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TAS Retrospective
Harman Kardon Citation 16 Power Amplifier
Sue Kraft
“Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory.” –Franklin P. Adams
It would seem the more we revisit the past, the
better it gets. The component HP deemed as “a
major disappointment” back in 1976 (Volume
2, Number 8) has now become a fairly popular
commodity on the used-high-end-audio market.
EBay watchers can verify that a Harman Kardon
Citation 16 power amplifier in working condition still
fetches up to $400 at auction. That’s not bad considering
the unit sold for $795 new.
Of course, that was 30 years and a couple of lifetimes
ago. For most of us, anything with a window sticker
approaching eight bills was a pipe dream back then, especially
when it came to “frivolities” such as stereo. I was
barely out of high school in the mid ’70s and pulling in
a whopping $55 per week after taxes, $54 of which was
spent maintaining a ’74 Chevy Nova with a hopped-up
small-block 350 under the hood. It wasn’t until the mid
’80s that I gave up weekend drag racing in favor of audio,
as I thought it would be easier on the wallet. (Little did
I know that a power cord would someday sell for more
than a new car.)
In a recent fit of nostalgic curiosity, I ran across a
Citation 16 on eBay with one channel out, and was high
bidder at $150. The amp arrived in otherwise good condition
with retro-chic multicolored LED output meters,
front-panel handles, and captive power cord. (The word
“detachable” hadn’t been invented yet.) Upon contacting
Harman Kardon for possible technical assistance, I
received word back via e-mail that because the company
had changed hands so many times, I was basically SOL.
Luckily for me technical manuals are readily available on
eBay as well.
With schematic in hand, I brought the HK to a techie
friend who diagnosed a burned out op-amp on the driver
board. While in the shop, I also had the large filter caps
replaced, and a speaker protection circuit installed.
Although the Citation 16 has a DC filter network on the
input side, there’s no factory fail-safe in the event of
major meltdown on the output side. I didn’t even want to
imagine what the B&W 800D would look like with
woofer cones strewn about the floor. I should also note
that at some point prior to my purchase it appeared the
output transistors were also replaced.
In the original TAS capsule review KJL concluded
(with HP concurring in a follow-up) that the Citation 16
“lacks openness, is hollow in the midrange and is too
bright up top.” While I’m not about to question what
anybody (especially HP) heard so many years ago, I’d say
that I’ve somehow managed to stumble into one of those
“opposite universe” things I saw on an episode of Star
Trek. Upon listening, the first thing I noted about the HK
was its remarkable openness, transparency, and wall-towall
soundstaging. The highs were extended, perhaps
more so than even the Meridian G57 amplifier I’m using,
but not overly bright. And I’d describe the midrange as
being sweet, not hollow. The bottom end was also tight
and well defined, the pace quick and energetic. I wasn’t
disappointed at all.
When all was said and done, the Harman Kardon
Citation 16 set me back roughly in the neighborhood of
$300. That’s a heck of a nice neighborhood when you’re
talking about a 150W “twin-powered” (dual-mono)
solid-state amp in a bulletproof chassis. I wouldn’t call
this vintage piece a giant-killer, but even with its primitive
design, it still performs surprisingly well against the
amplifiers of today. As for the transformation in sound
from the original reviewed back in 1976, who knows?
Certainly modern-day speaker technology and a few new
parts under the hood didn’t hurt. A fellow audiophile old
timer tells me (with a smile) that age has a tendency to
dull the senses a bit. That could be true. Or perhaps the
Citation 16 just needed 30 years to finally break in.
168 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ APRIL/MAY 2006