Introduction, Description and Features

Introduction

Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon! With the purchase of a Harman Kardon

AVR 8500 you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment. Designed to provide all the excitement and detail of movie soundtracks and every nuance of musical selections, the

AVR 8500 is truly a multichannel receiver for the new millennium. In addition to the traditional

5.1digital decoding modes such as Dolby Digital and DTS, it offers the latest advancements in surround technology such as Dolby Pro Logic II, the full suite of DTS-ES 6.1 modes, DTS Neo:6 and the latest 7.1 channel versions of Harman's own Logic 7 technology.

The AVR 8500 has been engineered so that it is easy to take advantage of all the power of its digital technology. On-screen menus, fully color coded connection jacks and terminals and our exclusive EzSet™ remote make installation fast and simple. However, to obtain the maximum enjoyment from your new receiver, we urge you to read this manual. A few minutes spent learn- ing the functions of the various controls will enable you to take advantage of all the power the AVR 8500 is able to deliver.

If you have any questions about this product, its installation or its operation, please contact your retailer or custom installer. They are your best local sources of information.

Description and Features

The AVR 8500 is among the most versatile and multifeatured A/V receivers available, incorporat- ing a wide range of listening options. In addition to the benefits of world famous THX Ultra® pro- cessing, as well as Dolby Digital and DTS decod- ing for digital sources, a broad choice of sur- round modes for Matrix surround-encoded or Stereo recordings are available for use with sources such as CD, VCR, TV broadcasts and the AVR 8500’s own FM/AM tuner. Along with THX Surround EX, Dolby ProLogic II, DTS Neo:6, Dolby 3 Stereo, 5 Channel or 7 Channel Stereo and Hall and Theater modes, the AVR 8500 offers Harman International’s exclusive Logic 7 process in both 5.1 and 7.1 versions to create a wider, more enveloping field environment and more defined fly-overs and pans. Another Harman Kardon exclusive is VMAx, which uses proprietary processing to create an open, spa- cious sound field even when only two front speakers are available. Finally, the AVR 8500 is among the very few A/V receivers that offer decoding of MP3 data, so that you may listen to the latest music selections directly from compati- ble computers or playback devices with the power and fidelity you expect from Harman Kardon.

The AVR 8500 is also featuring HDCD® decoding to provide the most realistic playback of CDs when a digital connection is used, even with a normal non-HDCD-compatible CD or DVD player.

In addition to providing a wide range of listening options, the AVR 8500 is easy to configure so that it provides the best results with your speak- ers and specific listening-room environment. On- screen menus make it simple to enter settings for speaker configurations and bass manage- ment, and the EzSet remote measures

a system’s sound levels and automatically cali- brates them for perfectly balanced sound field presentation.

For the ultimate in flexibility, the AVR 8500 fea- tures connections for six video devices, all with both composite and S-Video inputs. Two addi- tional audio inputs are available, and a total of eight digital inputs and four outputs make the AVR 8500 capable of handling all the latest digi- tal audio sources.

For compatibility with the latest HDTV video sources and progressive scan DVD players, the AVR 8500 also features wide-bandwidth, low- crosstalk component video switching.

Behind a front panel door are coax and optical digital inputs and outputs for direct connection to digital recorders, along with analog audio/video connections that may be switched to outputs for use with portable recorders – a Harman Kardon exclusive. Two video recording outputs, preamp-out and main amp-in jacks, and a color-coded eight-channel input make the AVR 8500 virtually future-proof, with everything needed to accommodate tomorrow’s new for- mats right on board.

The AVR 8500’s flexibility and power extend beyond your main home theater or listening room. The AVR 8500 includes a sophisticated multizone control system that allows you to select one source for use in the main room and a different source for audio and video distribution to a second zone. Complete control over volume is possible with a separate infrared control link. To make it easy to operate the AVR 8500 from a remote zone, a separate “Zone II” remote is included.

The AVR 8500’s powerful amplifier uses traditional Harman Kardon high-current design technologies to meet the wide dynamic range of any program selection.

Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity receiv- er more than forty-seven years ago. With state- of-the-art circuitry and time-honored circuit designs, the AVR 8500 is the perfect combination of the latest in digital audio technology, a quiet yet powerful analog amplifier in an elegant, easy- to-use package.

■THX Ulta processing, THX Surround-EX, Dolby* Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II* Decoding, and the full suite of DTS® modes, including DTS-ES®6.1 Discrete

&Matrix and Neo:6® using the latest

24-bit, twin-core Crystal® DSP engine

■Harman Kardon’s exclusive Logic 7® processing, available for the first time with both 7.1 and 5.1 processing in a variety of modes and two modes of VMAx®

■MP3 decoding for use with compatible computers and digital audio players

■ TM remote automatically sets output levels for optimum performance