System Installation
After unpacking the unit, locating it in a place with ade- quate ventilation and placing it on a solid surface capable of supporting its weight, you will need to make the con- nections to your audio and video equipment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and to avoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers, it is always a good practice to turn off and unplug the AVR and ALL source equipment from the AC output before making any audio or video system connections.
Audio Equipment Connections
We recommend that you use high-quality interconnect cables when making connections to source equipment and recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals.
1.Connect the analog output of a CD player to the CD Audio Inputs ™.
NOTE: When the CD player has both fixed and vari- able audio outputs, it is best to use the fixed output unless you find that the input to the receiver is so low that the sound is noisy, or so high that it is distorted.
2.Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cassette deck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to the Tape Input Jacks ¢. Connect the analog Record/In jacks on the recorder to the Tape Output Jacks £ on the AVR 230.
3.Connect the output of any digital sources such as a CD or DVD changer or player, advanced video game, a digital satellite receiver, HDTV tuner or digital cable set-top box or the output of a compatible computer sound card to the Optical and Coaxial Digital Audio Inputs f*(.
4.Connect the coaxial or optical Digital Audio Outputs ·a on the rear panel of the AVR 230 to the matching digital input connections on a CD-R or MiniDisc recorder.
5.Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with the unit so that the tabs at the bottom of the antenna loop snap into the holes in the base. Connect it to the AM Antenna Terminals 38 .
6.Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM (75- ohm) Connection ¡. The FM antenna may be an external roof antenna, an inside powered or wire-lead antenna or a connection from a cable TV system. If the antenna or connection uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you must use the 300-ohm-to-75-ohm adapter supplied with the unit to make the connection.
7.Connect the front, center, surround and surround back speaker outputs ª‚⁄¤ to the respective speakers.
To ensure that all the audio signals are carried to your speakers without loss of clarity or resolution, we sug- gest that you use high-quality speaker cable. Many brands of cable are available and the choice of cable may be influenced by the distance between your speakers and the receiver, the type of speakers you use, personal preferences and other factors. Your dealer or 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 multistrand copper with a gauge of 14 or smaller. Remember that in specifying cable, the lower the number, the thicker the cable.
Cable with a gauge of 16 may be used for short runs of less than 10 feet. We do not recommend that you use cables with an AWG equivalent of 18 or higher, due to the power loss and degradation in performance that will occur.
Cables that are run inside walls should have the appro- priate markings to indicate listing with UL, CSA or other appropriate testing agency standards. Questions about running cables inside walls should be referred to your installer or a licensed electrician who is familiar with the NEC and/or the applicable local building codes in your area.
When connecting wires to the speakers, be certain to observe proper polarity. Note that the positive (+) ter- minal of each speaker connection may carry a specific color code, as noted on page 7. However, many speakers still use a red terminal for the positive (+) connection. Connect the “negative” or “black” wire
to the same terminal on both the receiver and the speaker.
NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers adhere to an industry convention of using black terminals for negative and red ones for positive, some may vary from this configuration. To ensure proper phase and optimal performance, consult the identification plate on your speaker or the speaker’s manual to verify polarity. If you do not know the polarity of your speaker, ask your dealer for advice before proceeding, or consult the speaker’s manufacturer.
We also recommend that the length of cable used to connect speaker pairs be identical. For example, use the same length piece of cable to connect the front-left and front-right or surround-left and sur- round-right speakers, even if the speakers are a different distance from the AVR 230.
8.Connections to a subwoofer are normally made via a line-level audio connection from the Subwoofer Output • to the line-level input of a subwoofer with a built-in amplifier. When a passive subwoofer is used, the connection first goes to a power amplifier, which will be connected to one or more subwoofer speakers. If you are using a powered subwoofer that does not have line-level input connections, follow the instruc- tions furnished with the speaker for connection information.
9.If an external multichannel audio source with 5.1 outputs such as an external digital processor/decoder, DVD-Audio or SACD player is used, connect the outputs of that device to the 6/8-Channel Direct Inputs j.
External Amplifier Connections
The AVR 230’s internal-power amplifier is a traditional Harman Kardon high-current/ultrawide bandwidth design. As such, it is more than suitable for most loud- speakers. However, in some circumstances you may wish to use an optional, external power amplifier for added power. This is easily done by connecting the Preamp Output Jacks ¶ on the AVR 230 to the input jacks on the amplifier for the channels to be used. The speakers to be used with the external amplifier are then connected to the appropriate output terminals on the power amplifier, not those
on the AVR.
Since the AVR 230 is designed with a full seven-chan- nel audio path for use with modes such as Dolby Digital EX and Logic 7/7.1, you may also wish to use an optional, external amplifier to include both back surround channels in your system. This is done by connecting 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 appropriate output terminals on the external amplifier.
When an external amplifier is used for the Surround Back channels, no special adjustments are needed to the AVR, other than to make certain that the Surround Back speakers are properly configured to “Large” or “Small,” as shown in the Speaker Setup section on page 18 of this manual. This is necessary to tell the AVR’s digital processing system that 6.1/7.1 modes should be activated, as opposed to the default setting of 5.1 modes.
We also recommend that when an external amplifier is used for the Surround Back channels you use a stereo amplifier to feed both channels, although a single, mono amplifier may be used for one channel
(e.g., SBL), while the AVR’s internal amplifier feeds the other channel (e.g., SBR). The use of a stereo amplifier ensures that the two back channels will be fed with equal power.
