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Harman Kardon AVR 354: Review

Posted to Audio Components 2009-06-08

The Harman Kardon AVR 354 is a new full-featured 7.1 surround sound home theater receiver from Harmon Kardon. It features 7X75W output power and a wealth of I/O options. The receiver boasts a low signal to noise ratio of 100dB, HDMI 1.3a outputs with video upscaling to 1080p and a full suite of Dolby surround decoding, including Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.

The unit comes complete with the Bridge II iPod docking station for iPod playback, control and charging. The AVR-354 is XM tuner ready, and includes 3 HDMI inputs and one output, and component video and S-video inputs and outputs. The unit also has 4 optical and 3 coaxial digital audio inputs. The system supports dual-zone operation for use in multi-room applications. The AVR-354 comes with Harman Kardon's unique EZSet/EQ system, which includes an omnidirectional microphone that works in conjunction with the receiver to precisely equalize the surround speakers automatically.

Rating:

5.0 out of 5

Value

The AVR-354 represents an excellent value for the money. It includes more features than most of the competition in this price range, and has all of the I/O you're likely to need to build a complete multi-room home theater system. And the included iPod dock, EQ microphone and excellent 7-device universal remote need to be considered when comparing prices. In fact, the AVR-354 has as many features as some units costing twice its price.

Features

The AVR-354 really shines in the features category. It has every conceivable input and output option. And the inclusion of the Bridge II for the iPod, the EZSet/EQ feature with microphone and a very usable 7-device universal remote make it one of the most full-featured home theater receivers around. The dual-zone audio support is usually only available on receivers costing much more, and the Dolby support includes all of the Dolby formats in current use.

Summary

If you're looking for a full-featured, powerful surround receiver to base your home theater system around, then the AVR-354 definitely deserves your consideration. It's not a budget device, but if you're looking in this price range, you won't find a receiver with more features for the price. And you get the Harman Kardon name, backed by a reputation for quality, ease of use, and reliability.

Pros

7X75W 7.1 channel surround
Support for all current Dolby formats
1080p upscaling of non-HD content
Automatic EQ system with included microphone
Usable 7-device universal remote control

Cons

There are no cons for this product