Content area
Full Text
When video was added to the audio equation to form home theater, the potential confusion for consumers trying to connect and figure out their equipment increased exponentially. Functions have different names, programming and operating procedures are complicated, and you often have to turn on the TV to perform even basic functions. You are hard-pressed these days to find an audio/video receiver that you can figure out straight out of the box without running to the owner's manual for help. The Harman/Kardon AVR30 comes very close.
My first stop with a new receiver is the tuner section. If preset programming is logical and intuitive, we're off to a good start. It bodes well for the machine's total operation. So it was with the AVR30. Tune in a station, press memory, press a preset number, and boom--it was programmed. And Harman engineers didn't go overboard with the presets, either. There are 16, which is plenty even for ardent radio fans.
One of the most cumbersome operations of many AN receivers is dubbing from one source to another. Harman makes it elementary. On the front panel of the AVR30, press either the top or bottom of a large source button; top to listen and bottom to record. There's none of that record-out stuff. Just in case you need visual assistance, a red record light illuminates which source is recording and a green light is a go for listening. It couldn't be easier, and...