Harman Kardon HK6850 amplifier - the latest acquisition!

[the record spot]

I've hankered after one of the bigger 90s HK amps for years. The likes of the HK610 were near the entry level and enjoyed some decent reviews in the 90s, but their beefier brethren weren't often seen on these shores, so when an HK6850 turned up on a well known auction site recently, well...!

And so it arrived today, and was I in for a surprise. This thing's big! At 8ohms, it's putting out 85wpc, no digital inputs so an offboard DAC will be needed. Out the box, the HK delivers in spades. Very similar to the Sony 630ESD, clear, good powerful sound, I don't need to put it beyond 8 o'clock on the volume knob. Build is excellent, no plastic here barring the phono catrdige selector. At 15.5 kgs, it's no lightweight. For the money I paid, it's another steal. If you see one of these, buy with no shortage of confidence. This is an excellent amp - good highs, lovely mids, and a very deep but well controlled bass. Works a treat with the Tannoys too.

Oh well, just need to get a DAC now...

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like you took out the venerable TX-8050 from your signature line and replaced it with your new HK acquisition. This must be the new mainline amplification source. It does sound like a sweet purchase. I'm still running a couple heavy duty quality HK amps from the 80's that I love... Citation 22 and 24.

 

[drummerman]

Solid looking amplifier with a lot of knobs. Proper hairy chest stuff ...

regards

 

[plastic penguin]

I've hankered after one of the bigger 90s HK amps for years. The likes of the HK610 were near the entry level and enjoyed some decent reviews in the 90s, but their beefier brethren weren't often seen on these shores, so when an HK6850 turned up on a well known auction site recently, well...!

And so it arrived today, and was I in for a surprise. This thing's big! At 8ohms, it's putting out 85wpc, no digital inputs so an offboard DAC will be needed. Out the box, the HK delivers in spades. Very similar to the Sony 630ESD, clear, good powerful sound, I don't need to put it beyond 8 o'clock on the volume knob. Build is excellent, no plastic here barring the phono catrdige selector. At 15.5 kgs, it's no lightweight. For the money I paid, it's another steal. If you see one of these, buy with no shortage of confidence. This is an excellent amp - good highs, lovely mids, and a very deep but well controlled bass. Works a treat with the Tannoys too.

Oh well, just need to get a DAC now...

Sounds like a good'un.

Blimey, RS, are you starting a museum? :clap:

 

[the record spot]

Haha, yes perhaps! I've always liked the big old amps though. And while the Onkyo's a great product (though mine has developed a fault, so it's going back under warranty - the "Pure Audio" option is suddenly "Not Available" which is odd); I grew up with these big old amps and they're the first love I think. I picked up a Teac UD-H01 DAC today, so that's allowed me to connect my TV to the stereo (along with the Denon DVD player) and I've got it on trial for 14 days. Very neat little unit though.