The Harman Kardon AVR 2600 is an amazing and attractive 7.1 audiovisual receiver. It has an enhanced graphical user interface but its high price makes it unworthy relatively in terms of its monotonous and dull performance.
Design
Although the price of the Harman Kardon is pretty much high but it surely has an attractive look. It has a two toned look which makes it appealing. The top half of the audiovisual receiver has a shiny black finishing and a vibrant LCD display in the middle while the lower part has a gray nonglossy finishing alongwith extra connectivity to the lesser right side which is concealed behind pop-out shelters. A brightened volume knob with a large size is found on the upper right side which can also be turned off through the settings menu help.
The remote control of the audiovisual receiver is oversized even when considering with the standards of AV receiver. The design of the remote is pretty neat, as its main buttons such as the Volume and Mute ones are spaced rightly from each other. The setup button in the remote has a light but this makes the whole remote look backlit. Users prefer larger buttons for inputting but it is not a big issue as the AVR 2600’s GUI could be employed to choose feedbacks.
There are many other high defined menus present in latest Blu-ray players but this should not make the AVR 2600’s graphical interface look nascent as it has one of the better AC receiver interface. Although it has large texts, but its onscreen reminders that are present to notify the menu functioning occasionally, are an appreciating point. Therefore, the Harman Kardon AVR 2600 can be called as an up step to the unclear text user interfaces of the Marantz NR1601 and Denon AVR 1911.
Features
The key features of this 7.1 audiovisual receiver include 7.1 channels, a graphical user interface and a one year warranty. Its HDMI features include a 1.4a HDMI version with no audio return channel. Talking about its audio decoding features, you will find the Dolby True HD, Logic 7 and Dolby Volume in it whereas the video connectivity options include 4 HDMI inputs and 4 composite video inputs. Other than that it has 3 optical inputs, 6 stereo analog audio inputs and no minijack for audio connectivity but additional features such as the $80 dock iPod connectivity and 1 USB port. It also has multi room features such as the Line level 2nd zone output.
Performance
In order to find out the speaker sizes of the AVR 2600, it utilizes the Harman Kardon’s proprietary ExSet/EQ system and enables listening through setting volume levels, analyzing the subwoofer crossover point and equalized speaker sound. The chrome plated EzSet/EQ measurement microphones of the receiver give a much cooler look than the regular black plastic mic that also have a 6.3 mm plug instead of 3.5 mm plug. However, the Harman Kardon AVR 2600 has an inefficient auto setup and a below average audio performance which lessen its worth in the crowded market of receivers.