Incredible product for the priceDecember 1, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is my third Harman AVR, and this one outshines all the previous ones. It is easy to set up, the sound is incredible, and it works flawlessly with my PS3, DVR and Vizio HDTV.
This is NOT a good HDMI switching receiverNovember 26, 2008 I bought this receiver upon recommendation from a seemingly knowledgeable salesperson at a home theater store. I'm really regretting it now It's got problems with its HDMI pass-through or re-encoding or whatever.
The bottom line is that as I'm flipping channels through my Motorola DVR (Comcast) box, the decoder/encoder gets confused when I switch from an HD channel to a non-HD channel or vise versa. The screen either goes blank or shows horrible artifacts that make it impossible to figure out what's being displayed. After that I have to switch input sources back and forth until the receiver locks onto the signal again properly. What a pain.
The only solution is to use the component or composite inputs rather than HDMI. Since that only gets you 1080i, it's a disappointment on my brand new 1080p LCD screen.
I'll likely be returning this receiver unless HK creates a firmware fix before the return period expires. I've learned to never trust that a hardware manufacturer will eventually fix a problem. Sometimes they just abandon you with the buggy product.
Nice Surprise here - the EZ Setup/EQNovember 22, 2008 I've been a 'Component' kind of guy for the last 40 years - never thought that 'Integrated' Receivers could do it all for me. So, when HK introduced the AVR-254, especially at that Price Point, I thought "Well, the Preamp Stage would suit me just fine" [Since no one makes AV PreAmps that I can afford.
So I hooked it up to my Sub-Woofer Amp (Tigersauraus 250 - a 1972 Kit) and the 4 new Crown XLS 202s and the sound was great.
Surprise - the EZ Setup/EQ was terrific! Using the included Mic, the testing and reports let me know just how to adjust the Power Amps, and reminded me to move the Large Stuffed Toy that was absorbing all the Bass on the Left of the room. WOW! It is really good, but it can be fooled if you are walking around the room while it is working - it is THAT GOOD!
I find the Source Programming and interactions with the HDTV over HDMI a bit odd, but that may be me.
I'm NOT using the Power Stage - so I leave that to others.
Fantastic Receiver, Great QualityNovember 17, 2008 This receiver has excellent sound quality. I have mated it to onkyo SKS HT540 7.1 system in a newly fishid basement. My basement is media area is 15' x 26'. Overall I have 1600 square feet of mostly open finished area. The sound is amazing an fills the entire 1600 square feet with quality and clearity.
I have had no difficulty with loss of picture quality/sound with blu-ray or dvds as reported by other reviewers. The only glitch is with HD cable box. If I go from HD channel to regular digital channel, it sometimes loses picture. However, switching the receiver to an alternate input(like DVD or Radio) and then back to cable resets the pcture and fixes the problem. I believe this problem is inherent to the cable box as the same problem occurs when he converter box is connected directly to the TV.
It is not an easy receiver to program, but works pretty well out-of-the-box. Take yor time read the manual and programming won't be so difficult -even for a novice. In the end it is an incredible bargain and you should be very pleased.
Great home theater performance, Great PriceNovember 1, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The HK AVR 254 for the money is one of the best deals out there. I like this unit because of all of the features. I needed a receiver with HDMI switching. This has 3 inputs which allows me to connect my cable box, computer, and PS3. One button push on the remote switches nice and easy between them. Also the on screen display for the setup is sweet. I've used a lot of these receivers and the HK display beats them all. Very easy to use menu driven controls. The optimizer mic is just about standard on these receivers now, but is still a nice feature for setting up the sweet spot in the room. All in all. This is a great receiver. Also, for the negative reviews, HK just came out with the Firmware update which fixes all of the bugs in the software concerning blu-ray playback.
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