Yamaha or Harmon Kardon

[panabrite]

I am stuck between the Yamaha 6160 or the Harmon Kardon 254..The HK is about 100 dollars more .I am getting mixed opinions from different people ..
I need some advice as I am a novice .I will be running a ps3 through it and watching 50 inch 1080p plasma ..

[hugh]

Without knowing your specific requirements, it's impossible to say. The question is what is it about the HK that makes you think it might be worth an extra $100?

[panabrite]

I don't think its worth 100 more .In store price is 100 more .

[eljay]

But...if the store price is $100 more and you're considering paying that price, you essentially think it may be worth $100 more than the Yamaha.

So, hugh's question remains: What requirements do you have that are making you consider the H-K over the Yamaha?

[panabrite]

I don't think it is worth 100 more .My question was which one should I choose.They have similiar features and being a newbie to the av world .Which one would be the better choice..I am not leaning towards one or the other ..As far as my requirements are ,You want to know what I will be doing with the unit ?

[eljay]

If you don't think it's worth the extra $100 and you don't need any of the H-K's extra features (additional HDMI input, RS-232 port for firmware upgrades, etc.), then you don't need to shell out the extra $100.

[JohnnyCanuck]

There are two things for you to consider. They are somewhat similar, but the HK features 3 HDMI inputs. There is an element of future-proofing here. There are advantages to stand-along Blu-ray players you may want to take advantage of at some point. Add an Xbox 360, or want to run your cable or sat box via HDMI and you're up to three. By the same token, you're giving up on Component Video hookup by going with the HK. That's why you're getting these questions ...

The other thing to consider is your intended use. Is it mostly home theatre, or do you listen to lots of music? This is a personal observation, but I generally prefer the HK's musicality over Yamaha.

[panabrite]

What about sound performance . I was told Yamaha will give you great sound "punch" the word that was used .The Hk will be "clear" at low volumes and also High volumes .Anyone
have any experiences with these units.

[eljay]

Those kinds of descriptors are very subjective: Yamaha receivers sound good and H-K receivers sound good but different people like them for different reasons. The biggest factor in your system's sound will be the speakers, so as far a receivers go, look to reputable brands & models and focus on the features you want/need vs. the prices.

[panabrite]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCanuck

The other thing to consider is your intended use. Is it mostly home theatre, or do you listen to lots of music? This is a personal observation, but I generally prefer the HK's musicality over Yamaha.

It will be a mix of both movies and music .I want a user friendly unit .I did purchase the Pioneer 1018 and I found it to complicated .

[eljay]

In my opinion, Yamahas have very user-friendly interfaces.

[panabrite]

Good points. My speakers in my opinion sound good. Like I said "I am a novice". In other words, they are both good units and it is personal preference.

[JohnnyCanuck]

On user interface side, I would probably say Yamaha is better than HK, but neither will seem as complicated as Pioneer.

[panabrite]

I found the Pioneer way to hard to actually go from music to a movie.So much to pick from as far as settings go.I am moving up from an old Kenwood vr 208 Home theatre system .The Pioneer was a great improvement but not user friendly..
There is so much info to consume .The Denon 789 is in my the price range also,but I was told tricky to set up.This is why I am down to the Yamaha and H K .

[57]

Once the AVR is properly set up though, there should be little to do - for example, it should remember which DSP you want to use for your various inputs and for various formats on each input.

For example

DPL for a DD2.0 input signal
Direct for a DD5.1 input signal
Stereo (or whatever you prefer) for your CD input
Etc.

The trick is to set everything up properly. Sometimes it's even possible to perform a "workaround" (one user here uses HDMI from the DVD player for DVD but uses optical from the same player for listening to CDs (tuning to the CD input instead of the DVD input on the AVR). In this way the proper DSP is used for his CDs and not the same one as for DVDs - this may not be possible with all DVD players. If you've got a Harmony remote - this is all one button press away - "Watch DVD", "listen CD", "watch TV", etc.

An understanding of "how things work" and the capabilities of the AVR (and other equipment) are needed for this optimization process. Most, but not all, better AVRs have the feature set required, but if there's something that you absolutely want it to do, make sure you purchase the AVR (and other equipment) that can do it...

A few relevant links:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=76082 AVR Features

http://www.digitalhome.ca/content/view/2883/283/ Optimization

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741 Useful info