harman/kardon AVR 510 5.1 Channels Receiver

Pros: Powerful, Clean Sound, Attractive and Thoughtful Design, Main amp inputs, Thorough manual, Learning remote
Cons: Video is switched natively...does not upconvert to S-Video.

First, some perspective:

The H/K 510 receiver dates to the late '00-late '01 model run and has since been superceded by the 520 and the just introduced 525. As an older model, it clearly suffers somewhat of a deficiency in terms of features....

Pros: Sonically excellent. Individual preamp outputs/power amp inputs. Versatile.
Cons: Universal remote is not so universal.

My search for a home theater receiver began with a rather unusual requirement... The need to have preamp outputs and power amp inputs for each channel.

I needed this feature because my front speakers, a pair of vintage Altec Voice of the...

Pros: Great looking and versatile
Cons: Difficult to understand manual and setup

So I go into my nearby Circuit City store, and see the clerk in the components area. I'm shown the Harmon Kardon 510, as an open box special. This is an expensive receiver, selling for around $600 when it was current. Oh, this is not a 2002 model, which...

Pros: Great sound and a lot of features. Good customer support.
Cons: None yet!

I purchased this receiver as a replacement for my AVR 500 which I had to return because of a problem with the DTS decoder. See my review of the AVR 500 for more details. I decided to give them another chance because of the good experience we had with...

Pros: Looks are stunning, very powerful, good features, clean sound
Cons: Quality problems with my particular unit

The way this receiver looked as well as the clean noise free sound it produces sold me on it. Unfortunately, I bought one that had been on display. It has probably been abused. The back light on the remote has never worked and when I turned it on there...

Pros: Excellent sound for price
Cons: Control takes some getting used to.

Admittedly, as a comparison, I came from a much lower priced receiver, but the sound on this unit is excellent... so much richer. When hooked up to the Harmon Kardon DVD5 optically, the DTS kicks in, and the sound comes into it's own. The power output is...

Pros: Sound quality, versatility, do-it-all remote, doesn't appear it'll become obsolete any time soon.
Cons: READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST!

***NOTE: This review is for the HK AVR520 which is the current model replacing the AVR510. It has a few more features and a tad more power.

I was looking around for a receiver to replace my 11-year-old Sony STR-D711 as the heart of my home...

Pros: Great bass and crystal clear sound.
Cons: Lack of loudness.