Harman Kardon avr 170/1700 v competition

[elnoni5]

i'm interested in buying a mid range receiver and narrowed it down to yamaha 673 and denon 2113. not interested in onkyo (despite great reviews, it's fugly!!). i previously owned a denon 1909 and loved the sound signature so am leaning towards what i already know (as i can't audition any). however, i've recently come across the HK 170/1700 and have heard that it has similar sound signature to denon...i also think it's the nicest looking of the 4 mentioned (shallow i know...but i also like my system to look good!!). reviews on this receiver are practically unavailable despite it being out for a while. does anybody have experience/own this receiver? how does it compare with the other mid range receivers. will whf be carrying out a review? i know it doesn't have upscaling properties but i am willing to sacrifice this.

thanks in advance!!

 

[bretty]

I hated the HK sound. I found it muddy and that muddiness robbed the sound of any excitement. I demoed one a couple of years back, using the prison truck chase scene from 'The Dark Knight' and it just sounded flat. The bullets and explosions that were flying around had no impact or crispness to them.

I'd be going for Denon, if it was me.

 

[elnoni5]

thanks bretty!!