The July 1977 issue of the Boston Audio Society Speaker has a comparison test of several budget receivers. The Marantz 2275 was used as a point of comparison. Heres' an excerpt about the H/K 330c:
Which Should You Buy?
We did not uncover the perfect receiver, though some units were outstanding in one or two of their three major functions. Putting the ideal aside, most came pretty close to meeting the specifications required for a high-quality playback system. For example, the Marantz 2275 ($650) can actually be out-classed by the Harman/Kardon 330C ($220) driving a 2-Ohm load.
The Harman/Kardon 330C ranks as a best buy. The outstanding feature of the unit is its conservatively rated amplifier. Its power output doubles as the load resistance is decreased from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms. The Harman/Kardon, the Toshiba, and the Technics SA-5060 did not ring when loaded with an 8-Ohm resistor in parallel with a .1-?F capacitor. (The Marantz 15 and the Son of Ampzilla both rang under identical testing conditions. The latter power amplifier rang more than any of the receivers tested for this report.)
The phono section was matched and then A/B-ed with the Advent's. We could not determine which unit was playing. The H-K's infrasonic filter is slightly better than the Pioneer's but is still far from adequate.
The receiver has a large, plastic FM/AM tuning window, which is easily scratched. The tuner lacks center-channel tuning, but the factory representative told us that it has a "summation" meter. To take full advantage of its performance, first tune for maximum meter deflection, then rotate the antenna for maximum signal strength. In practice, the summation meter worked no better thana signal strength meter, i.e., it pinned on strong signals, rendering it virtually useless with some stations. The unit also sports a tone control contour surpassed only by those of the more expensive Marantz receivers.
