Harman-Kardon AVR 645 owner manual Notes on speaker placement, Installation and Connections

Installation and Connections

Note: The 6.1-channel configuration is not rec- ommended for the AVR. We strongly recommend a 7.1-channel installation as described below.

When 6.1-channel materials are played through a 7.1-channel system, the same surround back channel information is played through both the left and right surround back speakers.

If you are only able to install a single surround back speaker at this time, you will not be able to run the full EzSet/EQ 7.1-channel calibration pro- cedure. In that case, we suggest you install all of your speakers except the surround back speaker, and run the EzSet/EQ procedure for a 5.1-chan- nel system (see page 31). After EzSet/EQ has fin- ished, connect the single surround back speaker to the left Surround Back Speaker Outputs

. Then follow the instructions starting on page

33 to manually configure your surround back speaker.

We recommend that you consider adding a sec- ond surround back speaker as soon as possible.

Rear surround speakers are required when a full 7.1-channel system is installed, and they may also be used in 5.1 channel mode as an alterna- tive mounting position when it is not practical to place the main surround speakers at the sides of the room. Speakers may be placed on a rear wall, behind the listening position. As with the side speakers, the center of the rear surrounds should face you. The speakers should be no more than 2 meters behind the rear of the seating area.

The additional Surround Back Left/Right speakers are placed at about 150 degrees on the circle, pointing inward, toward the listening area. The easiest way to visualize the placement of these speakers is to place the surround back left speak- er directly opposite the right front speaker and to place the surround back right speaker directly opposite the left front speaker.

Subwoofers produce largely 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 finding the optimal location for a subwoofer is to begin by placing it in the front of the room, about 15cm from a wall, or near the front corner of the room. Another method is to temporarily place the subwoofer in the spot where you will normally sit, and then walk around the room until you find a spot where the subwoofer sounds best. Place the sub- woofer in that spot. You should also follow the instructions of the subwoofer’s manufacturer, or you may wish to experiment with the best loca- tion for a subwoofer in your listening room.

For more information on subwoofer placement, as well as a variety of topics relating to audio and home theater, visit the Technology section of our Web site at www.harmankardon.com. Links are provided there to informative white papers written by the acoustic and electronics experts at Harman Kardon and at our parent company, Harman International Industries, Inc.

Notes on speaker placement:

1.The limitations of your listening room, including the placement of walls and furniture, may make it difficult to follow the speaker place- ment suggestions shown above. Depending on the specific layout of the room, here are some ways to compensate for unusual conditions:

•Try to follow the suggested placement, but move the speakers within a meter from the preferred locations.

•Regardless of where they are placed, always try to make certain that the main surround speakers are the same distance from the front speakers. (For example, try not to have the right surround speaker further back into the room than the left surround speaker.)

•If it is not possible to wall-mount or place speakers on a shelf, consider the use of option- al floor stands, available for many speakers.

2.When using ceiling-mounted in-wall speakers, follow the same guidelines shown for conven- tional floorstanding or shelf-mounted speakers.

3.When you have reassigned the surround back channels for use in a multiroom system, follow the speaker placement instructions for a

5.1-channel system for your main listening area (see page 20).

At least 15 cm from celling

At least 60 cm

A)Front Channel Speaker Installation with Direct-View TV Sets or Rear-Screen Projectors

5.1-Channel System

6.1-Channel System

7.1-Channel System

22INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS