Harman-Kardon Explore Advanced Functions and Setup for the Harman Kardon AVR 160

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

Night Mode: Night mode is available with some Dolby Digital programs, if it has been encoded in the material. It compresses the peak sound levels, maintaining the intelligibility of the dialogue and quieter passages, while reducing the loudness of special effects and louder passages, to avoid disturbing others. Three levels of compression are available:

•• Off: At this setting, there is no compression, as the Night mode is deactivated.

•• Half: A mild compression is applied.

•• Full: More compression is applied.

Manual SPEAKER Setup

The AVR 160 is flexible and may be configured for most speakers, and to compensate for the acoustic characteristics of your room.

The EzSet/EQ process automatically detects the capabilities of each speaker, and optimizes the AVR 160’s performance. If you are unable to run EzSet/ EQ calibration, or if you wish to make further adjustments, use the Manual Speaker Setup on-screen menus.

Before beginning, place your loudspeakers as explained in the Speaker Placement section, and connect them to the AVR. Consult the owner’s guide for the speakers or the manufacturer’s Web site for the frequency range specification. Although you may set the output levels “by ear,” an SPL (sound- pressure level) meter purchased at a local electronics store will provide greater accuracy.

Record your configuration settings in Tables A4 and A6 in the appendix for easy re-entry after a system reset, or if the AVR’s Master Power Switch is turned off or the unit is unplugged for more than four weeks.

STEP ONE – Determine Speaker Crossover

Without using the EzSet/EQ process, the AVR 160 can’t detect how many speakers you’ve connected to it; nor can it determine their capabilities. Consult the speaker’s technical specifications and locate the frequency response, usually given as a range, e.g., 100Hz – 20kHz (±3dB). Write down the lowest frequency that each of your main speakers is capable of playing (100Hz in the example) as the crossover in Table A6 in the appendix. This is not the same as the crossover frequency listed in the speaker’s specifications. For the subwoofer, write down the transducer size.

The receiver’s bass management determines which speakers will be used to play back the low-frequency (bass) portion of the source program. Sending the lowest notes to small satellite speakers won’t sound right, and may even damage the speaker. The highest notes may not be heard at all through the subwoofer.

With proper bass management, the AVR 160 divides the source signal at a crossover point. All information above the crossover point is played through the satellite speaker, and all information below the crossover point is played through the subwoofer. Each loudspeaker in your system performs at its best, delivering an enjoyable sound experience.

STEP TWO – Measure Speaker Distances

Ideally, all of your speakers would be placed in a circle, with the listening position at the center. However, you may have had to place some speakers a little further away from the listening position than others. Sounds that are supposed to arrive simultaneously from different speakers may blur, due to different arrival times.

Use the AVR’s delay adjustment to compensate for real-world speaker placements.

Measure the distance from each speaker to the listening position, and write it down in Table A4 in the appendix. Even if all of your speakers are the same distance from the listening position, enter your speaker distances as described in Step Three.

Step Three – Manual Setup Menu

Now you are ready to program the receiver. Sit in the usual listening position and make the room as quiet as possible.

With the receiver and video display turned on, press the OSD Button to display the Master menu. Use the L Button to move the cursor to the MANUAL SETUP line, and press the OK Button to display the Manual Setup menu.

If you have run the EzSet/EQ process, the results were saved. To tweak the EzSet/EQ results, or to configure the AVR 160 from scratch, use the menu shown in Figure 26.

Figure 26 – Manual Setup Menu

NOTE: All of the speaker setup submenus include the option to go back to the previous menu, similar to what is shown at the bottom of Figure 26.

For best results, adjust the submenus in this order: Number of Speakers, Crossover, Sub Mode, Distance and Level Adjust.

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