
10) Tried different color modes on 210


When the 210 boots to the home screen, I have seen it detect that a 3D compatible screen is detected. When I start the 3D movie, I get the 3D precaution screen but the screen always go blank and then the TV can not detect a signal. The odd time a the 3D movie will play in 2D.



Any thoughts…? please help. I am going mad over the amount of time I am spending troubleshooting this issue… I am very close to getting rid of this 210 unit and never looking back!

Setup is below

TV - GT30 series Panasonic
AVR – HK 2600 with 1.4a firmware
Player – Panasonic DMP-BDT210 with latest FW (1.70)

Thanks in Advance.
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post #2202 of 2737
10/26/11 at 1:50pm
Quote:


Can the 2600/3600 can matrix a 5.1 TrueHD stream to 7.1 via PLIIx without a loss of quality?

Yes it can apply IIx to any incoming 5.1 source (including PCM 5.1) I run it all the time this way in my 7.1 setup and sounds great.
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post #2203 of 2737
10/26/11 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by derek View Post

Yes it can apply IIx to any incoming 5.1 source (including PCM 5.1) I run it all the time this way in my 7.1 setup and sounds great.

How are you doing this? When I have an HD audio playing, I can't change the surround mode.
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post #2204 of 2737
11/1/11 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by girdnerg View Post

How are you doing this? When I have an HD audio playing, I can't change the surround mode.

I need to clarify I'm doing it with incoming 5.1 PCM from my ps3 not a TrueHD bitstream. I thought I read where the x600 series could do this (might only be the 7550) but possibly not. I'll check in my setup this evening. Can your source device convert from TrueHD to PCM?
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post #2205 of 2737
11/1/11 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by derek View Post

I need to clarify I'm doing it with incoming 5.1 PCM from my ps3 not a TrueHD bitstream. I thought I read where the x600 series could do this (might only be the 7550) but possibly not. I'll check in my setup this evening. Can your source device convert from TrueHD to PCM?

Yes it can decode and send PCM.
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post #2206 of 2737
11/2/11 at 10:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by girdnerg View Post

Yes it can decode and send PCM.

Great. Set it to decode TrueHD/DTS-HD into 5.1 PCM which will be sent to the 3600 and then you can apply DPL IIx to get 7.1. I do this with my PS3.
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post #2207 of 2737
11/2/11 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by derek View Post

Great. Set it to decode TrueHD/DTS-HD into 5.1 PCM which will be sent to the 3600 and then you can apply DPL IIx to get 7.1. I do this with my PS3.

Thanks
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post #2208 of 2737
11/3/11 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stangjason View Post

I looked at the H/K AVR 3600 on Neweggs site and went to details and it showed on the right side a 2 year manufacturers waranty. If I were you I would call Harman Kardon and ask them about it.

A few months back I purchased a 3600 for $431 shipped from Harman's Ebay store and I got two bad ones then got a good one. I liked the sound but my curiousity got the best of me and I bought a H/K AVR 7550 from their store. I sent the 3600 back and haven't regretted it for a moment. I'm even retiring my B&K amplifier because the 7550 has so much power I don't need it.

Is there any difference in sound quality between the 7550 and the 3600? Not so much volume but do they have the same sound to them?
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post #2209 of 2737
11/3/11 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtenn View Post

Is there any difference in sound quality between the 7550 and the 3600? Not so much volume but do they have the same sound to them?

Basic power amplifier topologies are similar..
The amplifier circuit used in HK AVRs has been consistent for the last 12 years or so..
So YES, the 3600, 2600 and 7550HD will sound similar when used with loudspeakers as long as the respective power amplifier is not overdriven.
But note that the 3600/2600 use a Cirrus Logic audio DSP processor (49700) while the 7550HD uses a dual TI audio DSP processors (DA710). Also note that the latest HK AVRs (3650/2650) have reduced down the overdesign found in their previous AVRs power supplies to save $..

Just my $0.02...
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post #2210 of 2737
11/5/11 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SNF101 View Post

Hi,

I was hoping that someone could end this frustration for me. Has anyone been able to pass a 3D signal with lossless audio (DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD) from a Panasonic DMP-BDT210 through a Harman Kardon AVR 2600 or 3600? The AVR is set to HDMI bypass and is 1.4a compliant.

I know I can pass a 3D signal through the AVR, as my PS3 works just fine (1080p 3D and lossless audio). I can also play a 2D blu-ray with lossless audio in the 210 Panasonic.

What I have tried with two 3D Blu-Rays (Avatar 3D and newest Pirates of the Caribbean 3D movie)

1) 3 different sets of HDMI cables (TV to AVR and AVR to 210)
2) Re-flashed the HK 2600 1.4a firmware
3) Tried different power on sequences
4) Tested using Deep color on or off (210 setting)
5) Tested having "HDMI audio" on or off (AVR 2600 Setting)
6) Tried resetting the 210 to factory defaults several times (as described in the 210 manual)
7) Tried resetting the HDMI settings on the 210 (as described in the 210 manual)
8) Tried a different HDMI port on both the TV and AVR
9) HDMI bypass is set to on (AVR 2600)
10) Tried different color modes on 210

When the 210 boots to the home screen, I have seen it detect that a 3D compatible screen is detected. When I start the 3D movie, I get the 3D precaution screen but the screen always go blank and then the TV can not detect a signal. The odd time a the 3D movie will play in 2D.

Any thoughts...? please help. I am going mad over the amount of time I am spending troubleshooting this issue... I am very close to getting rid of this 210 unit and never looking back!

Setup is below

TV - GT30 series Panasonic
AVR - HK 2600 with 1.4a firmware
Player - Panasonic DMP-BDT210 with latest FW (1.70)

Thanks in Advance.

The only way you may try is go and get a panasonic BDT310 for test. That player has 2 HDMI outs so one for video another one for audio.
Did you try to connect player to TV? I am sure you did, but just in case. Did you see a movie. Maybe there is some settings on TV.
I spent dosens of houts to connect my BDT210 and AVR3600 and I found that when I turn deep 24bit color off it started to work like a charm, before that it was Dts5.1 with 1080p and deep color or DTS HD Master and flashing video.
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post #2211 of 2737
11/6/11 at 11:50am
How is the reliability of HK receivers these days ?

My first receiver was the AVR 20 II bought in 1997. I loved the sound and I still have it in my bedroom powering a pair of Ascend Acoustic speakers. Still sounds good.

When it was time to upgrade (DD/DTS) I naturally looked for another HK but then there were so many reliability problems that I opted for a Denon 3802 which is going strong, no complaints.

Now it's time to upgrade again (HDMI ports) and I'm looking at the Denon 3311 or the HK 3600 but I'm still seeing reports of poor reliability for the HK.

Has the reliability improved or is it still a crapshot ?
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post #2212 of 2737
11/6/11 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dandan123 View Post

How is the reliability of HK receivers these days ?

My first receiver was the AVR 20 II bought in 1997. I loved the sound and I still have it in my bedroom powering a pair of Ascend Acoustic speakers. Still sounds good.

When it was time to upgrade (DD/DTS) I naturally looked for another HK but then there were so many reliability problems that I opted for a Denon 3802 which is going strong, no complaints.

Now it's time to upgrade again (HDMI ports) and I'm looking at the Denon 3311 or the HK 3600 but I'm still seeing reports of poor reliability for the HK.

Has the reliability improved or is it still a crapshot ?

I've had my 3600 for about a year with1.4 HDMI and use daily with no problems ...
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post #2213 of 2737
11/6/11 at 1:15pm
No real issues with my second 3600 after about a year... First one was a refurb and had video issues after about a month. HK replaced it with a brand new one with no questions.
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post #2214 of 2737
11/7/11 at 10:53am
My new 3600 has been problem free for over 6 months as well.
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post #2215 of 2737
11/7/11 at 2:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by microsup View Post

The only way you may try is go and get a panasonic BDT310 for test. That player has 2 HDMI outs so one for video another one for audio.
Did you try to connect player to TV? I am sure you did, but just in case. Did you see a movie. Maybe there is some settings on TV.
I spent dosens of houts to connect my BDT210 and AVR3600 and I found that when I turn deep 24bit color off it started to work like a charm, before that it was Dts5.1 with 1080p and deep color or DTS HD Master and flashing video.

Are you passing 3D through this setup?
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post #2216 of 2737
11/8/11 at 10:34am
I originally bought a AVR-354 in February of 2009. That unit lasted about a year before I started having problems. When H/K replaced it, they sent me an AVR-3600. I guess the 354's were out of production and it was a great deal for me.

In the next year, while the original purchase was still under warranty, I had problems with the replacement 3600. H/K replaced it with another 3600. About 3 months ago, I started having problems with this 3600. Since I had so many consecutive problems, H/K decided to replace this unit with what's now my 3rd 3600. They said this last replacement is a "courtesy" replacement and it will be my last.

I really, REALLY, appreciate the great service I have had from H/K, but I know when this unit goes bad, and my past experience tells me it's only a matter of time, I will be most likely be going back to Yamaha. I really hate to say this because there are a lot of things to like about H/K, like Logic 7, up-conversion of component sources, great sound, etc... There are also things they never quite get right, like the frequent sound drops and the length of time it takes to lock onto a signal.

In the past I had a Yamaha DSP-A2070, then a Yamaha DSP-A1, and finally a H/K AVR-8000. All of these were the manufacturer's top receivers of the day. I never had a single problem with any of them and had all for at least several years each. I firmly believe H/K has some serious quality issues with the last couple generations of receivers. It's really too bad because they otherwise make a great product that distinguishes itself from most of the other brands.
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post #2217 of 2737
11/11/11 at 8:52am
I just bought a 3D TV 55" + 2 tower speakers and I want something simple(no center, no surround). The HK3490(2 channel) is in my mind and I know it's a pretty good receiver audio-wise.

But, I was thinking about movie-wise. The AVR 2600 or 3600 is on my mind as well.

what would you pick? (50/50 - movie/music)

A) HK 3490
B) AVR 2600/3600

My blu-ray source is a PS3.


Thanks!
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post #2218 of 2737
11/11/11 at 7:14pm
anyone?
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post #2219 of 2737
11/12/11 at 3:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by runner2k View Post

I just bought a 3D TV 55" + 2 tower speakers and I want something simple(no center, no surround). The HK3490(2 channel) is in my mind and I know it's a pretty good receiver audio-wise.

But, I was thinking about movie-wise. The AVR 2600 or 3600 is on my mind as well.

what would you pick? (50/50 - movie/music)

A) HK 3490
B) AVR 2600/3600

My blu-ray source is a PS3.


Thanks!

I would go with the 3600 (currently own) in case you want to expand your speaker set up in the future
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post #2220 of 2737
11/12/11 at 5:57am
Hello Talon,

I don't really want to expand it. I might be going to the wrong track without a AVR because most AVR does "translate" and convert the video properly. The 2ch Receiver does not do that.

here is the explanation I got.

If I have a 2ch receiver and I want to play some Blu-ray, the quality of audio out of the receiver will sound like a CD. Not a Blu-ray.

If I have a AVR and I were to do the same as above, then everything would be translated/converted onto AVR and I would get the best of it.

Does it make sense?
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