Harman-Kardon Explore Audio and Video Connections for the Harman Kardon AVR 146

CONNECTIONS

Audio Connections

There are two formats for audio connections: digital and analog. Digital audio signals are of higher quality, and are required for listening to sources encoded with digital surround modes, such as Dolby Digital and DTS. There are two types of digital audio connections: coaxial and optical. Either type of digital audio connection may be used for each source device, but never both simultaneously for the same source. However, it’s okay to make both analog and digital audio connections at the same time to the same source.

NOTE: Although HDMI cables are capable of carrying digital audio signals, the AVR 146 is not designed to process those signals. Therefore, if your source and video display are both HDMI-capable, use the HDMI connections for video only. Make a separate audio connection from the source device to the AVR 146, and turn the volume on your TV all the way off.

Digital Audio

Coaxial digital audio jacks are usually color-coded in orange. Although they look similar to analog jacks, they should not be confused, and you should not connect coaxial digital audio outputs to analog inputs or vice versa. See Figure 4.

Coaxial digitalCoaxial

audio cable Figure 4 – Coaxial Digital Audio

Optical digital audio connectors are normally covered by a shutter to protect them from dust. The shutter opens as the cable is inserted. Input connectors are color-coded using a black shutter, while outputs use a gray shutter. See Figure 5.

Analog audio	L
cable (RCA)	R

Figure 6 – Analog Audio

Multichannel analog connections are used with some high-definition sources where the copy-protected digital content is decoded inside the source. These types of connections are usually used with DVD- Audio, SACD, Blu-ray Disc, HD-DVD and other multichannel players. See Figure 7.

Front Surround Center

Multichannel analog audio cable (RCA)

Subwoofer

Figure 7 – Multichannel Analog Audio

Harman Kardon receivers also include a proprietary, dedicated audio connection called “The Bridge/DMP”. If you own an iPod with a dock connector, you may purchase The Bridge separately and connect it to The Bridge/DMP port on the receiver. See Figure 8. Dock your iPod (not included) in The Bridge, and you may play your audio and video materials through your high-performance system. You may even use the AVR 146 remote to control the iPod, with navigation messages displayed on the front panel and on the screen of a video display connected to the AVR.

Figure 8 – The Bridge

Optical digital audio cable

Optical

Video Connections

Although some sources produce an audio signal only (e.g., CD player,

Figure 5 – Optical Digital Audio

Due to the nature of digital signals as binary bits, they aren’t subject to signal degradation the way analog signals are. Therefore, the quality of coaxial and optical digital audio connections should be the same, although it is important to limit the length of the cable. Whichever type of connection you choose, Harman Kardon recommends that you always select the highest quality cables available within your budget.

Analog Audio

Analog connections require two cables, one for the left channel (white) and one for the right channel (red). These two cables are often attached to each other for most of their length. See Figure 6. Most sources that have digital audio jacks also have analog audio jacks, although some older types of sources, such as tape decks, have only analog jacks. For sources that are capable of both digital and analog audio, you may wish to make both connections. If you wish to record materials from DVDs or other copy-protected sources, you may only be able to do so using analog connections. Remember to comply with all copyright laws if you choose to make a copy for your own personal use.

tape deck), many sources output both audio and video signals (e.g., DVD player, cable television box, HDTV tuner, satellite box, VCR, DVR). In addition to the audio connection, you will need to connect one type of video connection for each of these sources (never more than one at the same time for any source).

Digital Video

The AVR 146 is equipped with two HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) inputs, and one output. HDMI is capable of carrying digital audio and video information using a single cable, thus delivering the highest possible quality picture and sound.

There are different versions of HDMI, depending on the capability of the source device and the type of signal it is capable of transmitting via the HDMI connection.

In addition, receivers and processors such as the AVR 146 may handle the incoming signal in several different ways, depending on their capability as well. The AVR 146 is only capable of switching the HDMI data. That is, the incoming audio and video data, including 1080i and 1080p video, will be passed directly to your HDMI-capable video display, without the

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