When all audio, video and system connections have been made, there are a few configuration adjustments that must be made. A few minutes spent to correctly configure and calibrate the unit will greatly add to your listening experience.
Speaker Selection and Placement
The placement of speakers in a multichannel home theater system can have a noticeable impact on the quality of sound reproduced.
No matter which type or brand of speakers is used, the same model or brand of speaker should be used for the left front, center and right front speakers. This creates a seamless front soundstage and eliminates the possibility of distracting sonic disturbances that occur when a sound moves across mismatched front-channel speakers.
Speaker Placement
Depending on the type of center channel speaker in use and your viewing device, place the center speaker either directly above or below your TV, or in the center behind a perforated front projection screen.
Once the center channel speaker is installed, position the front left and front right speakers so that they are as far away from one another as the center channel speaker is from the preferred listening position. Ideally, the front channel speakers should be placed so that their tweeters are no more than 24" above or below the tweeter in the center channel speaker.
Depending on the specifics of your room acoustics and the type of speakers in use, you may find that imaging is improved by moving the left front and right front speakers slightly forward of the center channel speaker. If possible, adjust all front loudspeakers
so that they are aimed at ear height when you are seated in the listening position.
A)Front-channel speaker installation with direct-view TV sets or rear-screen projectors
| | TV or Projection Screen | |
| Left Front | Center Front | Right Front |
| Speaker |
| Speaker | Speaker |
| |
| No more than 6 feet when rear-mounted speakers are used | | |
| | Rear-Wall Mounting | |
| 7.1 | 6.1 | 7.1 |
B)Rear-wall speaker mounting using the positions marked “7.1” is an alternate location for 5.1 systems, and it should also be used for full 7.1 systems when an optional, external power amplifier is used to power the rear speakers. When the AVR’s internal amplifier only is used for a 6.1 speaker configuration, the position marked “6.1” should be used.
Rear surround speaker mounting locations will vary according to the requirements of your specific system. If you are using the AVR 230’s internal amplifiers only, the rear surround speaker should be mounted as close as possible to the center of the rear wall for a “6.1” system. If an optional, external power amplifier is available so that both the Surround Back Left and Surround Back Right channels are in use, place the speakers on the rear wall, as shown in the diagram below left. The rear wall location may also be used in place of side-wall mounting in 5.1 systems when it is not practical to place the main surround speakers at the sides of the room.
As with the side speakers, rear surround speakers should be located so that the bottom of the cabinet is at least two feet higher than the listeners’ ears. The speakers should be no more than six feet behind the rear of the seating area.
If dipole-type speakers are used on either the side or rear walls of the room, please note that if there are arrows on the speakers they should face the front of the room for the side speakers, or toward the center of the wall for the rear speakers.
Subwoofers produce nondirectional sound, so they may be placed almost anywhere in a room. Actual placement should be based on room size and shape and the type of subwoofer used. One method of find- ing the optimal location for a subwoofer is to begin by placing it in the front of the room, about six inches from a wall, or near the front corner of the room. Another method is to temporarily place the subwoofer at your normal listening position, and then walk around the room until you find a spot where the sub- woofer sounds best. Place the subwoofer in that spot. You should also follow the instructions of the sub- woofer’s manufacturer, or you may wish to experi- ment with the best location for a subwoofer in your listening room.
Using these guidelines, you’ll find that it takes some experimentation to find the correct location for the front speakers in your particular installation. Don’t be afraid to move things around until the system sounds correct. Optimize your speakers so that audio transitions across the front of the room sound smooth, and sounds from all speakers appear to arrive at the listening position at the same time (without delay from the center speaker compared to the left and right speakers).
When the AVR 230 is used in 5.1-channel operation, the preferred location for surround speakers is on the side walls of the room, at or slightly behind the listen- ing position. In a 6.1-channel system, both side sur- round speakers and a back surround speaker are required. The center of the speaker should face into the room. The speakers should be located so that
the bottom of the cabinet is at least two feet higher than the listeners’ ears when the listeners are seated in the desired area.
System Setup
Once the speakers have been placed in the room and connected, the remaining steps in the setup process are to program the AVR 230’s bass management sys- tem for the type of speakers used in your system, calibrate the output levels, and set the delay times used by the surround sound processor.
You are now ready to power up the AVR 230 to begin these final adjustments.
1.Make certain that the AC power cord fl is firmly inserted into an unswitched AC outlet. To maintain the unit’s safety rating, DO NOT substitute the power cord for one with lower current capacity.
