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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$725.00
from Abes of Maine Summary:
This receiver rocks! I upgraded from an H/K AVR-340. I have to say that this unit is a much better buy. Although the 445 is only rated at ten more watts per channel than the 340, it sounds more like a hundred. My front speakers are driven noticeably harder. The sound quality is superb. Music sounds incredibly real. Every fine detail can be heard. The highs are crystal clear. The lows are deep and rich. Bass drums can be felt as well as heard. The mids are transparent. Movies are also brought to life. Special effects in movies are noticeable. The extra power brings a lot of authority to things like explosions/gunfights etc. Those things will be noticed!
Setting the receiver up was very simple. The EZ/Set EQ does an awesome job of configuring the system to the listening environment. The receiver does not have a lot of unnecessary surround modes or other more less useless gimmicky features. Although, it does have the basic Hall and Theater surround modes that are found on just about any other receiver. However, it does have a surround mode developed by HK called Logic 7. I prefer this for its more natural sounding distrubution of sound throughout the listening environment. The remote is ok. Nothing great but it is a leap in technology over the remote that came with AVR 340. I really cannot go on too much more about the remote because I only used it for the intial set up. I use an HK TC-30 remote to control my system.
The 445 has the ability to switch between two different HDMI inputs. I do not use that feature so I cannot say how good it works. The receiver is also capable of upconverting other video inputs up to the component video level. There are plenty of different connection options available. It will be very hard to use every single input on this receiver. The 445 also has the option to be used as a multi-room set up. The rear amplifiers are reassignable, and they can be used to power speakers in a second room. Strengths:
Sound quality. Easy to set up/configure the system. Easy to use the receivers functions. The receiver looks sharp. Color coded wiring system makes connecting speaker wires a breeze. Weaknesses:
No HDMI processing. The unit only switches between HDMI inputs. Similar Products Used:
HK AVR -340
Current system
Panasonic F-65 DVD player
Toshiba 52HM84 DLP TV
HK AVR-445
Infinity Beta 50 Front speakers
Infinity Beta C360 Center channel
Infinity Beta 10's Left/Right surrounds
Infinity Beta ES250 Surround rear surround channels
SVS NSD-10 powered sub
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5 of 5
5 of 5
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