HK 230

[awat]

Hi All,

I just picked up an immaculate, I mean immaculate (not a scratch or spot/smudge of wear), HK 230 for $25, and it came with the box.

Somehow, I now have the 230, the 330b, and the 430 twin power. The 230 is quite the little guy, and build to last.

A few lights aren’t working on the 230, but the AM light does, and wow, is it beautiful. I connected it to a pair of Ohm Pro 32’s and the sound from the radio is super big and sweet and soft. A lot to love there.

I really want to find a high-powered receiver, like a Sansui G-8000 or a Kenwood KR-9600, and I was thinking about listing this HK 230 since I imagine it would be very desirable based on its cosmetic condition alone. Or is this too special to sell? Feels pretty special.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. I attached pics of the 230.

thank you!

 

[ChicagoTom]

What a gem! Nice score.

FYI, questions about the value of gear should go in the Dollars and Sense forum. Also, welcome to AK!

 

[dlucy]

Interesting. I thought all 230 (no letters after that) we written-out as Two Thirty, but yours pokes a hole in that idea.

From my secret stash of HK knowledge:

Two Thirty (written out as letters, not numeric digits)

• Identical to the 230A other than cosmetics
• Switched designs from
• · transformer-isolated quasi-complementary Germanium TO-3 PNP outputs with dual power rails with direct-coupled output, to
• · quasi-complementary Silicon TO-220 NPN outputs with single power rail with capacitor-coupled output
• still discrete AM and FM, no ICs
• Has MAG and CER phono inputs (is this still RIAA?)
• 10 watts per channel from quasi-complementary 2SC931 Silicon NPN TO-220 output transistor
• Has separate AM anf FM tuning panels (but they share the tuning knob) “Newly designed dial illumination shows AM or FM dial scale independently for maximum visibility. Entire top section of receiver turns black when receiver is switched to phono mode of operation.”
• “Illuminated pushbuuton ON/OFF switch glows in red to indicate that receiver is on. continuously variable balance control lets you adjust stereo balance to suit acoustic requirements of your room. Permits you to sit far to one side of your room and still maintain perfect stereo.
• Does NOT have pre-out / main-in jacks
• There were lots of problems with the output transistors and some of this is detailed at the end of the service manual. We also have an AK’er from HK talking about the 230 and 230A https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...eceiver-distortion.362843/page-2#post-5130180
• “The 230 series was never produced in Plainview. They were all produced in Japan. The 230 and 230A produced by Roland, and the 230E produced by Shin Shirasuna.”
• One of the important notes he shares is “The original output devices are 2SC931. They are mounted to the inside rear panel and wires to them lead to the driver board which is edge-mounted nearer to the front of the unit. Almost any NPN silicon TO-220 output device intended for audio output service can replace the 2SC931. It's not critical.”
• About 230 and mentions of 230A https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/harmon-kardon-two-thirty-230-project.209159/

Harman Kardon 230A (numeric digits)




AM/FM Stereo Solid State Receiver

• Identical to the 230 other than cosmetics
• In the “minimalist” mostly-silver with black edges case like the 330A and 330B
• Has separate AM and FM tuning panels (but they share the tuning knob)
• Power output: 17 watts into 8 ohms

 

[dlucy]

And luckily the output transistors should be silicon instead of Germanium

 

[awat]

Interesting. I thought all 230 (no letters after that) we written-out as Two Thirty, but yours pokes a hole in that idea.

From my secret stash of HK knowledge:

Two Thirty (written out as letters, not numeric digits)

View attachment 1914779 View attachment 1914780 View attachment 1914781

• Identical to the 230A other than cosmetics
• Switched designs from
• · transformer-isolated quasi-complementary Germanium TO-3 PNP outputs with dual power rails with direct-coupled output, to
• · quasi-complementary Silicon TO-220 NPN outputs with single power rail with capacitor-coupled output
• still discrete AM and FM, no ICs
• Has MAG and CER phono inputs (is this still RIAA?)
• 10 watts per channel from quasi-complementary 2SC931 Silicon NPN TO-220 output transistor
• Has separate AM anf FM tuning panels (but they share the tuning knob) “Newly designed dial illumination shows AM or FM dial scale independently for maximum visibility. Entire top section of receiver turns black when receiver is switched to phono mode of operation.”
• “Illuminated pushbuuton ON/OFF switch glows in red to indicate that receiver is on. continuously variable balance control lets you adjust stereo balance to suit acoustic requirements of your room. Permits you to sit far to one side of your room and still maintain perfect stereo.
• Does NOT have pre-out / main-in jacks
• There were lots of problems with the output transistors and some of this is detailed at the end of the service manual. We also have an AK’er from HK talking about the 230 and 230A https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...eceiver-distortion.362843/page-2#post-5130180
• “The 230 series was never produced in Plainview. They were all produced in Japan. The 230 and 230A produced by Roland, and the 230E produced by Shin Shirasuna.”
• One of the important notes he shares is “The original output devices are 2SC931. They are mounted to the inside rear panel and wires to them lead to the driver board which is edge-mounted nearer to the front of the unit. Almost any NPN silicon TO-220 output device intended for audio output service can replace the 2SC931. It's not critical.”
• About 230 and mentions of 230A https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/harmon-kardon-two-thirty-230-project.209159/

Harman Kardon 230A (numeric digits)

View attachment 1914782


AM/FM Stereo Solid State Receiver

• Identical to the 230 other than cosmetics
• In the “minimalist” mostly-silver with black edges case like the 330A and 330B
• Has separate AM and FM tuning panels (but they share the tuning knob)
• Power output: 17 watts into 8 ohms

Wow! Thank you for this great insight! I asked the right person. Is there anything I can/should do (maintenance-wise) under the hood of the 230 other than trying to fix that bulb? Do you have the 330b & 430 twin? How do they compare in your view?

 

[dlucy]

Wow! Thank you for this great insight! I asked the right person. Is there anything I can/should do (maintenance-wise) under the hood of the 230 other than trying to fix that bulb? Do you have the 330b & 430 twin? How do they compare in your view?

i have not heard the 230 nor have I studied the circuit design, so I’m not qualified to compare them.

the 330b is one of my all time favorites, along with the pioneer sx626. I like the sound and mostly don’t need lots of power. I’ve got several sets of Infinities and hk PA2400 to drive those, but I don’t often get to listen, so my go-to is the 330b.

the 430 twin is the same as the 330c and I like that plenty. Slightly more neutral coloring of the sound since it isn’t cap-coupled, but still very good.

the hk730 is really starting to grow on me. I’m restoring the... 3rd one? 5th one? I dunno. Once recapped, sounds great.

I would recommend a recap on any unit that old, so that would be a good start. Make sure the power supply is delivering the voltages it is supposed to, Deoxit the controls, replace the electrolytic capacitors... and see how good it sounds.

 

[awat]

i have not heard the 230 nor have I studied the circuit design, so I’m not qualified to compare them.

the 330b is one of my all time favorites, along with the pioneer sx626. I like the sound and mostly don’t need lots of power. I’ve got several sets of Infinities and hk PA2400 to drive those, but I don’t often get to listen, so my go-to is the 330b.

the 430 twin is the same as the 330c and I like that plenty. Slightly more neutral coloring of the sound since it isn’t cap-coupled, but still very good.

the hk730 is really starting to grow on me. I’m restoring the... 3rd one? 5th one? I dunno. Once recapped, sounds great.

I would recommend a recap on any unit that old, so that would be a good start. Make sure the power supply is delivering the voltages it is supposed to, Deoxit the controls, replace the electrolytic capacitors... and see how good it sounds.

thank you very much. I’m going to look into how to replace the electrolytic capacitors. How do you like KLH speakers for the 230 and 330b? I have 5’s, 6’s, 17’s, and 20’s - -all have been recapped and cloth surrounds have been sealed. Would any particular model work better? Why? (I know it’s subjective, but I’m wondering why one might work better than another based on ohm compatibility, etc). Thanks again for your insight!

 

[dlucy]

I like the HK 330B + KLH Six combo. But that’s the only combo I’ve heard in the KLH’s.