Home > Consumer Reviews > Harman Kardon AVR 7300 7.1 Channel Surround Sound Audio/Video Receiver

Without going into a long-winded disertation, I beleive the HK 7300 must be one of the best AV Receivers on the market today for the following reasons:

* It has enough power to drive speakers for the largest of home theaters.

* The high current amps have a warm and clean sound. Low frequencies are not boomy and provide a clean "thud" when called for. High frequencies seem smooth without the harsh "edge" produced by so much of today's digital equipment. I have another THX Ultra rated receiver that does not meet the quality of the sound produced by this receiver through the identical speaker systems.

* The inputs are assignable and, accordingly, should be versitile enoough for any combination of equipmemt.

* The DCDI improves almost all video noticably. Normal 480i TV is upgraded to 480p adding a sense of depth and high contrast to the picture.

* While I am enthusiastic about this receiver and pleased with its performance, there are a couple of points that should be mentioned that might affect someone's decision to purchase.

- The reciver has a fan which runs constantly after the receiver has warmed up. The noise of the fan is unobtrusive, but is noticeable when audio levels are very low. My equipment is in a cabinet with a vented back so the fan noise is no problem for me.

- Some of the buttons on the remote control are so small and close together that I wonder if a child's fingers were used in the ergonomic design parameters. Also, the remote sends a very narrow IR beam such that it is critical that the remote is pointed directly at the reciver. Neither of these issues have been a problem for me because I use an Universal remote with broad IR dispersion and large buttons.

- The receiver is big and heavy which migh cause a problem for those with smaller cabinets or shelves.

Even with these small drawbacks, I am very impressed with this receiver and only hope that its apparent build quality will last for years to come.

I just finished dialing in the new Harmon Kardon AVR7300. It is the most flexable piece of gear I have ever seen in one unit or even in seperate components. Power is strong and clean. I am powering a room full of B&W speakers. 640,800,and CD6's. B&W are hi-end power hungry speakers and the AVR7300 has more than enough to get the job done. Bass management is as good as it gets going to my 2 Velodyne F-18 subs. Each 7 speakers are individually adjusted for.. multiple crossover points,tone,size,delay,etc.. This is great for rooms with full size tower speakers because they can be ran full range and,or, crossed over to the sub at a number of crossover points. Each speaker can be crossed over individually so large and small speakers can be crossed over in any combination(very cool)
26 effects are also adjusted individually. Video prossesing is individually adjusted as well.
The AVR7300 has too many features to list here.
This is the amp you want for true pro custom media room. Harmon Kardon has its own sound no other brand of amp has. It is powerfull, accurate, and warm all rolled up.
I am just scratching the surface on what this big boy can do. There is a learning curve for a piece of gear that is this flexable and full of features so it is NOT for the plug-n-play fan.
But, for the High-end Audio junkies, it doesnt get any better than the AVR 7300.

This is a great receiver, period. The Faroudja upconverter truly does make a difference to the video. My basic satellite (Directv) picture noticeably improved. And the sound is just awesome. True digital quality audio which is delivered smoothly and evenly across the spectrum. My KEF / Aperion speakers sound way better than my previous (not so good) Sony receiver....
I can't believe I actually lived with the Sony for this long....
Calling all Sony AV receiver owners....switch now....HK sound and video is way better than Sony can ever come close to...
I tried several dvd to test the receiver and my speaker set (KEF/Aperion)...Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, all kinds of action/adventure movies...and decidedly, the HK delivered sound and video that was just awesome. The HK 7300 is truly good value considering the actual cost is well below the retail price of $2,500 (I got mine at about $1,300). Just can't beat the value in the mid-price range. You'll have to go to the next level ($4-5K range to get any appreciable difference in performance)

All I can say is----go for the AVR 7300 and you'll be happy....
Just pair it with a plasma or similar digital tv setup and a good speaker system, and you'll be happy.....

Trying to upgrade my 10 year old system. Started with cheap stuff and ended with this top of the line. I first got the Infinity Beta 50, 12" Infinity sub and four Infinity primus for surrounds and a Pioneer 814 receiver rated 100 watt. The sound was pretty stretch to the best. The receiver could hardly make it for the power hungry speaker. So I switched to this HK when Fry's got it on sale. I am so satisfied!!! From low volumn to high volumn there is not a bit of sound quality sacraficed. This is especially good for classical music because many sounds are in the mid range which is usually missing in the tiny speaker plus subwoofer combination (like Bose). I listened to several CDs I had for over 10 years and surprisingly I heard some instruments that I had never heard before. Trust me life is too short to settle on some poor quality sound. At this price, it is a great bargain.

Excellent receiver, state of the art . it is simple to use yet complex. Many sound choices yet easy to understand and use sound is great. The rec eiver is well organized and functional. The remote is very well organized and is easy to understand and operate. Tech support was excellent. I had trouble seting up vedio. I just didn't understand . both Harmon and dealer- Stero Adv. in buffalo spent time walking (3 hrs) walking through vedio set up with me. should be mentioned when I thought there was something wrong with receiver( my error) stero adv was willing to send new receiver. nothing was wrong just stupid. summary extremely pleased with quality and sound.