Home > Consumer Reviews > Harman Kardon HK 3390 2 x 80W Stereo Receiver

After spending a few years in a disease called audiophilia, I vowed to stop spending money wildly on different audio gear just so I could hear something different. I came to the conclusion after having a H/K theater receiver before that I did enjoy the sound enough to try another one as a two channel set-up. I sold my tube amp and bought the H/K 3390 from Amazon. Short story is the H/K 3390 sounds remarkable for 1/5 the price of the tube amp. The exponential in audio can be frustrating as you have to usually spend a lot more to get a margianally better sound. I'm not saying I will never dabble with more expensive electronics, but someone who buys this amp will be satisfied with the audiophile level results.

The best receiver I have ever owned.

I just got this in the mail today, and was so blown away that I decided to write a review. This is the first time I have ever been compelled to write a review so that is saying something.

First off, this is a music receiver plain and simple. No fancy video components here, just simple raw musical power. You may look at this and think why should I spend $200+ on receiver that is only 80 watts a channel when I can spend the same and get a 1000 watt surround sound system. These ratings are true full bandwith power ratings, and these 80 watts will outpower just about anything. It even rivals my $1000+ 120W a channel denon av receiver.

Enough about power, what really matters is sound quality. Right now I have these hooked up to a pair of old $15 garage sale speakers, and this receiver makes those sound incredible. They are big old speakers, and this thing makes those old speakers sing. Rock and country sounds amazing, and when I turn on the party mix, this puts out bass to rival my 12 inch powered sub.

Needless to say, I am amazed by this receiver. And if you are trying to put together an amazing sounding music set up, look no further.

I've only had this HK 3390 a month, so I can't really speak to longevity and durability. Also, I'm not a card-carrying "audiophile". I am, however, a lifelong guitar player with an ear for sound. I bought some new stuff all at the same time: this receiver, a pair of Klipsch Synergy B-2 bookshelf speakers, and a pair of ASW-8" subs (all to go with a CD player I already had). So, I have a bit of a "mid-fi" 2.2 music system going. Not exactly sure how much credit to give each piece of gear... but I'm hearing things in familiar recordings that I just have never heard before. All is vivid, crisp, and warm. I can wholeheartedly endorse this combination of components!

I purchased the Harman Kardon HK 3390 receiver about a year ago when my wife wanted to get into playing and collecting LP's, and this receiver has been doing the job perfectly ever since. We have this receiver hooked up to an old school Technics turntable and an old school pair of mini ADS speakers, and the sound is very clean. For those who are on a budget and would like revisit all of their old LP's, this is the receiver for you. I would have been happy with it even if I had paid its original price of just under $400, but for under $220, it's a steal.

We use this amp for a professional training center. We kept the wattage low so not to overpower anyone's ears. We run it through a pair of Bose161 speakers (bought through Amazon). In order for the system to be loud enough to fill a room of people wie have to turn it up pretty loud (upto -15dB; zero being the loudest and -80 being the lowest setting). The sound quality is sweet and full. We plan on adding a second set of speakers as the b-channel as well to help fill the room with sound.
The amp looks great and the illuminated knob is cool as hell. The remote is giant and requires 4 AAA batteries, but overall its a nice amp for what we need.