harman/kardon HK 3490 System Setup & Configuration

After bench testing the HK 3490, I hauled it over to my friend's house to set it up in his system.  His system consists of a pair of EMP E55ti towers, a cheap $30 Sony DVD player, Motorola Brighthouse cable box, Planet Waves analog interconnects, Cardas 11AWG speaker cable and Sonicwave toslink and coax cables.

    

I configured two of the inputs of the HK 3490 to receive digital audio signals from the Sony DVD player and the Motorola cable box.  Setting the inputs up to accommodate digital sources was a bit tricky as it wasn’t intuitive, and I eventually found it buried in the manual. To select the digital audio input, press and hold the front-panel Source Selector and simultaneously press the T-Mon Selector to change the audio input as follows: Analog, Optical, Coaxial.  Do this for each of the two inputs which in our case was for the "CD" input for the DVD player and "Vid 1" for the cable box.  It's important to note that the AKM DAC's of the HK 3490 only support two-channel PCM.  So, you need to configure your DVD player for two-channel PCM else you will get no audio via the digital connection if the player attempts to output a DD/DTS bitstream. 

Remote Control

There is nothing fancy or unusual about the remote control of the HK 3490 other than perhaps its ginormic size.  It’s a completely push button remote that has no backlighting or learning functionality, but it can however operate other harman/kardon equipment.  I liked the fact that it has a speaker 1/2 selector to chose which speaker pairs are playing without having to make this choice on the front panel display like you often have to do with other products.  In systems utilizing multiple sources, we suggest investing in a budget universal remote from the likes of Philips, URC or Harmony and stow this one away for future reference.
 

Listening Tests

I’ve always liked the sound of harman/kardon stereo receivers so I was excited to get the chance again to hear one of their latest creations first hand.    Unless otherwise stated, all listening tests were conducted full range with no powered subwoofer and with the tone controls set in their Zero default position.  
 
I fired up the Audioholics demo CD I prepared for my blind listening test during my recent trip to Axiom Audio.  I broke out my assessment of the HK 3490 using key tracks from this disc as noted below.
 
Dianne Reeves - Never to Far
Bass was incredibly punchy and tight.  At high listening levels, the HK 3490 was able to provide all of the power I demanded without ever sounding strained.  The soundstage remained focused and I felt like I was listening to a high end separates rig.  I switched between the analog and digital inputs and noted the superiority of the latter in terms of bass definition and detail in the top end.  The AKM DAC's transformed my friend's bargain basement Sony DVD player into a respectable CD transport.

Fourplay - Chant
The resonance in the kick drums rang clear when played through the EMP E55ti tower speakers.  There was oodles of punch thanks to the luscious amp section of the HK 3490.  Stereo separation was excellent and listening at low volume displayed HK 3490s superb noise floor.  To make a video analogy, it reminded me of the black levels you get out of a really high quality, calibrated plasma display.

Pat Metheny / John Scofield - Say the Brother's Name
The clarity of Pat Metheny's guitar was to die for.  With eyes closed, I felt like I was listening to a live performance in a small jazz club in NY.  The HK 3490's ability to handle subtle musical cues while also portraying confidence and cohesiveness during dynamic passages really provided that "better than being there experience" I often cite when coming across audio equipment that exceeds my expectations in droves. 

Sade - Hang on to Your Love
If your foot doesn't get tapping to Sade, then I suggest getting having your reflexes checked.  This song has a lot going on at once between the bass drum, and assortment of percussive instruments layered in Sade's hypnotic voice.  The HK 3490 did a great job of keeping all of the instruments distinct, allowing you to really hear everything happening in the song.  It seemed to me that the HK 3490 begged to be driven harder and the EMP speakers were happy to receive its pure unadulterated power.   

I spent an additional hour or so queueing up some of my favorite progressive rock and jazz CD's and my initial impressions didn't waiver one bit.  The HK 3490 provided a completely satisfactory listening session that I didn't grow tired of.  I was Gollum and the HK 3490 was the ring.  My precious! 

I also experimented a bit with the Dolby Virtual Speaker mode while watching some HD broadcasts and found the results to be a mixed bag, highly source dependent whether I preferred it on or off.  The inclusion of Dolby Virtual Speaker and Headphone modes to me were icing on this already tasty cake. Thus, I can't negate their value add especially since they didn't take away any performance from their inclusion into the product.

Suggestions for Improvement

It's difficult to have any real criticisms of the HK 3490 because it does so many things so well, but no product is perfect of course.  Most of my issues with the HK 3490 are cosmetic.

Here is a tabulated a list of improvements I'd like to see on future models: 

• Backlit front panel input buttons for better visibility

• Larger tone controls for easier adjustability and visibility

• More compact and backlit remote control

• Level trim adjustability for subwoofer output (though no two-channel receiver offers this)

• Eliminate the O-ring volume control for all harman/kardon receivers (including this one) in favor of a sturdier, more conventional one