I AIRBNB'd a house in Petaluma, CA in the fall of last year and the owner had a Harman Kardon PM645vxi integrated amp that sounded great with some nondescript speakers. (I seriously looked for a label on the speakers and could not find one) Being a guy in my early 50's with fond memories of my Technics amp and a pair JBL 4311B monitors in the mid 80's, I became obsessed with finding this amp on ebay and rekindling my love of HIFI. I had become like the rest of the world and invested in a Denon AVR and Infinity TSS-750 home theater system. I was very excited to find the 150 wpc PM665vxi instead for a couple hundred bucks!! Thanks to you fine folks on AudioKarma I was able to take the unit apart and properly clean it. To stay on the value side, a bought a pair of Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 on Amazon when they were on sale for $149. I am blown by this combo! The clean, clear, warm sound is amazing! Is anyone else still enjoying this integrated amplifier? I mean $350 for such a great sound! Let me know if there is another set of speakers that matches well with this HK. My Wife is not happy as I dont want to leave the man cave! No advise needed for that predicament. Haha!
Harman Kardon PM665vxi Holy Smokes!
- Thread starter Blplce
- Start date
Wow! 100+ wpc sounds like overkill for horn-based Klipsches
I have a pair of PM665s, the earlier, not-vxi versions. The one that works sounds good, but has not been cranked up yet. It takes a little while to warm up (and fully drive both channels) and I believe that is just the ageing caps in the protection circuit. They will be replaced when I do a recap.
The many, tiny push buttons on the PM665 are a pain. Mine are scratchy, as is common for these apparently, and hard to reach for Deoxit. That is on the to-do list also.
Ive read the vxi version is a little different, not as solid a build in exchange for more power. I don't know how much of my PM665 issues should be expected in a PM665vxi.
The many, tiny push buttons on the PM665 are a pain. Mine are scratchy, as is common for these apparently, and hard to reach for Deoxit. That is on the to-do list also.
Ive read the vxi version is a little different, not as solid a build in exchange for more power. I don't know how much of my PM665 issues should be expected in a PM665vxi.
Yes. To be honest with you, I was shocked when, after cleaning, I fired it up and it sounded so good. A sticker under the hood showed that is was serviced in 1998. I hope it hangs on!!! I am really enjoying it. I'll have to find a reputable tech in the Detroit area just in case. The boards and capacitors looked good during cleaning. The exterior and some of the buttons need some work.
UncleBingo
Super Member
Yep. I had a 655vxi and it was dynamite. Ran pretty hot, but sounded great. 2nd the dirty push-button problem.
njcanuck
aka: MacGyver
It takes a little work and disassembly but you can get deoxit down into the switches. Don't forget the speaker selection switch, too, which is located at the back despite the knob being in the front.
The only real issue I've had with my units is the power protection circuit failing. The fix is fairly simple once you figure out which caps failed. I have an old thread on this in AK somewhere. A search should find it.
The only real issue I've had with my units is the power protection circuit failing. The fix is fairly simple once you figure out which caps failed. I have an old thread on this in AK somewhere. A search should find it.
Thanks njcanuck!!
I asked that exact question... 2 (?) years ago and got the answer "AK has found it is better to have multiple manufacturer questions answered in one forum, rather than manufacturer specific forums, so searches and manual scanning finds more results.
Disappointing for me, but I can understand the why.
Disappointing for me, but I can understand the why.
Champco
Super Member
Thats B.S. HK gets no respect. If it did it would be included here.
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php#audiokarma-audio-forums.1
Did you try to get it in here??
Yep.
Victorinox
New Member
HK get no respect for a reason, in my opinion its mediocre engineered gear. PM665 certainly is.
Champco
Super Member
I guess you did not write this. Do you repair gear or just buy and use?
https://www.highfidelityreview.com/hk-pm665vxi.html
Just picked one up. It's powerful and has tons of bass. It's very bright on my JBL L5s.
Does it need to warm up before it works right?
I'll set the bias via the service manual and report back.
Does it need to warm up before it works right?
I'll set the bias via the service manual and report back.
audiofrenzy
New Member
Hi there i owned a 665vxi 20 years ago and it was truly my first audio love. So i bought one second hand that of course has this crappy problem with the oxidised switches. How did you exactly clean them? Friends of mine who has over 20 years of experience with fixing vintage amps says that you have to use some sort of acid, clean that and then lubricate. Just use deoxit? Which variant? How did you get the stuff in the switches?
Many thanks
Frens
Skywing269
New Member
I have a PM655vxi and can speak to this....You'll need to remove both the top and bottom panels, as well as the front face plate. Once that's removed, you'll also need to loosen the front panel so that you can pull it away from the frame far enough to get to the mechanism of the switches themselves. I used Deoxit D5, sprayed into the switches, and simply cycled them 30-50 times to make sure the Deoxit got in enough to work it's magic. Same goes for the pots as well. I would use some compressed air to then blow out the switches and pots as best as you can, and then wait to make sure it's totally dry before powering up again. It's a bit of work, but nothing terribly complicated, and well worth it to bring it back to the best possible shape.
audiofrenzy
New Member
Thanks a lot. I ordered D5 and will give it a go. Also bought a complete recap set. Hope to get this beauty running like new.
audiofrenzy
New Member
So i cleaned the thing up with deoxit d5. I didnt recap yet, but it sounds great! Dont forget the potmeters and selector switches. I own a Sansui AU717 as well and i think they can compete. The 665vxi is more stable in terms of sheer power which is noticeable especially with these really punchy and dry deep basses. The 717 is a little more musical and warm. I have rebuilt a pair of celestion ditton 44's which are really grateful for being powered by such wonderful oldskool devices.
Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the advice.
