Harman Kardon CP55 5.1 Surround Sound with HDMI…For Cheap!

Posted by: Daniel Gonzales on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008

For a complete home theater experience, you need the co Harman Kardon CP55 mbination of a quality HDTV set and an accordingly impressive home theater system. While many of you are so enthralled with terms and numbers like 1080p, aspect ratios, response times, contrast ratios or whatnot, you may be forgetting an equally important number: 5.1.

To be exact, you need a true home theater system with full 5.1 surround sound support for capturing that seemingly elusive cinema experience. You need the Harman Kardon CP55, a complete and high-performance home theater system that won’t leave your wallet gasping for air.

Costing Less, Getting More–The Harmon Kardon CP55

More than the ability to provide excellent 5.1 surround sound, the Harman Kardon CP55 is considered as a “home theater in a box.” The whole package includes an A/V receiver, a DVD player, and a 5.1-channel speaker system. Harman Kardon CP55 Home Theater System The term “home theater in a box” sometimes has negative connotations as some of them compromise quality and performance to reach a lower price point. However, the Harman Kardon CP55 is an exception to that rule. It may have a price tag below $600, but the sound it produces feels like it’s worth a thousand dollars more.

At the center of the Harman Kardon CP55 is the AVR 146 A/V receiver. It is through this receiver that you can connect your DVD players, game consoles, speakers and your HDTV. It features basic audio in/out and video in/out ports for quick and easy connectivity. For watching and playing HD-quality movies and games, you can connect next-generation Blu-ray and HD-DVD players as well as the latest game consoles through the receiver’s HDMI inputs and component video in/out ports. Aside from HDMI which handles both video and audio signals, there are a number of other audio ports too, including coaxial and optical. Additionally, the sleek AVR 146 5.1-channel A/V receiver has a very good signal-to-noise ratio and excellent impedance ratings, which result in clean and full-bodied sounds.

While the AVR 146 is the brains of the Harman Kardon CP55, you can say that the 5.1-channel HKTS 15 home theater speaker system is the brawn behind the sound. Composed of four satellite speakers with 3-inch midrange and 1/2 –inch high-frequency drivers, a dual-midrange center speaker with a ¾-inch dome tweeter and a 10-inch subwoofer with a built-in 100-watt amplifier, this home theater speaker system is one of the best in its price range. The subwoofer is powerful enough to provide body for the overall sound. The sound that the satellite speakers and the center speaker produce is very crisp and detailed, making for a really immersive time when watching movies, playing games or simply listening to music.

This package includes the DVD 38 DVD player that is designed to take advantage of the AVR 146 A/V receiver’s features. Harman Kardon CP55 Home Theater System Crystal-clear 720p and 1080i picture resolutions are made possible via the DVD 38’s Simplay HD-verified HDMI output, which ensures noise-free signals from the DVD player to the A/V receiver and ultimately to the television. Likewise, this DVD player boasts an internal bass management feature, which enhances DVD-Audio playback. The DVD 38 is also very versatile as it offers playback for almost all DVD and CD formats. It can even play music files such as MP3 and WMA, and images in the JPEG format.