What were the glory years/models of H/K integrateds?

jay

jay

Active Member
Hi guys, all of this discussion of H/K stuff made me realize that I have never had an H/K integrated amp....talk about ones experience being incomplete! :)

Does anyone here have a handle on which were the standout models and generally, when were they made?

Are there any special features that are extra desireable?

Jay
 
Register to hide this ad
Hi Jay
To be honest, I think that hk's peaked in the early to mid 80's. The PM 640/650/660 and their followup 645/655/665 are about the best of the lot. hk had just come out from under Beatrice's(yes THAT Beatrice!) control, and they made a huge engineering push. The stuff was never bad. But while the Japanese competition started cheapening their product in the early 80's, hk was coming on strong. Easily comparable in sound, if not better than, the famous (infamous?) NAD 3020, they were much better built and far more reliable.
Try to stay with the champagne coloured ones. The VXi's followed up the latter series, but while very good still, I don't think they were quite the same as the earlier ones. The line continued in the 6XXX series into the 90's, with the 6900 being the top of the line there.
The middle or high ones were about the best. My pm 665 is a sweet sounding amp. Like most of them, it is fitted with those stupid little push/push buttons that like to get noisy. Other than that, they were built like the proverbial brick S**thouse. VERY hard to kill. They can drive almost any speaker. The 665 has 60 amps of current, good for 360 watt peaks. Not a bad phono section either. MM and MC both. Big, smooth buttons and controls. Dual transformers, like any good hk should have.
The nice thing is, they go for dirt cheap right now. WAY undervalued when you consider sound.
Perfect time to buy one. With a little luck right now, you can sneak a 665 out the door for less than $150, maybe even less than 100 with some luck.
I give them my highest recommendation in that class.
Mine is making GREAT music right now!
Erik

np Gerry Rafferty "Baker Street"
 
I tend to agree with Bigerik! They were better sounding (clearer, less muddy) than even the "famous" Twin Power series.

I picked up a 655 for $80.00 CAD recently (no tax). Hard to beat that price! :)

I don't know about any "special features", though.
 
No real special features on the hk's. That is both their biggest strength and weakness. VERY limited flash factor. No flashing lights. No chrome trim. The mostly just used the same features on all of them, with very similar styling. The upper models got more power, stouter transformers, more current! They got nice details like MC head-amps built in. Pre-in/Main-out jacks. And a few useless things like the capacitance trim selector. Otherwise, they are pretty well all the same. Not units to look at if you want flash.
Compare the specs of the 665 and the 655:

PM 665:
SPECIFICATIONS: General
Stereo Mode
Continuous Average Power (FTC) per Channel : 100W RMS per channel @ 0.08%THD @ 8 ohms 20-20kHz
Dynamic Power : 230W @ 4 ohms/340W @ 2 ohms
High Instantaneous Current Capability (HCC) : 60 Amps
Negative Feedback : 12dB
Power Bandwidth : < 10 - 100K
Frequency Response : 0.2Hz-150K (@1 W)
Slew Rate : 180V/usec
Rise Time : 1.8usec
Transient Intermodulation Distortion (TIM) : Unmeasurable
Damping Factor : 65dB
Square Wave Tilt : < 5% (20Hz)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio : PHONOmm - 78dB (ref to rated power, A-Wtd)
PHONO MC - 68dB (ref to rated power, A-Wtd)
VIDEO & CD - 100dB (ref to rated power, A-Wtd)
MAIN-IN - 110dB (ref to rated power, A-Wtd)
Input Level/Impedance : PHONOmm - 2.2mV/47K, 125-425pf
PHONO MC - 120uV/56ohms
VIDEO & CD - 135mV/ 22k
MAIN-IN - 0.8V/22k
Phono Overload : MM - 220mV
MC - 12mV
RIAA Equalization : +/-0.3dB (22k load)
Tone Control : +/-10dB
BASS CONTOUR - +10dB @ 50Hz/+2dB @ 300Hz
Filter : SUBSONIC - -15Hz, 6dB/octave
HIGHCUT - 6K, 6dB/Octave

pm 655
Stereo Mode
Continuous Average Power (FTC) per Channel : 60 watts per channel @ < 0.08% THD into 8 ohms
High Instantaneous Current Capability (HCC) : 45A
Power Bandwidth : HALF POWER - 10Hz to 100kHz @ 8 ohms
Frequency Response : 0.2Hz to 150kHz (at 1 Watt output, +0, -3dB)
Damping Factor : >65dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio : PHONOmm - 79dB
PHONO MC - 77dB
VIDEO, CD, TUNER & TAPE - 80dB
Input Level/Impedance : PHONOmm - 2.2mV/47k ohms, 125pF
PHONO MC - 120uV/56ohms
VIDEO, CD, TUNER & TAPE - 135mV/22k ohms
MAIN-IN - 0.8 V/22k ohms
Phono Overload : MM - 110mV
MC - 6mV
Tone Control BASS : BASS TURNOVER - 200Hz/400Hz
BASS CONTOUR - +10dB @ 50Hz
Tone Control TREBLE : TREBLE TURNOVER - 2kHz/6kHz
Power Supply : AC120V/60Hz
Power Consumption : 400 watts
Filter : HIGHCUT - 6kHz,6dB/octave
SUBSONIC - 15Hz, 6dB/octave
Phase Shift : <5 degrees (300 - 20kHz)

Hope this helps!
Erik
 
The A402 integrated amp had flashing lights... well, LED power indicators (green/yellow/red, pretty fancy for their time). Nice amp, too. Now the A401 was as minimalist as you could get (though it did have tone controls).
 
Originally posted by Bigerik
VERY limited flash factor. No flashing lights.
Click to expand...

That's a selling point for me! I hate flashing lights on my gear. Too distracting and gimmicky, IMO. The HK series can have as little as two little red lights when they are powered up.

I think I'm in the minority here, though..... :eek:
 
I hear ya Gary.
I am on to minds with this issue. In one way, I understand completely that every light and stupid gadget added to it is another step separating me from the music. On the other hand, there is something so cool about blue lighting, or spectrum analyzers, etc. Almost have to have two systems: one to look at and one to listen to!
Erik
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom