Harman Kardon PM645Vxi (1996–1997)
The Harman Kardon PM645Vxi is an integrated amplifier from the mid-1990s, when the company was leaning heavily into its high-current design philosophy. The record on this model is thin. Only two sources surface with any detail, and they disagree on a couple of key specs. What they agree on is enough to show the design intent.
Harman Kardon described the PM645Vxi as the heart of a high-performance audio system. It pairs the traditional high-current approach with high instantaneous current capability in the power amp section. The preamp and power amp stages each get a separate power supply, and the driver stages are all-discrete, with matched, low-noise FETs in the input stage. Class A operation is mentioned somewhere in the literature, though the context is unclear from what survives.
Here are the specs that are documented. Frequency response runs from 5 Hz to 200 kHz, damping factor is rated above 100 at 8 ohms, and power consumption is 350VA. It measures 440 x 115 x 355mm and weighs 8.5 kg. Power output is where the sources conflict. One lists 2 x 60W RMS at 8 ohms. The other claims 2 x 80W at 8 ohms and 2 x 110W at 4 ohms. Given the high-current marketing and the 4-ohm figure, the second seems plausible, but with only two conflicting sources it's hard to say which is correct. The production year has a similar conflict (1996 vs 1997), so a late-90s debut is as precise as the record allows.
HiFI-Stereo (February 1988, p.121) ran a listing for the related PM665 Vxi, a 150-watt integrated amplifier with digital inputs and dual tape dubbing. That confirms Harman Kardon was fielding a family of Vxi-series integrated amps around this era, with the PM645Vxi presumably sitting below that flagship. No original price, distortion figures or signal-to-noise numbers survive in the accessible record, and no owner or reviewer opinions have surfaced.
Known specs:
- Type: Integrated amplifier
- Power output: 2 x 60W RMS at 8 ohms (per one source) or 2 x 80W at 8 ohms / 2 x 110W at 4 ohms (per another — conflicting)
- Frequency response: 5 – 200,000 Hz
- Damping factor: >100 at 8 ohms
- Power consumption: 350VA
- Dimensions: 440 x 115 x 355mm
- Weight: 8.5 kg
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