Harman Kardon Hk 3490 Specs Upgrade Path Or#
Harman Kardon Hk 3490 Specs Free And Straightforward#

The HK 3490 (suggested retail price: 499) isnвЂ™t your fatherвЂ™s receiver. Additional Resources Find great source components to hook up to the HK 3490. This 2.0-channel bad boy weighs 23 pounds-more than most 5.1-channel models.Harman Kardon is one company that hasnвЂ™t abandoned the stereo receiver market, as evidenced by their HK 3490 stereo receiver. The receiver is roughly the size of a multichannel receiver, measuring 17.4 inches wide, 6.6 inches high, and 15 inches deep. Harman's distinctive, blue-halo volume control along with the two-tone pewter-grey-and-gloss-black faceplate give the HK 3480 an attractive, modern look. It lacks the multiroom capability of the latter two units, and it doesn't sound as sweet as the $899 Rotel, but overall, this HK is our high-value pick of the stereo-receiver litter.

Harman Kardon Hk 3490 Specs Free And Straightforward

VMAx, Harman's proprietary virtual-surround processing, works its magic with CDs, DVDs, LPs, tapes-any stereo format (see Performance for more). Receiver setup is blessedly menu-free and straightforward compared to multichannel models-just hook up your sources and the two speaker cables and you're done. It is perfectly functional, however, and it can be programmed to work with your DVD player and TV.

Harman Kardon Hk 3490 Specs Upgrade Path Or

The HK 3480 also features stereo subwoofer outputs along with pre-out and main-in connectors that offer an upgrade path or the use of a higher-power separate power amplifier. A set of stereo audio and video inputs is present on the front panel for use with games or cameras. A pair of high-current amplifiers delivers 120 watts per channel for 8-ohm speakers and 150 watts for 4-ohm-rated speakers.Connectivity options on the HK 3480's back panel run to a total of six stereo inputs (three with composite video connections), including provisions for a turntable, as well as two stereo outputs. Harman-Kardon AVR 146 AVR 146 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.The Harman Kardon HK 3480 front panel's rotary bass, treble, and balance controls are a lot easier to use than the menu-accessible sort found on most multichannel receivers.

The Kill Bill Volume 1 DVD's violent scenes packed a wallop, and when we engaged the HK 3480's VMAx processor, the NHT speakers projected sound forward to provide a satisfying simulation of surround sound. We used our NHT SB1 sats and the NHT SW10 sub and finished up our auditions with some home-theater sessions. The violins' string tone was absolutely beautiful, and the receiver's portrayal of soundstage depth was truly breathtaking.Up to this point, we were using our large, reference Dynaudio Contour speakers, but we wanted to check out the HK 3480's talents with a pair of small satellite speakers and a subwoofer. The HK 3480's bass was tight, its treble clean as a whistle, and those 120 watts per channel played nice and loud.Next we explored the HK 3480's virtuosity and refinement with Sergei Prokofiev's ballet music for Romeo and Juliet. To put us in the proper mood for our stereo-receiver auditions, we rocked out the Harman Kardon HK 3480 with a stack of great music from the '70s and '80s: Led Zeppelin, the Cars, David Bowie, and Elvis Costello.