0ur opinion:

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Picture this! The AVR 347 not only includes a host of powerful features such as DCDi by Faroudja video processing, Simplay HD-verified HDMl 1.1 connectivity with full audio processing and EzSet/EQ technology - it uses a colorful user interface to make system setup and operation easier than ever. Add full multiroom capability with A-BUS connectivity and you have pure Harman Kardon sound everywhere in the house.

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Harman Kardon's AVR-347 receiver incorporates a number of genuine engineering breakthroughs, including innovative iPod connectivity and HDTV and multi-room capabilities that take audio/video receiver design to new levels of performance and functionality. lt features an exclusive iPod interface that, with a compatible iPod connected via The Bridge (Harmon Kardon's optional iPod docking station), displays menus on a connected TV or video display and the receiver's front panel display. The iPod can also be operated via the receiver's remote control. lt pumps 55 Watts of power through each of its 7 channels, employing Logic 7 processing and EzSet/EQ technology to ensure that you always have crisp Dolby Digital audio. With two-input Simplay HD™-verified HDMl™ switching and a wealth of digital audio inputs, the AVR-346 lets you connect and command virtually any home theater source.


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Buyer's feedback: - * Great first receiver from Harman Kardon ...
I purchased the receiver open box from Fry's here in Houston and was lucky enough to get the remote and about $200 off of the retail price when purchased in July 2008. First impression: excellent build quality and I was the envy of all my friends who are HK fanatics.

Set up of the receiver was not overly difficult but I found out that wiring it yourself is the way to go; my friend is notoriously bad at wiring inputs correctly so I had video and no sound. Once I got that sorted the next day everything has been smooth sailing.

All of these issues with HDMI connectivity and picture issues I don't seem to have; though I did the firmware update right after I purchased the receiver. I have HDMI 1 in use and component 2 and they output over HDMI out to my Samsung LN-T4669 1080P. This gives me no video issues and I have two cables on the back of my TV :). I have never tried the TV speakers being that I have a full Inifinity Primus 5.1 system less the Polk 10" sub so I can't say if audio transmits to the TV over HDMI or not.

On to things I don't like. The optical connections I have work fine though the cables I have from monoprice (not sure if they are a contributor to the problem or not) don't stay in well. Luckily I don't need the optical anymore with the new Comcast Cisco PVR; audio and video over HDMI. Also, I am kind of dissapointed that, considering when it was released, there was no support for Dolbly True HD and HD Master Audio. I plan on getting a Blu Ray player that will do the decoding and then the speakers will do the lossles audio but having it on the receiver seems like something that should be there for the price compared the Onkyo 605.

Audio quality is excellent and when running the two Primus towers alone in 2 channel stereo it was shockingingly accurate and rich. I don't run it as such anymore and the 5.1 is different but equally rich and powerful (two noise complaints to boot!). One item I would like to see would be a second subwoofer output for 7.2 should you choose to go that route but that is just nitpicking really.

All in all I can't be happier and I will add that the 7x55W raiting has to be conservative because I can nearly deafen guests if I turn it up to +3 or higher when listening to music (and it is crystal clear). If you can get a good deal on one now I say go for it but if you want the latest technology, audio decoding and more HD flexibility the AVR 354 and/or some of the newer Onkyo's are the ones for you (705/6 & 805/6).

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Buyer's feedback: - Best of the best
Harman Kardon is the brand for best audio sound at an affordable price! I highly recommend it!

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Buyer's feedback: - * a huge disappointment ...
I got this received because I had a PS3 and a HD-DVD player, but only one HDMI input on my television. I had also upgraded my speakers recently, and figured this would be a nice match for my new 5.1 system. What a let-down. What a HUGE let-down.

First, when the hdmi connections go through the receiver, these little white and red specks appear on the picture. It is most noticeable in very dark areas of the picture, but it's annoying. It occurs only when using the hdmi inputs, and only when this receiver is in the middle. When I connect the PS3 or the HD-DVD player directly to the tv, the dots disappear.

Secondly, the sound is frustrating. For some reason, it puts the level on the center speaker very low and it is difficult to hear dialogue. I can use a button to cycle through sound-modes, but it requires me to go to a 3-speaker (yay for 5.1?) setup to finally hear dialogue clearly. Furthermore, it has a habit of resetting this mode at intervals.

Setup is/was frustrating as well. It requires it to be connected to a tv to use the on-screen display. I had heard people saying that they used the EZ-Tuner feature of the receiver and everything was perfect, but as stated above that hasn't worked quite so well for me. A lot of times you will think you've saved your settings, exit the OSD, and find that they've reverted to whatever the receiver thinks they should be.

There are a lot of different "modes" that you can set up... CD, DVD, Video 1/2/3, etc. Each can be configured to some extent, but there are also limitations. For example, some modes will not activate unless there is a video signal coming in.

All in all, I wish I had not bought this product. If I had known HD-DVD would tank, I would have held on to my old receiver (a 5-yr old Panasonic) instead. I have had nothing but disappointment from this one.

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Buyer's feedback: - Issues with the HDMI inputs
I had major problems with the HDMI inputs. I had a PS3 and TW cable connected to this unit via HDMI. With the cable, i had issues turning channels. The screen becomes blank (blue screen) sometimes and I have to keep in flipping thought the channels or turn the unit on and off before I get get a picture. In terms of the PS3, sometimes this unit degrades the picture quality. There are these little specs on the TV and sometimes the letters on the screen is screwed up. I'll turn the unit off then on, and sometimes it get worse. The only thing I can say positive about this unit is the sound quality is pretty good. Especially using the Multi LPCM.

In terms of features, I think it is a little behind it's competitors. There are other units out there about the same price with 3 to 4 HDMI inputs and supporting DTS-HD and True-Dolby.

I returned this unit and purchased a Onkyo SR705.

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Buyer's feedback: - * Mostly perfect ...
Since upgrading my display to a new HDTV, I decided it was time to upgrade the rest of my HT setup. After doing some research and listening to an AVR 347 in a local store, I decided that was the receiver that I wanted.

Now, after having this receiver a couple of months, I want to let everyone know what I think about it.

After it arrived, my initial thoughts were that the unit was well packaged by the manufacturer. After it was unpacked, setup went normally, with a few small differences described later.

Initial setup went smoothly, and I discovered a few nice features. These are the small differences I mentioned. You have 3 assignable component inputs and 4 assignable toslink and coax digital inputs. I set my first set of inputs to video 1, and set audio to toslik 1, and enabled the audio polling for this selection. I have a psyclone switcher and connected to it are my Wii, PS2, and Xbox with the Wii being analog audio and the other 2 toslink. With this connected to Video 1, I can have all 3 devices work perfectly without having to go back and change anything thanks to the auto polling! Thumbs up for this!

EZ setup went off without a problem and my surround setup sounds better than ever! In fact, I have to say that the sound is outright AMAZING! My previous receiver was a JVC 8000 rated at 110 wats per channel, and this one rated at 55 watts per channel is able to produce the same volume level with MUCH clearer sound!

My video output is via HDMI to my TV. The upscaling works wonderfully, but I am unhappy that the upscaling cannot be turned off. When watching one of my DVDs setup for 4:3 (which is 3 of my commercial DVDs and most of my Anime DVDs since they were only produced at 4:3) the output is streched - although it is not as noticeable as you might think - it is still enough that I would like to be able to watch them in their intended format.

I do have some problems with my Xbox connected via component - the screen starts off shaking and the display starts shifting itselt one scanline at a time. Until I get a Xbox 360, I have remedied this by also connecting the AVR's component output to my HDTV to bypass the upscaling feature that causes this. I'm hoping a firmware update will resolve this, but only time will tell. (That is assuming that HK will release an update!)

The learning remote is a nice feature and is, for the most part, functional. The AVR wants to turn off the surround mode when switching devices and it is annoying to have to hit the AVR button to use the button that will re-enable the surround mode. These buttons are not accessable at any other time. This would be a simple change that would help out alot. Also, several buttons are device specific and do not function unless that device is selected, and they cannot be programmed for functions on other devices. They are mostly just dead buttons because of this.

Since most of my viewing is either TiVo or DVD, I use the transport buttons at the bottom of the remote. Because of the way the remote tapers, it is uncomfortable to hold the remote to use these buttons. It is also very heavy at the top of the remote, making the weight distribution a little ungangly for using the transport buttons.

Another caveat is that since Video 4 inputs are on the front of the unit (nicely covered when not in use), even though you can set Video 4 to component and any of the toslink/coax inputs available, the remote refuses to let MANY of the programmable buttons be programmed when Video 4 is selected. In fact, there are so few programmable buttons for Video 4 that this is unusable as anything other than JUST an audio/video input for a device controlled by another remote - so keep that remote handy if you play on using Video 4.

Right now, my TiVo and my DVD player are connected to the 2 HDMI inputs. I do plan on getting a PS3 and a Xbox 360, both of which output via HDMI as well. I would like to see at least 2 more HDMI inputs on the AVR, but because there isn't, I will be getting a Psyclone HDMI switcher and connect its HDMI output to my TV's second HDMI input and use the AVR's toslink input for the audio for these gaming devices.

The only other unsatisfactory item I can think of - and this one is really just a personal disatisfaction that most people probably won't care too much about - is the fact that the speaker connections on the back of the unit aren't spaced properly for industry standard dual banana plugs to be used. They are about 1/4 in. too far apart. Single banana plugs, however, work fine.

Be aware that this unit does NOT upscale to 1080p - only to 720p. It will, however, pass any 1080i or 1080p signal directly to the display via whatever components they are input from - IE: component input at 1080p will be passed as 1080p via the component output - the HDMI will not convert these for output as they are analouge only. For me at this time isn't a big deal since my display is only 720p - and when I do go 1080p, the devices that I will have connected will have 1080p output, and those that don't are old enough that 720p would produce the same output anyway.

The unit's front display can be dimmed or turned off completely, so if your unit is in the open, the very informative display can be dimmed or turned off when watching movies so as not to be distracting. The large standby button on the left is also illuminated with electric blue - looks beautiful, but when watching movies it still stands out to the point that I feel that the standby button should have been made to be about 1/4 of the size. Really, 2-3 inches is way too long for a button to be made. The power button on the DVD38 HK produces is about the right size.

All in all I would say that I am very happy with this unit. I know that most of my remarks seemed negative, but I wanted to be very accurate in exactly what I disliked about the unit as everything else is absolutly WONDERFUL! With just a little more thought (mostly about the remote) HK would have an all-star winning AVR. As it is now, it is just mostly perfect.