Ok guys I don't post much but when I do you're always full of wisdom. Ok I own a Harman Kardon AVR 7300, which was their flagship model a few years back. I bought it from buyriteelectronics.com and I always had my suspicions that it was a reconditioned unit due to it being so cheap at the time.
While operationally speaking I always loved the performance but their were definitely some quarks. ie. the volume would go up at will sometimes and I was afraid to leave the room for fear of it blowing my axioms or the unit itself. It also made some funny noises every once in a while.
Last week I was in our media room doing a little work on my computer while listening to AM Radio (at an extremely low volume) when I noticed my dog just staring at the H/K. I didnt think much of it until I heard a long hiss and then a poof. I looked over my shoulder and saw a 1 ft. tall flame coming out of the unit. I'm scared sh!tless and fear touching it to get the power off because I might be electrocuted. So I kick the power button and throw a towel over the top which manages to douse the flames.
After I settled my heart attack and my hands stopped shaking I was thinking what the hell just happened. So I ask the brightest among you. What the hell just HAPPENED! I have it hooked up to the monster power center HTS 5100. So I'm not thinking it was faulty power issue.
Secondly even though I believe its out of warranty doesn't Harman Kardon have some liability here? Had I not been in the room my entire guest house/media room may have burned down. Oh and lastly, I had a party planned the next night so I had to purchase another receiver. I bought the Integra DTR 7.7 and love it. No issues. HDMI. upconversion. THX. and I think it sounds better than my H/K. Looking forward to peoples input. Thanks.
