Home > Consumer Reviews > Harman Kardon FL8380 5-CD Changer

Please read all the way to the bottom of my review for my latest sob story concerning this sorry piece o' crap CD changer...

Well, first off, I am a devoted enthusiast of Harman Kardon stereo equipment. My previous system was comprised of all Harman Kardon components, and when I decided to upgrade last year I opted to stick with this brand which has served me well (keeping my Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble speaker setup which leaves hardly any room for improvement). I bought a new HK 3370 receiver (***** excellent unit, see my review), a HK CDR20 dual CD record deck (also a superbly performing unit), and the CD changer here discussed, FL8380, to replace my previous Harman Kardon FL8450 CD changer which, after six years of use, burned out the remote sensor (the part was allegedly obsolete so I had to replace the unit if I wanted remote capability)...
I bought this unit new last December 2001. It worked great for five weeks and then one night it completely stopped reading discs - it would not play any disc: KAPUT. The dealer exchanged it for a brand new unit, same model - worked splendidly for another five or six weeks, then started behaving erratically: would sometimes read discs, sometimes not. I would have to unplug it for twenty minutes every time it failed in order to clear the memory and then it would usually work again normally. (These are regular factory-made CDs it was refusing to play, mind you, not CDRs). After about a week of this unreliable functioning I got fed up and returned it to the dealer, who then gave me a THIRD brand new FL8380. This one I have had for three months now and it is so far working well under fairly heavy use (4-6 hours a day or more) - 99% of the time, that is (on a few occasions it has failed to read a disc or track but I have been able to 'fix' it by simply stopping play or opening the disc tray). Needless to say, I contacted Harman Kardon's service department numerous times during the course of my difficulties with this model. Telephone technical support reps were polite but not very helpful (one guy insisted that this model was one of the top performing models in production - of course, no one had ever had problems similar to those I was experiencing)... As for the long letters I wrote to Harman Kardon's customer service department (via both email and snail mail), no one took the time to answer them. Given the fact that I have been a Harman Kardon customer to the tune of over $[money], that is not very exemplary customer support...
Anyhow, back to the 8380. The sound of this CD changer is fantastic. HDCDs sound phenomenal, and conventional CDs sound great, too. As for the features, Harman Kardon's previous CD changer model FL8450 was better: it had A-B repeat play capability and TRUE random play, unlike this model which plays two tracks from each disc before randomly advancing to a different disc. As noted by other reviewers, the mechanics of disc changing and playback are rather slow and clunky. I'm inclined to believe the manufacturer made some compromises in the quality of the inner mechanics in this unit to offset the costs of the state-of-the-art HDCD circuitry. And as to the functional reliability of the unit, the ordeals I have related above are testimony enough...
Based on my own experience I'd recommend anyone to think twice before purchasing this particular CD changer...

ADDENDUM TO ABOVE REVIEW... The error correction circuitry on this unit is pretty poor. I have run across CDs that will play fine on my two other players (a Harman Kardon dual-CD recording deck and a Panasonic 'discman' type portable) and that won't play on this, due to either scratches or manufacturing irregularities. Most recently I paid a huge bundle of money for a rare CD box set on eBay and come to find out that one out of the seven discs will not play on this changer (but will on my other two units). What a lemon...

Despite claims to the contrary, this model DOES NOT deal well with CD-R's or enhanced CD's. I make compilations constantly, and these homemade compilations play on all machines but my Harman Kardon FL 8380. Other irritants include the fact that it takes forever to turn on, and it then must cycle through every CD in the machine before allowing you to play music. This cycling happens even after you replace a disc. After a disc is through playing, it returns to that disc if you've opened the machine during the time that disc is playing. The sound is terrific, but the other factors override the sound for me. I will be replacing this machine even though I've only owned it for 6 months

I thought Harmon Kardon was a quality mid level brand. This player is junky and reeks of cheap components. It was broken coming out of the box--only plays out of the right channel. Got another one--same deal. In return for my trouble got obstacles and whining from the manufacturer. The caraousel is extremely slow. You'll notice right away as it scans every disc--all 5--every time you turn it on or change a disc or try to open it. Lots of waiting when you want to hear music. Look elsewhere. You'd be better off with a ...portable plugged into your home system.

When I upgraded my stereo system a few years ago, I was drawn to the quality reputation of Harman Kardon components. Unfortunately, it appears HK does not have the same quality design engineering in their CD changers as they do with their receivers. I purchased the previous model FL8350 CD Changer and after a few months started having problems. It would only recognize CD's in 4 of the trays; then 3; then 2; then none!!! After research on the web, learned this was a known quality control problem with a known fix. I took it to an authorized service center who would not perform the repair under warranty. After arguing with a customer service representative at the other end of a 1-800 number, I was able to get them to authorize the repair. Everything worked fine for a few days .... but then it began happening again!!! I took it back to the repair center who diligently fixed it without question this time. Everything was fine for about 8 months and then ... you guessed it, only recognizes CD's in 3 of the 5 trays now. There are too many good CD changers on the market; do not take a chance on Harman Kardon. Now if you want a good receiver, I have a much better HK story to tell!!!

I've owned my FL8380 for about two-and-a-half years now and it still works and sounds great. I guess I am lucky because, judging by some of the reviews here (and elsewhere), this model is subject to quality-control problems. I have used this player extensively since I bought it and it has never failed to play any CD-R or CD-RW disc I have tried (and I have alot of them). It also has no problem playing reasonably scratched discs. Mechanically, it has always worked perfectly. Yes, the disc tray is somewhat noisy when advancing to the next disc. Yes, it does cycle through all five discs before playing. However, I have never considered these things to be a big deal. When you consider its price, this unit is hardly cheap. The chasis is made out of metal, the disc transport mechanism is solid, parts quality is high, and overall construction is very good (at least with mine). It's also fairly heavy for a budget player (approx. 17 lbs).

The main thing I look for in a CD player is, amazingly enough, sound quality. I don't really care about all the bells and whistles or how fast the damn thing is. The sound quality of this unit is excellent. No, it doesn't sound as good as the $1000-plus players I've heard, but for the money, it delivers and-then-some. The dual 18-bit Burr-Brown DAC's and HDCD chip combine to create a very detailed, balanced and non-fatiguing presentation. I've been told that Dual 18-bit DAC designs often sound better than single 24-bit DAC designs, but I'm not knowledgable in such areas, so I can't say for sure. Anyway, the low end is deep but tight, the mids are open and natural, and the highs are extended without being harsh. I occasionally notice some upper-midrange harshness on vocals and brass instruments, but I'm not sure if this is due to the cd player or the particular recording. I don't know what brand or model of opamps this player uses, but judging by its sound quality, I imagine they are step above the ones typically found in budget players. Budget players usually sound aggressive and one dimentional to me, the FL8380 does not. I don't notice a dramatic "night-and-day" difference between HDCD encoded and standard CD's. However, I will say I have consistently heard a bit more detail and resolution from HDCD encoded discs. Van Halen HDCD reissues sound awesome as does Beck's "Mutations" and the latest King Sunny Ade releases. I just got the Dead's "American Beauty" reissue and it too sounds fabulous.

Do I recommend this player? Well, that's difficult to say because of the quality control problems. But, if you're lucky enough to get one that works properly, its a real gem.