I am considering the Harmon Kardon 3480, which is a stereo only receiver. It delivers 120 watts into 8 hms and I think 150 watts into 4 ohms. I want this for my M80's.
Careful shopper that I am, I looked around the web and came up with some strange assesments of this unit. I think I was at "epinions" where I read several reviews that all concurred that the 3480 lacked bass response.
Now I'm of the opnion that ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, there shouldnt really be a difference in tonal coloration between two similar amps. I do accept the fact that differences in distortion, anemic power supply, undersized/cheaper componants taken together could affect the performance of an amp to the degree that there is a perceptable differance in sound. But to lack bass output to me would mean that the amp lacked sufficient power.
The Harmon Kardon is supposed to be a high current design that drives low impedence loads without a problem. It delivers more power into a low impedence load than it does into 8 ohms. That doesnt sound like an amp with power problems.
I'm sure I'm giving the Epinions posters more credit than they deserve. It only concerns me because the M80's are very strong in the midrange, so I really dont want to build my system with another componant that favors the midrange over bass.
Anyone who knows this receiver and can comment on it, please do. In fact, anyone who cares to jump in with fact or opinion, please do!

Dan

dmw, where did you get the information that the M80s are very strong in the midrange? Aren't they decidedly very flat in bass, mid, and treble??

Dan, it's totally unnecessary to have personal experience with the 3480 in order to brand those epinion reports as absurd. It should be remembered that the right to express an opinion doesn't include a right to be taken seriously. An opinion based on casual uncontrolled listening which flies in the face of basic audio engineering science should be disregarded and given no credit whatsoever. The 3480 is an excellent receiver, flat to 20Hz, and there's no way that it "lacks bass response". If its features suit you, it'll have no effect on the transparency of the sound which the recordings, your M80s and your listening room provide.

Really? Do damping factor and slew rate have anything to do with an amp's ability to control bass output?

No, 2x6, slew rate has nothing to do with an amp's ability to control bass output. It's a measure of the ability of the amp to respond to rapid changes at the opposite end of the audio spectrum, e.g. 20KHz. If slew rate is inadequate the amp won't be capable of reproducing the highest frequencies flat and with low distortion. If these frequencies are reproduced well, as even low priced equipment of competent design does these days, then the slew rate has been shown to be adequate.

An extremely low damping factor in the low single digits(e.g. some tube amps having an output impedance of several ohms, rather than the 0.1 ohm typical of solid state amps)would have some effect on bass, but see the explanation of this point by speaker designer Dick Pierce which Gene DellaSala published in Audioholics. Any competently designed modern solid state amp has a damping factor which is far more than sufficient.