Output Level Adjustment - Harman Kardon AVR 130 Owner's Manual

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
Stereo-Direct (Bypass) Mode
When the analog Stereo-Direct mode is selected
by pressing the Stereo Mode Selector
SURROUND OFF appears in the Lower
Display Line ¯ and the Surround Mode Indicator
˘ for Surr Off is lit, the AVR 130 will pass the analog
source material directly through to the front left and
right speakers, bypassing the digital-processing circuitry.
In this mode, the front left and right speakers will auto-
matically be configured as LARGE; it is not possible
to configure these speakers as SMALL.
When the AVR 130 is in the Stereo Bypass mode, you
may still configure the subwoofer output so that it is
either turned off, with a full-range signal going to the
front left/right speakers, or you may configure it so
that the subwoofer feed is activated. The factory
default setting is to have the subwoofer turned off
for this mode, but you may change that setting by
following these steps:
1. Press the Speaker Button 6
35
2. Press the Set Button o@ to activate the
configuration menu.
Buttons n on the remote or
3. Press the /
Buttons ) on the front panel to select
the ‹ / ›
the desired option. SUB NONE turns off the
feed to the subwoofer, while SUB <L+R>
turns it on.
4. When the desired setting has been entered, press
the Set Button o@ to return to normal
operation.
Stereo-Digital Mode
When the Stereo-Direct (Bypass) mode is in use, a
full-range signal is always sent to the front left/right
speakers. By its nature, that option does not pass the
signal through the AVR's digital-signal processing,
creating the requirement for full-range speakers. If
your front speakers are bandwidth-limited, "satellite"
speakers, we recommend that you do NOT use the
Bypass mode, but rather use the DSP SUR-
ROUND OFF mode for stereo listening.
To listen to programs in the two-channel stereo mode
while taking advantage of the bass management
system, press the Stereo Mode Selector
until SURROUND OFF appears in the Lower
Display Line ¯ and the DSP and SURR OFF
Surround Mode Indicators ˘ both light up. When
only the SURR OFF Surround Mode Indicator ˘
is lit, you are in the Stereo-Direct (Bypass) mode.
When this mode is in use, the front left/right speakers
and subwoofer may be configured to meet the
18 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
requirements of your specific speakers using the steps
shown in the Speaker Setup section on page 16.
28 until

Output Level Adjustment

Output level adjustment is a key part of the configura-
tion process for any surround sound product. It is par-
ticularly important for a Dolby Digital receiver such as
the AVR 130, as correct output levels will ensure that
you hear sound tracks in their proper place with the
proper directionality and intensity.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Listeners are often confused
about the operation of the surround channels. While
some assume that sound should always be coming
from each speaker, most of the time there will be little
or no sound in the surround channels. This is because
they are only used when a movie director or sound
mixer specifically places sound there to create
ambience, a special effect or to continue action from
the front of the room to the rear. When the output lev-
els are properly set, it is normal for surround speakers
to operate only occasionally. Artificially increasing the
.
volume to the rear speakers may destroy the illusion
of an enveloping sound field that duplicates the way
you hear sound in a movie theater or concert hall.
Before beginning the adjustment process, make cer-
tain that all speaker connections have been properly
made. The system volume should be set to the level
that you will use during a typical listening session.
Finally, make certain that the Balance Control Ò is
set to the center "12 o'clock" position.
To assist in making speaker configuration settings, the
icons in the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators ˆ
will change as the speaker type is selected at each
position. When only the center icon box containing the
abbreviation for the speaker position is lit, the speaker
is set for "small. " When the inner box and the two
outer boxes are lit, the speaker is set for "large." When
no indicator appears at a speaker location, that posi-
tion is set for "none" or "no" speaker.
For example, in the following figure, the left front and
right front speakers are set for "large," the center, sur-
round left (SL) and surround right (SR) speakers are
set for small, and a subwoofer is set, as shown by the
box with the abbreviation "LFE", which stands for "low-
frequency effects. "
28
L
SL
To adjust and calibrate the output levels, follow these
steps. For accurate calibration, it is a good idea to
make these adjustments while seated in your favorite
listening position:
C
R
LFE
SR
1. Put the AVR 130 in the Dolby Pro Logic II mode
by pressing the Dolby Mode Selector w on
the remote, until one of the Dolby mode names
appears in the Lower Display Line ¯. Output
level adjustment using the test tone is not avail-
able in the Stereo modes. However, in the
Stereo-Digital mode, you may trim the output
levels using program material, as described on
page 26.
2. Press the Test Button i on the remote.
TEST-T FL 0dB will appear in the
Lower Display Line ¯.
3. The test noise will immediately begin to circulate
among the speakers in a clockwise rotation,
pausing at each position for three seconds. As
the test noise rotates, the speaker position will be
shown in the Lower Display Line ¯.
NOTE: This is a good time to verify that the
speakers have been properly connected. As the
test noise circulates, listen to make certain that
the sound comes from the speaker position
shown in the Main Information Display. If the
sound from a speaker location does NOT match
the position indicated in the display, turn the
AVR 130 off using the Main Power Switch 1
and check the speaker wiring to make certain
that each speaker is connected to the correct
output terminal.
4. After checking for speaker placement, let the test
noise circulate, and listen to see which channels
sound louder than the others. Using the front left
(FL in the display) speaker as a reference,
Buttons n on the remote for
press the /
each channel to begin to bring them to the same
level. Note that when one of the buttons is
pushed, the test noise circulation will pause on
the channel being adjusted to give you time to
make the adjustment. When you release the but-
ton, the circulation will resume after 15 seconds.