I love my HK3370. I bought mine at a small stereo store in LaCrosse Wi. in 2000. I use it almost every day. It still looks like new and works perfectly. It's the only receiver or amp I own that doesn't have a loudness control, but it makes up for it by having perfect sound. Thanks for covering this relatively unknown and under rated receiver.
I've got an HK 930 receiver, from the mid-70's, a real beast. Works fine and has power to drive most any speaker. In 1988 I bought a new HK PM655 VXI Integrated and Boston Acoustics A100 floorstanders. After cycling through different manufacturers in spite of my better judgement I always come back to the HK and Boston. They seem such a mellow and pleasant combination. The Harmans only needed 2 clean-up/repair visits over the years to get de-oxed. The gear from this era was magnificent. And a lot of the appeal was aesthetiic with outstanding material obvious in the heft and touch of the units. Great channel, new subscriber, thank you for the work you're doing.
Hi Old Guy. I've been an HK guy since the mid 70s. Yes, I'm an old guy too. I bought into the HK design philosophy. High current, ultra wide bandwidth, low transient IM, excellent transient response and conservatively rated. I went to a stereo back then and it was all that. So in 1977, I picked up a brochure (I might still have it) on the HK 730 receiver and within a couple of weeks I took all the money I made that year and bought one. I was 17 and a senior in high school. I was never disappointed. Unfortunately it took much of a beating, ie spilt drinks at disco parties. By around 2000 one of the channels started to get flaky. Anyway because I loved HK, I bought a 3370. I was still in love with my 730 but the 3370 was excellent. I used it to drive my Magnepan 1.6's for 24 years. Very good most of the time but I wanted more power. Those maggies require a lot of power/current to get moderately loud and that was asking too much from the 3370. I ended buying a Rotel 1582 mkll after much research. Their design philosophy reminded me in some ways of the old HK approach. Add to that, in 2000 I heard a Rotel absolutely blow away a Krell. The Rotel was far more musical. Anyway I now use the preamp in the 3370. The preamp section is excellent.
I literally just picked up an HK 3475 at the thrift store 15 minutes ago for 30 bucks! Is this reciever similar to the other ones mentioned here? Web search seems to indicate its also a high current, excellent performing amp. It has a higher rated wattage, i think, 110w. Aesthetically it looks just like the others too. Figured id take chance on it 😊 thanks @@OldGuyHifi!
Fascinating. My FIL is a big H-K fan and this video explained a lot of what must have made a Harmon Kardon receiver such a sought-after piece of gear for him through the 70s and 80s. I've got his old AVR20 running now; there's no ring around the volume and it's as understated as the knob on the 3370. It was a Costco (Canada) purchase-apparently a model that wasn't supposed to be available here; but Costco got their hands on a few palettes from a wholesaler skirting H-K Canada's rules & regs and that's how this one came to join the family. I don't know how far beyond the true heritage period it lies, but damn it drives his Mirage SM-1 speakers beautifully.
Hi Ed! Great fun. Keep it up! I love your vids on vintage gear because I love all of it. On my TV system, it’s hard to discern real differences. Everything sound mostly the same. But, that’s my system’s issue.
I've been a Yamaha fan since I purchased my RX-V995 almost a quarter of a century ago, which is incredible to think about. My wife and I just moved into a new home and I plan on using the receiver for music in a 2.1 configuration, featuring Cerwin Vega Re-38s and an LW-15 sub. This HK3370 looks like it could handle such a task as well. It might be fun to find one and hear what it can do. I also caught your interview with Kevin at Skylabs this past weekend and it was greatly informative and entertaining.
@OldGuyHifi I have an HK3380 driving Klipsch R51M bookshelf speakers and a Klipsch R100 subwoofer. Klipsch and Harman Kardon seem to pair well and the combination absolutely fills my small listening room with very clean, detailed sound with very smooth but punchy bass. I love it.
Thanks for the great video that Harman Kardon is cool if you could ever find a Yamaha dspa one surround amplifier I found one in a snow drift I had to resolder132 pins on the display board now it works fantastic it was $3,000 in 1999 that was a ton of money I like your speaker cables on one set up I had I had literally welding cables for speaker cables my friends thought I was nuts I said hey you were free can't beat that have a great day I'll keep watching keeps me inspiredMy friend was at the state sale he bought five turntables I said how many turntables do you need he said all of them I'm guilty of that I got about a hundred turntables not all working I restore equipment I'm retired I'll never get around to everything have a great dayI love vintage equipment in 1970My friend bought a voxson receiver never saw another one it sounded fantastic he got it from Allied radio some guy traded it in ever hear of such a thing I can't find anything on internet
I realize it takes a lot of work to do these videos and so I "thank you". What do these people do with the remotes? Eat them? I'm guessing me most folks who sell these found them at estate sales.
Thank you for this review. So with your review in mind I bought a second hand HK3470, because you made me curious about the sound of these receivers. I found one for €80, around $80 US. And it didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, it did drive my B&W 804d2 very well. Crisp and clear, enough oomphf in the base department too. The remote can be programmed in order to communicate with other audio components. After some playing time it can become a little warm, not too hot to the touch. Anyway, it is a very good amp/receiver for little money, which can drive many loudspeakers. Every loudspeaker I connected it to, sounded good to very good. Thank you for the recommendation, it is highly appreciated!
Rogier, That fact that it gets warm is an indication of its current capability. That is a rather beefy amp for a receiver. I am so glad you are enjoying it. Thank you for letting me know you thoughts. I do appreciate it.
Really love great stereo receivers from around this era. Excellent unit. I have a really nice Denon and this HK gives it a run for the money. This is before things like a tape loop and phono pre were afterthoughts.
I think that vintage H/K product line is from around the yesr 2000. My first HT receiver was an H/K 520 which looked just like your two channel model. Later, I bought a used H/K AVR 7000, a step above the 520. One of the things I wish I had never sold. I also think they are one of the best looking audio product lines out there. The next model, 3375/3475, used silver buttons. I much prefer the gold colored ones. And I agree completely. They sound wonderful! While the next generations of H/K products still packed quite a punch, their HDMI models were very buggy right from the beginning. That started the downfall of the H/K audio product line. I also had an H/K 7550HD several years ago, which was a BEAST but never seemed to work right so you are correct. Stick to the earlier models.
Great sound especially with the Wharfedale and the big ones. This is a gem of an amplifier even if is a home theatre one. I will try to get one from eBay. Thanks!
Great review! Thank you kindly for bringing us along on your Audio journey. Love the videos! I bought an AVR5 in 1998(?) and am wondering if you have any thoughts on this model or if you could do a future review? I feel as though this was a quality product in its day, and it serves me well, even today... but it may be time for service...
That's a nice unit for sure. Still holding true to the original design philosophies of High Instantaneous Current and Ultra wide bandwidth. Only repair it if something is amiss. Thanks Darren for the view and comment.
@@OldGuyHifi Thank you for the advice! I just caught you on Skylabs and could have listened for another hour. I can't wait for your new content/collaborations. Super happy to have found your channel and your Harmon Kardon content... cheers from Central Canada.
I've got a real soft spot for the 330i. I gave my son a 3370 i got with a pair of speakers. While it was pleasant enough, i didn’t find it very engaging. The 330i was just flat out fun.
I had one similar, a decade older run by a streamer(B&W's). Great sound. Warmer than my Yamaha integrated Amp of the era. I used it before with a turntable as source to digitize albums. So was a great pre-amp in that use.
I I love the vintage sound. But I’ve had too many problems with breakdowns and getting Repairs. I’m not a technical guy and I don’t pretend to be. Finally after much experimentation, I came across Vincent SV 500. It is a class AB amplifier designed in Germany built in China with a tube preamp. It’s a new amplifier with everything I ever wanted in a vintage amplifier. Extremely high current at 50 watts it will drive most anything. Love it if you see one give them a try.
I am familiar with Vincent and they are very good. I agree with you about their sound. The challenge is getting mfrs. to send out gear out to small channels like mine. Doesn't mean I won't try. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The Elac's were easily the best of the 4 speakers with excellent bass quality but the Monitor Audio's weren't embarrassed. The dynamics came through all 4.
In fairness the Monitor 100's are about 4 feet from the wall behind. I think they might benefit from being a bit closer. I was well pleased with how they all sounded. That HK unit has some horsepower. Thank you do much for watching and commenting.
Thank you for the video. Really enjoyed it. I am fascinated by the performance of old hifi v new. How much is marketing and how much is technological innovation? One that maybe you can explore. Keep it up.
There's an idea. Other than Class D amps, class "A/B" and "A" haven't really changed that much. Yes, there have been refinements and an increase in component quality, maybe, so vintage gear can, for the most part, hand with the new stuff. Thanks for watching and giving me that idea.
I remember these from the early 2000s. Were they really out in the early 90s? Or was that just a mistake? I actually sold stereo equipment in the early 2000s and this was one of my favorites in regards to sound. Appearance left a bit to be desired IMO. The successor looked great but didn’t quite seem to be the same quality. Anyway. Really enjoyed this and am looking forward to watching more of your content. BTW Skylabs brought me here
Ive got two questions, and by the way the Skylabs interview was awesome! First question, i noticed you had something under your speakers, was that for just ease of moving them or was you decoupling them from the foor? I use a Wiim pro with a J2 DAC, Do you think the Cambridge streamers sound that much better? Awesome video.
Hey Jim! It was a lot fun at Kevin's. I have ceramic tiles under them most of the time. I use sorbothane feet to isolate the speakers and decouple them from the floor. This is a new thing. I have always spiked my speakers in the past which of course mass loads them to the floor and moves vibrations in to the heavy mass of the floor. I am trying something new with the isolation scheme. So far I think I like it. Now in this video other than the speaker stands the only thing on the floor was some painter tape. As far as the WiiM Cambridge comparison I have run them both thru a socketed J2 with both stock and Sparko's op-amps as well as run the Cambridge on just its internal DAC and spoiler, the Cambridge does sound, to my ear, superiors. Now the Cambridge thru the J2 is sublime and caught me off guard. I normally use my hot rodded Bifrost and nothing yet has really come close buy, oh my that J2 is very good. I have to finish my listening tests before I can do my review. Sorry for the "War & Peace" length response. Thanks so much.
@@OldGuyHifi I've been considering selling some gear to try to raise money for the Cambridge streamer. That thing is beautiful. Love the screen. Thank you for the reply.
Jim, Cambridge has a refurb store on EBay. That's how I got my AXR100. Currently the MXN10 is $329.00 and they have them in black and silver. They also offer free returns. I hope that helps you get closer. Thank you my friend. Let me know what you decide to do. *** Sorry, I just saw that you said screen. Did you mean the CXN100?
Thank you for your reply and help I am thinking of changing my Cambridge axa35 if I can find a Harman amp do you think it would be an improvement I do play a lot of my music on vinyl and Iam Cambridge mnx10 next thank you
The Cambridge is a very good piece of gear. I am not sure what advice I can give you. Unless I had some difficult to drive speakers I would seriously stick with what you have. I know the sound of both units and think the Cambridge is a bit better. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
My Question the depths and details of the soundstage of course the equipment is like a old comfortable pair of shoes I have got whole lot of older and Vintage like SX-1980s Sony Vfat amps, Tubes Yamaha!! I tend to plug in the new stuff maybe Im impatient . How did the sound compare?
Honestly well designed gear, past or present can sound very good. There are exceptions of course but I find that if the gear was some what better than regular line "super store" levels, it can sound very good. But everybody's tastes are individual. Each of the speakers performed well. They each have there own sound. Thanks so much for tuning.
I know the sound samples are more for illustration purposes (with all the processing involved from recording to my wireless headphones) but it gives an idea. To me, the Wharfedale were best sounding followed closely by the Monitor Audio (with a sub, the monitor might go ahead) Then the Elac, they had punch for sure but it sounded more somber to me if that makes any sense. The Braun without a sub couldn't stand a chance, but they're not designed for this I think, they'll do better in near field That Harman Kardon sounds very good indeed. And it gets me more and more interested in that MXN10.. Ah, Ultimae Records are from France, I got to check them out especially since I come from there too (though not Lyon but Normandy)
I am very impressed with the MXN10. I will be using it on all my vintage gear reviews. Yes the little Wharfies sound great. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.
Yay. That is a sweet little unit. Not super powerful although it will surprise you. Great sound. Also, from the right era. Let me know if you get it and what you think. BTW, offer them $60.00 and see what happens. ;-)
@@OldGuyHifi they also sell a Yamaha P-751 DD turntable for $100 So I was thinking $140-150 for both. Not that I need any of them (I have 5 turntables and 4 receivers already), just curious about the gear Also found a set of Vector Research receiver (VSX-3500), cassette deck (450) and equalizer along with a Yamaha cd player and a pair of Boston Acoustic A-150 speaker for about $200. I mean just the speakers alone are worth the price (I know I own them) But then, room will become an issue ;-) Again, curious about the Vector Research brand, haven't heard much about it Thanks
I would skip the turntable. It's just ok. Vector Research made some decent stuff. It was a cut above the mainline stuff like Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony (not ES) etc. Sound wise they were ok. A bit like HK. I liked them. Service maybe an issue. If the CD player has a digital out then you could use it as a transport. I haven't heard a BA A150 in about a thousand years so I have no opinion. Good luck.
The 3470 still falls into the good category. It is basically the exact same unit as the 3370 but with 100 watts as opposed to 70. Great piece. Thanks for checking in and commenting.
There are two shops that I know of that are capable of fixing that unit. Deltronics: www.deltronics.com and Martroy: www.martroyelectronics.com. Martroy has been in business forever and was/is a factory authorized HK service center. I have heard good and bad about both. I think the big issue is how long it can take and parts availability. Good luck I hope one of them works out for you. Thx.
Unfortuneltly my H.K.3380 Receiver started to have Problems in the sense that the left & right chanells would fade in & out which seems indigenous to them.an ..the woofers would vibrate when left in the on mode ) with no music Playing....Im now using Rotel & nad integrateds.. However I would consider H.K.3370 unit if I found it used in good working condition .. .. I'm slowly learining how to fix amps! . ....H .K. turntables from the 80s are very Good and well out Perform a lot of the plastic junk turntables out there today..H.K. uses some high quality composite of some sort.....New edit
David, For some reason TH-cam redirected this to a different folder I only just found out about. I promise I was not ignoring you. I have always said: even Mercedes-Benz makes a lemon every once in a while. Some of the last generation of HK was being built to a price point and the quality suffered. This was after Dr. Harman retired.
Well, of all the speakers though I'm listening through my phone, the Warfdales and the last pair get my toes going. The Towers are good, but I'd prefer a transmission line. The towers while very good aren't me. The Warfdales like most speakers if not the majority of "affordable" like have a lot of Cheese in their crossovers. Things like steel nuts on connectors, polyvinyl cables, push on connector's, Iron core inductors, sand cast resisters, and poorly braced cabinets... While as I said, the Warfdales tick my box I'd send them to Danny Richie, of GR Research, for crossover upgrade and whatever his analysis recommended. Now though I'm going to be on the hunt for the HK. Yes current transisnts are important versus Watts. I just wish the older stuff had higher dampening factors, just saying. And Thanks 👍
@@OldGuyHifi My Pleasure as I always catch Kevin's show and am a Big Fan of John Darko and Randy the Cheap Audioman...lol...I also dabble in New Record Day and I always catch Thomas and Stereo's output. He and I get on well. I'm trying to twist his arm to design and build an Integrated Amp. I like his TL , TS Voyager speakers. They come in two versions one with Good a good crossover and one with a Crossover that Danny would be Proud of. But just more than I can layout, but the 1's can be easily upgraded. Thomas reviews cheap to expensive, but his emphasis is on sound quality what he hears as opposed specifically to $.. And he runs his assumptions by 7 other Audi Nuts...lol.
Nice video review, but I really don't see/hear the point of playing music clips over the internet. By the time the music gets recorded with your mics, in your "live sounding" room acoustics then goes through the TH-cam processing, my Laptop and then my speaker system, I don't hear any meaning information being delivered. I really didn't hear any difference between all the speakers.
I understand. I did hear a bit of a difference and so did others. The clips help the video perform better with the algorithm. I am debating whether or not I continue them. Thx for commenting.
@@OldGuyHifi Enjoyed your recent video chat with the guys at Skylab Audio, very entertaining and informative. I still maintain that trying to judge the "sound" of any audio component over the internet is problematic at best due to all variables/differences between your audio set-up and that of the internet listeners home environment. As someone who is interested in vintage audio, I found the best part of your video was in describing why a vintage receiver might sound better than most moderate modern units. Giving a little history of Harmon Kardon & their "high current" designs as compared to most other receivers of the era was very informative. As an owner of a HK 330c, I would never have considered a much more modern HK receiver such as this one as I felt it was well past the "golden era" of classic HK receivers. It's very good to know when a famous top-tier manufacturer had to sell-out their design philosophy due to "market forces" and which products were affected. Another example is Fisher audio, "The Fisher" was once considered among the best there was (500C) and then became just a marketing name that has no connection to it's former glory days. My main interest in videos such as yours (+Skylab) is learning about the build quality & serviceability of vintage receivers. Keep them coming .....
I have had the 3370 since the 90s. Bought it new. Have had all kind of different speaker arrangements. The last 2 have been the Boston HD10s they did very well. However, I recently acquired a set of Martin Logan 60xtS. Wow they really show me what this amp can do. I will say that the FM tuner has dismal performance. The sound is somewhat flat and very lacking soundstage. I use a streamer with a built in FM tuner. The sound from this is MUCH BETTER. You should also consider using some nice Classical Music for your demos. The C##Py China music does not demonstrate this amp properly. I am a semi professional musician and a licensed broadcast engineer, so you need to take this seriously. Have fun...
I had to use non-copywritten clips. I do use classical for my reviews but I really can't do sound clips any more. They just don't work out well. Yes. the tuner is substandard. No question. Good news is the rest of the unit is very good. Thanks for the view and comment.
I love my HK3370. I bought mine at a small stereo store in LaCrosse Wi. in 2000. I use it almost every day. It still looks like new and works perfectly. It's the only receiver or amp I own that doesn't have a loudness control, but it makes up for it by having perfect sound. Thanks for covering this relatively unknown and under rated receiver.
I do love my HK stuff. I am going to do a history of the company soon. Still writing the script. Thx sir.
I've got an HK 930 receiver, from the mid-70's, a real beast. Works fine and has power to drive most any speaker. In 1988 I bought a new HK PM655 VXI Integrated and Boston Acoustics A100 floorstanders. After cycling through different manufacturers in spite of my better judgement I always come back to the HK and Boston. They seem such a mellow and pleasant combination. The Harmans only needed 2 clean-up/repair visits over the years to get de-oxed. The gear from this era was magnificent. And a lot of the appeal was aesthetiic with outstanding material obvious in the heft and touch of the units. Great channel, new subscriber, thank you for the work you're doing.
Thank you for subscribing.
Hi Old Guy. I've been an HK guy since the mid 70s. Yes, I'm an old guy too.
I bought into the HK design philosophy. High current, ultra wide bandwidth, low transient IM, excellent transient response and conservatively rated.
I went to a stereo back then and it was all that. So in 1977, I picked up a brochure (I might still have it) on the HK 730 receiver and within a couple of weeks I took all the money I made that year and bought one. I was 17 and a senior in high school.
I was never disappointed.
Unfortunately it took much of a beating, ie spilt drinks at disco parties. By around 2000 one of the channels started to get flaky.
Anyway because I loved HK, I bought a 3370. I was still in love with my 730 but the 3370 was excellent.
I used it to drive my Magnepan 1.6's for 24 years. Very good most of the time but I wanted more power. Those maggies require a lot of power/current to get moderately loud and that was asking too much from the 3370.
I ended buying a Rotel 1582 mkll after much research. Their design philosophy reminded me in some ways of the old HK approach. Add to that, in 2000 I heard a Rotel absolutely blow away a Krell. The Rotel was far more musical.
Anyway I now use the preamp in the 3370. The preamp section is excellent.
I will be reviewing a mid/late 80s PM655Vxi shortly. One of my collection. Thanks for sharing your experience. Us old HK fans need to stick together.
Excellent review and perspectives on this equipment. Thank you for your time and efforts to bring us this content. Much appreciated. Stay well, Sir.
My pleasure! Thank you my friend.
I literally just picked up an HK 3475 at the thrift store 15 minutes ago for 30 bucks! Is this reciever similar to the other ones mentioned here? Web search seems to indicate its also a high current, excellent performing amp. It has a higher rated wattage, i think, 110w. Aesthetically it looks just like the others too. Figured id take chance on it 😊 thanks @@OldGuyHifi!
Fascinating. My FIL is a big H-K fan and this video explained a lot of what must have made a Harmon Kardon receiver such a sought-after piece of gear for him through the 70s and 80s. I've got his old AVR20 running now; there's no ring around the volume and it's as understated as the knob on the 3370. It was a Costco (Canada) purchase-apparently a model that wasn't supposed to be available here; but Costco got their hands on a few palettes from a wholesaler skirting H-K Canada's rules & regs and that's how this one came to join the family. I don't know how far beyond the true heritage period it lies, but damn it drives his Mirage SM-1 speakers beautifully.
I have an AVR20 Mk2. Had it since new. It is at my son's apartment driving some Advents. Great sound. Thx for sharing that.
Hi Ed! Great fun. Keep it up! I love your vids on vintage gear because I love all of it. On my TV system, it’s hard to discern real differences. Everything sound mostly the same. But, that’s my system’s issue.
Thank you my friend. The sound clips are tough. With headphones I can hear some differences but, does it matter? Who knows. It's fun though.
Great Video Ed, I love the sound demos
Thanks Ed!
Great review Ed. Thanks for sharing.
My favorite speakers were the big Elacs then Monitor Audio.
Thank you sir.
I've been a Yamaha fan since I purchased my RX-V995 almost a quarter of a century ago, which is incredible to think about. My wife and I just moved into a new home and I plan on using the receiver for music in a 2.1 configuration, featuring Cerwin Vega Re-38s and an LW-15 sub. This HK3370 looks like it could handle such a task as well. It might be fun to find one and hear what it can do. I also caught your interview with Kevin at Skylabs this past weekend and it was greatly informative and entertaining.
I am glad you enjoyed the show from Kevin's. We had a great time doing it. Thank you for checking out my channel. I appreciate it. Thx.
I've been contemplating a road trip to Skylabs with some vintage Pioneer or HK in mind. 😊
Thanks a lot Ed - another great one to watch, much appreciated!
Glad you enjoyed it
Vintage Harman-Kardon is such good quality and insanely powerful.
I agree. You may notice in some of my more recent videos a very nice vintage HK amp in the background. The review is coming.
@OldGuyHifi I have an HK3380 driving Klipsch R51M bookshelf speakers and a Klipsch R100 subwoofer. Klipsch and Harman Kardon seem to pair well and the combination absolutely fills my small listening room with very clean, detailed sound with very smooth but punchy bass. I love it.
@@dominicpardo4783 That sounds like a great system. Thank you for sharing it.
Amen brotha 😂
Thanks for the great video that Harman Kardon is cool if you could ever find a Yamaha dspa one surround amplifier I found one in a snow drift I had to resolder132 pins on the display board now it works fantastic it was $3,000 in 1999 that was a ton of money I like your speaker cables on one set up I had I had literally welding cables for speaker cables my friends thought I was nuts I said hey you were free can't beat that have a great day I'll keep watching keeps me inspiredMy friend was at the state sale he bought five turntables I said how many turntables do you need he said all of them I'm guilty of that I got about a hundred turntables not all working I restore equipment I'm retired I'll never get around to everything have a great dayI love vintage equipment in 1970My friend bought a voxson receiver never saw another one it sounded fantastic he got it from Allied radio some guy traded it in ever hear of such a thing I can't find anything on internet
Keep watching there is more vintage gear coming. Listening to an Accuphase E-202 as I type this. Review soon. Thx for watching.
I realize it takes a lot of work to do these videos and so I "thank you". What do these people do with the remotes? Eat them? I'm guessing me most folks who sell these found them at estate sales.
Yeah, at some point remotes became an endangered species. Thanks for tuning in.
I purchased the H/K 3470 100 wpc in 01 from JR music world in NY City and absolutely loved it..
Nice! Thanks for tuning in and commenting.
Thank you for this review. So with your review in mind I bought a second hand HK3470, because you made me curious about the sound of these receivers. I found one for €80, around $80 US.
And it didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, it did drive my B&W 804d2 very well. Crisp and clear, enough oomphf in the base department too. The remote can be programmed in order to communicate with other audio components.
After some playing time it can become a little warm, not too hot to the touch. Anyway, it is a very good amp/receiver for little money, which can drive many loudspeakers. Every loudspeaker I connected it to, sounded good to very good.
Thank you for the recommendation, it is highly appreciated!
Rogier, That fact that it gets warm is an indication of its current capability. That is a rather beefy amp for a receiver. I am so glad you are enjoying it. Thank you for letting me know you thoughts. I do appreciate it.
Really love great stereo receivers from around this era. Excellent unit. I have a really nice Denon and this HK gives it a run for the money. This is before things like a tape loop and phono pre were afterthoughts.
Couldn't agree more!
Thanks!
Thank you so much. I am grateful.
Good stuff as usual Ed, looking forward to your next vid as usual, thanks!
Thanks Brian.
I think that vintage H/K product line is from around the yesr 2000. My first HT receiver was an H/K 520 which looked just like your two channel model. Later, I bought a used H/K AVR 7000, a step above the 520. One of the things I wish I had never sold. I also think they are one of the best looking audio product lines out there. The next model, 3375/3475, used silver buttons. I much prefer the gold colored ones. And I agree completely. They sound wonderful! While the next generations of H/K products still packed quite a punch, their HDMI models were very buggy right from the beginning. That started the downfall of the H/K audio product line. I also had an H/K 7550HD several years ago, which was a BEAST but never seemed to work right so you are correct. Stick to the earlier models.
It is from the early 2000s. I misspoke. After Dr. Harman retired from active management in 2008 things did change.
Great sound especially with the Wharfedale and the big ones. This is a gem of an amplifier even if is a home theatre one. I will try to get one from eBay. Thanks!
It is not an AV receiver. It is a good old fashioned 2 channel unit. Thanks for tuning in.
Great review! Thank you kindly for bringing us along on your Audio journey. Love the videos!
I bought an AVR5 in 1998(?) and am wondering if you have any thoughts on this model or if you could do a future review? I feel as though this was a quality product in its day, and it serves me well, even today... but it may be time for service...
That's a nice unit for sure. Still holding true to the original design philosophies of High Instantaneous Current and Ultra wide bandwidth. Only repair it if something is amiss. Thanks Darren for the view and comment.
@@OldGuyHifi Thank you for the advice! I just caught you on Skylabs and could have listened for another hour. I can't wait for your new content/collaborations. Super happy to have found your channel and your Harmon Kardon content... cheers from Central Canada.
The 3370 is one of the few bargains left in vintage audio thanks for the review.
I would like to hear your take on the HK 670 / 505 / 503 line.
If I can get my hands on them I will. I do have a PM655Vxi in the collection, I haven't reviewed. Yet. Soon. Thanks for tuning in.
@@OldGuyHifi Looking forward to it, thanks.
Loved it that's a lovely amp
Thank you. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Good stuff Ed. Very revered brand from the good old days, at least for me.
Agreed!
Those are some hip tunes!
I've got a real soft spot for the 330i. I gave my son a 3370 i got with a pair of speakers. While it was pleasant enough, i didn’t find it very engaging. The 330i was just flat out fun.
I also have a soft spot for that unit. Thx for tuning in and commenting.
Cool. Thanks, Ed.
You bet. Thx.
I had one similar, a decade older run by a streamer(B&W's). Great sound. Warmer than my Yamaha integrated Amp of the era. I used it before with a turntable as source to digitize albums. So was a great pre-amp in that use.
Thanks for sharing!
I bought one of these in 2002 with a set of B&W DM602s3. I still have the speakers, and regret selling the receiver.
That would be a sweet combo. What are you driving the B&Ws with now?
Love Harmon equipment most of my system is Harmon!
You will love my next vintage HK review. No hints. I will tell you that it is HK Champagne finish. Ohhhhh.
I I love the vintage sound. But I’ve had too many problems with breakdowns and getting Repairs. I’m not a technical guy and I don’t pretend to be. Finally after much experimentation, I came across Vincent SV 500. It is a class AB amplifier designed in Germany built in China with a tube preamp. It’s a new amplifier with everything I ever wanted in a vintage amplifier. Extremely high current at 50 watts it will drive most anything. Love it if you see one give them a try.
I am familiar with Vincent and they are very good. I agree with you about their sound. The challenge is getting mfrs. to send out gear out to small channels like mine. Doesn't mean I won't try. Thanks for watching and commenting.
The Elac's were easily the best of the 4 speakers with excellent bass quality but the Monitor Audio's weren't embarrassed. The dynamics came through all 4.
In fairness the Monitor 100's are about 4 feet from the wall behind. I think they might benefit from being a bit closer. I was well pleased with how they all sounded. That HK unit has some horsepower. Thank you do much for watching and commenting.
Thank you for the video. Really enjoyed it. I am fascinated by the performance of old hifi v new. How much is marketing and how much is technological innovation? One that maybe you can explore. Keep it up.
There's an idea. Other than Class D amps, class "A/B" and "A" haven't really changed that much. Yes, there have been refinements and an increase in component quality, maybe, so vintage gear can, for the most part, hand with the new stuff. Thanks for watching and giving me that idea.
I remember these from the early 2000s. Were they really out in the early 90s? Or was that just a mistake? I actually sold stereo equipment in the early 2000s and this was one of my favorites in regards to sound. Appearance left a bit to be desired IMO. The successor looked great but didn’t quite seem to be the same quality.
Anyway. Really enjoyed this and am looking forward to watching more of your content. BTW Skylabs brought me here
Yes. Being an old guy sometimes the dates get messed up. I am very sorry.
@@OldGuyHifi HAHA! No worries! Was just an honest question as on occasion there will be random units that have a good long run
Ive got two questions, and by the way the Skylabs interview was awesome!
First question, i noticed you had something under your speakers, was that for just ease of moving them or was you decoupling them from the foor? I use a Wiim pro with a J2 DAC, Do you think the Cambridge streamers sound that much better? Awesome video.
Hey Jim! It was a lot fun at Kevin's. I have ceramic tiles under them most of the time. I use sorbothane feet to isolate the speakers and decouple them from the floor. This is a new thing. I have always spiked my speakers in the past which of course mass loads them to the floor and moves vibrations in to the heavy mass of the floor. I am trying something new with the isolation scheme. So far I think I like it. Now in this video other than the speaker stands the only thing on the floor was some painter tape. As far as the WiiM Cambridge comparison I have run them both thru a socketed J2 with both stock and Sparko's op-amps as well as run the Cambridge on just its internal DAC and spoiler, the Cambridge does sound, to my ear, superiors. Now the Cambridge thru the J2 is sublime and caught me off guard. I normally use my hot rodded Bifrost and nothing yet has really come close buy, oh my that J2 is very good. I have to finish my listening tests before I can do my review. Sorry for the "War & Peace" length response. Thanks so much.
@@OldGuyHifi I've been considering selling some gear to try to raise money for the Cambridge streamer. That thing is beautiful. Love the screen. Thank you for the reply.
Jim, Cambridge has a refurb store on EBay. That's how I got my AXR100. Currently the MXN10 is $329.00 and they have them in black and silver. They also offer free returns. I hope that helps you get closer. Thank you my friend. Let me know what you decide to do. *** Sorry, I just saw that you said screen. Did you mean the CXN100?
Yes the 100, but it might be awhile. We'll see.@@OldGuyHifi
got mine working need to get antenna and the connector fixed
Good luck. Let me know how it goes.
👍👍
Liked and subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you for your reply and help I am thinking of changing my Cambridge axa35 if I can find a Harman amp do you think it would be an improvement I do play a lot of my music on vinyl and Iam Cambridge mnx10 next thank you
The Cambridge is a very good piece of gear. I am not sure what advice I can give you. Unless I had some difficult to drive speakers I would seriously stick with what you have. I know the sound of both units and think the Cambridge is a bit better. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.
Hello is the HK 525 receiver similar ? Would you recommend?
Sorry. I am not familiar with that unit. Thanks for asking though.
Am I able to use bookshelf speakers with this receiver? For example the Edifier r1700bt
No. Those speaker have a built in amp and no real way to connect the HK unit. Sorry. Good question though. Thank you.
My Question the depths and details of the soundstage of course the equipment is like a old comfortable pair of shoes
I have got whole lot of older and Vintage like SX-1980s Sony Vfat amps, Tubes Yamaha!!
I tend to plug in the new stuff maybe Im impatient .
How did the sound compare?
Honestly well designed gear, past or present can sound very good. There are exceptions of course but I find that if the gear was some what better than regular line "super store" levels, it can sound very good. But everybody's tastes are individual. Each of the speakers performed well. They each have there own sound. Thanks so much for tuning.
I know the sound samples are more for illustration purposes (with all the processing involved from recording to my wireless headphones) but it gives an idea.
To me, the Wharfedale were best sounding followed closely by the Monitor Audio (with a sub, the monitor might go ahead)
Then the Elac, they had punch for sure but it sounded more somber to me if that makes any sense.
The Braun without a sub couldn't stand a chance, but they're not designed for this I think, they'll do better in near field
That Harman Kardon sounds very good indeed. And it gets me more and more interested in that MXN10..
Ah, Ultimae Records are from France, I got to check them out especially since I come from there too (though not Lyon but Normandy)
I am very impressed with the MXN10. I will be using it on all my vintage gear reviews. Yes the little Wharfies sound great. Thank you so much for watching and commenting. I appreciate it.
@@OldGuyHifi we appraciate you making the videos.
BTW, there's an HK 3300 for sale ($70) near me that seems in decent condition, yeah or nay?
Yay. That is a sweet little unit. Not super powerful although it will surprise you. Great sound. Also, from the right era. Let me know if you get it and what you think. BTW, offer them $60.00 and see what happens. ;-)
@@OldGuyHifi they also sell a Yamaha P-751 DD turntable for $100
So I was thinking $140-150 for both.
Not that I need any of them (I have 5 turntables and 4 receivers already), just curious about the gear
Also found a set of Vector Research receiver (VSX-3500), cassette deck (450) and equalizer along with a Yamaha cd player and a pair of Boston Acoustic A-150 speaker for about $200. I mean just the speakers alone are worth the price (I know I own them)
But then, room will become an issue ;-)
Again, curious about the Vector Research brand, haven't heard much about it
Thanks
I would skip the turntable. It's just ok. Vector Research made some decent stuff. It was a cut above the mainline stuff like Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony (not ES) etc. Sound wise they were ok. A bit like HK. I liked them. Service maybe an issue. If the CD player has a digital out then you could use it as a transport. I haven't heard a BA A150 in about a thousand years so I have no opinion. Good luck.
Is the Harman/Kardon HK3470 any good or is the HK3370 really the last of the line in terms of quality?
The 3470 still falls into the good category. It is basically the exact same unit as the 3370 but with 100 watts as opposed to 70. Great piece. Thanks for checking in and commenting.
@@OldGuyHifi, thanks so much for the prompt reply. :)
I have a H/K 670 in need of some repair. Can you recommend a good vintage repair shop?
I know if one in Iowa.
@@OldGuyHifi I was thinking about Skylabs but that a 6 hour drive one way
Where are you?
Brookfield ill near the zoo
There are two shops that I know of that are capable of fixing that unit. Deltronics: www.deltronics.com and Martroy: www.martroyelectronics.com. Martroy has been in business forever and was/is a factory authorized HK service center. I have heard good and bad about both. I think the big issue is how long it can take and parts availability. Good luck I hope one of them works out for you. Thx.
Unfortuneltly my H.K.3380 Receiver started to have Problems in the sense that the left & right chanells would fade in & out which seems indigenous to them.an ..the woofers would vibrate when left in the on mode ) with no music Playing....Im now using Rotel & nad integrateds.. However I would consider H.K.3370 unit if I found it used in good working condition .. .. I'm slowly learining how to fix amps! . ....H .K. turntables from the 80s are very Good and well out Perform a lot of the plastic junk turntables out there today..H.K. uses some high quality composite of some sort.....New edit
David, For some reason TH-cam redirected this to a different folder I only just found out about. I promise I was not ignoring you. I have always said: even Mercedes-Benz makes a lemon every once in a while. Some of the last generation of HK was being built to a price point and the quality suffered. This was after Dr. Harman retired.
@@OldGuyHifi I quite agree !
Well, of all the speakers though I'm listening through my phone, the Warfdales and the last pair get my toes going. The Towers are good, but I'd prefer a transmission line. The towers while very good aren't me. The Warfdales like most speakers if not the majority of "affordable" like have a lot of Cheese in their crossovers. Things like steel nuts on connectors, polyvinyl cables, push on connector's, Iron core inductors, sand cast resisters, and poorly braced cabinets... While as I said, the Warfdales tick my box I'd send them to Danny Richie, of GR Research, for crossover upgrade and whatever his analysis recommended. Now though I'm going to be on the hunt for the HK. Yes current transisnts are important versus Watts. I just wish the older stuff had higher dampening factors, just saying. And Thanks 👍
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
@@OldGuyHifi My Pleasure as I always catch Kevin's show and am a Big Fan of John Darko and Randy the Cheap Audioman...lol...I also dabble in New Record Day and I always catch Thomas and Stereo's output. He and I get on well. I'm trying to twist his arm to design and build an Integrated Amp. I like his TL , TS Voyager speakers. They come in two versions one with Good a good crossover and one with a Crossover that Danny would be Proud of. But just more than I can layout, but the 1's can be easily upgraded. Thomas reviews cheap to expensive, but his emphasis is on sound quality what he hears as opposed specifically to $.. And he runs his assumptions by 7 other Audi Nuts...lol.
@@OldGuyHifi Us Old Farts have to Hang Together
Nice video review, but I really don't see/hear the point of playing music clips over the internet. By the time the music gets recorded with your mics, in your "live sounding" room acoustics then goes through the TH-cam processing, my Laptop and then my speaker system, I don't hear any meaning information being delivered. I really didn't hear any difference between all the speakers.
I understand. I did hear a bit of a difference and so did others. The clips help the video perform better with the algorithm. I am debating whether or not I continue them. Thx for commenting.
@@OldGuyHifi Enjoyed your recent video chat with the guys at Skylab Audio, very entertaining and informative. I still maintain that trying to judge the "sound" of any audio component over the internet is problematic at best due to all variables/differences between your audio set-up and that of the internet listeners home environment. As someone who is interested in vintage audio, I found the best part of your video was in describing why a vintage receiver might sound better than most moderate modern units. Giving a little history of Harmon Kardon & their "high current" designs as compared to most other receivers of the era was very informative. As an owner of a HK 330c, I would never have considered a much more modern HK receiver such as this one as I felt it was well past the "golden era" of classic HK receivers. It's very good to know when a famous top-tier manufacturer had to sell-out their design philosophy due to "market forces" and which products were affected. Another example is Fisher audio, "The Fisher" was once considered among the best there was (500C) and then became just a marketing name that has no connection to it's former glory days. My main interest in videos such as yours (+Skylab) is learning about the build quality & serviceability of vintage receivers. Keep them coming .....
I have had the 3370 since the 90s. Bought it new. Have had all kind of different speaker arrangements. The last 2 have been the Boston HD10s they did very well. However, I recently acquired a set of Martin Logan 60xtS. Wow they really show me what this amp can do. I will say that the FM tuner has dismal performance. The sound is somewhat flat and very lacking soundstage. I use a streamer with a built in FM tuner. The sound from this is MUCH BETTER. You should also consider using some nice Classical Music for your demos. The C##Py China music does not demonstrate this amp properly. I am a semi professional musician and a licensed broadcast engineer, so you need to take this seriously. Have fun...
I had to use non-copywritten clips. I do use classical for my reviews but I really can't do sound clips any more. They just don't work out well. Yes. the tuner is substandard. No question. Good news is the rest of the unit is very good. Thanks for the view and comment.
Thanks Ed!
Wow. Thank you.
Thanks!
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.