You don't have to spend crazy money on a vintage receiver. Harman Kardon 430! 

What are your favorite "sleeper" vintage receivers that can still be found for a great price?

It feels like vintage hifi amps/receivers really put effort and build quality in where you get the most out of the little power needed. A lot of modern receivers just don’t seem to be built as well or are lying about power ratings. It really is strange. But this is also why I love Klipsch is that you need so little power to get a lot out of them.

Couldn't agree more about the great value and great sound of Harmon Kardon receivers. I was the proud owner of a Harmon Kardon 930. All my friends had Marantz receivers and they thought I made a mistake UNTIL they heard it! I've always gone my own way, and after careful consideration I chose the 930. It sounded great and was also cheaper than similar models of Marantz. My 930 gave me many years of enjoyment! John from Vancouvet Island 🇨🇦

I am a Harman Kardon fanboy. I have a 1983 PM-650 integrated amp in my main system and a 2000 vintage HK-3370 in my living room. Both were purchased new. I will keep them until I die. LOL I guess I got lucky, my son gave me a Marantz 2220b a few years ago and after lamp and vellum replacement and a new front panel from Vintage Hi Fi Audio, it looks like a museum piece. He then found me an absolutely mint Sansui 5050 for 75 bucks so I can enjoy great sound and great visual appeal.

Great review!!! I recently rebuilt a 430, it was good before but after the recap… It’s PHENOMENAL!!! It has replaced a rebuilt Marantz 2230 in my main system! I’ve paired it with some Swan HiVi 3.1 speakers that I built and it’s the perfect combination! Love my 430!!!

I got my 430 refurbished a year ago and it sounds as good as it did when I bought it in 1976. I have a pair of Epicure 10 speakers that were recently re-coned

YOU SHOULD HEAR THE 930, ITS SO CLEAR AND HAS A GREAT PUNCH.

I bought this in 78 my God best receiver I had the frequency response was unreal and made great tapes too used Advents A4 unbelievable sound reproduction.

I have a Harman Kardon 430. I purchased it new in the 70's. It's still in mint condition.

Bought my 430 in 1976 at Jerry's Audio in Tempe, AZ and the power of 25w blows anything much larger away thanks to twin dual power. Years later I bought a HK T25 turntable which was an amazing value and added a amazing higher end Ortofon cartridge. Gave to my son who loves it. 47yrs going strong. Best value ever. The green lights are very cool too.

I have the hk385i and i paired with the aiyma t8 and it sounds so good!

Bought a 630 in 1974. My brother still have it in the garage. Now I have a 730 with JBL4312G speakers. It´s the best combo I´ve ever had. (I only play pop/rock) (I´m 67)😃

I picked up a 430 Twin about 20 years ago, it remains the core of our main stereo. My wife found a 330c at a garage sale for $5! We eventually gave it to my cousin nephew, he uses it to this day. The neighbour has a 730 Twin that he bought new, this was my initial inspiration to go looking for another HK. Thanks for the confirmation bias! : )

I'm an old guy who bought an HK 730 new in 1977 when I was sixteen. I listened to every amp I could get my hands on over a couple month period and choose the 730 for one reason: sound. I kept that amp until I got out of college and like an idiot pawned and lost it when I needed some post-graduation cash. I bought a new 730 seven years ago, and it still sounds sweet. It is a fantastic amp that looks gorgeous! If you find a 730 for under $400, jump on it. You won't regret it.

Great video ❤

i got a 430 as my main receiver right now with new lights just put in. get that tuning dial light in yours and it pops even more.

You want the rare bucket list receiver's, i get. I own a Sansui G 8000 and have always thought it was the bee's knees. Then i bought a 430 because i heard good things about them. Had my Tech go through it and damn i am soooo impressed. My G has been bumped for awhile. 430 is in rotation!

Mine is the HK 730 Twin. It's my daily driver while my Marantz sits near by "just looking good". I'm pushing a pair of Klipsch Heresy ii and J lab Focal Cobalt 816s. It sounds amazing.

Older guy here. I bought a Harman -Kardon "430" brand new in January of 1977 -- and had it for 5 years. Very nice amp for size & the 25 watts/channel was never an issue. But I found the FM reception to not be that great. I moved up to a Tandberg 2045 (45 watts/channel) FM only & a great (and good looking) unit. More money of course - but maybe worth it. I still have it today (sitting nearby right now!) and still use it regularly in my bedroom system. (If you find a good Tandberg they are about the best sounding of all the late seventies Receivers) Marantz is pretty good (and people like the looks.) But my electronics guy says - generally - they are just "a good Japanese receiver - not bad, but nothing particularly special." (But people like em and pay a lot for em!) I'll add here that sometimes the lesser power receivers can actually sound better than the "TOTL" ones. If you don't need loads of power - a well-made unit of 30 or 40 watts might be fine. (IE: might be just as well off with the H-K 430 as the bigger H-K "730") Carefully selected and cleaned up (& repaired if needed) the better Receivers of the 1975-1980 period are pretty good! After about 1981 it was mostly "downhill" though!

The dual mono HKs are fine for classic rock but so so for newer music.

I agree!

I think it's possible to ad relay protection to HK amps for the speakers. Even if you dont crank it up too loud, one day it can fail, die to agong components and could wreck your speakers. That isn't anything I want to risk. So yes, having dual transformers makes most HK amos desirable, but its off-set by that drawback. We should check how easy it might be to add protection.

I've found with practically all of my vintage receivers (Marantz, Harman Kardon, Bang & Olufsen, Sony, Yamaha, Akai, Sansui, etc.) that I have plenty of volume at the one quarter (or 9 o'clock) position and beyond that, it's just too loud. Heck, I have found that with my trusty little Fosi Audio T20 tube amplifier too. :)

I sold H/K alongside Marantz back in the golden years of 1975 to 1980. The H/K receivers ALWAYS kicked the Marantz units to the curb. The better the speakers you used, the better the H/K sounded. Not so much the Marantz. This isn’t to say Marantz sounded bad, they simply sounded second best by audiophile standards. Period. Of course the Marantz had those seductive looks and tank like construction which I simply loved. But based purely on sound, H/K stole the show!

I have one that I just recapped. Good thing of the HK is the simplicity. Is build on separate modules and point to point, really high quality easy to work on, and replacement parts are available. Way easier to work on than the Yamaha, Pioneer, Sansui, and Marantz. When it comes to sound, this Amp doesn't sound like a "vintage" amp. Of you are looking for the "warm" sound go Sansui. This Amp is ridiculously transparent and detailed if you paired with a detail oriented speakers. Is an awesome receiver, and it doesn't sound like anything from that 70s era. Because it isn't super popular. It is definitely a bargain if you can find one.

I've got a 330B and a 730 Twin (which I just replaced a few lamps on) and they are both great, let the Marantz chasers keep focused on finding a Marantz!

I A B-ed my Marantz 2230 with the 430 and the 430 won! ❤

I have a number of Harman Kardon receivers including an old tube amp with cool copper-coloured casing, some of the "newer" receivers like the AVR 25 II as well as the HK 3380 with its distinctive blue-lit volume knob, and a vintage 330B. Aside from the sound, I particularly love the design aesthetic of vintage Harman Kardon receivers like my 330B with its red plastic power knob, the black glass face, and green lighting, etc.

Good call I have a 330c,430,630 twins. Check the 630 lights up green & orange these amps love Klipsch Heresies

What would you suggest being that this unit has no built in speaker protection? You could potentially blow some expensive speakers. I was looking at this receiver also until i read about the lack of protection.

Great reviews . Would you recommend the Klipsch RB61 II or KEF Q150s? Thanks!

But does it give good separation? Does it have good 3D sound and depth?

my setup bud's, good ears

I wonder how TV sound would sound on this now from the TV

I had this fantastic receiver back in the day in the 1980s.... Harman Kardon is my favorite....the Loudness (kicker) is unbelievable...I tease my dad many times 😭😭🤣😂🤣... with that he would say turn the Kicker off!!!...it is too loud...I would say If it's Too loud..You are too Old

I just picked up an Onkyo TX-2500 MKII and am thinking about pairing it with some Boston Acoustics A40 Series II's for a medium to smaller room. Thoughts?

Scored a 430 Twin "sleeper" from a pawn shop recently (for cheap)! Love the classic 70's modern design! In great shape except the FM tuner is not working (AM is OK). Doesn't appear to be the antenna. Anyone have an idea on what may be wrong?

I love harman kardon my dad left me one 😢

Going to pick one up tomorrow morning for $99.

I've always been under the assumption... better to have less quality watt's than more mediocre watt's. Isn't the highs and lows being boosted when hitting the loudness button.

I own the 430 and a Marantz 2225 and the HK is for sure the audio equal of the Marantz. And IMO the industrial design of the 430 is better. Marantz is very good gear but not worth the prices they are going for these days.

Doing This is what drives up prices tho

I'm owner of HK twin A402 integrated. just lost a channel for 3rd time. last repaired and recapped as needed 5 yrs ago. anybody losing channels so frequently?

The entire HK 330, 430, 630, and 730 series is very good, but many who have tried them all feel that the 430 stands out above even the larger 630 and 730. For example, in college I worked at a hi-fi store that carried the entire HK receiver line-up. During idle times I compared all the receivers including other brands. The 430 rose above them all in sound quality. It was more vivid, punchy and involving. The tuner and phono preamp sections are decent too. There are engineering reasons beyond just the twin power supplies for the excellent sound of the 430. The audio circuits emphasized wide bandwidth which results in less phase shift in the audio signal. Another thing to note: unfortunately the sound quality can vary between 430 units. This may be due to aging components. Still, it’s worth getting one of these if the price is right.

Harmon Kardon 330b and a 730, I will never sell this 730. You can bid on it when I die in 25-30 years.

I've owned some cassettes that sound better than any other format besides the reel to reel master