Harman Kardon HK3380 Stereo Receiver – 80 WPC, Phono, Sub Out

Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon left the David Bogen Company, where Kardon was chief engineer, and founded Harman Kardon in New York in 1953. Harman was born in Montreal in 1918 and grew up in New York. Kardon retired in the 1950s.

Receivers first. Harman Kardon calls the Festival D1000 of 1954 the first hi-fi receiver and the Festival TA230 of 1958 the first stereo receiver. The Citation II tube power amplifier of 1959, designed by Stu Hegeman, sold as a kit or ready-built.

Cassette and the 1970s. Harman Kardon says its CAD-5 of 1970 was the first hi-fi cassette recorder with Dolby noise reduction. Its "Twin Powered" receivers of the 1970s, such as the 430 and 730, gave each channel its own power supply.

Owners. Sidney Harman sold the company to Beatrice Foods in the late 1970s, when he became US Deputy Secretary of Commerce. He formed Harman International in 1980 and bought Harman Kardon back in 1985. Samsung bought HARMAN in 2017, and Harman Kardon remains one of its brands.

Tube era (1950s and 1960s): Festival receivers, and Citation kits and factory-built units such as the Citation I preamplifier and II amplifier.

1970s receivers: the 330 series, the Twin Powered 630, 930, 430 and 730, and the HK670.

1980s receivers: the "i" models such as the hk690i, advertised for its high current capability, and the 330i.

Citation separates: solid-state Citation amplifiers and preamplifiers from 1970 to the 1990s, including the Citation XX of the early 1980s.

Cassette decks: from the CAD-4 and CAD-5 to the 1980s decks numbered CD91 to CD491. Those "CD" models are cassette decks, not CD players; Harman Kardon CD players carry "HD" names.

AV receivers (late 1990s on) and later stereo: the AVR line, such as the AVR 3600, and stereo models such as the HK 3700 and HK 990.

Dial and meter lamps. Owners report dead or flickering lamps on 1970s receivers such as the 930, 430 and 330C; many are replaced with LEDs.

Capacitors. Expect a 1970s receiver that hasn't been recapped to need it.

Output stage. Owners report blown output transistors on the 730 and 430, often caused by a failed part nearby. Both channels should play cleanly at a realistic level.

Switches. Owners say the 1980s "i" receivers are prone to dirty switches that make channels cut out. Try every input and the balance control.

AV receivers. HDMI is usually the first thing to fail on a modern AV receiver. We test every HDMI input and output before listing.

Everything we list is inspected, tested and serviced as required here, and comes with our warranty.