Harman Kardon Citation 22 No Love?


I have this Amp, and think it's great. But it doesn't seem to get the recognition it deserves. Just thought I would mention it.
laviathon
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I think you are forgetting a few. Bryston would definitely be one. What about the Yamaha B2. I am trying to think of the Sound Craftsman that is a beast. Not to mention many of the larger integrated Kenwoods from the late 70's. And there are other Amplifiers that would be up there also. So I can't say I agree with this comment.
I think it's just the nature of this boutique site.
Most folks will never pay the prices on here. I have mentioned this site to people looking for nice gear, and they say it's to high. Although I do think there is some competitive pricing on here. I have heard a few high end set ups in my day. The Citation is a nice Amp for the money. Just my two cents.
The Citation line was built of very high quality parts (open one up) and excellent, reliable, musical design. I sold every Mac amp I had (nine) after hearing and buying a Citation 16A 10 years ago. These puppies were hand built and each was listened too prior to shipping. They were also expensive in their day.

I agree that the Citation line doesn't get the credit it deserves and I really don't mind. It just makes those gems more affordable now.

I now listen to a 1977 Citation 17 preamp and the above mentioned 1977 Citation 16A amp. These two components have ended my search for a preamp/amp. I am blissfully happy to be off the trade in/up? treadmill. You won't receive any 'snob' status with your 22, but I bet you're enjoying the music.
Laviathon you are correct to an extent. That whole line was a little above average gear. Unfortunately that line suffered from poor assembly line finish and proper testing. You can read many reviews/quotes of owners that had 22's that ran very hot(bias adjusted too high),shut down into protect etc. and eventually owners gave up and hated them. Others loved them and never had an ounce of trouble (me). It seems if you were lucky enough to get a properly set unit,you were ok. Quality control was the problem!! I bought one of the first (22's) to arrive at a store. At 19 yrs.old I purchased my first pr. of JBL's (L150A) new. They definately came to life with the HK however the JBL's were VERY power hungry. A second 22 came along and monoblocked the beasts. Low end was still suffering. A third 22 made for;left and right woofers to have ther own monoblock with a 22 in stereo for mids and tweeters..pretty sick!! However...I was able to purchase a Krell KSA 100 MKII from the original owner twelve yrs. ago cheaper than what I bought a 22 for. That 100 watts of class A put ALL three 22's to shame!! Don't get me wrong the HK's still sounded great (better than alot of other midfi gear)but,when called upon for very low end they couldn't keep up. No I'm NOT a Krell snob!! I own much larger Krells now and my 1st KSA but, still have the (3) 22's,21 and 23. Just passing on my 27 yrs. of audio addiction/passion. At 45 yrs. old I'm probably not even close to being done!!! Always remember to let YOUR ears make the final decision!! P.S. not one of my five Citations ever gave me any problems.
And yet another thing to remember is that these later Citations followed the XX series, which were at the very top of the heap ($7,500 for the amp and $3,500 for the preamp-in 1980!)
I remember HP did a comparo test in The Absolute Sound of all the big amps available at that time and the Citation was the winner, beating them all.
Then Harman bought Mark Levinson, and the Citation line was put on the wayside for a while; then re-emerged at a much lower price point. Hard shoes to fill.
I recently had an urge to go vintage, and I am currently using a CItation 17s preamp and a 16 power amp. Compared to my previous Audible Illusions combo, they don't fare bad at all, there is less palpability and detail, but there is also more musicality; and the 17s phono stage is just as good if not better than the Modulus standard phono stage.
Yeah, compared to say a Mac, most Citations are I think undervalued and underapreciated. All the better for those who know and want one!