Harman Kardon AVR 7300 User manual

DANIEL KUMIN
TEST REPORT
RATED POWER 110 W x 7 into 8 ohms
with maximum 0.05% THD (channels driven
individually)
DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 17
3
⁄ 8 x 7
5
⁄ 8 x
20
1
⁄ 2 inches
WEIGHT 55 pounds
PRICE $2,399
MANUFACTURER Harman Kardon,
harmankardon.com, 516-255-4545
fast facts
Harman Kardon
AVR 7300 Digital Surround Receiver
At first glance, Harman Kardon’s
AVR 7300, the latest flagship
receiver from the venerable
American brand, looks little
different from its predecessors.
And in a lot of ways, it is the
same. After all, big power, extensive sig-
nal-routing, powerful setup flexibility, and
an attractively restrained, black-and-silver
aesthetic were hallmarks of several previ-
ous Harman Kardon flagships, and the AVR
7300 has them, too. But a bit of digging
quickly revealed some significant changes.
First, the AVR 7300 piles on Dolby Pro
Logic IIx (DPL IIx), Dolby’s latest, 6.1/7.1-
channel version of its surround processing
for two- and four-channel sources. (DPL IIx
derives back surround channels from both
Dolby Surround-encoded and plain stereo
sources, with impressive results.) Second,
the receiver incorporates not just ample vid-
eo switching (including three component-
video inputs), but video processing as well
by an onboard Faroudja DCDi engine. Oth-
erwise, the AVR 7300 is everything I’d ex-
pect in a flagship receiver, and that’s a lot.
SETUP The “key features” list on the fac-
ing page hits the high spots, but a few de-
mand more attention, like EZSet, which
uses a test microphone in the remote con-
trol to balance channel levels automatical-
ly. It worked smoothly, with very accurate
results, as long as the receiver and the re-
mote were more or less in line — the remote
needs to “see” the receiver to communicate
via infrared throughout the process.
More valuable in my book was the re-
ceiver’s unusually complete configurability.
You can set the crossover frequency inde-
pendently for each speaker or channel pair,
with seven choices between 40 and 200 Hz
— and you can dial in a different set of fre-
quencies for each input, too. (In fact, you
must do so, or at least copy your setup for
each input you’ll use. It’s a bit of a chore at
setup time, but you only need to do it once.)
Most other options can also be set individ-
ually for each input, including surround
mode, tone settings, and channel levels.
But the AVR 7300’s most newsworthy
feature — Faroudja DCDi video processing
— is also among its subtlest. The headline
here is the ability to “upscale” 480i (inter-
laced) video, like standard-definition broad-
cast TV, to 480p (progressive-scan) format,
like the output of a progressive-scan DVD
player. All of my video sources — my uni-
versal DVD player, my TiVo/DVD recorder,
and my Comcast high-def cable box — can
do the same already, and this is likely to
be the case in a lot of up-to-date systems.
But the AVR 7300 lets you assign video-
setup modes individually for each input —
not only DCDi deinterlacing but also set-
tings for video noise reduction, brightness,
contrast, saturation, display format (4:3 or
16:9), and so on.
PHOTOS BY TONY CORDOZA
62 NOVEMBER 2004 SOUND & VISION

● Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 6.1-channel
decoding
● Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Logic7, and DTS
Neo:6 processing for 5.1/6.1/7.1-channel
playback from 2-channel or matrixed
4-channel sources
● EZSet auto level setup
● Many setup options can be saved for
each input
● Faroudja DCDi video processing with
480p upconversion and enhancements
calibrated by input
● 2 Hall modes, Dolby Virtual Surround and
Headphone Surround, proprietary virtual
surround
● 3 assignable HDTV-compatible
component-video inputs, 1 output with
upconversion and onscreen display
● 6 A/V inputs, 4 outputs, all with S-video
(1 input and 1 output on front panel)
● 4 optical, 4 coaxial assignable digital
audio inputs (1 each on front panel);
2 optical, 2 coaxial digital outputs (1 each
on front panel)
● 2 stereo audio-only inputs, 1 record
output
● 8-channel analog audio input with bass
management; DPL IIx can create back
surround channel
● 96-kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog
converters on all channels
● MP3 and HDCD decoding
● Preamp outputs for all channels
● 8-component preprogrammed/learning
system remote; can store 2 macros (up to
10 steps)
● AM/FM tuner with 56 presets
● Zone 2 composite/S-video output with
line-level stereo (or back surround
channels can be redirected); independent
source selection, volume control via
simplifi ed remote (supplied)
● Dual A-BUS multiroom outputs
● 12-volt trigger output; IR-control input
and output; RS-232 serial port
key features
soundandvisionmag.com SOUND & VISION NOVEMBER 2004 63
In my case, standard-def images from the
Comcast Motorola digital-cable box looked
a bit sharper and more solid using the re-
ceiver’s processing, while the TiVo box and
DVD player were tossups. However, anoth-
er, cheaper progressive-scan DVD player
clearly benefi ted from the processing.
This is not a simple feature, but it is a
powerful and potentially beneficial one,
particularly for systems with older sourc-
es like a VCR or laserdisc player. And one
big fringe benefi t of the AVR 7300’s video
processing is simple and universally useful:
it not only upscales both composite- and
S-video sources to component video, but it
also sends all onscreen menus and displays
to the component output (as well as the oth-
ers). That lets you make just one connec-
tion to your TV, vastly simplifying not only
setup but everyday use. Unfortunately, the
onscreen displays don’t show up when the
incoming material is 480p or higher.
MOVIE PERFORMANCE The AVR 7300 dis-
played really impressive power and dy-
namics in all playback modes. It met all
the challenges of HBO’s technically superb
DVD set of the WWII series Band of Broth-
ers. For example, the extended fi refi ght that
fi lls much of Part 5 (Crossroads) includes
just about every possible surround effect re-
lating to gunfi re, explosives, rumbling ma-
chinery, distant, echoing detonations, and
running, shouting men — all of them me-
ticulously produced for realism and impact.
Surely the Harman Kardon can take some
credit for my fi nding this sequence as har-
rowing the tenth time through as the fi rst.
Through all six episodes of the series, the
AVR 7300 gave no hint of dynamic sacri-
fi ce regardless of volume setting. In fact, it
had enough power to ace all of my movie-
soundtrack torture tests, including explo-
sions, crashes, and musical scores played
as loud as in a movie theater. In every
case, the sound was clean, dynamic, and
elegantly defi ned.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE Music playback
through the HK receiver met the same
high standard, with power to spare for
even the most demanding multichan-
nel Super Audio CD or DVD-Audio
disc. The AVR 7300 delivers fully
flexible bass management for its
multichannel analog input. It can
also superimpose DPL IIx process-
ing on signals received through
this input, creating a back sur-
round channel from the discrete
left and right surround channels in
your SACD and DVD-A recordings.
The effect on pristine recordings, like the
SACD of Norah Jones’s Come Away with
Me, was to make the ambience more seam-
less and enveloping. On others, the added
back surround channel emphasized any cen-
tered soloist, pulling him or her slightly to-
ward the listener. Being able to fi ne-tune
bass management for SACDs and DVD-As,
and to apply DPL IIx processing to them,
are real luxuries, and we’ve rarely seen
them both on a receiver.
For the rest of your mu-
sic library, the AVR 7300
offers a pair of decent-
sounding Hall modes, Log-
ic7, Dolby DPL IIx, and the
similar DTS Neo:6. Logic7
— in three modes: Music,
Cinema, and Enhance — is
Harman’s proprietary 6.1/7.1-
channel processing system,
and it offers an interesting alter-
native to the Dolby fl avor. With
some music the difference was
subtle and difficult to pin down,
while with other things it was quite
distinct. For example, Logic7/Mu-
sic gave “Midnight Creeper” (from
Live at Antone’s), the signature shuf-
fl e of the great James Cotton, the wide
“feel” of the club space, with just the
right stage-to-crowd perspective for truly
engaging, foot-stomping fun. On the oth-
er hand, a favorite disc of the Debussy and
Ravel string quartets sounded more lifelike
with DPL IIx. The good news is that the
AVR 7300 lets you select one or the other
at the touch of a button.
OPERATION The slim, silvery remote con-
The AVR 7300 met all the challenges of
HBO’s technically superb DVD set of the
WWII series Band of Brothers.

TEST REPORT
P LU S
Flagship performance.
Faroudja DCDi video processing.
Composite/S-video inputs
upconverted to component-video.
Bass management and synthesized
back surround channel for
SACDs and DVD-Audio discs.
MINUS
Complex remote control.
Audible cooling fan.
in the lab
DOLBY DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
Output at clipping (1 kHz into 8/4 ohms)
1 channel driven .... 202/343 W (23.1/25.3 dBW)
5 channels driven (8 ohms) .....145 W (21.6 dBW)
7 channels driven (8 ohms) .....139 W (21.4 dBW)
Distortion at 1 watt (THD+N, 1 kHz)
8/4 ohms ...........................................0.03/0.04%
Noise level (A-wtd) ............................. –75.0 dB
Excess noise (with sine tone)
16-bit (EN16) ........................................... +1.4 dB
Frequency response
20 Hz to 20 kHz +0, –0.3 dB
MULTICHANNEL PERFORMANCE,
ANALOG INPUT
Distortion (THD+N, 1 kHz, 8 ohms) ....0.01/0.03%
Noise level (A-wtd) ............................. –83.1 dB
Frequency response
below 10 Hz to 166 kHz +0, –3 dB
BASS-MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE
Subwoofer-output frequency response
(crossover set to 80 Hz)
12 dB/octave above –3-dB rolloff point of 74 Hz
High-pass-filter frequency response
(crossover set to 80 Hz)
12 dB/octave below –3-dB rolloff point of 81 Hz
Maximum unclipped subwoofer output
(trim at 0) ................................................ 6.5 volts
Subwoofer-output distortion (from 6-channel,
30-Hz, 0-dBFS signal; trim at 0) .............. 0.05%
The AVR 7300 performed exceptionally well in
the lab. Power output was unusually strong,
especially with five and seven channels driven.
Crossover response was generally consistent,
but the 12-dB-per-octave low-pass subwoofer
output was a little unusual — steeper, 18- or
24-dB-per-octave slopes are more common.
Noise performance ranged from good (multi-
channel analog) to excellent (Dolby Digital and
CD stereo) except for 96-kHz/24-bit stereo
(all stereo figures omitted for space — for
complete lab data, see our Web site). The AVR
7300 was actually a shade noisier with those
signals than with standard CDs. Since the
receiver performed well with 96/24 signals in
all other respects, I suspect this was its digital-
to-analog converters misresponding to our
dither-only test signal rather than a “real” noise
problem.
The receiver handled all sources and media
types consistently except for slight changes
(a few hertz) in the –3-dB points with analog
inputs. Bass management was provided for
all media, including digital stereo and multi-
channel analog (defeatable with the Direct
mode), all channels can be set to “small,” and
speaker-distance compensation is available for
all main channels and all inputs. — D.K.
trol is elegant to look at and sensibly laid
out, but its small keys and tiny lettering
made it difficult to use even with the back-
lighting on. (And you need two hands to
push the Light key way down in one cor-
ner.) The pair of big, four-way keypads
— one for volume and channel selection,
and the other for cursor directions — look
enough alike to be confusing, though tell-
ing them apart by touch is easy.
On the plus side, a single key on the re-
mote (and the front panel) is dedicated to
each major “family” of surround modes
— like Dolby, DTS, and Logic7 — and
you step through the variants in each fam-
ily by pressing the same button again. Un-
fortunately, the remote’s library of prepro-
grammed control codes didn’t include either
my cable box or my DVD recorder, neither
of which is particularly exotic.
To my surprise, once the receiver had
been on for 30 minutes or so, its automatic
internal cooling fan ran much of the time
regardless of the volume setting or actual
power demands. Though the fan was by no
means obnoxiously loud, I could hear it
from my listening position during pauses
and even over very soft musical passages.
For serious listening I usually power down
both my TiVo and my computer for just this
reason, so maybe I’m overly sensitive. But
powering down the receiver to quiet its fan
isn’t an option!
BOTTOM LINE Putting my relatively incon-
sequential gripes aside, the Harman Kardon
AVR 7300 is one helluva digital surround
receiver. If you want tremendous setup flex-
ibility, top-drawer performance, truly su-
perb surround options, and unusually cus-
tomizable video outputs, it’s one you really
should check out. S&V
64 NOVEMBER 2004 SOUND & VISION soundandvisionmag.com