Harman Kardon Harman/kardon AVR 154 Owner's Manual

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Harman Kardon Harman/kardon AVR 154 Owner's Manual Manual pdf 15 page image

1515INTRODUCTION TO HOME THEATERThe AVR 154 may be the first multichannel surround sound receiveryou have owned. Although it has more connections and features than2-channel receivers, many of the principles are similar and the new con-cepts are easy to understand. This introductory section will help you tofamiliarize yourself with the basic concepts, which will make setupand operation smoother.If you are already familiar with home theater, you may skip this sectionand proceed to the Connections section on page 16.Typical Home Theater SystemA home theater typically includes your audio/video receiver, whichcontrols the system; a DVD player; a source component for televisionbroad casts, which may be a cable box, a satellite dish receiver, an HDTVtuner or simply an antenna connected to the TV; a video display (televi-sion); and loudspeakers.All of these components are connected by various types of cables foraudio and video signals.Multichannel AudioThe main benefit of a home theater system is that several loudspeakersare used in various locations around the room to produce “surroundsound.” Surround sound immerses you in the musical or film presentationfor increased realism.The AVR 154 may have up to five speakers connected directly to it(plus a subwoofer). Each main speaker is powered by its own amplifierchannel inside the receiver. When more than two speakers are used,it is called a multichannel system.• Front Left and Right – The main speakers are used the same wayas in a 2-channel system. However, you may notice that in many sur-round modes, these speakers are used more for ambient sound whilethe main action, especially dialogue, is moved to the center speaker.• Center – The center speaker is usually placed above or below thevideo screen, and is used mostly for dialogue in movies and televisionprograms. This placement allows the dialogue to originate near theactors’ faces, for a more natural sound.• Surround Left and Right – The surround speakers are used toimprove directionality of ambient sounds. In addition, by using moreloudspeakers in the system, more dynamic soundtracks may beplayed without risk of overloading any one speaker.Many people expect the surround speakers to play as loud as thefront speakers. Although all of the speakers in the system will becalibrated to sound equally loud at the listening position, most artistsuse the surround speakers for ambient effects only, and they programtheir materials to steer very little sound to these speakers.• Subwoofer – A subwoofer is a special-purpose speaker designedto play only the lowest frequencies (the bass). It may be used toaugment smaller, limited-range satellite speakers used for the otherchannels. In addition, many digital-format programs, such as moviesrecorded in Dolby Digital, contain a special low-frequency effects(LFE) channel which is directed only to the subwoofer. The LFE channelpacks the punch of an explosion or the power of a rumbling train orairplane, adding realism and excitement to your home theater. Manypeople use two subwoofers, placed on the left and right sides of theroom, for additional power and even distribution of the sound.Surround ModesThere are different theories as to the best way to present surroundsound and to distribute soundtrack information among the variousspeakers. A variety of algorithms have been developed in an effort toaccurately reproduce the way we hear sounds in the real world. Theresult is a rich variety of surround mode options. Some modes areselected automatically, depending on the signal being received fromthe source. In many cases, you may select a surround mode manually.Several companies have taken surround sound in slightly differingdirections. It is helpful to group the numerous surround modes eitherby their brand name, or by using a generic name:• Dolby Laboratories, Inc., Modes – Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II,Dolby Virtual Speaker, Dolby Headphone• DTS Modes – DTS, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24• Harman International (Harman Kardon’s Parent Company) –Logic 7• DSP Modes – Generic modes that include Hall 1, Hall 2 and Theater• Stereo Modes – Generic modes that expand upon conventional2-channel stereo, including DSP Surround Off, Analog BypassSurround Off and 5-Channel StereoTable 2 on pages 42 – 43 contains detailed explanations of thedifferences between the various mode groups, and the mode optionsavailable within each group. Digital modes, such as Dolby Digital andDTS, are only available with specially encoded programs, such asDVDs and digital television. Other modes may be used with variousdigital and analog signals to create a different surround presentation,or to use a different number of speakers. Surround mode selectiondepends upon the number of speakers in your system, the materialsyou are watching or listening to, and your personal tastes. Feel freeto experiment.