Harman Kardon HK 3490 120 Watt Stereo Receiver
by Harman Kardon
List Price:
Our Price: $300.00
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Category: Speakers
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Harman KardonBrand: Harman Kardon
Edition: Electronics
Model: HK 3490
Color: SilverBlack
Publisher: Harman Kardon
Studio: Harman Kardon
Music Label: Harman Kardon
Product features:
- Affordable stereo receiver with Remote A/B switching
- Compatible with the Bridge II docking station for iPod playback, control, and charging
- Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker surround modes
- Dual subwoofer output, with trigger for direct connection to powered subwoofers
- XM Tuner Ready
- Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote with Color Touch Screen
- Logitech Harmony 650 Remote (Silver)
- AmazonBasics Ultra-High-Speed HDMI Cable Braided (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters)
- AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters) - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and Audio Return [Newest Standard]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Harman Kardon HK 3490 120 Watt Stereo Receiver
Customer Review: HK 3490 vs. HK 3390
Summary: 5 Stars
I doubt there are a lot of people who own both of these receivers, but I now do. It's a long story as to why I did that, some of which will be explained here. If you are trying to decide which 2 channel HK receiver to buy, I can now share with you what I found in terms of how much difference 120 watts per channel makes vs. 80 watts, as well as the value in some of the extra features in the 3490.
Having put together an upgraded system about a year ago with the 80 watt HK 3390, Klipsch RF 62's and high quality cables from UltraLink, my older Yamaha CD changer (CDC-685) seemed to be the weak link in the system. Not only was the quality of sound not as clear and detailed as I would have wanted, but it was not as good as what I was getting when I put a CD in my Blu-Ray player. I assumed the problem was related to the older DAC's (digital-to-analog converters) in the CD player vs. the latest 24-bit DAC's in the Blu-Ray. It looked like my best solution was to replace the old CD changer with a state-of-the-art unit with 24-bit DAC's, which is what I was planning to do.
I then saw that there was an instant rebate / sale price on the big HK 3490 receiver, making it less expensive than what I was finding for a 24-bit CD changer. And it had the option of a digital optical connection from my current CD player that effectively re-routed the task of digital conversion to the HK's 24-bit DAC's - a feature the 3390 does not have. Getting that upgrade in DAC technology for less than a new CD changer, while adding another 40 watts to each channel, was irresistible. You might wonder how I know it has 24-bit DAC's when nothing in the Amazon description or the HK website actually says that. I found an on line "magazine" (Audioholics) with a glowing review of the 3490, along with comments at the end. One of those comments stated that HK had confirmed by email that the unit had 24-bit / 96 khz DAC's. Although the source seemed very credible, I also wrote to HK and asked for confirmation of this feature, and here's what they said:
The unit supports 2 channel PCM audio up to 24bit 96Khz.
Since my digital optical cable didn't arrive until the following day, I had the opportunity to test the new set-up with the same analog CD input as before. This isolated the differences in sound to just the change in receivers without regard to DAC's. I expected the sound quality to be very similar to the HK 3390, but with the increased depth that typically comes with more power output. In fact, the sound quality was a bit different - brighter and cleaner, along with the expected additional depth from the 120 wpc output. But the real treat was the Dolby DSP "virtual speaker" feature. I've generally not been a big fan of Dolby enhancements, finding in the past that they only colored the sound and detracted from "pure". However, this feature is really impressive, and the resulting sound is still pure yet more spacious and life like, especially in the "reference" setting. I'm hooked! It works miracles with vinyl, too, so if you are an aging baby boomer like me with a collection of old vinyl, you'll think you've died and gone to Woodstock. The 3390 has a great phono preamp as well, and it does a very nice job with vinyl, but the 3490 with the virtual speaker feature and higher output takes it to the next level.
When the digital optical cable arrived, I then had the chance to discover the difference from processing the digital input through the HK's 24-bit DAC's. This is where I was expecting a big improvement in the sound of my CD's, even though they were sounding much better already just from the change in receivers. The good folks at HK mentioned in their reply that the DAC's in the 3490 probably wouldn't result in a big change, although I think they were expecting that my CD player was newer than it is. The actual results here were interesting. I was previously annoyed by a slightly scratchy / shrill sound in certain high vocals, which is what I was spending the money to fix. With some CD's, the optical connection completely fixed the problem, while with some others there was not as much difference. It seems that some CD's simply weren't recorded as well as others. But for better recordings, the HK DAC's came through as I had hoped, and the improvement was unmistakable even to my wife who admits to having a tin ear. There is also a slight tonal difference in the HK DAC's with less exaggerated bass compared to the Yamaha CD changer, resulting in a more natural and less overwhelming sound.
So, is the 3490 worth the extra money compared to the 3390? Absolutely! I am a big fan of the 3390 (I wrote a review about a year ago giving it 5 stars), and I still think it is a bargain at its price point. But the extra cost of the 3490 buys bigger and better sound even at identical listening volumes, and the virtual speaker feature is very worthwhile. The digital input for the CD provides a purer sound in most cases. If you've got the additional money to spend, you'll be getting a whole lot more performance for not a lot more cash. With audio equipment, one often has to spend a lot more to get a small improvement, so this is a very favorable value proposition.
Description of Harman Kardon HK 3490 120 Watt Stereo Receiver
In the years since Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity receiver, we have taken to heart the philosophy of bringing the joy of home entertainment to as many people as possible, all the while improving performance and adding features. The HK 3490 offers the best in traditional analog two-channel audio, including a 30-preset AM/FM tuner, an integrated phono preamplifier and a tape monitor loop that lets you listen to your tape recordings as they?re being made, while adding digital audio inputs, an XM Ready tuner and a connection for The Bridge II docking station, which delivers audio playback and control for iPod, iPod touch and iPhone models (not included). If high-performance audio reproduction weren?t enough, we?ve added composite video switching. Use the included audio/video cable to connect your iPod or other portable player to the HK 3490, or just enjoy your favorite television programs in stereo without firing up your main home theater. Whether listening to an LP record pressed in the last century or watching a movie you downloaded to your digital media player last night, your new HK 3490 delivers the powerful, detailed performance you?ve come to expect from Harman Kardon.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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