Video Asylum

Posted by petew on December 15, 1999 at 08:40:41:

I'm new to video so bear with me. I bought this preamp because it looked nice, and it had a tuner. I had no intention of using it for multi-channel, and haven't, yet. Since I bought it the price has dropped by 40% and it's gone thru at least 7 software/hardware upgrades. The current version is 2.10a, which I installed myself this morning, on the breakfast table, with two kids hanging on my back (literally--hanging on my back).

Even though I registered this product by email and US mail, Harmon did not notify me that they had upgraded the machine. A visit to Harmon's web site was useless too, but I sent them an email, and a few days later I received a reply from Joe Chinnici, their tech. support rep., and he clued me in on this:

have your model No./serial No. ready & your credit card.

call 800-422-8027 between 9 and 4 EST
press 4
press 2
wait for at least 20 minuites, longer if you call mid-day

If you get thru, you can order the upgrade kit for a charge of $317.50. They will ship it to your home in about a week (Iowa to PA). Be sure to get the name of a local HK service center to install the upgrade. They are supposed to do this no charge (you already paid for it). You cannot do this upgrade yourself.

UPS will deliver a small box, containing a new eprom, a new DSP audio board, an installation manual, a new owner's manual, and most important, a DTS decal to put on the front of your processor, so everyone knows what a very special person you are (I threw mine away). They will warn you to take this kit to an authorized HK service center for free installation. Don't try this yourself--you will screw it up and lose everything, and void the warranty, and be out for all your time and money.

The installation manual tells the service guy how to put the new chip and board in, and how to initialize the software and reconfigure the set-up. It says this will take about 30 minuites. No way. If you skip all the steps outlined in the install manual, you can do it in 20 minuites, from the first unscrew to the last screw, working slowly in bad light. Reconfiguring the set-up takes another 30 minuites or so, unless you've done this many times already, and hooked up all the wires in the back correctly the first time (unusual--it must be prue luck if you do). My total time for this was 2 hours, from the moment I moved the video cabinet away from the wall to start unhooking all the wires, to the moment I pushed the thing back and sat down to listen (after I had completed the system configuration using the on-screen menu--which you should do with access to the back wiring, because it's unlikely you have all the wires connected properly the first time).

What you need is a number 1 Phillips, preferably a "jewlers" type; a chip puller (radio shack), a magnifying glass, a nut driver or small pliers, a small flat-bladed screw-driver or something like it, a small bowl, a nice, flat surface to work on that's well-lit, a pen-light is good.

I had the No. 1 Phillips (jewlers), magnifying glass, paint can opener with cap lifter on other end for opening beer (I hate going to Radio Shack, and was willing to risk the $2800 investment not to do it), swiss army knife (champion), and the breakfast table (kinda messy too). My kids helped me do this, Jack is 3 and 1/2 and Kate will be 2 this Feb. Kate stood on the back of my chair with her arms around my kneck, jumping, and Jack pulled on my left arm all the while asking me what I was doing. It's a cloudy, rainy day--the light is flat--but I had my good $12 pair of grocery store reading glasses on, and a flashlight.

So, you can do it, but I don't recommend it. Getting the old eprom out is a bit harder than it looks, using a paint can opener. Putting the new one in is even harder--there are lots of pins and they won't line-up exactly, so you need a magnifying glass and you have to "tease" them gently into their holes, and check and check and check to make certain they are all going into the right places, before you push it home. The new audio board is a piece of cake to install. It's a bit bigger, and the layout is neater (my old board had a few "kludge" parts soldered on). It's not that hard really--be carful, get a good night's sleep, you can do it.

I recommend you take it to the service center and let them do it though.

Anyway, the thing seems to work. I still only have 2 channels hooked up to it. The wife won't allow any more speakers in the house, so it'll have to be "pretend surround" mode. I'm sure glad I have the DTS sticker though, it was worth $317.50.

Now, I need to spin some vinyl--this video is nerve-wracking! Oh, oh--I'll have to look in the trash for the DTS decal--I can put it on my turntable! I'll have the only DTS ready VPI turntable in the world!