Harman Kardon HK 3770 Stereo Receiver Review

Harman Kardon executes an old concept with a decidedly modern twist

by Ed Selley
MSRP: £430.00

What is the Harman Kardon HK 3770?

HiFi is changing shape at a previously unprecedented rate. Even five years ago, the Chord Hugo I recently reviewed would have been simply too far removed from our expectation of what high end HiFi should look like to be anything other than a curiosity - some sort of technology demonstrator or headline grabber rather than arguably one of the best digital products that the company has ever made. Likewise, Elipson’s striking but beautifully engineered Planet LW - a product that was designed originally to dispense with any other electronics altogether and simply go straight for your phone or computer.

Part of the reason for this is that the idea of an audio system being source, amplifier and speakers is being unwound pretty quickly in two different directions. The idea of a piece of dedicated source equipment is both old fashioned and slightly incomprehensible to a generation of consumers who use computers, tablets and phones for pretty much everything. As the source becomes a single point, it becomes logical to control the volume at that point and in turn the amplifier starts to look a little shaky when you can as easily build amps into speakers.

With this relentless evolution taking place as we speak, it seems odd therefore that a genuine relic of a product category, the stereo receiver, can also stage a comeback at this point. The idea is simple enough; an integrated amplifier with radio built in so that it can produce audio without needing additional sources. As audio went through the ‘one box for one function’ phase, the category almost completely disappeared. Now, with source equipment going AWOL, the stereo receiver is back with some new inputs and a new relevance. Harman Kardon has taken the process a step further though. The HK 3770 could technically never need a source to be connected to it to be all the audio equipment you ever need and the inputs that are fitted mean this could be an interesting alternative to a soundbar. Does it actually work out that way though?

Harman Kardon HK 3770 Sound Quality

Harman Kardon HK 3770
The HK 3770 is the larger of two stereo receivers that the company offers - indeed the company has been one of the keener advocates of the type over the years. The basics of the package are well covered. The HK 3770 features an FM/AM tuner mated to an integrated amplifier. The analogue tuner is about the only piece of the Harman that is in any way in keeping with what might be expected of a receiver though. Almost everything else is a fairly radical departure from the norm.

At this point you might be thinking that an FM/AM tuner is decidedly old hat. While I don’t disagree, it hints at to two things. One is that outside of the UK, the fitment of DAB is considered something of an irrelevance. The second is that Harman has been a little more ambitious in their radio options. The HK 3770 is a DLNA capable media streamer and this includes a vTuner internet radio fitment. This means you can receive all the stations that DAB would allow for and usually at higher quality than the DAB stream is broadcast in.
Harman Kardon HK 3770
The DLNA compatibility also means that the HK 3770 is a network streamer but unfortunately something of a timid one. File support is limited to MP3 and WMA which seems a little bizarre. I’m not a fundamentalist in audio terms. I don’t believe that absolutely every digital product needs to support all the exotic (and largely unsupported) high res sampling rates but with storage space as cheap as it is, it seems self-defeating not to offer bog standard lossless support (or indeed AAC at all) but if your compressed music library is stored on a network drive, the HK 3770 can access it and replay it via a reasonably well sorted control app. The other limitation of this network cleverness is that the Harman needs a wired Ethernet connection (or an Ethernet wireless bridge) to do what it does. I find this omission a little curious but it seems to be one that a number of competitor products also suffer from.

The rest of the news is rather better though. The HK 3770 is fitted with a USB connection that also supports direct connection of an iDevice and USB drives (albeit with the same format limitations as the DLNA section) which is usefully convenient and is also fitted with Bluetooth which allows for a rather broader selection of formats to be streamed directly to the HK3770. There are some limitations for the more audiophile minded individuals but as a convenience product, you could make an eloquent argument for not needing to connect anything to it and it delivering a lot of the performance options you would need day to day.

The good news is that in terms of connecting additional sources, the HK 3770 is well served too. As well as five analogue line inputs and a moving magnet phono stage (which is something I think is a nice touch but I wonder how many of these receivers will ever see a turntable), the Harman also has three digital inputs capable of handling sample rates up to 24/192kHz which means that if you don’t require video switching, the HK 3770 could be the hub of a sizeable system without breaking sweat. The price of the Harman is such that combined with a good pair of speakers, the total price would put it at a credible competition point to a larger soundbar. Harman also fits a subwoofer output too which allows for sub sat speakers to be used if space is tight.
Harman Kardon HK 3770
The HK 3770 could be the hub of a sizeable system without breaking sweat
All of these inputs are then collated and given power via a 120W class AB amp. This is a genuine 8 ohm figure too suggesting that the HK 3770 won’t struggle with any speaker you are likely to partner with it. This is then made available to two independently selectable speaker outputs which both use three-way binding posts. As these switchable outputs can be controlled via the remote, you could consider using the HK 3770 for a basic two room setup.

In terms of space, the Harman is a conventional 430mm wide unit and not much (if any) smaller than an AV receiver. It should not prove too hard to accommodate however as the depth and height are in keeping with most equipment shelves I’ve seen of late. It is an attractive enough piece of kit too. Harman styling has improved slightly of late with cleaner overall lines and nice touches like the illuminated ring around the volume knob and clear and legible display. The fit and finish is acceptable for the price with only minor details like the flimsy plastic door covering the headphone socket and USB input detracting from the overall construction. The remote is no looker but offers a useful range of functions and provides good control range.

Harman Kardon HK 3770 Setup

The HK 3770 was used in my AV system and was connected to a Cambridge Audio 752BD via coax, Sky HD box and Panasonic GT60 via optical and an Arcam airDAC via analogue RCA connections. An iPad 3 was used to test the bluetooth The amp was tested with a pair of Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1s and a Neat IOTAs with and without a Tannoy TS2.12 subwoofer. Material used included lossless and high res FLAC, MP3 to test the UPnP section, internet radio and on demand services such as Spotify and Grooveshark. The HK 3770 was additionally tested with Blu Ray, broadcast TV and Netflix.
Harman Kardon HK 3770
The Harman appeared to have been used a few times before it arrived for review so no serious running in was undertaken. Setup proved easy enough although the slightly distinctive method of selecting inputs takes a little getting used to. For want of a simple description, you effectively choose the category of input you want - analogue digital etc - and then cycle through. Once you get used it, it is perfectly logical but not exactly how you might expect it to work. There are some other curiosities too. The volume ramp is weirdly inconsistent. I’ve no reason to doubt there is 120 watts of power available but it seems to come in an exponential curve at the top of the scale. This meant that finding the ideal volume level with the Mordaunt Shorts was periodically tricky as it fell between the two volume increments although the less sensitive Neat was unaffected in the same way.

Minor quibbles about the interface aside, the way that the Harman goes about reproducing films and music is convincing and enjoyable. The headroom on offer gives the HK 3770 real authority and drive and it manages to produce an expansive soundstage that expands comfortably beyond the confines of the speakers and immerses you in a film soundtrack in a way that can often be a surprise given that nothing is physically behind you. A spirited rendition of Oblivion with the 752BD supplying a two channel SP/Dif signal was genuinely impressive and with the Tannoy sub switched in, some useful low end extension too.
Harman Kardon HK 3770
Music is equally impressive and the performance of the HK 3770 with lossless material - either replayed digitally from the 752BD or via analogue from the Arcam airDAC - is consistently excellent which rather emphasises the disappointing decision to not make lossless available via the DNLA section of the Harman. This being said, the performance with compressed audio is generally very entertaining too. The big and bold presentation is fairly forgiving and doesn’t rip MP3 material to bits. Listening to some of the Glastonbury broadcast on the internet radio stream of 6Music managed to get the spirit of the performance across rather well.
Harman Kardon HK 3770
The way that the Harman goes about reproducing films and music is convincing and enjoyable
The more time the Harman spent in situ, the more the overall presentation charms. The HK 3770 makes most things sound exciting and filled with energy. It doesn’t always sound as convincing when you give it something smaller and more delicate - there is a sense that some things are rendered a bit bigger and more powerful than would be the case if this was truly accurate. This being said the way that the Harman deals with voices is impressive, with a richness and weight to them that comes through regardless of the size of the speakers involved.

This is also true of TV and film material which is easy to follow and usually convincing. Really fast paced and energetic music can lack some of the drive and attack to it that some rival amps can produce but the even handedness and sheer breadth of talent that the HK3770 has is a convincing response. This character is extremely consistent across the different inputs of Harman suggesting that the power amp section is the part of the amp that exerts the most character. The slight exception to this is the FM tuner section which I found a little warmer and less distinct than the digital and analogue inputs. Given the internet radio though, I’m not altogether sure how often it will be used.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Spacious and relaxed sound
  • Comprehensive Sound
  • Solid build

Cons

  • Oddly limited streaming section
  • No wireless
  • Can lack a little excitement

Harman Kardon HK 3770 Stereo Receiver Review

An integrated amp with a tuner built in is not the sort of thing that is likely to get the pulse racing in 2014 so simply describing the Harman Kardon HK 3770 as one rather undersells the promise that the amp has in operating as a convincing hub for a system and a very well equipped performer in its own right.

The specification is weirdly limited in some regards - wireless would be useful and I don’t understand why the streaming section is so limited and can’t help but wonder if a software update might free up a little more formats and sampling rates - but otherwise, this is a an amp with a genuinely useful set of connections and features that is placed in a handsome and well-designed chassis with plenty of power.

More importantly, the Harman sounds good too. The performance is consistently engaging and believable and the performance with film and TV material is something that is both easy to live with day-to-day and capable of some real excitement when you turn the wick up. If you have been looking at 2.1 and soundbar options, the Harman is a viable and interesting alternative and something worth auditioning.

Scores

Build Quality

.
.
8

Connectivity

.
9

Ease of use

.
.
8

Features

.
.
8

Audio quality

.
.
8

Value for money

.
.
8

Overall

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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