RSSHarman Kardon AVR 354 A/V Receiver Reviewed
- By: Andrew Robinson,
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As more and more consumers are turning to home entertainment rather than going out on a Friday night, the demand for high-performing yet affordable products is increasing. While not gone, the days of super-high-ticket receivers are dwindling, making way for more affordable solutions that up until now have been thought of as entry-level or half-baked. Take for example the new Harman Kardon AVR 354 reviewed here. It retails for a manageable $799 and is available almost everywhere, from Best Buy stores to online giants such as Amazon.com. • Read a review of the Harman Kardon AVR 154 from HomeTheaterReview.com Editor, Andrew Robinson.
• Explore over 100 other high performance, HDMI receiver reviews from HomeTheaterReview.com's AV Receiver Archive.
The Harman Kardon AVR 354 is a seven-channel surround sound receiver with Faroudja DCDi video processing and HDMI 1.3a upscaling to 1080p. In terms of overall HD performance, the AVR 354 sits roughly in the middle of the pack when it comes connection options, featuring three HDMI inputs and one out, accompanied by three component video inputs and one out. Between the two, most HD-conscious consumers should be covered, although it would be nice to have more HDMI inputs to simplify things around back. To combat the issue, the AVR 354 upscales all video connections to 1080p to be output via the single HDMI monitor output. The AVR 354 also features Harman's own Bridge II iPod dock, which will not only interface with your receiver but also charge your iPod. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but most third-party iPod docks are usually not included and range in price from $50-$350-plus. The AVR 354 also features Harman's own EzSet/EQ equalization, which is a lot like Audyssey's auto EQ in that it essentially calibrates your speakers to your listening room for the best sound/surround performance. Speaking of surround sound performance, the AVR 354 features both Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio. For your surround sound pleasure, you get 75 watts on tap across all seven channels, which may not sound like a lot, given some of today's receiver specs, but rest assured, the AVR 354 has all the power the average consumer is likely to ever need. If 75 watts proves too wimpy for your tastes, the AVR 354 has a full complement of preamp outputs, allowing you to mate it to a separate power amp or two, turning the AVR 354 into an A/V processor.
Beyond the specs and connection options, the AVR 354 is compact for a receiver of this caliber and is finished in one of the more attractive casings I've encountered in a long while. To make life even easier, its size and, more importantly, weight are very manageable, allowing it to fit into spaces most receivers can't. However, the AVR 354 does run a bit warm and should be properly ventilated, but a huge piece of A/V equipment this is not.
Read about the high points and the low points of the AVR 354 on Page 2.
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Comment on this article
The AVR354 seems set for some one starting out with their first home theater. Simple to use, easy to operate, adequate power, codecs in place. Harman has made a receiver, with few compromises.
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