Harmon Kardon DEAD as nails!

[tx_polkhead]

My HK ARV230 went belly up on me. Does anyone have any magic they might share to bring this thing back to life. So far I have turned it off for 30 minutes, nothing, unplugged it overnight, nothing, done the reset by holding down the 'tone mode' button for 5 seconds,nothing. Next step was to disconnect everything check speaker wire connections and try again, nothing. I should mention that the unit powers up as normal, the display lights up, I hear the power supply give it's usual electronic click but I get no sound to any speaker and no TV display from any channel or any source! The AVR's display changes as the source changes, if I go from cd I see the display change to stereo mode with the correct speaker indicators lit up, and when I switch to DVD I see the surround mode switch to Dolby Digital and all the speaker indicators light up yet still no sound. As a last ditch effort I looked under the hood, I used the compressor to blow out the dust and found 5 fuses and they all check out (continuity test with a MM). HK Customer Servive gave me the number to their recomended service center in Dallas and they say it will be $75 to take a look at it. I bought this used from CL so spending $75 minimum on a unit I only paid $120 does not seem that wise. If you have any wisdom to share I am all ears! To top it off I just got a replacement tweeter for my Monitor 5JR+ which were to be my surrounds in my new/old theater, so here I sit all speaker and no AVR!
Thanks
Abel

[billbillw]

Sadly, these HK seem to have a poor reliability record. Might be time to upgrade and sell the old one for 'parts'.

[Ron Temple]

Sadly, I think your AVR has bitten the dust. I've had 2 235s and a 245 in the last 3 years. The 2 235s went tits up within the warranty period and I've had no problems with the 245. It was an ebay auction and they keep sending them to you if it's still covered. That's great and I love the sound, but I view them as a disposable piece of gear. When I'm done with this one, hopefully I'll get my dream pre/pro that will last awhile.

[hockeyboy]

Just like I always say, HK sucks, and I agree with Ron. It's mass produced and sold in every Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target. The high end of the low end. Dispose of it and get something better like a Marantz, Onkyo or Denon.

[Ern Dog]

Perhaps this is a sign from the Audio Gods to venture into separates!

[tx_polkhead]

Perhaps this is a sign from the Audio Gods to venture into separates!

I wish I had the cash to look into separates, for now I'll keep an eye on my local Craig's List with Marantz, Onkyo or Denon at the top of the list. It's been a week without music at home and I'm getting the shakes. Good thing the boss (me) let's me crank it up at work!
Abel

[bigaudiofanatic]

Onkyo I would recommend. Man that sucks I though that H/K was a good name out there. I gues not.

[Monster Jam]

Just like I always say, HK sucks, and I agree with Ron. It's mass produced and sold in every Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target. The high end of the low end. Dispose of it and get something better like a Marantz, Onkyo or Denon.

I won't dispute HKs apparent poor reliability record - I've had mine worked on and swapped out numerous times.

But to say they "suck"...I wouldn't go THAT far.

[TouchOfEvil]

Guess i'm lucky, i have had my avr230 sine the first week they hit the shelfs and never had a single problem from it.
I also have a avr247 and never had any trouble from it ethier.

[Ron Temple]

Don't get me wrong, I tried to replace the HK with Pio and Denon after it replaced an Onkyo. Just couldn't beat the HK SQ. Mine were ebay refurbs and for the price and the warranty, I think they are a great deal. The only AVRs I feel competes for music are Nad and Marantz and I've only heard older models that were quite a bit more expensive than the entry level HK.

[ben62670]

Don't get me wrong, I tried to replace the HK with Pio and Denon after it replaced an Onkyo. Just couldn't beat the HK SQ. Mine were ebay refurbs and for the price and the warranty, I think they are a great deal. The only AVRs I feel competes for music are Nad and Marantz and I've only heard older models that were quite a bit more expensive than the entry level HK.

I had a 247 and I loved it.

[Willow]

I have a 335 and had a 340. Sold the 340 as there was an issue with it. The 33 has been fantastic. I would not say they suck and to say Onk and Denon are better...That would depend you can't compare top of the line model of those 2 with a 2XX HK model.

[xandra]

Are HK's other components unreliable or is mostly an AVR issue? (had been eyeing one of their CD players)

[BjornB17]

Are HK's other components unreliable or is mostly an AVR issue? (had been eyeing one of their CD players)

I have an HK FL8385 (cd changer) and a DVD-27 (dvd player). Both are great units. The disc-changing mechanism of the FL8385 is a litte loud but nothing that should stop you from buying it. The sound quality is really good from it. I had to have it swapped out when i first got it because it arrived DOA (perhaps from shipping... it was UPS after all). I got mine as a refurb direct from HK for like $60 about 3.5 years ago and it has worked fine. Ditto for DVD-27 on all points except having to exchange it.

[fossy]

using a rehab 3485 since dec -- no issues

[sucks2beme]

Onkyo I would recommend. Man that sucks I though that H/K was a good name out there. I gues not.

There was a point back bewteen 2000-2004 where many of the big names
sent their production to China, ETC. Most of the big brands had problems.
They had to adjust to the fact that they only got the quality they contracted for.
Most of them, including H/K have learned the lesson and do a better job of
policing their "cheap" production. That was a dark time for HT. Do your homework.
If Audioreview shows a lot of dead unit bitches on a model, run away. H/K had a
lot of problem units in these years. You see them in pawn shops everywhere.
There are a lot of good units made only a couple of years ago for sale cheap
because they don't support HMDI. That should be your target for a cheap replacement.
Dallas/Ft. Worth CL, as well as the BestBuy open box table are good places to look.

[disneyjoe7]

So the question I have is this HK issue, is it a component in which it's push to hard dying early. Or it's an issue of bad soldering? Anyone know?

[sucks2beme]

So the question I have is this HK issue, is it a component in which it's push to hard dying early. Or it's an issue of bad soldering? Anyone know?
I don't know for sure, but I think three things come to mind.
Poor design causing heat related failures. Bad solder joints.
Bad caps. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague
This one really pisses me off. I had several pc boards crap out from this.

[disneyjoe7]

It's sounds as if they where looking to make a cheaper product by design and assembly. Where they could of said assemble this with these parts, sad as the moved they made hurt their PR.

[tx_polkhead]

The unit in question was made in Jan 2004, perhaps on the tail end of the 'dark years'. I will say it sounded quite nice while it worked, I also was the second owner (used purchase from CL). Not sure how hard it was pushed before I got it, I have a wife and two kids and only the youngest kid is on my side when it comes to cranking the volume (yep he's a chip off the ole block), so I didn't push it too hard, although it did have plenty of miles on it, I watch TV exclusively with the AVR on. I'll likely offer it 'as is needs repair' for a low price, maybe someone out there can do something with it, I found the remote on flea-bay for $65, maybe someone could use a back-up. I just ordered a deeply discounted Pioneer Elite AVR from Vanns for $299 with shipping, not sure if it's a step up or down but it will get me by till I can spend the big bucks on separates.

[Mike682]

Sorry to hear about the HK. Getting a HK that works is a definite keeper

Can't beat HK's sound for its price

[devani]

my 445 was wedding gift....i told my friends that I wanted 445.....i also like HK and it's power...but when it fails, I will get HDMI audio capable one

[ben62670]

Who says it will fail. I am guessing that the refurbs took care of any issues? Mine ran great. It appears to be a thing from the past. I would get another HK again.
Ben

[Mike682]

Also got my 235 from HK's ebay store about three years ago. First one arrived with a dead channel. HK cust service was great and sent me another 235 immediately. Second 235 has been rock solid since I got it; Great receiver.

I will eventually get new HK with HDMI. HKs have excellent power and great sound and from my experience, has great warranty/customer service if something goes wrong.

[sucks2beme]

Who says it will fail. I am guessing that the refurbs took care of any issues? Mine ran great. It appears to be a thing from the past. I would get another HK again.
Ben

They all fail sooner or later:D
H/k did learn from their problems. Their customer support stepped up. I have not
heard of any "problem" models in a few years. Like I said, most of the big guys
found lack of QC a costly mistake. Some, like Marantz, have been trying to step
back up to being premium brand. Others, like Kenwood, slid into the black hole.
Do they even make HT any more?