Harman Kardon HD990 CD Player with RLS III (Black)

• CD-Text support
• HRS (high-resolution synchronization) link
• MP3 playback with ID3 support
• 24-bit/384kHz sample rate converter (SRC)
• Direct digital signal processing (DSP) mode

I bought this over a month ago, from another online retailer. Some friends think I'm crazy for investing this much money into, of all things, a CD player at this point in time, but I've never been one for compressed MP3 music. Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer physical media. The HK 990 does not disappoint. Finally, my CD's sound just as lush, warm, and rounded as my vinyl, without any of that cold harsh metallic sound that plagues most CD players! Paired with my HK 3490, the sound quality is stunning. What more can I say? Controls are easy enough to handle on the machine, yet standing a just a few feet away, no buttons are visible at all on the front face of this marvelously minimalistic design. (I use a universal remote, so I can't comment on the ergonomics of the HK-supplied remote.) To date, the machine has played every kind of CD I've thrown at it with ease; even CD's that skip on other players due to scratches don't skip on this one. The extra bonus of the HD 990 is that there are digital in and out jacks so that you can route the sound from a bluray or other player through its audiophile quality DAC in order to benefit from the upgraded sound (which insures that this machine will still be relevant and useful long after CD's are no more). When I bought my HK3490 two years ago, I wanted this CD player but Harman didn't sell it in the US. At one point, I even thought about importing it, but dealing with the voltage converters would have been too much of a hassle. I'm glad Harman Kardon finally decided to bring more of their audiophile quality music equipment to the US market. Even if it doesn't sell as well here as it does in Europe, it reminds customers of Harman's commitment to good old-fashioned, never-out-of-style stereo music.

Update 12/11: I'm taking a star off my review. I've used this CD player for a year, and it still sounds great. However, I've noticed that with certain discs it has an annoying tendency to vibrate loudly while the disc is spinning, so loudly that I can hear the machine during the quiet sections of the music. I suspect this is due to a very lightweight cabinet without enough sound or vibration dampening material. For the price of this player, HK could definitely stand to beef up the build quality.

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My first CD player was a Harman Kardon, bought in 1990, and it served me well for nearly 10-years. In the intervening years I've bought fewer CDs and played them on a DVD player, but increasingly downloaded music in AAC or MP3. But these compressed formats are just not that good, and lately I have developed a passionate hatred of the restrictions imposed by the Digital Rights Management (DRM) associated with such media. So it was time to go back to solid, tangible media where I know where I stand as regards where I can and can't legally play it.

Next question; where to buy? I did what would make most audio-evangelists splenetic with grief. I bought my HD990 and a Harman Kardon receiver (HK3490) from Amazon, without having even listened to them. Why? Over the years I have suffered buying audio equipment from up-market Hi-Fi dealers. I'm over being treated like an ignorant peasant because I'm not prepared to spend $1000 on a cable. Audio equipment obeys a law of diminishing returns. A $5000 CD player does NOT sound ten times better than a $500 one. Maybe spending that much money just makes you want to believe it does?

Not surprisingly, the HD990 has 100% fulfilled my expectations. It was dead simple to set up. The front panel controls and remote control are simple, and elegantly designed. There are both analog outputs and digital (optical and coaxial) outputs. I'm using analog because cable distance to the receiver is very short. You even have the option of exporting playback to another DA converter, but I'm not sure why you'd want to do this.

And the sound is just lovely. There is no transport noise during quiet passages. Listening to a selection of R&B, jazz and rock, I think it handles acoustic better than electric, but then this could be my speakers.

Well done HK, and well done Amazon for the keen price.

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Purchased in December 2011. The things I love about it:

--it will play just about any CD with no problems, no skipping, no trouble reading format info, etc.

--displays text across the display. song names scroll across. i love that

--integrates very nicely with the HK 990 amplifier. the HRSlink is very cool. I'm not sure it sounds any better than digital coaxial or digital optical. But it's cool and does sound better than analog. there is an increased clarity that is what I'm all about when it comes to listening to music. i can also control it with my HK remote with no programming

--fast load and play. I DESPISE playing CDs in my bluray player, it's so slow. that's why i bought this.

THE PROBLEM:

Not long after I got it, I'd say within a few weeks, I noticed that every once in a while it would start vibrating during playback. Imagine the sound of something that's out of balance and then some component inside is vibrating as a result: a very fast Du-Du-Du-Du-Du-Du-Du-Du. And it's LOUD. Loud enough that I can hear it when the music is turned down to background volume. I contacted HK's customer service and described the problem. They quickly sent me an RA to replace the unit. I got the new one inside of a week delivered to the front door via UPS. I opened 'er up and got it set up.

And guess what...

Same thing. Search around on the interwebs and you'll find other people reporting the same thing. If it was a $50 CD player I'd say oh well you get what you pay for. But this is supposed to be an audiophile CD player. What the heck good does REAL TIME LINEAR SMOOTHING do if the damn thing vibrates when you play CDs?

Maybe you will get lucky and yours won't have this problem. But two in a row is too much of a coincidence. At this point I figure what am I gonna do send it back again and get another one that does the same thing? If you can't find anyone else saying the same thing then ignore me. But you will find at least one other right here in the Amazon reviews who say the same. Personally I don't recommend taking the chance on it since there are a multitude of great CD players out there.

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I would start by saying that I can understand the frustration expressed by some with faulty units; this is possible with any brand of any electronic device, especially if you have it shipped via common carrier.

I was one of those lucky enough to have a problem free unit, and for the last 6 months it has been performing great!

I use it with an HK3490 which I got to replace an old 70's HK integrated amp. I was looking to replace an old Kenwood CD 5-disc carousel player that I had for around 15 years or so. It was getting stuck and the outputs would sometimes short out, so I did some research and was surprised by the range of units out there. I was tempted to get another cheap-o unit thinking "what's the big deal, it's just a reader, the amp is what counts". Then I saw reviews for this and other higher end models, and decided that maybe it was worth giving it a shot.

I was shocked, to say the least. I thought of the reviewer who advised if you wanted a good laugh, do a A/B with your old unit. I set it up to do it even though it was a bit awkward, and I sure laughed alright. I couldn't believe the difference in clarity, it was almost like listening from another room on the old unit!

The sound is what makes this, and while there are some features I'd like, I am glad to give them up in exchange for the sound quality. It would be nice to have a display of the number of tracks, and to have a carousel, although my research seemed to find that most carousel units were not as good of sound quality.

I would mention that it did shut down once when it overheated; I had it underneath a tape deck. I shut it down and put it on top instead, and the additional airflow has helped as I have not had a repeat since. All of that technology generates some heat, and this baby needs to breathe...

I bought an optical cable to connect direct to a digital input, and I also have an analog connection running through a Pioneer EQ. I find that older discs (ie: non-remastered discs) sound better through the EQ as they tend to have more of that sharp digital sound which I can adjust the EQ to approximate a vinyl/turntable organic quality .

Newer discs, when run direct through digital, sound almost unbeleivable. My Pioneer HPM900's never sounded so good. I recall playing Opeth's Heritage and did the audio equivalent of a stare, it was jaw-dropping. I know I heard qualities and subtleties that were not evident on the old set up.

In closing, do some research and consider HK's history of quality in your decision. I don't think you even need to have audiophile or even entry-level equipment to appreciate the difference this (or one similar to it) can make.

As a former skeptic I can attest that a quality CD player can freshen up any CD, and if you can do a digital connection it is even better.

Just bought it to replace my 10 year old Cambridge Audio D500. I'm very impressed that the HD990 plays CDs that skipped in my former player. The sound quality is simply awesome breathtaking at times. I'm hearing subtleties and nuances that I never knew existed on stuff I have listened to for years. Who would think that a CD player could make such a profound difference? This is well worth the $400 I spent.