Home > Consumer Reviews > Harman Kardon Signature Series 2.0 Surround-Sound Processor/Tuner

This is simply the best audio processor I have owned (Denon and Onkyo pale by comparison) This receiver has ample Coax, Fiber, s-video, and RCA connections. (Sadly no composite video). You can create absolutely perfect reproductions with the onscreen programming. Each channel of sound coming in lists if its to low, high or reference. You adjust the gain so that each audio channel is staying within refernece (For instance my VCR is +22, the CD player is -5) In addition you can use any audio and any video source at the same time - say your listening to a CD and want to watch DSS or DVD, no problem. You set the distance from the listener to the speakers, so the speakers have the correct volume. You also have 6 channel input as well. The finest DSP you can purchase

I bought a Sig 2.0/2.1 combo because my speakers are 25 years old, the size of small coffins, and have low impeadances. They love current. Even with 45 amps of current, the protection circuits in my old HK AVR500 would kick in under heavy (i.e., cranked to the max) loads, and shut the unit off.

SO, I decided to purchase a Sig 2.0 preamp and 2.1 amplifier. The total price was about the same as as HK's equivalent receiver. That makes it a very good deal.

IMPRESSIONS:

Sound: The 2.1 amp is beautiful. It blows away the amps in my Harman Kardon AVR500, which itself sounds really good. The 2.0 preamp also sounds better, but not to the same degree. It is a bit dry sounding, but very clean, articulate and uncolored. This is truly a high end audiophile piece of equipment, built in the US by Madrigal, the division of Harman Kardon which makes Mark Levinson and other high priced, high end audio equipment. It appears to use many of the same components.

I did an a/b comparison between the 6 channel out my JVC DVD-Audio player and the HK. I also did an a/b comparison with a Sony SACD/DVD player and a Yamaha C-750 universal player. The HK's processors are noticably better sounding on PCM, DTS and Dolby Digital sources than the direct 6 channel outputs on these truly good sounding and well reviewed pieces of equipment.

The Good: The tuner has very good reception and sound with lots of presets and RDS, which displays text information sent by some radio stations. The unit has lots of inputs (6 pair stereo RCA, 4 dig. coax, 2 optical, 6 channel direct, 6 component video, 2 s-video) and outputs, and has exceptionally good configurability. Analog inputs can be balanced so that when going from one source to the next, the volume stays the same. It also has lots of processing modes: Pro Logic, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Late Nite, Dolby Digital Mono, Mono Plus, four music modes and four movie modes. (However, lack of ability to control delay time between front and surround channels). (It is several years out of date, so it does not have ProLogic II.) Oh! It also has plain stereo. And, it looks good with an uncluttered industrial black aluminum appearance. It is solid and weighs 22 lbs, as much as many AV receivers.

On the downside: It has poor bass management, a cheap universal remote control which is not backlit and which learns from other remotes, but has no built in programmable codes. There is no phono section. The unit makes a little squeeking noise every time my cd changes a track letting me know it figured out the format of the digital source material. The internal DACs do not feed to tape out. The implementation of Pro Logic leaves the music a bit blurred. Finally, HK went for looks rather than putting enough functional buttons on front.

Wish list - A sleep timer.

Overall, a really good product.

Strengths:
Very good sound quality, excelent value, lots of inputs and outputs and surround modes

Weaknesses:
Cheap remote which is not backlit, no phono section.

If you are like me and find yourself with a surround system cobbled together from a collection of amplifiers and speakers, but don't have a good way to bring it all together...look no further! Don't replace all those amps with an "all in one box" surround system just because it's a hassle balancing all those descrete channels...

The Signature 2.0 processor/tuner/preamp is just what you need. It has an analog 6 channel input for your DVD Audio player, digital inputs, optical inputs, S-video outputs, it's all here... And talk about quiet? This preamp is absolutely silent. Maximum flexibility in assigning inputs, no changing cables, just reroute them via menu (onscreen or front panel) control!

The onboard processors are as smooth as silk, and the built-in effects (to add surround depth to stereo CDs) are subtle and never gimmicy. HK spent alot of time on this one! It is super.

There is only one thing about this unit that I have to work around...the remote sensor in the front panel is rather narrow sighted and I find myself almost out of range a fair part of the time;whos living room is a perfect listening room? I will have to add an IR remote sensor to compensate.

Please note that this is a deep cabnet, and it is heavy. Over-engineered it seems, since the power supply is clearly big enough to handle the consumption of this unit.

The perfect solution for those of you who want to use a couple of stereo systems in combination for a surround sound system! You will love it!

The Signature 2.0 Dolby /DTS Digital Processor/Tuner provides unsurpassed performance and the flexibility required of a state-of-the-art digital home entertainment system. Processor Features: Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic Onboard; Six-Channel Direct Inputs for Future Enhancement and Expansion; RS-232 serial port interfaces with home automation systems; Now with DTS processing Onboard; Six Composite and Two S-Video Inputs; Link any Output to any Analog or Digital Audio Input; Six Digital Audio Inputs: Four Coax Data and Two Optical Data; Trigger Control for External Amplifiers; Universal Learning Remote; Record Outputs/Bus that Tracks Main Input or Records a Separate Program; Comprehensive On-screen Menu System; FM Stereo/AM Tuner with RBDS Data system and 30 Presets... There are few brands who can rival the performance of this piece...

You install with : JAMO speakers, Toshiba Projector and Toshiba DVD player than You will got an incredible sound and picture. Very nice to hear and watch