Harman Kardon AVR.indd

AV RECEIVERS
Harman Kardon AVR 158
State of the art
H
arman Kardon has always been
justifiably proud of its high current,
ultra-wide bandwidth (the amps
sport a frequency response from
10 Hz to 100 kHz) amplification design for
years now. The design philosophy is that a
high current takes better control of the
speaker’s voice coil and delivers a cleaner,
more transparent sound as a result. It has always
delivered on these promises as far as I am
concerned, and the AVR 158 is no exception.
This unit sports individual amps for each
discrete channel, driving up to 70 watts into
each. I have always thought a Harman Kardon
watt seems a little juicier and meatier than
any other brand’s watts and I get the same
impression from the AVR 158.
Immediately from the get-go, the AVR 158
stamps its authority on proceedings. Once
all hooked up that is, which was surprisingly
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easy with good quality binding posts for the
numerous speaker cables that are involved.
I liked the solidity behind all the switching
gear on the AVR 158, with Harman Kardon
seemingly having thought through the bits
most likely to be used and beefing them up
substantially as a result.
From here, the rest was easy. The AVR 158
is intuitive and easy to get to grips with. Plug
in a Blu-ray player and the AVR 158 simply
does the rest.You can do most of the setup
without having the TV on, via its two line
display on the unit, but I found I didn’t really
have to bother with much other than tuning
the sub’s level a little.
The AVR 158 is of course Dolby True HD
compatible and it effortlessly decodes the
input signal at some frightening rate before
feeding each of its five amps the correct signal
at the correct time. The result is a seamless
audio integration across all channels with
seemingly zero effort required from your side.
Detail is delivered crisply. The audio sound
field is simply massive, yet transparent, and the
AVR 158 grafts a 3D space around you as the
listener that ultimately grabs your attention as
rapidly as it delivers you into the middle of the
action taking place right in front of you.
The wattage of the receiver is more than
enough to grab any speaker by the scruff of
the neck and to subdue it into doing exactly
what the receiver wants it to do. Perhaps that
gives the wrong impression – the AVR 158
doesn’t have to fight to deliver it’s message
– rather it simply gets on with it no matter
what the speaker attached to the other end
is. The receiver squeezes the best possible
result from the speaker as a result.
It goes further than movies, however.
For one of the first times watching the rugby
A U D I O
V I D E O
Vital Stats
live, I felt that the acoustics came closer to
reflecting an actual stadium than any I have
heard before. There was a real sense of
involvement and the stadium sounded simply
amazing. I was impressed indeed and there is
no doubt that the game was better to watch
as a result.
Musically, the AVR 158 is almost in a league
of its own. Stereo music sourced from my
old faithful CD player (although I am using
Blu-ray increasingly as a source these days),
is nimbly processed and delivered to the
speakers with aplomb.
The AVR 158 is inherently musical and
in it’s time in my hands it dealt with a
considerable quantity of chamber music and
female vocals (I was in a whimsical, nostalgic
mood) and the receiver matched the music
and my mood perfectly. It was ultimately
neutral with a balanced bass and treble
O C T O B E R
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2 0 1 1
Channels................................................. 5.1
Power output..... 70 watts per channel
Surround sound formats
......... DTS HD Master, high res and below,
Dolby True HD and below
Frequency response
...............................................5 Hz – 100 kHz
Signal-to-noise ratio............... 100 dB
HDMI inputs/outputs
.............................. 3 in, 1 out V1.4a with 3D
AV inputs........................... 3x composite,
1x component, 3x digital,
6x analogue
AV outputs........................ 1x composite,
1x component, sub pre out
Dimensions(WxHxD)
...........................................442x165x381 mm
Weight................................................ 9.3 kg
PRICE.................................................R5 900
VERDICT
A midrange receiver from Harman Kardon
that delivers on all fronts. Incredibly strong
unit – built to last.
SUPPLIED BY 3D Sound Investment
012-665-0185
WEBSITE
www.3dsi.co.za
response with surprisingly clear tops that cut
cleanly into my ear canals.Vocals were full and
bold with a confident and consistent delivery.
I was also impressed with the timbre of
music presented. This in fact carries across
all channels – the AVR 158 plants music
and action special effects alike solidly into
the ground. There is a resonance that feels
natural and the AVR 158’s ability to bring
a speaker to a dead halt for those silent
moments is sublime.
The result is that the AVR 158 conveys
emotion and ambience at the same time. It
triggers your aural senses and for me that’s
what it’s all about. I like equipment that engages
me, enthralls me and delivers beautiful music
to soothe my soul from the hustle and bustle
of every day modern life.With the AVR 158 you
get the complete package. Job done!
William Kelly
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