HK 3490 - Time To Get The Real Facts
The HK 3490 Really Packs A Punch
I wanted to do a real review for you of the HK 3490 without all the hype and junk. It really is a incredibly reliable receiver that you can bank on to a quality job. There are lots of people saying that the equipment they are reviewing can do things, BUT they can't actually do it. It makes me think they have to do that to make the products actually sell. I don't know why they just can't be honest and tell it as it is. The only think that annoyed me was the small buttons on the controls but nothing dramatic.
HK 3490 Is For A Real Audiophile or Someone Like Me
This not your run-of-the-mill overview but a real one on this quality 7.1 receiver. This is a very chunky two channel unit. I am very glad to see that Harman Kardon is responsible for this one because the quality of this model mirrors their company standard. With all the newfangled models out there that keep coming out this one has stood the test of time and has fantastic specs to back it up.
Get The Facts On The HK 3490
From the very first time you look at the HK 3490 it is fresh and sleek and without clutter.It is just a very plain and simple good receiver without all bells and whistles. It has a front great panel that drops down to access the tone controls.The buttons across the front for function select are back lit but could be brighter. Most of the time when these types of quality products come out they are focusing not on how the user uses the product, but more so on the actual quality of sound it produces.
Listed below is a more thorough breakdown of the actual ports. I hope this review of the HK 3490 gives you some good info and answers your questions regarding this unit. This unit has believably had an upgrade to the power supply capacitors and power transistors because they certainly are not the standard type but much better than the other receivers out there, and at the end of the day, that means more grunt out of your unit. This is a mid priced unit with a RRP $499 but I see you can get it Amazon for around the $260 range at the moment which really is great value for such a serious receiver.
Harman Kardon is one of the most respected and renowned manufacturers in the world of audio equipment and you are definitely on a winner here. One of the most surprising things I found is that the HK 3490 as digital inputs and a pair of AKM PCM (pulse code modulation) DAC's (digital to analog converters) on board as well and not known on many other models out there in the marketplace.
HK 3490 - Just A Down To Earth Solid System
The HK 3490 Features:
- Dolby Headphone - this one is nice. It will let you use a pair of headphones but you can get all those nice surround sound effects on the music.
- Preamp Outputs and Main Power Amp Input couplers - allows you to connect external amplification, or an external processor or equalizer.
- The HK3490 has a Bridge II iPod interface - now this is really a good feature that we all will love. This will let you use your iPod device through the remote control and you can do it while it is charging and while you are using it.
- Dolby Virtual Speaker - This has a DSP mode, Digital Sound Processor that will make list
ening in stereo have that really spatial sound like surround sound without the extra speakers, like virtual surround sound. - Digital audio inputs - what this will let you do is use DVD player that doesn't have top sound quality due to that it might be a cheaper portable one and the digital to analogue converters in there will make the sound much better because of the quality of the converters.
- Dual sub-woofer outputs - you can use this feature to connect two powered subwoofers in stereo or one in mono
- XM Radio ready - interfaces with optional XM tuner to receive highly compressed and nasty sounding XM radio broadcasts for those who care more about convenience than sound quality.
- Phone input support MM-type cartridges.
- Preamp Outputs and Main Power Amp Input couplers - allows you to connect external amplification, or an external processor or equalizer.
The HK 3490 back panel is basically laid out like most receivers. It has two pairs of speaker outputs which will allow you to run four speakers at the same time without any degradation of sound. The HK 3490 provides composite video switching, analog RCA audio connections and two digital inputs (1 coax, 1 toslink or optical link). It also allows you to have dual sub-woofer output connections but you will not have any control of the bass output, which is typical of two-channel receivers.
The bass and treble controls were a bit tricky to use, but once you got used to it was quite okay. And generally speaking, you do not really adjust those because it can change the sound different from the original recording. If music is produced properly and most of the time it is, you do not need to change that you leave them on the flat or straight up-and-down position.
My Overview
The first time I came across the Harman Kardon it was through a friend of mine like most things. He had bought in about three weeks before and said for me to go over to his place to have a listen. Dave Weckl was playing who is one of the best jazz drummers in the world on his new amp. When I went over there the only thing that was set up was the HK 3490, a Sony CD player running into the DACs and a set of JBL speakers, WOW what could I say. Based on hearing it that day I went and bought one too and I have become a massive fan of it. I have been to many retail stores and checked out lots of different amplifiers and speaker combinations but none of them came close to what I heard that day and this is what I have hooked up at home now. This is why I did a review of the HK 3490 for everyone.
My system that I have at home is:
Harman Kardon HK 3490
Bose Acoustimass 10 Series IV
Sony CDP-CE500
I feel that you need to be careful out there from people trying to scam you by saying you have to spend more money than you really need to for a good system. On Amazon at the moment the Harman Kardon HK 3490 is almost half price and represents fantastic value in anyone's eyes, just head over and look at the reviews because most people think it is great and that is why I set up this website because I am such a fan.
I have also seen them being used in audio stores to play their music just like one reviewer said. So the HK 3490 has definitely proven to be good so I hope that you found this review of the HK 3490 beneficial for you.
Have a look below at the breakdown from other buyers.
4.4 out 5 stars
| 5 star: | 62% | (82) |
| 4 star: | 25% | (34) |
| 3 star: | 3% | (4) |
| 2 star: | 3% | (5) |
| 1 star: | 4% | (6) |
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised ! Gets really really deep in the mids using Paradigm 7se mk3, November 30, 2011
Awesome sound, Powerful, Full sound. I am using a pair of Paradigm 7se mk3 and they go together like peanut butter and jelly man ! I have read some reviews all around the Internet about harsh,grainy sounds? where ? what speakers were these people using? I have a tube set up and this sucker comes as about as close as you can get and I say that with CONFIDENCE ! I am ordering another one for my brother because I know when he hooks this thing up Christmas morning I will get a Vid of him crying with joy
I was in search of a good old-fashioned amp, a replacement for a previous Harman Kardon, so I was a bit biased...but this is an incredibly powered amp, with FM tuner, video inputs, much more, and at a price that causes one to stop dead in your tracks and order it. I did, and I have no idea how they put together such sound quality at such a low price.
Check out the HK 3490 and get yourself a truly reliable and proven history for an incredible price.

