Harman Kardon AVR 125 Dolby Digital Receiver
By: JBL Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 5
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 On: 2004-04-04
The HK AVR 125 isnt a world class piece of stereo equipment. What it is is a very competent performer at its price level. It was Harman Kardons entry level A/V receiver in their line from 2001-2003. Id originally bought mine as a temporary fix, thinking Id relegate it to a backroom or a family member after I upgraded.There are two postive comments to be made about it. First it contains a fairly advanced DAC for its class [DACs translate cd bits into music]. Not bad for an entry level product. Secondly it shares, along with most HK receivers the fact that its amplifier is made of discrete electronics unlike the particle board assemblies that other products in its price class contain. One big negative: The HK receiver line is ugly. Extremely ugly. Cheap looking with some exterior clear plastic molds that dont help, whoever designed the lines looks should go back to the drawing board. All in all Im satisfied with the HK AVR-125. Its not cutting edge but its amp section is good enough that Im not worried about upgrading until after I purchase a very good universal player.
 On: 2004-02-29
My first receiver was an Aiwa AV-D55 stereo receiver. It was pretty good but the volume knob stopped responding: If I turned it down at the unit it would go up. The only thing that works on it is a remote. So I bought the Harman Kardon AVR 125. I was immediately impressed with the clarity and while it didnt produce the same bass as my other unit it produced better sound. I could see where adding a subwoofer is a good idea at this point. The Aiwa was much cheaper. Only $$ compared to $$. But Ive been very pleased with the features of this model. It does everything I need it to do and has every input/output connection I need. This unit also doesnt have sound fields like rock, jazz, or whatever. Its just a very nice to the point receiver. So far this is the best receiver Ive ever owned. The Aiwa sounded muddy by comparison. It had a t-bass tri-level setting which is handy if you dont own a subwoofer. But Ive never missed it. And I know that once I add the subwoofer this system is going to be even more amazing. I use JBL speakers and its very crisp and clear.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-02-24
Like so many of us out there who have just bought a new projection HDTV, its time to upgrade the old stereo to an audio visual receiver. I had always heard H/K was good stuff, so I bought this H/K unit because of the controls configuration and the features. I am replacing a 21 year old Onkyo receiver that still works great but doesnt accomodate 5.1 etc. My Onkyo is 45 watts per channel (last of the analog dials made) and the H/K is aprx. the same rating. With tearful unceartantity and that new car smell anxiety I set aside my Onkyo and hooked up my new H/K. The display lit up and it looked better in my house than at the store (you know the feeling). When I turned up the volume I got no sound from the TV or DVD input so I swithed to am/fm and got some "fuzzy music". I only hooked up 2 speakers (JBL 3way 15" woof.) but I tried every mathematically possible wiring configuration that an electrical engineer could conceive and I could not get this unit to get louder than a FIFTH! of what my Onkyo would do ; and the clarity was not as good. So I took back the unit to the store and they hooked it up and what I heard at home was the same thing that we heard at the store. The store people said that the unit is working properly and I should be looking for a 110 amp+ per channel unit to match the performance of my old Onkyo.I am not deaf and when my wife cannot carry on a normal conversation with me she turns down the volume, she never objected to the H/K untill it was at full blast. Simply put: this unit has no nads. I have remedied the situation. The store cheerfully took the H/K back and I hooked my Onkyo back up. I ran Y-cables out of the back of my DVD and split the audio between my TV and my Onkyo. I ran my "TV out" leads to my Onkyos other tape monitor in. I now have 4 floor standing 3-way speakers that sound better than anything at the audio store that is under $1000.00. And it is easy for my wife to use! I am not H/K bashing here as it is a very beatiful unit. I think that the display is the most attractive on the market. There are a couple of good uses for the H/K thogh. It would be ideal for a powder room or a closet. Or; like they used to do with those beatiful color TV consoles that our grandparents had -- turn that beutiful display into a fishtank (saltwater would blend nicely with the orange letters). Hope this helped.
On: 2004-02-23
Like so many of us out there who have just bought a new projection HDTV, its time to upgrade the old stereo to an audio visual receiver. I had always heard H/K was good stuff, so I bought this H/K unit because of the controls configuration and the features. I am replacing a 21 year old Onkyo receiver that still works great but doesnt accomodate 5.1 etc. My Onkyo is 45 watts per channel (last of the analog dials made) and the H/K is aprx. the same rating. With tearful unceartantity and that new car smell anxiety I set aside my Onkyo and hooked up my new H/K. The display lit up and it looked better in my house than at the store (you know the feeling). When I turned up the volume I got no sound from the TV or DVD input so I swithed to am/fm and got some "fuzzy music". I only hooked up 2 speakers (JBL 3way 15" woof.) but I tried every mathematically possible wiring configuration that an electrical engineer could conceive and I could not get this unit to get louder than a FIFTH! of what my Onkyo would do ; and the clarity was not as good. So I took back the unit to the store and they hooked it up and what I heard at home was the same thing that we heard at the store. The store people said that the unit is working properly and I should be looking for a 110 amp+ per channel unit to match the performance of my old Onkyo.I am not deaf and when my wife cannot carry on a normal conversation with me she turns down the volume, she never objected to the H/K untill it was at full blast. Simply put: this unit has no nads. I have remedied the situation. The store cheerfully took the H/K back and I hooked my Onkyo back up. I ran Y-cables out of the back of my DVD and split the audio between my TV and my Onkyo. I ran my "TV out" leads to my Onkyos other tape monitor in. I now have 4 floor standing 3-way speakers that sound better than anything at the audio store that is under $1000.00. And it is easy for my wife to use! I am not H/K bashing here as it is a very beatiful unit. I think that the display is the most attractive on the market. There are a couple of good uses for the H/K thogh. It would be ideal for a powder room or a closet. Or; like they used to do with those beatiful color TV consoles that our grandparents had -- turn that beutiful display into a fishtank (saltwater would blend nicely with the orange letters). Hope this helped.
On: 2003-05-28
I sell audio equipment to mainly people who are just starting out with home theater, and I have to say, I am most impressed, and get the most positive feedback, with HK then with any other brand. For those of you doing research for your first surround sound system, youre definitely looking for two things.
1. Something that sounds great.
2. Something thats easy to use.
HK absolutely does both.
What makes HK sound great? First, dont be scared of the 45-watt power rating per channel. HK is rated by not just the center channel, but ALL the channels. This means rear channels that are dynamic and can hold their own, not blown away by the center/front channel. Second, HK gives you crisp clear sound at any pitch. Dont get me wrong, its not going to make your Jensens sound like a Bose system, but team it up with something like Bose, Infinity, JBL, and Polk to name a few and you will not be displeased. Throw in a THD at .07% that can hang with any other brand to boot. Third, is power on demand. Yeah, lets say youre watching a Bond chase scene and theres an explosion. Would you rather it sound like, "hmm I think something caught fire" or "OH GOD, GET UNDER THE DESK HUN, THE HOUSE IS GONNA COLLAPSE ON US"? The latter is closer to what you get with power on demand (ok so maybe I exaggerated).
Is HK easy to use? OK, if youre taking home your first receiver these days, theyre ALL going to look intimidating. But with the HK, it is extremely easy to switch between surround modes and video sources both with the remote and on the unit. You can customize which inputs go with which digital sources. Lets face it, if youve never owned a receiver, youre going to have to educate yourself a little bit. But, HKs on screen menu makes these advanced settings as painless as possible. Also, if you opt for the 2,3, or 5 series, theres an EZ set button on your remote, that automatically adjusts the speakers to where youre sitting in the room.
In short, I believe about 95% of all receiver customers are HK customers. All there is to decide is if youre a 1,2,3 or 5 series customer. Maybe even check out the 2001 or 7200.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-01-18
Great Reciever, has great sound quality, Totally Digital Controls, i have considered JVC, Onkyo, and Technics, But this sounded the BEST out of the bunch, has Harman/Kardons EXCLUSIVE LOGIC-7, makes it sound like you have 7 speakers. Very high qualiy, and well built, and great sound quality.
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