Harman Kardon AVR 230 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 230 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 13 page image

INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 13INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONSSystem InstallationAfter unpacking the unit, locating it in a place with ade-quate ventilation and placing it on a solid surface capableof supporting its weight, you will need to make the con-nections to your audio and video equipment.IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and toavoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers,it is always a good practice to turn off and unplug theAVR and ALL source equipment from the AC outputbefore making any audio or video system connections.Audio Equipment ConnectionsWe recommend that you use high-quality interconnectcables when making connections to source equipmentand recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals.1. Connect the analog output of a CD player to theCD Audio Inputs ™.NOTE: When the CD player has both fixed and vari-able audio outputs, it is best to use the fixed outputunless you find that the input to the receiver is so lowthat the sound is noisy, or so high that it is distorted.2. Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cassettedeck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to the TapeInput Jacks ¢. Connect the analog Record/In jackson the recorder to the Tape Output Jacks £ onthe AVR 230.3. Connect the output of any digital sources such asa CD or DVD changer or player, advanced videogame, a digital satellite receiver, HDTV tuner or digitalcable set-top box or the output of a compatiblecomputer sound card to the Optical and CoaxialDigital Audio Inputs f*(.4. Connect the coaxial or optical Digital Audio Outputs·a on the rear panel of the AVR 230 to the matchingdigital input connections on a CD-R or MiniDisc recorder.5. Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with theunit so that the tabs at the bottom of the antenna loopsnap into the holes in the base. Connect it to the AMAntenna Terminals .6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM (75-ohm) Connection ¡. The FM antenna may be anexternal roof antenna, an inside powered or wire-leadantenna or a connection from a cable TV system. Ifthe antenna or connection uses 300-ohm twin-leadcable, you must use the 300-ohm-to-75-ohm adaptersupplied with the unit to make the connection.7. Connect the front, center, surround and surroundback speaker outputs ª‚⁄¤ to the respectivespeakers.To ensure that all the audio signals are carried to yourspeakers without loss of clarity or resolution, we sug-gest that you use high-quality speaker cable. Manybrands of cable are available and the choice of cablemay be influenced by the distance between yourspeakers and the receiver, the type of speakers youuse, personal preferences and other factors. Your dealeror installer is a valuable resource to consult in select-ing the proper cable.Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we recom-mend that you use a cable constructed of multistrandcopper with a gauge of 14 or smaller. Remember thatin specifying cable, the lower the number, the thickerthe cable.Cable with a gauge of 16 may be used for short runsof less than 10 feet. We do not recommend that youuse cables with an AWG equivalent of 18 or higher,due to the power loss and degradation in performancethat will occur.Cables that are run inside walls should have the appro-priate markings to indicate listing with UL, CSA or otherappropriate testing agency standards. Questions aboutrunning cables inside walls should be referred to yourinstaller or a licensed electrician who is familiar withthe NEC and/or the applicable local building codes inyour area.When connecting wires to the speakers, be certain toobserve proper polarity. Note that the positive (+) ter-minal of each speaker connection may carry a specificcolor code, as noted on page 7. However, manyspeakers still use a red terminal for the positive (+)connection. Connect the “negative” or “black” wireto the same terminal on both the receiver andthe speaker.NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers adhere toan industry convention of using black terminals fornegative and red ones for positive, some may varyfrom this configuration. To ensure proper phase andoptimal performance, consult the identification plate onyour speaker or the speaker’s manual to verify polarity.If you do not know the polarity of your speaker, askyour dealer for advice before proceeding, or consultthe speaker’s manufacturer.We also recommend that the length of cable usedto connect speaker pairs be identical. For example,use the same length piece of cable to connect thefront-left and front-right or surround-left and sur-round-right speakers, even if the speakers are adifferent distance from the AVR 230.8. Connections to a subwoofer are normally made viaa line-level audio connection from the SubwooferOutput • to the line-level input of a subwoofer witha built-in amplifier. When a passive subwoofer is used,the connection first goes to a power amplifier, whichwill be connected to one or more subwoofer speakers.If you are using a powered subwoofer that does nothave line-level input connections, follow the instruc-tions furnished with the speaker for connectioninformation.9. If an external multichannel audio source with 5.1outputs such as an external digital processor/decoder,DVD-Audio or SACD player is used, connect theoutputs of that device to the 6/8-Channel DirectInputs j.External Amplifier ConnectionsThe AVR 230’s internal-power amplifier is a traditionalHarman Kardon high-current/ultrawide bandwidthdesign. As such, it is more than suitable for most loud-speakers. However, in some circumstances you maywish to use an optional, external power amplifier foradded power. This is easily done by connecting thePreamp Output Jacks ¶ on the AVR 230 to theinput jacks on the amplifier for the channels to beused. The speakers to be used with the externalamplifier are then connected to the appropriateoutput terminals on the power amplifier, not thoseon the AVR.Since the AVR 230 is designed with a full seven-chan-nel audio path for use with modes such as DolbyDigital EX and Logic 7/7.1, you may also wish to usean optional, external amplifier to include both backsurround channels in your system. This is done byconnecting the SBL and SBR Preamp Out Jacks¶ on the AVR to the input jacks on the power ampli-fier. As is the case with the use of any external amplifier,the speakers are then connected to the appropriateoutput terminals on the external amplifier.When an external amplifier is used for the SurroundBack channels, no special adjustments are needed tothe AVR, other than to make certain that the SurroundBack speakers are properly configured to “Large” or“Small,” as shown in the Speaker Setup section onpage 18 of this manual. This is necessary to tell theAVR’s digital processing system that 6.1/7.1 modesshould be activated, as opposed to the default settingof 5.1 modes.We also recommend that when an external amplifier isused for the Surround Back channels you use a stereoamplifier to feed both channels, although a single,mono amplifier may be used for one channel(e.g., SBL), while the AVR’s internal amplifier feedsthe other channel (e.g., SBR). The use of a stereoamplifier ensures that the two back channels will befed with equal power.38