Types Of Home Theater System Connections; Speaker Connections; Subwoofer Connections; Source Device Connections - Harman Kardon AVR 171S Owner's Manual

AVR

Types of Home Theater System Connections

There are different types of audio and video connections used to connect the AVR to your
speakers, your TV or video display, and your source devices. The Consumer Electronics
Association has established the CEA
Analog Audio Connection
Front Left/Right
Center
Surround Left/Right
Surround Back/Front Height Left/Right
Subwoofer
Digital Audio Connection
Coaxial (input or output)
Optical Input
Analog Video Connection
Composite Video

Speaker Connections

Speaker cables carry an amplified signal from the AVR's speaker terminals to each
loudspeaker. They contain two wire conductors, or leads, that are differentiated in some
way, such as with colors or stripes.
The differentiation helps you maintain proper polarity, without which your system's low-
frequency performance can suffer. Each speaker is connected to the AVR's speaker-
output terminals using two wires, one positive (+) and one negative (–). Always connect
the positive terminal on the speaker, which is usually colored red, to the positive terminal
on the receiver, which is colored as indicated in the Connection Color Guide Table, above.
The negative terminals on the speakers and the AVR are black.
Your AVR uses binding-post speaker terminals that can accept bare-wire cables or
banana plugs. Bare-wire cables are installed as shown below:
1. Unscrew Cap 2. Insert Bare Wire
Banana plugs are inserted into the hole in the middle of the terminal cap, as shown
below:
A. Tighten Cap B. Insert Banana Connector into Hole in Cap
Always connect the colored (+) terminal on the AVR to the (+) terminal on the speaker
(usually red), and the black (–) terminal on the AVR to the (–) terminal on the speaker
(usually black).
IMPORTANT: Make sure the ( + ) and ( – ) bare wires do not touch each other or
the other terminal. Touching wires can cause a short circuit that can damage your
receiver or amplifier.
12
TR00306_AVR_OM_161S and 171S_EMEA_B.indb 12
color-coding standard.
®
Color
White/Red
Green
Blue/Gray
Brown/Tan
Purple
Color
Orange
Black
Color
Yellow
3. Tighten Cap
Types of Home Theater System Connections

Subwoofer Connections

The subwoofer is a speaker dedicated to reproducing only the low (bass) frequencies,
which require more power. To obtain the best results, most speaker manufacturers offer
powered subwoofers that contain their own amplifiers. Use a single RCA audio cable to
make a line-level (non-amplified) connection from the AVR's Subwoofer connector to a
corresponding input jack on the subwoofer. (The AVR 1710S and AVR 171S have two
subwoofer output connections.)
Although the AVR's purple subwoofer output looks similar to a full-range analog audio
jack, it is filtered so that only the low frequencies pass through it. Don't connect this
output to any device other than a subwoofer.

Source Device Connections

Audio and video signals originate in source devices (components where a playback
signal originates) such as your Blu-ray Disc or DVD player, CD player, DVR (digital video
recorder) or other recorder, tape deck, game console, cable or satellite television tuner,
an iPod or iPhone (connected to the AVR's USB port) or an MP3 player. The AVR's FM/AM
tuner also counts as a source, even though no external connections are needed other
than the FM and AM antennas. Separate connections are required for the audio and
video portions of the source device's signal, except for digital HDMI connections. The
types of connections you use will depend upon the capabilities of the source device and
of your TV or video display.
Digital Audio Connections – HDMI
There are two types of audio connections – digital and analog. Digital audio signals are
required for listening to sources encoded with digital surround modes, such as Dolby
Digital and DTS, or for uncompressed PCM digital audio. Your AVR has three types of
digital audio connections: HDMI, coaxial and optical. Do not use more than one type of
digital audio connection for each source device. However, it's okay to make both analog
and digital audio connections to the same source.
Your AVR is equipped with rear-panel HDMI input and output connectors. HDMI technology
enables high-definition digital audio and video information to be carried using a single
cable, delivering the highest quality picture and sound. If your TV or video display device
has an HDMI input connector, make a single HDMI connection from each HDMI-enabled
source device to the AVR. Usually, a separate digital audio connection is not required.
The AVR's HDMI output connection contains an Audio Return Channel (ARC) that carries a
digital audio signal from your TV or video display back to the AVR. It allows you to listen
to HDMI devices that are connected directly to your TV (such as an Internet connection)
without making an additional connection from the device to the AVR. The ARC signal
is active when the TV source is selected. See System Settings, on page 34, for more
information. (The AVR 1710S and AVR 171S have two HDMI output connections. Only
HDMI Out 1 has ARC.)
The HDMI connector is shaped for easy plug-in (see illustration, below), and HDMI
cable runs are limited to about 10 feet (3m). If your video display has a DVI input and is
HDCP-compliant, use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter (not included), and make a separate audio
connection.
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