Harman HK 990 EzSet‌/‌EQ Description, Level Settings, Setup Instructions, Far Field, Near Field

HK 990

Setup Instructions

c)Once the sweeps are performed without error, the display will show “Filter Design, please wait…” During this process, the filter parameters are computed and written into the DSP flash memory. When this is done, the system goes to Step 4.

d)“Place mic at 60cm in front of the left speaker” appears in the display. Position the microphone as prompted (60cm is about two feet), preferably at normal listening height (you may use a photo tripod; there is a threaded hole at the bottom of the microphone for this purpose). Then press Enter. A new sweep will be generated. If it is unsuccessful, you will be asked to check the distance or the volume of the system with this message in the Display: “Wrong distance or level, please check and press Enter.” If successful, you will go to Step 5.

e)“Place mic at 60cm in front of the right speaker” appears in the display. Again, position the microphone as prompted (60cm or two feet), then press Enter. A new sweep will be generated. If it is unsuccessful, you will be asked to check the distance or the volume of the system with this message in the display: “Wrong distance or level, please check and press Enter.” If successful, you will go to Step 6 if at least one subwoofer is connected, or to Step 7 in a pure 2.0 system.

f)There are two possibilities at this stage, depending on the number of subwoofers selected in Step 1 of the Setup Process:

•• One Subwoofer: The display shows this message: “Place mic at listening position, press Enter.” After you do it, two sweeps are generated. If successful, you will jump to Step 7. If not, the following message is shown: “Sub not connected or incorrect level, please check and press Enter.” Check the connection and/or adjust the subwoofer level and press Enter again. When successful, you will go to Step 7.

•• Two Subwoofers: The display shows this message: “Place mic at 1st listening position, press Enter.” Place the microphone 90cm (about three feet) to the left of your listening position. After pressing Enter, four sweeps are generated. Then you will be asked to “Place mic at 2nd listening position, press Enter.” Now place the microphone 90cm to the right of your listening position. After pressing Enter, two sweeps are generated. If successful you will jump to Step 7. If not, the following message is shown: “Sub 1 or 2 not connected or incorrect level, please check and press Enter.” Check the connections and/or adjust the subwoofer levels and press Enter again. When successful, you will go to Step 7.

g)The setup procedure is now complete, and the display shows this message: “EQ setup completed, unplug microphone, press Enter to save EQ Setup.” Press Enter as prompted. The display shows: “Saving system equalization.”

Now the HK 990 goes back to the previous playback mode, and you can test the results of the setup process by going through the various options, pressing the EQ Preset button repeatedly (see below).

EzSet‌/‌EQ Description

During the automatic EzSet‌/‌EQ process, several frequency sweeps were made. Here is a brief explanation of their use.

Far Field

The first sweeps that occur during Step 2 are used to calibrate the speaker system (adjust relative levels and delay, and determine the crossover frequency if “Manual Crossover Frequency” was not selected earlier). Also, the low-frequency response of the speakers is equalized by applying a correction curve (with a range of 20Hz to 1kHz). This is the curve that is stored during the “Filter Design” phase.

Near Field

The next sweeps measured in front of each speaker (Steps 4 and 5) serve to correct the on-axis response of the main speakers. By applying sweeps to each speaker, a correction curve above 1kHz is generated for each speaker. The curves are stored after Step 7.

BassQ

If at least one subwoofer is connected, the final steps of the EzSet‌/‌EQ process adjust the low-frequency response of the system, taking into consideration the acoustics of the room. The system can correct up to two subwoofers in its processing loop. Using two subwoofers offers the advantage of a more linear low-frequency characteristic, limiting the node effects usually found in this frequency range.

The curves are stored after Step 7.

EQ Preset

The HK 990 provides direct access to the three sets of filters via the remote control through the EQ Preset button. Use this button to toggle between these three modes:

1.BassQ (EQ1 LF)

2.BassQ + Far Field (EQ2 LF + MF)

3.BassQ + Far Field + Near Field (EQ3 LF + MF + HF)

It will also toggle through the Direct and DSP paths, thus allowing five possible settings. Note that the EQ Preset button is in fact a shortcut button for the Audio mode function of the Input Setup described above.

The EzSet/EQ measurements are stored in a flash memory and are not lost even if the amplifier is disconnected from the AC mains.

Level Settings

The Level Settings menu permits adjusting the levels of the different activated speakers and subwoofer(s) of the system. Depending on what was adjusted during the Speaker Setup process, SUB1 and/or SUB2 may or may not be activated.

The Level Settings menu adjustments are:

1.To adjust the Balance between left and right speakers up to 12dB for each side.

2.To adjust the Subwoofer 1 level between + and – 6dB (when on).

3.To adjust the Subwoofer 2 level between + and – 6dB (when on).

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