Harman Kardon AVR 435 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon AVR 435 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 19 page image

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 19SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONWhen all audio, video and system connections havebeen made, there are a few configuration adjustmentsthat must be made. A few minutes spent to correctlyconfigure and calibrate the unit will greatly add to yourlistening experience.Speaker Selection and PlacementThe placement of speakers in a multichannel hometheater system can have a noticeable impact on thequality of sound reproduced.No matter which type or brand of speakers is used,the same model or brand of speaker should be usedfor the left front, center and right front speakers. Thiscreates a seamless front soundstage and eliminatesthe possibility of distracting sonic disturbances thatoccur when a sound moves across mismatched frontchannel speakers.Speaker PlacementDepending on the type of center channel speaker inuse and your viewing device, place the center speakereither directly above or below your TV, or in the centerbehind a perforated front-projection screen.Once the center channel speaker is installed, positionthe front left and front right speakers so that they areas far away from one another as the center channelspeaker is from the preferred listening position. Ideally,the front channel speakers should be placed so thattheir tweeters are no more than 24" above or belowthe tweeter in the center channel speaker.Depending on the specifics of your room acousticsand the type of speakers in use, you may find thatimaging is improved by moving the left front and rightfront speakers slightly forward of the center channelspeaker. If possible, adjust all front loudspeakersso that they are aimed at ear height when you areseated in the listening position.Using these guidelines, you’ll find that it takes someexperimentation to find the correct location for the frontspeakers in your particular installation. Don’t be afraid tomove things around until the system sounds correct.Optimize your speakers so that audio transitions acrossthe front of the room sound smooth, and that soundsfrom all speakers appear to arrive at the listening posi-tion at the same time (without delay from the centerspeaker compared to the left and right speakers).When the AVR 435 is used in 5.1-channel operation,the preferred location for surround speakers is on theside walls of the room, at or slightly behind the listen-ing position. In a 7.1-channel system, both side sur-round and back surround speakers are required. Thecenter of the speaker should face into the room. TheA) Front-channel speaker installation with direct-view TVsets or rear-screen projectors.B) Rear speaker mounting is an alternate location for5.1 systems. It is required for 7.1 operation.speakers should be located so that the bottom of thecabinet is at least 2 feet higher than the listeners’ earswhen the listeners are seated in the desired area.Rear surround speakers are required when a full 7.1-channel system is installed, and they may also beused in 5.1-channel systems as an alternative mount-ing position when it is not practical to place the mainsurround speakers on the sides of the room. Speakersmay be placed on a rear wall, behind the listeningposition. As with the side speakers, rear surroundsshould be located so that the bottom of the cabinetis at least 2 feet higher than the listeners’ ears. Thespeakers should be no more than 6 feet behind therear of the seating area.If dipole-type speakers are used on either the side orrear walls of the room, please note that if there arearrows on the speakers they should face the front ofthe room for the side speakers, or towards the centerof the wall for the rear speakers.Subwoofers produce nondirectional sound, so theymay be placed almost anywhere in a room. Actualplacement should be based on room size and shapeand the type of subwoofer used. One method of find-ing the optimal location for a subwoofer is to begin byplacing it in the front of the room, about 6 inchesfrom a wall, or near the front corner of the room.Another method is to temporarily place the subwooferat your normal listening position, and then walkaround the room until you find a spot where the sub-woofer sounds best. Place the subwoofer in that spot.You should also follow the instructions of the sub-woofer’s manufacturer, or you may wish to experi-ment with the best location for a subwoofer in yourlistening room.System SetupOnce the speakers have been placed in the room andconnected, the remaining steps in the setup processare to assign input and output connections, make anytone adjustments, select a surround mode, programthe AVR 435’s bass management system for the typeof speakers used in your system, calibrate the outputlevels and set the delay times used by the surroundsound processor.Although it is necessary to assign input/output settingsand surround mode choices manually, we recommendthat you take advantage of the power and precision ofEzSet/EQ to automatically select and enter the settingsfor all other audio parameters. This will not only saveyou time; it will ensure that your room is calibrated andequalized with an accuracy not possible when thesesettings are made manually.You are now ready to power up the AVR 435 to beginthese final adjustments.1. Make certain that the AC power cord is firmlyinserted into the AC Power Cord Jack ‹and plug the cord into an unswitched AC outlet.To maintain the unit’s safety rating, DO NOTsubstitute the power cord for one with lowercurrent capacity.