Terrible music performance from HK AVR 355?

[Time_Lord]

You got a product and its not fit for purpose. You are entitled to your money back. If they refuse, say that will escalate the matter to the department of fair trading and also tell the ACCC. One question, at time of purchase were you ever told there was a hissing problem known with the unit?

[emesbee]

Cleetus given that you are going to drop money selling it (don't know how much) another option would be to keep it for HT use only and buy a 2 channel amp with HT bypass for music.

I was going to suggest something similar. I have the front L/R pre-outs on a Marantz AVR connected to a stereo amp, which powers the front speakers. The AVR powers the centre and rears. So, its stereo amp only for music, both amps together for HT (with volume on stereo amp set to half way point).

[ozcal]

I agree with Matrix , the retailer , through their repairer has had more than enough oppurtunity to resolve the issue. I would be politely but firmly demanding a new unit or a replacement from another manufacturer that suits you needs.

[68premier]

OK, so for anyone that might still be interested in where this story ended up i can report that after being returned to Klapp Dandenong three times i have made no progress whatsoever. As mentioned in earlier posts the SQ was vastly improved after the firmware was upgraded but the annoying hiss could not be rectified.

The amp has now spent more time getting repaired than at my house and it would be fair to say that the novelty has well and truly worn off.

At this point my getting dicked around threshold has been exceeded and i have accepted that Klapp Dandenong are never going to offer me anything besides visits to repairers. I would hate to think what this has cost HK and it has achieved nothing.

My final rant will be an email to HK, i'm quite sure it will get me nowhere but it might make me feel better about wasting a bucket load of money on an AVR i can't use.

It's a crying shame because when the amp is at a volume that drowns out the hiss it sounds fantastic but gaps in audio output or low listening levels reveal the hiss that is impossible to ignore.

The 355 will go on the market as soon as i can afford to replace it, hopefully to someone who is satisfied with internal amp power only...hiss is much less intrusive in this configuration.

I'm not even angry, just dissapointed....and poorer!

Sorry to hear mate. From my experience, emailing HK will indeed get you nowhere. However when I was looking for the latest f/ware version I emailed the Aust distributor and got a fairly prompt response. I did inform them that as a result of the well documented popping sound I was experiencing I would have no choice but returning their product for a full refund as I considered the unit to be faulty. I have been slack and not had the firmware updated so I'm still living with the issue. I just dont want to live without it I guess.

While I don't know anything about your retailer, I would say their customer service is pretty poor. Surely they could have let you try another 355 or even something else off the shelf just to aid the trouble shooting process.

Is the hiss evident when using an input with nothing connected? I've tried mine and it's dead quiet.

[Itsmoi]

Used to have the HK 255 a while back. people were saying the HK receivers were more "musical" than other receivers etc, which was one of the reasons i purchased it.

Ran it as stock for a while, surround experience was great, 2 channel left me cold. Added a Rotel 1075, stayed the same basically.

Then gave up on 2 channel out of it and got the Emotiva Usp-1 and Upa-2 combo for 2 channel and eventually ditched the HK for the UMC-1 as well. Got rid of the Rotel for 3 Emotiva monoblocks and haven't looked back.

Had the same experience with my previous receiver, a Denon, fine for movies, but 2 channel, forget it.

Re the popping sound, a later firmware got rid of that, used to have it running the original firmware, and some other issues as well, but the later firmware handled all fine.

Am now a firm believer in keeping analog seperate from the digital domain. UMC-1 for movies and the analog USP-1 for music, I am happy enough.

[Juicester]

Is this for music only duties? I can't for the life of me think why it is you wouldn't spend the $900 on a pre-amp to match with your Emotiva- like you said, the Emotiva is going to have a better amplification stage than the HK... or do you need the video switching etcof an AVR? Regards, Chris

[Orpheus]

I think what has happened is that the moment you turned the thing on, you regretted the purchase, and so any fault is amplified (pardon the pun) in your mind, Cleetus.

In fact, what you are saying is that it now sounds pretty good, however there is a hiss.

I have an Audio Research LS5, a very sweet-sounding pre-amp with a very significant amount of hiss. However, you can early hear it if the volume is low and you are listening for it.

I just accept it, because I like its other characteristics.

I think your pre-amp just has a low-level hiss as one of its characteristics. If it otherwise sounds good, just accept it.

[Cleetus]

Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions.

Miraculously i can report that this problem has finally been resolved, i phoned the store to let them have it, figured it would make me feel better. The guy who answered the phone told me to return the unit to the store for a store credit...i couldn't believe what i was hearing but not about question his executive decision in case he changed his mind. It was returned the following day, much to the apparent confusion of the manager who did not seem at all happy with the advice i had recieved from his collegue.

I had come too far to take the unit home and dug in for a battle, determined to get a new reciver or die trying. The manager agreed to give me a store credit and admitted that he was hoping to hang on to my custom in order to make some more money out of me, at least he was honest about it.

I went home and begun researching potential replacements....long story short i now have an Onkyo TX-NR708 that was being cleared elsewhere for a thousand bucks, Klapp reluctantly price matched and bid me good riddance.

All hooked up and holy **** this thing is dead silent, not a peep, you could hear a mouse fart in here. All the crap i was fed about it being my overpowered power amp paired with sensative speakers...simply crap!

This is the amp i should have been sold in the first place, excellent performance with 2ch music with the reciever set to audio pass thru and home theatre is handled without breaking a sweat.

The Audysey speaker calibration leaves the HK version for dead, all it ever managed to determine were accurate speaker distances...not that helpfull.

This forum has provided an excellent outlet/support network throughout this ordeal and i thank you all for lending a sympathetic ear while i was at the mercy of a less than helpful retailer. Maybe i'll hold a tupperware party to show my appreciation..

R.I.P HK AVR355..purchased 3rd of June 2010, returned to where you came from 18th May 2011..forever in our thoughts for all the wrong reasons.

[CraigC]

I'm glad you finally got it sorted.

[ncl_knight]

Hi. I have an AVR360 and found the same as you. Music disappointing, but movies were kick ass. It took me a while to tweek to unit to what sounded fine. Make sure you download the advanced manual (if there is one for your model) from the HK site and check out what it says. The thing is so configurable I got well lost at first (Interface could be clearer too). If no good, call Convoy (the distributors). They have always been helpful to me.

[ncl_knight]

Ahh. Didn't read the end of your posting to see it has been returned.