Harman-Kardon AVR 510 owner manual System Configuration, Delay Settings, Night Mode Settings

System Configuration

Since the factory default for all inputs is Stereo, the phrase SURR OFF will initially appear in highlighted video (Figure 3). To change the sur- round mode while the › cursor is next to the surround line, press the ‹/› buttons o 31

until the desired surround mode’s name appears in the highlighted video. As the modes are changed, a green LED will also light next to the mode names in the Surround Mode Indicators ˜ on the front panel.

Note that the data lines next to the items in the screen display will show either numbers or a series of dashes, depending on whether or not the specific parameter is adjustable. For exam- ple, the Center Delay and Night Mode items are only adjustable for Dolby Digital, and the Delay Time is only adjusted for Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic. Note, also, that Dolby Digital and DTS will only appear as choices (Figure 4) when a digital input was previously selected.

Depending on the Surround mode selected, you will now proceed to change either the delay time or the crossover frequency. For Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic, pressing the ⁄/¤

nbuttons on the remote will take you to the delay settings.

Delay Settings

If Dolby Digital or Dolby Pro Logic is selected as the surround mode for an input, you may need to adjust the delay time setting. Note that the delay time is not adjustable for any other modes.

Due to the different distances between the listening position for the front-channel speakers and the surround speakers, the amount of time it takes for sound to reach your ears from the front versus surround speakers differs. You may compensate for this difference through the use of the delay settings to adjust the timing for the speaker placement and acoustic conditions in your listening room or home theater.

The factory setting is appropriate for most rooms, but some installations create an uncom- mon distance between the front and surround speakers that may cause the arrival of front- channel sounds to become disconnected from surround-channel sounds.

To resynchronize the front and surround chan- nels, follow these steps:

1.Measure the distance from the listening position to the front speakers.

2.Measure the distance from the listening position to the surround speakers.

3.Subtract the distance to the surround speak- ers from the distance to the front speakers.

a.When setting the delay time for the Dolby Digital surround modes, the opti- mal delay time is the result of that sub- traction. For example, if the front speak- ers are ten feet away and the surround speakers are five feet away, the optimal delay time is figured as 10–5=5. Thus, in this example, the delay time for Dolby Digital should be set at five milliseconds.

b.When setting the delay time for the Pro Logic mode, take the result of the sub- traction and add 15 to obtain the opti- mal delay time. For example, if the front speakers are ten feet away and the sur- round speakers are five feet away, the optimal delay time is figured as

10–5+15=20. Thus, in this example, the Pro Logic delay should be set at twenty milliseconds.

NOTE: The DTS, Logic 7, Hall and Theater modes use a fixed, nonadjustable delay time.

The Dolby Digital mode also includes a separate setting for the Center Channel Delay mode, since the discrete nature of these signals makes the location of the center-channel speaker more critical. To calculate the delay for the center channel, measure the distance from the pre- ferred listening position in the center of the room to both the center-channel speaker and either the left or right speaker.

If the distances are equal, no further adjustment is required and the center delay should be set to zero. If the distance to the front speakers is greater than the distance to the center speaker, you may wish to reposition the speakers by moving the front left and front right speakers closer to the listening position or the center speaker further away from the listening position.

If repositioning of the speakers is not possible, adjust the center delay time, adding one milli- second of center-channel delay for every foot closer to the listening position the center speaker is than the front speakers. For example, if the front left and front right speakers are each 10 feet from the listening position and the center-channel speaker is 8 feet away, the delay is figured as 10–8=2, suggesting an optimal center delay of 2 milliseconds.

To set the delay time for a specific input, continue within the SURROUND SETUP (Figure 4) menu. If the system is not already at that point, press the OSD button v to bring up the MASTER MENU, press the ¤ but- ton n and then the Set button p to bring up the SURROUND SETUP menu, and then press the ¤ button n once.

If the Dolby Digital mode is selected, the › cur- sor will stop at the CENTER DELAY line. In that case, press the ‹/› buttons o 31 until the number calculated using the formula shown above appears in the display. When the CENTER DELAY is entered, press the ¤ button n once to move to the next line.

When the CENTER DELAY is set, or if the Dolby Pro Logic mode is selected, the › cursor will be at the SURR DELAY line so that the delay for the surround speakers may be set. Press the ‹/› buttons o 31 until the num- ber calculated using the formula shown above appears in the display. When the delay settings are complete, press the ¤ button n once to move to the next line.

Note that the delay settings may also be adjusted at any time when the Dolby Digital or Dolby Pro Logic modes are in use by pressing the Delay button on the front panel Ò or remote 30 , followed by a press of the Set

button p. Next, press the ⁄/¤ buttons n on the remote or the Selector buttons 5 on the front panel until the desired figure appears in the Main Information Display Y.

Night Mode Settings

The Night mode is a feature of Dolby Digital that uses special processing to preserve the dynamic range and full intelligibility of a movie sound track while reducing the peak level. This prevents abruptly loud transitions from disturb- ing others, without reducing the sonic impact of a digital source. Note that the Night mode is only available when specially encoded Dolby Digital signals are played.

To adjust the Night mode setting for an input from the menu, make certain that the › cursor is on the NIGHT line of the SURROUND SETUP menu. Next, press ‹/› buttons

o31 to choose between the following settings, as they appear in the on-screen display:

21SYSTEM CONFIGURATION