Harman-Kardon AVR 520 owner manual System Installation, 16INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

Installation and Connections

System Installation

After unpacking the unit, and placing it on a solid surface capable of supporting its weight, you will need to make the connections to your audio and video equipment.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and to avoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers, it is always good practice to turn off and unplug the AVR and ALL source equip- ment from the AC output before making any audio or video system connections.

Audio Equipment Connections

We recommend that you use high-quality inter- connect cables when making connections to source equipment and recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals.

1.Connect the analog output of a CD player to the CD Inputs ¶.

NOTE: When the CD player has both fixed and variable audio outputs, it is best to use the fixed output unless you find that the input to the receiver is so low that the sound is noisy, or so high that the signal is distorted.

2.Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cas- sette deck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to the Tape Input Jacks £. Connect the analog Record/In jacks on the recorder to the Tape Output Jacks ¢ on the AVR 520.

3.Connect the output of any digital sources such as such as a CD or DVD changer or play- er, advanced video game, a digital satellite receiver, HDTV tuner or digital cable set-top box or the output of a compatible computer sound card to the Optical and Coaxial Digital Inputs 31 32 *Ó.

4.Connect the coaxial or optical Digital Audio Outputs ⁄on the rear panel of the AVR 520 to the matching digital input connections on a CD-R or MiniDisc recorder.

5.Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with the unit as shown below. Connect it to the AM and GND Screw Terminals ¡.

6.Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM (75-ohm) Connection ™. The FM antenna may be an external roof antenna, an inside powered or wire-lead antenna or a connection from a cable TV system. Note that if the anten- na or connection uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you must use the 300-ohm-to-75-ohm

adapter supplied with the unit to make the con- nection.

7.Connect the front, center and surround

speaker outputs ›fifl to the respective speakers.

To ensure that all the audio signals are carried to your speakers without loss of clarity or reso- lution, we suggest that you use high-quality speaker cable. Many brands of cable are avail- able and the choice of cable may be influenced by the distance between your speakers and the receiver, the type of speakers you use, personal preferences and other factors. Your dealer or installer is a valuable resource to consult in selecting the proper cable.

Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we recommend that you use a cable constructed of multistrand copper with a gauge of 14 or smaller. Remember that in specifying cable, the lower the number, the thicker the cable.

Cable with a gauge of 16 may be used for short runs of less than ten feet. We do not recom- mend that you use cables with an AWG equiva- lent of 18 or higher, due to the power loss and degradation in performance that will occur.

Cables that are run inside walls should have the appropriate markings to indicate listing with UL, CSA or other appropriate testing agency stan- dards. Questions about running cables inside walls should be referred to your installer or a licensed electrician who is familiar with the NEC and/or the applicable local building codes in your area.

When connecting wires to the speakers, be cer- tain to observe proper polarity. Note that the positive (+) terminal of each speaker connection now carries a specific color code as noted on page 11. However, most speakers will still use a red terminal for the postive (+) connection. Connect the “negative” or “black” wire to the same terminal on both the receiver and the speaker.

NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers adhere to an industry convention of using black terminals for negative and red ones for positive, some manufacturers may vary from this config- uration. To ensure proper phase and optimal performance, consult the identification plate on your speaker or the speaker’s manual to verify polarity. If you do not know the polarity of your speaker, ask your dealer for advice before pro- ceeding, or consult the speaker’s manufacturer.

We also recommend that the length of cable used to connect speaker pairs be identical. For example, use the same length piece of cable to connect the front-left and front-right or surround-left and surround-right speakers, even if the speakers are a different distance from the AVR 520.

8.Connections to a subwoofer are normally made via a line-level audio connection from the Subwoofer Output ∞ to the line-level input of a subwoofer with a built-in amplifier. When a passive subwoofer is used, the connection first goes to a power amplifier, which will be con- nected to one or more subwoofer speakers. If you are using a powered subwoofer that does not have line-level input connections, follow the instructions furnished with the speaker for con- nection information.

9.If an external multi-channel audio source with 5.1 outputs such as an external digital processor/decoder, DVD-Audio or SACD player is used, connect the outputs of that device to the 6-Channel Direct Inputs ª.

10.If an external multi-channel audio source with 7.1 outputs such as an external digital processor/decoder, DVD-Audio or SACD player is used, first connect the outputs of that device to both the 6 Channel Direct Inputs as noted above, and then connect the Surround Back Left and Surround Back Right output channels of the source device to the 8-Channel Direct Inputs ‚.

11.If a 7.1 channel source device is connected as noted in the item above, you must use an optional audio power amplifier for those chan- nels. Connect the SBL and SBR Preamp Outputs 38 to the inputs of the amplifier feeding those channels' speakers.

Video Equipment Connections

Video equipment is connected in the same man- ner as audio components. Again, the use of high- quality interconnect cables is recommended to preserve signal quality.

1.Connect a VCR’s or other video source’s audio and video Play/Out jacks to the Video 1 or Video 2 In Jacks hk 34 36 on the rear panel. The Audio and Video Record/In jacks on the VCR should be connected to the Video 1 or Video 2 Out Jacks gi33 37 on the AVR 520.

2.Connect the analog audio and video outputs of a satellite receiver, cable TV converter or

16INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS