Entered CNET Catalog: 10/31/2005
SKU: AVR140
Manufacturer: Harman International Industries
Manufacturer description
Don't let the AVR 140's modest price fool you. Harman International Industries' most affordable A/V receiver is loaded with features. With on-screen menus, component video switching, compatibility with The Bridge, and Harman International Industries' classic high-current, ultra wide-bandwidth amplifier topology, there is no better way to upgrade an old analog system or add high-quality home theater performance when budget considerations are paramount.Product summary
The good: Sharp styling; 6.1-channel A/V receiver; six digital audio inputs; compatibility with Harman's Bridge iPod dock; extensive bass-management options that accommodate a wide range of speaker sizes.
The bad: Only three rear-panel A/V inputs; no conversion to component video from composite and S-Video inputs; no onscreen display via component output; no HDMI connections; no A/B speaker switching or multiroom facilities; somewhat expensive for an entry-level receiver.
The bottom line: The Harman Kardon AVR 140, an entry-level A/V receiver, sounds among the best in its price class, but it falls short on features.
Average user rating: from 9 users
3.5 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/16/2006
Unlike the more expensive models in the line, the Harman Kardon AVR 140 doesn't offer automatic setup and calibration. But thanks to the receiver's well-designed menu system, the manual setup chores didn't require much consultation of the user manual. You have to input the sizes of your speakers and the listeners' distance from them; you then balance the volume level of the speakers and the subwoofer. The whole operation took about five minutes. The Harman Kardon AVR 140 has six 40-watt channels and the full range of surround-processing options: Dolby Digital, EX, Pro Logic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo:6, and DTS 96/24, plus Harman's Logic 7 system. You can set the AVR 140's adjustable-crossover function to a different frequency for each group of speakers, allowing satellites of various sizes to integrate seamlessly with your subwoofer. That level of bass-management flexibility is rare, even in high-priced receivers and surround processors, but the audible benefits can be significant.
Harman Kardon's Bridge iPod dock displays your iPod's menus on your TV and the AVR 140's front panel, but it won't transmit video content. We found it fairly easy to access playlists via the AVR 140's remote control, but we couldn't zip through long lists the way we would with the iPod's scrollwheel--we had to advance one song at a time via the Preset button on the remote. The Bridge can charge your iPod's battery whether the AVR 140 is turned on or off.
On the back panel, you'll find three A/V inputs, two of which offer component-video switching. A fourth set of A/V inputs on the front panel completes the suite. Unfortunately, the Harman Kardon AVR 140 doesn't convert S-Video or composite sources to component video, and it won't display the receiver's menu via the component-video output. This is the first $500 receiver we've seen in a while that lacks those features, which means you'll need a matching input on your TV for each one going into the receiver. Those who want cutting-edge HDMI connections, meanwhile, will have to look elsewhere. The AVR 140 has a total of six digital audio inputs (three coaxial and three optical, including one of each on the front panel) and two digital outputs (one coaxial and one optical). The 7.1-channel analog inputs are intended for SACD/DVD-A players. There are two stereo analog inputs as well. The AVR 140 lacks provisions for B stereo speakers or multiroom facilities. The Lost TV-series DVD stopped us in our tracks. In the series-opening scene where Jack wakes up, we heard the sounds of flies buzzing around, chirping birds off in the distance, the gentle rush of the leaves in the wind, and then--wham!--the score's huge, pounding drums assaulted us as Jack rushed toward the beach, and the ghastly sounds of whirling jet turbines filled our home theater. The incredible sound mix immediately pulls you into the action--at least it does when you play it through a receiver as good as the Harman Kardon AVR 140.
Moving into the musical realm, CD sound on the receiver was just as impressive. From the edgy energy of the White Stripes to sultry jazz and majestic classical overtures, the Harman Kardon AVR 140 proved an equally adept performer. Harman Kardon's proprietary Logic 7 surround processing sounded more natural than Dolby Pro Logic II on CDs.
We saved the best for last and cranked up Derek and the Dominos' Layla SACD. The sound of Eric Clapton's guitar and vocals had an analog-sounding naturalness, while Jim Gordon's drums and percussion revealed many subtle details without ever becoming harsh or grating. We could play the SACD at high volume without audible strain, as the Harman Kardon AVR 140's 40 watts per channel sounded more powerful than that modest rating would suggest.
A comparison with Denon's similarly priced AVR 1906 receiver ($550) put the Harman Kardon AVR 140's charms in perspective. While the Denon was no slouch, the AVR 140 sounded richer and projected a wider and deeper soundstage. The Denon, by the way, claims 85 watts per channel but didn't seem to play any louder than the Harman Kardon. Of course, the Denon has component-video conversion and A/B speaker switching, which points out our big problem with the HK: it sounds sweet, but its feature set is just a bit too stripped down, even at its "bargain" $500 price point.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Lacks power but good quality sound
Pros: The most good looking amplifier at the price and pretty easy to use after a read of the manual.
Has a nice radio tuner and sounds good with music.
Is perfect if you don't watch a lot of action movies. can be operated without the remote.
Cons: Low Power and relatively poor soundstaging for both movies and music.
Review: It just does not compare to a 70watt + receiver. Ok, it gets "loud" but the dynamic range is low and generally other brands have a lot more soundstaging and power for movies. Explosive actions scenes are nice, but fail to emmerse the viewer in the action like other receivers can. (I compared this to a 70 watt yamaha amp from 2000.)
However, if you are buying a receiver mainly for radio / music, with the occasional movie, then this is probably the best you could get. Recommended, but if your looking for an out and out movie performer, depending on previous experience, you might be dissapointed.
However, if you are buying a receiver mainly for radio / music, with the occasional movie, then this is probably the best you could get. Recommended, but if your looking for an out and out movie performer, depending on previous experience, you might be dissapointed.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Best sounding Receiver for the price.
Pros: Beautiful Rich sound, Stylish looks. Upscale sound for entry price.
Cons: Lacking features of less expensive models. No component/S-Video to Composite upmixing. needs more HD inputs.
Review: I would by this unit again. I found it for under $300 so it was a steal. I bought a Sony receiver rated at 110 watts per channel and took it back after one hour. It sounded so dead and cheap. This Receiver with the same setup and speakers was night and day. I do with it had the component/S-Video to Composite upmixing but it's a small inconvience. I just ran a component cable to my TV and have had to switch to AV1 on my TV to setup it up, but once its setup you hardly ever go back into the OSD. I don't have any SD units plugged into, just a cable box and a XBOX/Media Center.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Perfect for Small Home Theater
Pros: Excellent Realistic Sound
Cons: Restricted to 5.1
Review: I Think I'm all set with this AVR Receiver. A great Value with my JBL Satellite Speaker & the 100W (internal) Subwoofer.
Read carefully the user's manual to make sure your setting has been done properly.
Read carefully the user's manual to make sure your setting has been done properly.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Great overall reciever
Pros: lots of power even though they don't inflate their per channel wattage like other manufactureing. clear sound. can handle pretty much anything you want to use it for. great all around reciever
Cons: can't think of any
Review:
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Beautiful looks, great sound
Pros: Design, quality, sound quality
Cons: Can use more power
Review: Bought this for $699 canadian. I had tried two other amplifiers before this one, the Yamaha HTR-5920s(5930 in the states), the Denon AVR-486($499 canadian), and this one.
My system is a Polk RM6800 HTIB, which is fairly decent and some say is even superior to the Bose Acoustimass series.
The HK amp is a marvel to look at, I love the blue lit volume control knob, the black glossy front, and the silver bottom panel.. truly a work of art.
Sound quality is pretty darn good. Crisp sound, even reproductions across all frequencies. However, i found the yamaha amp to be superior in clean sound at high volumes. I don't like it that HK publishes their class of power handling, they rate this amp at 40 watts a channel, which is obviously an understatement of its true power. It easily demolishes the Denon AVR-486s rated at 85 watts a channel. However, compared to the Yamaha HTR-5920s' 110 watts RMS/channel, i felt the HK receiver to be slightly less strong. Mind you, the sound is clean but the receiver is lacking at high volume. I'd suggest moving up to the AVR240 or more with the stronger amplifiers(AVR240 has 50 watts/channel).
Oh, another quirk is that you cannot see the on screen menu using component video, you have to use the regular composite video(red/white/yellow rca), which is quite troublesome. In addition it does not upconvert composite video to component video. For this price, thats a big no no.
In summary, great looks, great sound, minor quirks, could use a bit more power.
My system is a Polk RM6800 HTIB, which is fairly decent and some say is even superior to the Bose Acoustimass series.
The HK amp is a marvel to look at, I love the blue lit volume control knob, the black glossy front, and the silver bottom panel.. truly a work of art.
Sound quality is pretty darn good. Crisp sound, even reproductions across all frequencies. However, i found the yamaha amp to be superior in clean sound at high volumes. I don't like it that HK publishes their class of power handling, they rate this amp at 40 watts a channel, which is obviously an understatement of its true power. It easily demolishes the Denon AVR-486s rated at 85 watts a channel. However, compared to the Yamaha HTR-5920s' 110 watts RMS/channel, i felt the HK receiver to be slightly less strong. Mind you, the sound is clean but the receiver is lacking at high volume. I'd suggest moving up to the AVR240 or more with the stronger amplifiers(AVR240 has 50 watts/channel).
Oh, another quirk is that you cannot see the on screen menu using component video, you have to use the regular composite video(red/white/yellow rca), which is quite troublesome. In addition it does not upconvert composite video to component video. For this price, thats a big no no.
In summary, great looks, great sound, minor quirks, could use a bit more power.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Amazing sound Quality for an affordable price
Pros: Great digital input sound, can set individual speaker volumes/speaker delays for distance, Easy to set up,intuitive interface
Cons: Large size, Good for home speaker system with Tv, a bit much for Just audio use, but still worth it
Review: This unit provides amazing sound, customizability for your individual speakers and amazing sound reproduction for a real bassy, and live music experience.
I was basically looking for a great receiver to hook up to my computer/ipod for a sound quality that would make me feel like that guy on the old Maxell tape commercials! I wanted to sit in my leather chair in my room, blast my music, and soak in the tunes!
Don't let the 40wx6channels fool you, it really is powerful as hell. I was able to BLAST smashing pumpking, strokes, tchaikovski, and even rap music with total clarity at -10 to 0 dB, and even at +10 dB (highest on the receiver). The guitar, bass, and all horns/drums/accessory instruments come in with startling clearness.
It sounds SO MUCH like i'm at a concert, that my heart races a bit, and my whole room shakes.
I want to be able to control my cmoputer with the remote that's incouded, and i cannot yet do that. I did not, however, want to settle for a lesser quality system (like the kenwood n8100) that has those features. harman kardon will come out with a good wireless link soon, i hope.
You cannot go wrong with this sytem. If you are uncertain, email the Customer Support. They'll vouch personally for this line of receivers.
I was basically looking for a great receiver to hook up to my computer/ipod for a sound quality that would make me feel like that guy on the old Maxell tape commercials! I wanted to sit in my leather chair in my room, blast my music, and soak in the tunes!
Don't let the 40wx6channels fool you, it really is powerful as hell. I was able to BLAST smashing pumpking, strokes, tchaikovski, and even rap music with total clarity at -10 to 0 dB, and even at +10 dB (highest on the receiver). The guitar, bass, and all horns/drums/accessory instruments come in with startling clearness.
It sounds SO MUCH like i'm at a concert, that my heart races a bit, and my whole room shakes.
I want to be able to control my cmoputer with the remote that's incouded, and i cannot yet do that. I did not, however, want to settle for a lesser quality system (like the kenwood n8100) that has those features. harman kardon will come out with a good wireless link soon, i hope.
You cannot go wrong with this sytem. If you are uncertain, email the Customer Support. They'll vouch personally for this line of receivers.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 9 user reviews
Great Sound but very poor feature set hold this unit back
Pros: Excellent sound in stereo and home theater
Cons: High price, hdmi switching, no svideo conversion, no computer hook up
Review: First if all I wrote this review because Steve Guttenberg is a hack for the man and never writes a straight forward review helpful to casual consumers who might buy this piece.
HDMI switching is an unnecessary feature and should be very low on every consumers buy list.
Why? Because then the hacks like Guttenberg are going to tell you, you need an HI Def TV. They not worth the high price!
This unit is basically the sane as the avr 135 except it has ipod connectivity. Well what happens if you don't have an ipod or favor that format. THats an unnecesssary feature that could have easily been substitutied out for something worthwile like s-video conversion or a computer connection (like on the pioneer vsx 1015).
Sound wise this HK is awesome. Stunning in stereo and home theater but just not the adnmission charge due to lack of features.
HDMI switching is an unnecessary feature and should be very low on every consumers buy list.
Why? Because then the hacks like Guttenberg are going to tell you, you need an HI Def TV. They not worth the high price!
This unit is basically the sane as the avr 135 except it has ipod connectivity. Well what happens if you don't have an ipod or favor that format. THats an unnecesssary feature that could have easily been substitutied out for something worthwile like s-video conversion or a computer connection (like on the pioneer vsx 1015).
Sound wise this HK is awesome. Stunning in stereo and home theater but just not the adnmission charge due to lack of features.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 9 user reviews
AVR 140 - Winning system.
Pros: Ease of use. Flexibility. Device management.
Cons: Lack of HDMI switching could be considered an issue by some.
Review: I have a higher end H/K model running my main system. This is a secondary setup in a back room. Running Westinghouse 37" LCD (DVI/Component inputs), 1080i up-convert LG DVD player and Infinity TSS-750 surround sound setup.
Setup was a breeze. All ports/connections are well marked and labeled. Running audio for MP3 layer (RCA connection), DVD (optical audio), digital cable (optical audio) and X-Box (RCA connection).
The only items I am using the onboard component video switching for is the X-box. I use the direct TV ports for all other video inputs. No problems detected with the quality or ability of the component video switching.
The power output is excellent for either small or medium-sized rooms (maybe 16x16 to 24x24 or so). The ability to configure sound tweaks for each channel/speaker is amazing. You can adjust as needed almost infinitly. The menu and functionality is the same as my AVR 635.
I do not notice a difference in sound quality from my higher-end H/K main setup. As a matter of fact, for late night movie watching, I find myself going to the AVR 140 and TSS-750 setup more often than not. My main system (H/K AVR 635 and Aperion Audio surround speakers) has been getting neglected since I set this config up in December.
I use a Harmony remote with this system and it works like a dream. I press "Watch DVD" or "Watch TV" and the system is switched to all necessary ports to watch a DVD, no matter where things are plugged in. No fuss, just exceptional audio experience.
If you do not have an iPod, I think the AVR 135 will do the job just as well. From my understanding the only difference between the two is the Bridge port for iPod connectivity. I dont have an iPod and don't use the port... so I cannot comment on it.
All in all... I would buy this setup again. It is affordable and very impressive. I am much more into function than form... hard to please. The AVR 140 has made me happy. I highly recommend it.
Setup was a breeze. All ports/connections are well marked and labeled. Running audio for MP3 layer (RCA connection), DVD (optical audio), digital cable (optical audio) and X-Box (RCA connection).
The only items I am using the onboard component video switching for is the X-box. I use the direct TV ports for all other video inputs. No problems detected with the quality or ability of the component video switching.
The power output is excellent for either small or medium-sized rooms (maybe 16x16 to 24x24 or so). The ability to configure sound tweaks for each channel/speaker is amazing. You can adjust as needed almost infinitly. The menu and functionality is the same as my AVR 635.
I do not notice a difference in sound quality from my higher-end H/K main setup. As a matter of fact, for late night movie watching, I find myself going to the AVR 140 and TSS-750 setup more often than not. My main system (H/K AVR 635 and Aperion Audio surround speakers) has been getting neglected since I set this config up in December.
I use a Harmony remote with this system and it works like a dream. I press "Watch DVD" or "Watch TV" and the system is switched to all necessary ports to watch a DVD, no matter where things are plugged in. No fuss, just exceptional audio experience.
If you do not have an iPod, I think the AVR 135 will do the job just as well. From my understanding the only difference between the two is the Bridge port for iPod connectivity. I dont have an iPod and don't use the port... so I cannot comment on it.
All in all... I would buy this setup again. It is affordable and very impressive. I am much more into function than form... hard to please. The AVR 140 has made me happy. I highly recommend it.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 9 user reviews
$800 mistake, reciever and speakers
Pros: great radio
Cons: hard setting up
Review: it a mess hooking up, using 3 remotes, the only thing that works is the radio. if you have a older tv, and your cable is not digital forget it.
