Harman-Kardon HK 570i vs. Realistic STA-200

[SpinninTimmy]

​ Harman-Kardon HK 570i vs. Realistic STA-200​ ​ ​ Page 1 of 1 [ 1 post ] ​ Subscribe topic | Bookmark topic | Print view | E-mail friend Previous topic | Next topic​ Author Message ​ Post subject: Harman-Kardon HK 570i vs. Realistic STA-200 Posted: Jul Thu 27, 2023 4:10 am ​ I tested both of these recent purchases in the garage today using a pair of KLH 7001 bookshelf speakers. My observations are as follows. The Harman Kardon is early 80's, and has what I would describe as an industrial look. No plastic, but all metal construction. The controls and hookups in the back are obviously well made. The Realistic STA-200 is the better looking of the two, in my opinion. Real wood cabinet. Black dial with green dial light, it's a looker. On my example the f.m. antenna is dangling, but just needs a rod through it's fixture. This set has a lot of cool features. To be fair, so does the HK but Realistic did it 10 years earlier. At 45 WPC, the HK is LOUD with these speakers! More power than needed to drive the 7001s. A clean sound with lots of clarity. The Realistic is in another category sound wise. At 33 WPC, a bit less power, but the quality of the sound more than makes up for it The f.m. section in the Realistic SMOKES the HK. Much more sensitive and pulls in much better than the HK. That full, rich tubey sound that Realistic managed to capture. The HK sounds artificial by comparison. I would use the HK if I were playing music for a small party and wanted to be heard above the crowd. For playing deep cuts from the vault, for serious listening to vinyl in my room, the Realistic is my choice. Now I really want a Realistic 2000 or 2080, but for a budget set both of these receivers are a real bargain.