Operation; Volume Control & Output Level Adjustment; Turn-On Volume Level Limits - Harman Kardon PA 4000 Owner's Manual

Operation

Operation of the PA 4000 is simple. In normal
use, there are no controls to adjust once the
installation is complete.
After all connections have been made to the
amplifier's inputs and speaker terminals, and
the AC power cord has been connected, the
way in which the unit turns on is determined by
the settings for the Power Control Mode
Switches ·. Depending on the settings, as
described on page 8, the amplifier will turn on
in one of these three ways:
• When a Power Control Mode Switch ·
is set to the right, in the "ON/KEYPAD" posi-
tion, the PA 4000 will turn on when the
Power Switch 1 is pressed in. Press the
switch again to turn the amp off.
• When a Power Control Mode Switch ·
is set to the left, in the "AC/DC TRIGGER"
position, the Power Switch 1 should be
pressed in to place the PA 4000 in the
Standby mode. The unit will now turn on
automatically when a low-voltage signal is
present at the Trigger Jack fi.
• When a Power Control Mode Switch ·
is set in the middle, in the "MUSIC SENSE"
position, the Power Switch 1 should be
pressed in to place the PA 4000 in the
Standby mode. The unit will now turn on
automatically whenever an audio signal is
present. The unit will return to the Standby
mode 10 to 15 minutes after the audio signal
is removed.
• When optional remote-room keypads are con-
nected to the PA 4000 for one of the channel
pairs and the appropriate Power Control
Mode Switch · is set to the right, the
Power Switch 1 should be pressed in to
place the PA 4000 in the Standby mode. The
appropriate amplifier pair will now turn on
when a Power On command is received from
one of the remote rooms.
As a general rule, it's always a good idea to
turn on your amplifier LAST. This avoids the pos-
sibility of any turn-on pops or transients from
other equipment being amplified and sent to
your speakers where they may cause damage.
Always start with a low volume level on your
receiver, controller or preamp to avoid damage
to your speakers.
You are now ready to enjoy the finest sonic
performance available.
SAFETY NOTE: To prevent unintended opera-
tion, remember to turn the unit completely off
when it will not be used for an extended period
of time. This is done by pressing the Power
Switch 1 and noting that the Standby
Indicator 3 goes out. This will prevent the
automatic turn-on circuits from accidentally
turning the amplifier on during your absence.
Volume Control and Output Level
Adjustment
Depending on the specifics of a particular
installation, the volume control for any of the
channel pairs may be controlled in a number of
ways. Depending on the specific application,
you may choose to use more than one volume
control method at a time.
The following options are available:
• When there is no volume control in a remote
room location, the volume level for that room
should be adjusted using the Volume/
Output Level Controls ¡ for that specific
channel. Press the appropriate buttons to
raise (UP) or lower (DN) the volume until the
desired level is obtained. Note that when
there is a volume control active for the chan-
nel pair feed from the input source (such as a
receiver or multiroom controller) changing
that volume level will result in a change to
the volume in the remote room.
• When there is a volume control in a remote
room location (such as an in-wall autoformer)
you will need to set an output level from the
PA 4000, which will then be controlled fur-
ther in the remote room. To do this, we sug-
gest setting the remote room volume control
to the maximum, and then adjusting the
PA 4000 output by using the Volume/
Output Level Controls ¡ for the appro-
priate amplifier channel pair until the level in
the remote room is as loud as would ever be
required, and perhaps a bit louder, as long as
there is no distortion of the audio signal. At
that point, the remote room control may be
used to lower the volume level as needed.
Note that when there is a volume control for
the channel pair feed at the input source
(such as a receiver or multiroom controller)
changing that volume level will result in a
change to the volume in the remote room.
• When the remote room volume is controlled
through the optional in-wall keypads, no
adjustment to the rear-panel Volume Control
switches is needed.
• When any of the channels on the PA 4000
are used in conjunction with a surround
sound system, first leave the rear-panel
Volume Controls at their factory preset level
and make your output level adjustments
using the controls provided through your AV
receiver or surround processor. However, if
those adjustments do not produce a level set-
ting that matches the output from the chan-
nels being fed by other amplifiers, you may
raise or lower the output level from the
PA 4000 as required, using these controls.

Turn-On Volume Level Limits

In normal operation, when any channel pair in
the PA 4000 is turned on, it will return to the
last volume setting in use before the unit was
turned off or placed into the standby mode.
However, to prevent possible speaker damage
or disturbances to the occupants of a remote
room, the PA 4000 will automatically limit the
volume level at turn-on to either the factory
preset of –12dB, or to a user-determined maxi-
mum level. This option is particularly useful
when the optional remote keypads are in use.
To change the Turn-On Volume Level limit for
any of the channel pairs, follow these steps
individually for each channel pair to be adjusted:
• Place the Power Control Mode Switch ·
to the far right, in the "ON/KEYPAD"
position.
• Use the appropriate Volume Control/Output
Level Control ¡ for the channel to be
adjusted until the desired maximum turn-on
level is reached.
• Move the Power Control Mode Switch
· to the middle "MUSIC SENSE" position.
• Leave the Power Control Mode Switch
· in the "MUSIC SENSE" position for at
least one half of a second, and no more than
4 seconds.
• Return the Power Control Mode Switch
· to the "ON/KEYPAD" position.
To return the Turn-On Volume Level limit for any
channel pair to the factory preset of –12dB, fol-
low these steps individually for each channel
pair to be adjusted:
• Place the Power Control Mode Switch ·
to the far right, in the "ON/KEYPAD" posi-
tion.
• Move the Power Control Mode Switch
· to the middle "MUSIC SENSE" position.
• Leave the Power Control Mode Switch
· in the MUSIC SENSE position for at least
4 seconds, to no more than 10 seconds.
• Return the Power Control Mode Switch
· to the "ON/KEYPAD"position.
Notes on using the Turn-On Volume Level Limit:
• The volume settings for the Turn-On Level are
used only when any channel is first turned
on. After turn-on the volume may be adjusted
to any point in its range.
• Consult the instructions packed with the
optional keypads for additional information
on changing these settings from the remote
room.
13 OPERATION