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Rating: 
Summary: WOW! Value and Features and Performance
Review: I am VERY pleased with my purchase. The current discounted price, plus the features and performace really adds up to a satisifed customer. The reviews are all accurate:
Input/Output options are great
On Screen Display is good
Sound is great, although it does lack a litte in the oomph.
Remote is difficult and poorly laid out. Does not work with DishNetwork PVR, without "learning".
My old (year 2001) SONY receiver was horrible. I never knew that the rear speakers actually did something untill I got this Harman Kardon DPR 1001
Rating: 
Summary: Nice amp
Review: I finally had to retire my Kenwood 2080. I liked the idea of an all digtal path. This Amp seemed to be the perfect fit.
With my old amp you wire the inputs, wire the speakers, set the surround volumes and you're done.
In this Harmon Kardon I was faced with a starship enterprise type remote that comes onscreen, but is poorly designed. I've never hit so many wrong keys in my life. Up and down move the speaker selection (although not in a logical order). I think I was spoilt by the 2080 remote that only added icons I needed to the huge LCD display. I tried controlling my DVD with the remote but you have to be fast, it reverts back to AVR within a couple of seconds (I'm assuming there's another setting somewhere to increase the remote time).
I liked the fact I wired an input then associated it (very nice to have, e.g. COAXIAL 3 is linked to VIDEO 4)
Now for the outputs, wire the speakers, set the level and sit back and listen. Good in theory but I then switched between my 5.1 source on my satellite and my DVD - all the speakers were wrong again. It turned out that every input mode (5.1 , stereo, DTS, Dolby Pro logic) has its owned settings . I kept getting a deep sense of Deja Vu as I recycled through the various types in my various sources.
My Bose AM10s weren't sounding quite right so after back reading BOSE manuals I realised the cross over frequency was wrong. I changed it and things started to sound better. I also realised that I had accidentally set the bass on the L/R channels to go to the sub instead of LFE only. After another 10 or so more Deja Vu settings with the various inputs I was finally cooking.
There's a nice EZSET feature to get the speaker levels, there's also a manual set that will show you the Db level to balance (very nice).
This amp has a very nice sound on low volumes, I've had it all the way up and there's minimal distortion. On the levels we normally use for movies and music it's very pleasant to listen to. If you like rock concert volumes then you may find this amp runs out of steam. It's the lowest power amp I've owned in many years but is more than sufficient for me.Overall I'm keeping it, after setting all the various levels on all my digital inputs I feel I owe it to myself. This thing took a while to setup but now remembers all the various combinations and is low maintenance. Anyone who thinks this has a great remote has never used a great remote (like the high end Kenwood amps have).
Rating:
Summary: An EXCELLENT receiver and value!!
Review: I just purchased this receiver less than a week ago and I am amazed at the value and apparent quality of the piece, especially considering the currently discounted price. The sound is clean, and answering to perhaps one of my biggest concerns, 50 digital watts per channel is more than adequate for a basic home theatre/stereo system. It blows my 80 watt, 2-channel analog (piece of junk) JVC amp out of the water! I am so happy I bought this receiver! As other reviewers have noted, the sound is clean, perhaps "too clean" for some audiophiles, however I play reggae, trance, and rock music, loud, and it sounds great! There is adequate bass, and I suspect the addition of a powered subwoofer will take it over the top - that is next on my list. I suspect that some users who wrote reviews did not have the desire or patience to work through the somewhat laborious set-up required to optimize the sound. While the setup requires a somewhat sizeable time commitment, once you finish it is unlikely that you will ever have to deal with it again, at least until you make a change to your system. It is worth it because an accurate setup results in the cleanest sound I have ever heard, no matter what the source (DVD, CD, PC, TV/Cable, Laptop, Tape, Tuner, etc...I have all 7 of these sources hooked up). 6 of the inputs have connections on the back, while the seventh is made through the jacks on the front of the machine. I think the biggest asset this receiver brings to the table, besides the crystal-clear sound, is the fact that each of the digital inputs can be mapped and assigned to any number of the seven available sources. There are more than enough digital inputs (3 coax, 3 optical) and outputs (1 dedicated coax, one dedicated optical), owing in part to the fact that one set of input jacks can be reversed from their default setting to become outputs - leaving you with two digital ins, and two digital outs (both coax and optical). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT, esp. for $500, there is no better value anywhere! And in the words of another reviewer, "This is the best purchase I have ever maid!!!" I recommend that reviewer purchase spell check next!
Rating:
Summary: Mixed success
Review: I purchased the dpr 1001 in October and auditioned it for 2 weeks before returning it. Please take note that this is really, for the most part a positive review, and overall I was very impressed with this unit. Although it didn't quite fit my needs, it very well may fit yours. This reciever is an entirely new technology so you really can't directly compare it to an analog amp. The amplifier section is entirely digital making this one of the first of it's kind. I could easily take pages with this review, but I'll try to sum it up with a pro and con list: Pro:
Tons of inputs, many assignable. One of the coolest features of this is the ability to map inputs, much the same way as an audio mixing board. For example, you can tell the unit to use the optical 2 input for Video 1, or Video 2, etc, without moving any plugs. You can also tell it to turn the front panel jacks from inputs to outputs to record something to your mp3 or camcorder. Very nice. Extremely quiet. The noise floor on this thing is about the quietest I ever heard, almost high-end. The amp is very revealing, a solo violin recording sounds startlingly realistic. Also the tiny details in movie soundtracks such as the whizzing bullets in Saving Private Ryan sounded absolutely clearer and more present than on anything else I'd ever heard, including a set of 6,000$ seperates I auditioned recently at a local high-end boutique. That impressed the heck out of me. The HK Vmax processing is the first "play your cd's through all the speakers faux surround" I ever heard that actually sounded good. This makes the dsp on my old Yamaha sound like a 1950's reverb tank. Awsome. Very small and light compared to other recievers in it's class. Since the digital amp puts out much less heat than an analog one, it doesn't require big, heavy heatsinks. Picking up this reciever feels like you're holding a cheap vcr rather than an expensive reciever. Big LED display you can see across the room and a great remote that is easy to set up and use. Cons: This unit has only one real con in my opinion, but it was big enough to make me reluctanly pack it up and send it back; and that is the power delivery. The PWM digital amps sound remarkably clean, BUT they seriously lack the dynamic punch of an analog. They had a difficult time driving my PSB bookshelf monitors, and they are pretty efficient. In plain speaking, the amp sounded clean and bright, maybe a bit too bright, but lacked power. Everything sounded a touch brittle and the bass was significantly lacking. I am an longtime audiophile and no matter how feature packed and impressive a receiver is, if it doesn't sound great, it's useless for me. Ultimately it failed my acid test for sound quality, but just by a hair. Keep in mind I am extremely picky, being an audio engineer and someone who owned high-end seperates in his single, pre-child days, and i am sure a great number of people would be pleased as punch with the sound delivered by the 1001, especially classical fans, as the lack of high-current delivery and lower-mid punch isn't as much of an issue. To sum it up quickly and simply. This is a reciver that does everything you could want it to, and very well. If you are either a fan of quieter music (chamber, folk, etc) or are mostly concerned with the home theatre performance, i recommend this highly. If, however you plan on driving inefficient audiophile speakers, or using it primarily for rock music, you may want to consider the superior current delivery and more potent bass/midbass punch of one of HK's analog models. I think the digital amp technology is in it's infancy, and although it's not quite there yet, in another few years, who knows?
Rating:
Summary: Perfect receiver, provided you get it for the right reason
Review: I purchased this receiver about a week ago, and it has fulfilled all of my expectations. I currently use it in multi-room mode with an Infinity TSS-450 system in the main room and a pair of satellites from a Logitech Z-560 computer speaker system in the second room. This receiver delivers everything I had in mind- plenty of clean power to drive smallish speakers in a smallish apartment, plus enough I/O options to connect three game consoles, a DVD/SACD player, and an MP3 jukebox with no hassles.
Prior to settling on this receiver, I purchased Harman/Kardon's AVR 330 which, although an excellent receiver (and admittedly sleeker than the DPR 1001) had a defect where it refused to drive more than two channels at a time. Although I don't care as much for the aesthetics of the DPR 1001, the fact that it is a digital path receiver makes it significantly more lightweight (about 20 pounds to the AVR 330's 40) and slimmer than a decent analog 7-channel receiver would be. While a number of audiophiles are understandably wary about the quality of "digitally" processed sound, I suspect that if the smaller form factor mentioned above seems at all appealing to you, the DPR 1001 will deliver plenty of power for your needs. The comments by another reviewer about the lack of display dimming ring true; although the text display can be dimmed or turned off, the orange mode indicators on the side (which are more obnoxious anyway) cannot be modified.
Also, this glowing review should be prefaced by the fact that I paid $409 for this receiver open-box at Circuit City; while the original price of over $1000 for this receiver seems rather ludicrous to me, I feel that it would be a worthy investment at a little over $500. Overall, I feel that this is an excellent receiver for a buyer that is somewhat below true "audiophile" status but is interested in assembling a serious system with good, clear sound. I receommend considering Harman's current AVR line seriously while keeping in mind the excellent value that the DPR 1001 can be if you're able to find one in a local retail store.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly perfect.
Review: Stunning sound, power and presentation. The remote control is out of this world. Highly recommend this item, especially with the recent price drops. Couple of problems are 1) still puts out a fair amount of heat (have to leave the cabinet door open) and 2) the remote/AVR couples AVR functions with key presses intended for other devices (i.e. can't change TV channel while listening to DVD without disrupting DVD play). Still, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly perfect.
Review: Stunning sound, power and presentation. The remote control is out of this world. Highly recommend this item, especially with the recent price drops. Couple of problems are 1) still puts out a fair amount of heat (have to leave the cabinet door open) and 2) the remote/AVR couples AVR functions with key presses intended for other devices (i.e. can't change TV channel while listening to DVD without disrupting DVD play). Still, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I actually wanted to read the owners manual...
Review: This receiver is fantastic. The number and flexibility of the inputs is amazing for something this size. I replaced a very outdated AVR 20 MKII with the DPR 1001 and am so glad I waited. The digital outputs from my CD and DVD players and the DirecTV DVR box are finally usable.
The remote is somewhat confusing at first, but becomes second nature after a short time. And the multitude of surround options is wonderful. The DPR even remembers different surround options for different inputs. There are 30 FM memory selections... good luck filling them all!
I have the DPR hooked up to Infinity speakers... Kappa 6.1 Series 2 fronts, Sterling video center, Sterling 2003 rears and a BU2 powered sub. I had almost forgotten how good these speakers sound. I was planning to replace the speakers too, but now I'm having second thoughts!!
The only thing I miss about my AVR is the ability to dim the receiver display. It doesn't take anything away from the DPR... but a note to anyone at HK reading this: the display dim option on the AVR was a very nice addition!!
Rating:
Summary: The best receiver with a little power
Review: This system has been one of the best buys i ever maid. While some might shy away from this recever becaues of the little power out put, but if you put good speakers with it, you will have a spectacular suround sound experiunce.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Wait!!
Review: Well, call me spoiled or call me cheap, but I waited a long time to begin to upgrade my A/V systems. I knew I needed something that would be my "server", and the Harman Kardon DPR 1001 is a great choice. I could've spent more, but why? This baby gives me everything I need to upgrade my listening and viewing pleasures. The receiver was easy to hook up to my existing television, speakers, and CD/DVD, and the types of connections you can make are only limited by what your other peripherals have. Digital co-ax, fiber optic, you name it, the HK 1001 has it. I've even figured out the remote control, which for me is like discovering anti-gravity. This piece offers value and excellent performance. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to put their home A/V system at a new level.
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