Harman Kardon AVR 147

In the midst of all the Blu-ray brouhaha going on in the Tech2.0 lab, my eyes fell on an integral part of my hi-def chain of fun. This happens to be an AV receiver – not a player. I decided to take a closer look at it, as it's been waiting in line for a review for quite a while.

This isn’t a latest release or anything; it’s one of those workhorse home theater components that seriously deserve mention, even if our site does not exactly cater to the hi-fi audio niche. In fact, this AV receiver is considered one of Harman Kardon's budget models. Being the unsung heroes that they are, here's a review of the Harman Kardon AVR 147, 5.1 channel AV receiver.

Design and Features
This stylish unit is sturdy, with a metallic gray chassis. The façade is probably the best of the lot – it’s typical Harman style, with a horizontal reflective glossy black panel on top, and a faux lead metallic gray strip on the bottom. The volume dial glows a luminescent blue at its edges when turned on, and the LED screen is enticing too. The display is clear and legible; and the metallic rectangular buttons on the bottom half fit well into the design scheme.

The back panel offers a plethora of connections, just as in any receiver. There are 2 sets of component ins, 2 HDMI ins, 5 composite and S-video ins, 2 optical /coaxial audio outs, 5 analog audio ins, a 5.1 analog audio in, subwoofer preout, and last but not the least, 5 sets of speaker outs. FM, AM antennae inputs are on the top left corner.

The most important feature is an automatic speaker setup choice, for which a mic is supplied. The system uses a proprietary technique called EZset/EQ to calibrate speaker settings such as delay, crossover point etc. I must add that the process gets pretty loud, as the test signals are not friendly sounding. The OSD (On Screen Display) option helps greatly with setting up stuff on the AVR 147.