Harman-Kardon AVR 160 Advanced Functions, Audio Processing and Surround Sound, Surround Modes

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

Much of the AVR 160’s performance is handled automatically, with little intervention required on your part. The AVR 160 is capable of being customized to suit your system and your tastes. In this section, some of the more advanced adjustments available are described.

Audio Processing and Surround Sound

Audio signals output by sources are encoded in a variety of formats that can affect not only the quality of the sound but the number of speaker channels and the surround mode. You may also manually select a different surround mode, when available.

Analog Audio Signals

Analog audio signals usually consist of two channels – left and right. The AVR 160 offers three options for playback:

1.Analog Bypass Mode: The 2-channel signal is passed directly from the input to the volume control, without being digitized or undergoing any processing for bass management or surround sound. To select analog bypass mode:

a)The analog audio inputs for the source must be selected. If necessary, with the remote in AVR device mode, press the Digital Select Button and use the KL Buttons to select “ANALOG”.

b)The tone controls must be disabled by turning off the Tone setting. With the remote in AVR device mode, press the Tone Button and use the KL Buttons to select “TONE OUT”.

c)The 2-channel Stereo mode must be selected. Press the OSD Button, and use the KL Buttons to select “SURROUND SELECT”. Press the OK Button. Use the KL Buttons to select “STEREO”, and press the OK Button. Use the M N Buttons to select either the 2- or 7-Channel Stereo mode.

2.DSP Surround Off Mode: The DSP Surround Off mode digitizes the incoming signal and applies the bass management settings, including speaker configuration, delay times and output levels. Select this mode when your front speakers are small, limited-range satellites and you are using a subwoofer. To select this mode, use a digital audio input, or set the Tone setting to IN, and select 2-channel Stereo mode.

3.Analog Surround Modes: The AVR 160 is able to process 2-channel audio signals to produce multichannel surround sound, even when no surround sound has been encoded in the recording. Among the available modes are the Dolby Pro Logic II/IIx modes, the Harman Virtual Speaker modes, the DTS Neo:6 modes, the Logic 7 modes and the Stereo modes.

Digital Audio Signals

Digital audio signals offer greater capacity, which allows the encoding of center and surround channel information directly into the signal. The result is improved sound quality and startling directionality, since each channel is reproduced discretely.

Even when only two channels are encoded, the digital signal allows for a higher sampling rate that delivers greater detail. High-resolution recordings sound extraordinarily distortion-free, especially at high frequencies.

Surround Modes

Surround mode selection is dependent upon the format of the incoming audio signal, as well as personal taste. Table A9 offers a brief description of each mode and indicates the types of incoming signals or digital bitstreams the mode may be used with. Additional information about the Dolby and DTS modes is available on the companies’Web sites: www.dolby.com and www. dtsonline.com.

When in doubt, check the jacket of your disc for more information on which surround modes are available. Usually, nonessential sections of the disc, such as trailers, extra materials or the disc menu, are only available in Dolby Digital

2.0(2-channel) or PCM 2-channel mode. If the main title is playing and the display shows one of these surround modes, look for an audio or language setup section in the disc’s menu. Also, make sure your player’s audio output is set to the original bitstream rather than 2-channel PCM. Stop play and check the player’s output setting.

For any incoming signal, only a limited number of surround modes are available. Although there is never a time when all of the AVR 160’s surround modes are available, there is usually a wide variety of modes available for a given input.

Multichannel digital recordings are found in the 5.1-, 6.1- or 7.1-channel formats. The channels included in a 5.1-channel recording are front left, front right, center, surround left, surround right and LFE. The LFE channel is denoted as “.1” to represent the fact that it is limited to the low frequencies.

6.1-Channel recordings add a single surround back channel, and 7.1-channel recordings add surround back left and surround back right channels to

the 5.1-channel configuration. New formats are available in 7.1-channel configurations. The AVR 160 is able to play the new audio formats, delivering a more exciting home theater experience.

NOTE: To use the 6.1- and 7.1-channel surround modes, the Surround Back channels must be enabled. See the Manual Speaker Setup section on page 33 for more information.

The digital formats include Dolby Digital 2.0 (two channels only), Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX (6.1), Dolby Digital Plus (7.1), Dolby TrueHD (7.1), DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio (7.1), DTS-HD Master Audio (7.1), DTS 5.1, DTS-ES (6.1 Matrix and Discrete), DTS 96/24 (5.1), 2-channel PCM modes in 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz or 96kHz, and 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel PCM.

When a digital signal is received, the AVR 160 detects the encoding method and the number of channels, which is displayed briefly as three numbers, separated by slashes (e.g., “3/2/.1”).

The first number indicates the number of front channels in the signal:

“1” represents a monophonic recording, usually an older program that has been digitally remastered or, more rarely, a modern program for which the director has chosen a special effect.

“2” indicates the presence of the left and right channels, but no center channel.

“3” indicates that all three front channels (left, right and center) are present.

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