Harman Kardon HK990 Integrated Stereo Amplifier - Has anyone tried it?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by SergioRZ, Sep 12, 2009.

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  1. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Portugal
    The specs look very promising:

    . 2 x 150W @ 8 ohms/2 x 300W @ 4 ohms
    . Frequency Response 10Hz - 170kHz
    . Signal to Noise Ratio 109dB
    . 200 amps current delivery (!!!!)
    . Dual mono, fully balanced.
    . True Balanced XLR input.
    . Internal ADC/DAC (AD1955) with several digital inputs and outputs.
    . Bass management and Room Acustic Correction (DSP)
    . Pré-Out for 2x subwoofers
    . MM/MC Phono stage
    . Headphones amplifier
    . Real BYPASS processor input for direct amplifier stage access (to connect AV front channels and easily integrate with existing home cinema system)


    This seems to be a very impressive "come back" from HK into the stereo audiophile world, with stunning spec list and features all wraped in gorgeous looking case work.

    Did anyone get a chance to test it?


    http://www.harmankardon.com/specifications.aspx?Region=EUROPE&Country=HU&Language=ENG&cat=AMP&ser=&prod=HK%20990/230&sType=C

    http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/uan/2723

    http://www.connectedhome.com.au/product/harman-kardon-hk990-integrated-amplifier

    http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/hi-fi-and-audio/cd-players-and-recorders/harman-kardon-hd990-cd-player-594768/review
     
  2. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Portugal
  3. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    The newer H-K has iffy reliability. Some models have very frequent repairs and don't always stay working very long. I have a friend of mine who was a H-K Warranty station for many years who finally tired of seeing too many newer models in for repeated repairs due to poor quality build. Go Denon or Marantz for the money, the Marantz being the better of the two.
     
  4. Dr. Bogenbroom

    Dr. Bogenbroom I'm not a Dr. but I play one on SteveHoffman.TV

    Location:
    Anchor Point
    A Harman Kardon is the reason I posted questions about what would be a good integrated amplifier to get. My HK is about 4 years old and it went to the shop within a couple of months after I first got it because it failed completely. I had it serviced and within the last year it started acting funny...locking up to where only a hard power cycle would turn it back on. The digitial inputs will lose signal and start tick-tick-ticking ... that, I couldn't handle as I fear for my speakers. When it does it, it's almost like the pop you get when you turn on an amp, but about 8 times a second repeatedly. Scary.

    I don't think I'll be getting HK products in the future.
     
  5. roberts67

    roberts67 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    Hello!

    $3495 list! I hope the build quality has vastly improved over product made this decade for that kind of cash! Looks interesting. Peace. Robert
     
  6. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Portugal
    The price is around 1300/1600 Euros here in most European countries.

    I never heard of reliability problems with HK products... that's not good news, specially for such a powerful amplifier.

    Maybe there are major differences between HK in the USA and in Europe, regarding reliablity? This HK990 for example seems to be limited to the European market... I wonder why...
     
  7. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    Looks sweet! I'd love balanced inputs/outputs for my Emu sound card - too bad they put balanced inputs but not balanced outputs on that integrated amp. I used to run a low level 90s HK3270 receiver which was a real winner!
     
  8. Leigh

    Leigh https://orf.media

    Weird, I have a HK990VXI integrated but it's from the early 90s. I find it odd that they reused the model number. I doubt you want my opinion on that.
     
  9. "In the last 12 months we sold HK, our return rate for faulty products was in excess of 85% so we naturally discontinued our association with the distributor."
    - Eastwood Hi-Fi (31 October 2009)

    http://www.eastwoodhifi.com.au/gossip.htm
     
  10. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    200 amps (amperes)? Most circuit breakers are no more than 30 amps.
    They must mean 200 watts.
     
  11. bcwang

    bcwang New Member

    Location:
    California
    I think it means it can deliver 200 amps in a burst, from stored energy in the capacitors.
     
  12. SergioRZ

    SergioRZ Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Portugal
  13. And yet it was awarded "Product of the Year" by Australia's Sound+Image magazine in their 2010 Awards. They call it an "instant classic"!

    Your standards must be very high, or Sound+Image must have very low standards? :)
     
  14. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    There are so many awards handed out by Magazines, It all depends on how it was chosen. Fact is the thing offers a lot of power and features and as we all could see looks at least decently build. The HK sound is not bad per se. They even had a decent standing in the 80ies. It was tested in the mags I read as well and that sounded impressive at first sight; but if you read carefully you know what you are getting. The best issue is the room management, but you only need that if your room is a mess acoustically.
    Paired with the low price it looks promising, but one thing was immediately sure for me - this is not an audiophile amp. You don't need all that juice and a lousy phonostage and half *** headphone amp built in.
    The HK 970 was on my first list vs a NAD C 325BEE some years ago and I would nearly have gone for the HK. Better specs. But when you compare those two amps you wil thank god for NAD. That offers the jump from radio shack HiFi to (entry level of course) audiophile enjoyment (with all the side effects like wanting more of that good sound) For instance - that hasn't got a phono stage but a brillaint sounding headphone amp. Back then I still had the Sennheiser top DJ headphone HD 25 with 600 OHMs and I tried the headphone out. Crystal clear and emotionally right on the money. Anyway :
    Good thing Sergio found out that this sucks by himslef. i wouldn't feel too good to put down a piece of gear I haven't heard with my own ears. Still might be a good amp for someone else; but I doubt it.
    This is the first time I heard about Quality Issues with HK products.
    My iMac HK subwoofer came from Ireland, have no idea where the amps are produced, though. Maybe Malaysia ?
     
  15. phred

    phred Forum Resident

    Dont bother

    Very "Low Fi"
    Have one here as I type this
     
  16. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Terrific amp this one. Put all the NAD fanboy stuff to one side, and check out the reviews for this beast - also picked up a few awards not least the Hi Fi News gong last autumn as well as the European one it landed as well.

    Build quality looks good, though I have reservations about the volume control (hollowed out, illuminated, different and a bit quirky. Other than that, the spec is incredible. 24kgs in that box, it reminds me of the Sansui AU717/919 amps - stacked inside, no space, not really much room for anything else. Great design; I'd almost began to think they didn't build them like this anymore.

    Reliability issues? Don't know about those - nothing's come up, but the brand is underrated now with the likes of (in the UK at any rate) Cyrus, NAD, Arcam and the other homogenised high street brands dominating. Often thanks to magazine reviews creating a vicious circle (try finding much else beyond WHFS&V recommended kit in any branch of Sevenoaks, I'd say a good 80%+ is from that title alone).

    The days of the well informed, good-advice-giving retailer is in danger of the pricedriving, magazine wielding punter looking to cut a deal than get the best sound.
     
  17. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    so what is your opinion based upon? Looks and hearsay and reading reviews or have you actually heard this amp and compared to what a NAD, Cambridge Audio, Creek, Rega, Cyrus or Arcam sounds like at that price level ?
    You paint with a big stroke here...btw. you're contradicting yourselve. This amps has gotten great reviews, but failed to deliver the audiophile soundqualiy of the other brands you are putting down to those who trisd it out at home..., also for budget prices.
     
  18. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    Let me clarify it for you; I know a ton of people have their loved brands (Sansui being mine for late 70s gear, Marantz and Mission for more recent stuff in places) but wanted to jump in before the OP was put off by some of the negativity flying around and had the chance to consider it from another perspective.

    I avoid hearsay, typically going by reviews in titles I trust (Hi Fi World being the principle one) for the equipment I haven't heard.

    I see you don't nab McLover's post for the same rationale you're employing with mine; fine by me, but you're coming up short in neutrality. If it's okay to point a finger in my direction by a perceived shortcoming, the same applies to McLover's post.

    I don't work in the industry, but that makes little difference. Have you heard the brands you name with a correspondingly wide range of kit? With almost every speaker out there? Do you understand the underlying tonal qualities of each and how one differs from the other? It matters not; all I am suggesting is there's a lot of goos stuff in that design, hefty build and it shouldn't be written off because someone else's mate's had a few issues with some HK kit.
     
  19. Albireo

    Albireo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Hi sorry to resurrect an old thread but I'd be really interested in knowing if more people have actually tried this amp and what's the consensus re SQ and reliability.
     
  20. jpelg

    jpelg Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Elm City
  21. Albireo

    Albireo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Thanks I was aware of that one, seems very positive to me. I was wondering if more people had noticed the problems raised by Sergio.
     
  22. jpelg

    jpelg Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Elm City
    The feature set seems pretty nice:

    1. Powerful integrated amplifier
    2. Built-in DAC
    3. Phono stage

    I wouldn't mind one at all.
     
  23. Kkfan

    Kkfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
    I'd be interested to know of any other personal experiences as well. The Stereophile review seems very positive.
     
  24. aberyclark

    aberyclark Well-Known Member

  25. Kkfan

    Kkfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Music City, USA
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