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Harman Kardon AVR1550 User's Manual

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1. No Button Name AVR Function DVD Function 1 Power On Power On Power On 2 Power Off Power Off Power Off 3 AVR AVR Select AVR Select 4 DVD DVD Select DVD Select 5 CD CD Input Select 6 TAPE Tape Input Select 7 VID 1 Video 1 Select 8 VID 2 Video 2 Select 9 VID 3 Video 3 Select 10 TV TV Input Select 11 FM AM Tuner Select 12 Audio Audio Track Select 13 Subtitle Subtitle Select 14 On Off Subtitle On Off 15 Play Play 16 Pause Pause 17 Stop Stop 18 Status Status Select 19 Tune Down Tune Down R Search 20 Tune Up Tune Up F Search 21 Preset Down Preset Down Skip Previous 22 Preset Up Preset Up Skip Next 23 Slow Reverse Slow Reverse 24 Slow Forward Slow Forward 25 Step Reverse Step Reverse 26 Step Forward Step Forward 27 Repeat Repeat 28 Random Random Play 29 Tun M Check Tuner Mode Check 30 Volume Up Volume Up Volume Up 31 Speaker Menu Speaker Adjust Menu 32 Memory Prog Tuner Memory Program 33 Enter Set Enter 34 Volume Down Volume Down Volume Down 35 A Move Adjust Up Up 36 Move Adjust Left Left 37 gt Move Adjust Right Right 38 vyv Move Adjust Down Down 39 Surround Select Surround Select 40 Digital Digital Input Select Direct 41 Channel Title Channel Trim Title 42 Delay Delay Adjust Open Close 43 1 1 1 44 2 2 2 45 3 3 3 46 Test Test Tone 47 4 4 4 48 5 5 5 49 6 6 6 50 Night Night Mode Select 51 7 7 7 52 8 8 8 53 9 9 9 54
2. 28 Technical Specifications 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration of Conformity CE We Harman Consumer International 2 route de Tours 72500 Ch teau du Loir FRANCE declare in own responsibility that the product described in this owner s manual is in compliance with technical standards EN 55013 6 1990 EN 55020 12 1994 EN 60065 1993 EN 61000 3 2 4 1995 Carsten Olesen Harman Kardon Europe A S 09 02 Typographical Conventions In order to help you use this manual with the remote control front panel controls and rear panel connections certain conventions have been used EXAMPLE bold type indicates a specific remote control or front panel button or rear panel connection jack EXAMPLE OCR type indicates a message that is visible on the front panel information display EE number in a square indicates a specific front panel control number in a circle indicates a rear panel connection number in an oval indicates a button or indicator on the remote FY letter in a square indicates an indicator in the front panel display Introduction Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon With the purchase of a Harman Kardon AVR 1550 you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment The AVR 1550 has been custom designed to provide all the excitement and detail of movie sound tracks and every nuance of musical selections With onboard Dolby Digital and DTS decoding the AVR 1550 deliv
3. NOTE Many stations do not transmit a specific PTY The display will show NONE when such a Station is selected and PTY is active NOTE Some stations transmit constant traffic information To identify as traffic station they transmit a specific traffic code constantly which causes the TA Indicator to light in the dis play These stations can be found by selecting TRAFFIC the option in front of NEWS in the list The AVR 1550 will find the appropriate station even if it is not broadcasting traffic information when the search is made Remote The AVR 1550 is equipped with a powerful remote control that will control not only the receiver s functions but also compatible Harman Kardon CD and DVD players To switch between operating the AVR 1550 and compatible Harman Kardon products press the Input Selectors to select either the AVR 1550 or a different source D Some of the remote control functions will work no matter if the AVR 1550 or compatible Harman Kardon DVD player is selected See page 26 Pressing another input source than DVD will change the AVR 1550 s input to this source After that press the AVR Input Selector button again to be able to control the AVR 1550 OPERATION 25 Function List BY G2 G3 LBA Oe harman kardon AVR 1550 26 FUNCTION LIST
4. Chip Technology M Dolby Laboratory s latest ProLogic II decoding technology W Multiple Digital Inputs and Outputs M Front Panel Inputs for Easy Connection to Portable Devices and the Latest Video Game Consoles INTRODUCTION 3 Safety Information Important Safety Information Verify Line Voltage Before Use Your AVR 1550 has been designed for use with 220 240 Volt AC current Connection to a line voltage other than that for which it is intended can create a safety and fire hazard and may damage the unit If you have any questions about the voltage requirements for your specific model or about the line voltage in your area contact your dealer before plugging the unit into a wall outlet Do Not Use Extension Cords To avoid safety hazards use only the power cord attached to your unit We do not recommend that extension cords be used with this product As with all electrical devices do not run power cords under rugs or carpets or place heavy objects on them Damaged power cords should be replaced immediately by an authorized service depot with a cord meeting factory specifications Handle the AC Power Cord Gently When disconnecting the power cord from an AC outlet always pull the plug never pull the cord If you do not intend to use the unit for any con siderable length of time disconnect the plug from the AC outlet Do Not Open the Cabinet There are no user serviceable components inside this product Opening
5. J and then pressing the Numeric Keys that correspond to the Station s frequency The desired station will auto matically be tuned after the latest number is entered If you press an incorrect button while entering a direct trequency press the Clear button to start over NOTE When the FM reception of a stereo Station is weak audio quality will be increased by switching to Mono mode by pressing the Tuner Mode button 3 on the remote or 24 OPERATION holding the Band Selector J on the front panel pressed for 3 seconds until the STERE 0 indicator E goes out Preset Tuning Using the remote up to 30 stations may be stored in the AVR 1550 s memory for easy recall using the front panel controls or the remote To enter a station into the memory first tune the station using the steps outlined above Then 1 Press the Memory button on the remote Note that ME MOR Y indicator fg will illuminate and flash in the Main Information Display ff 2 Within five seconds press the Numeric Keys corresponding to the location where you wish to store this station s frequency Once entered the preset number will appear in the Preset Number Sleep Time Display e 3 Repeat the process after tuning any additional stations to be preset Recalling Preset Stations e To manually select a station previously entered in the preset memory press the Numeric Keys that correspond to the desired station s memory location e To ma
6. and they may be con nected directly to the digital audio output of your CD DVD or LD player LD only for PCM or DTS programs for Dolby Digital laser discs an RF adapter is needed see Dolby Digital above Connections may be made to either the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel To listen to a PCM digital source first select the input for the desired source e g CD to feed its video signal if any to the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio signal for recording Next press the Digital Select button Ex D and then use the A w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons gy on the front panel until the desired choice appears in the Main Information Display M then press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front BA to confirm the choice When a PCM source is playing the PCM indica tor FY will light During PCM playback you may select any surround mode as described on pages 20 and 21 except Dolby Digital or DTS Selecting a Digital Source To utilize either digital mode you must have properly connected a digital source to the AVR 1550 Connect the digital outputs from DVD players HDTV receivers satellite systems or CD players to the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel When playing a digital source such as DVD first select its input using the remote or front panel controls as outlined in this manual in order to feed its video signal if any
7. OPTI COAXI ANALOG RDS TA AUTO TUNED ST MEM i NAL MT MA MA MA NA NA NA g pem WANT TAIN PANT YN N ANT TANT AN tz dts DaD OOPLI DASSI DSP D a EN Bitstream Indicators Optical Source Indicators DTS Mode Indicator B Dolby Digital Indicator A Coaxial Digital Input Indicators al Dolby Pro Logic II Indicator e Analog Input Indicator EAN Bitstream Indicators When the input is a digital source one of these indicators will light to display the specific type of signal in use Optical Source Indicators These indica tors light to show when a Optical Digital Input has been selected DTS Mode Indicator This indicator illumi nates when the DTS mode is selected B Dolby Digital Indicator This indicator illuminates when Dolby Digital mode is selected A Coaxial Digital Input Indicators These indicators light to show when a Coaxial Digital Input has been selected a Dolby Pro Logic ll Indicator This indica tor lights when the Dolby Pro Logic II mode has been selected e Analog Input Indicator This indicator lights when an analog input source has been selected i Dolby 3 Stereo Indicator This indicator lights when the Dolby 3 Stereo Mode has been selected Only S T Stereo will light when Surround Off has been selected Then all Surround Modes are turned off and the unit will play in pure stereo mode KE RDS Indicator This indicator illuminates when the station tuned is tran
8. RE SE T message in the Main Information Display M Note that once you have cleared the memory in this manner it is nec essary to re establish all system configuration settings and tuner presets NOTE Resetting the processor will erase any configuration settings you have made for speak ers output levels surround modes digital input assignments as well as the tuner presets After a reset the unit will be returned to the factory presets and all settings for these items must be reentered If the system is still operating incorrectly there may have been an electronic discharge or severe AC line interference that has corrupted the memory or microprocessor If these steps do not solve the problem consult an authorized Harman Kardon service depot TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 27 Technical Specifications Audio Section Stereo Mode Continuous Average Power FTC 50 Watts per channel 20HZ 20kHZz lt 0 07 THD both channels driven into 8 ohms Five Channel Surround Modes Power Per Individual Channel Front L amp R channels 40 Watts per channel lt 0 07 THD 20Hz 20kHz into 8 ohms Center channel 40 Watts lt 0 07 THD 20HzZ 20kHz into 8 ohms Surround channels 40 Watts per channel lt 0 07 THD 20Hz 20kHz into 8 ohms Input Sensitivity Impedance Linear High Level 200mV 47kohms Signal to Noise Ratio IHF A 90dB Surround System Adjacent Channel Separation Analog Decoding A0dB Pro Logic
9. Sleep Sleep 55 RDS RDS Setup Menu 56 0 0 0 57 Clear Clear Clear 58 Mute Mute Troubleshooting Guide SYMPTOM Unit does not function when Main Power Switch EE is pushed Display lights but no sound or picture Sound is heard but Front Panel Display does not light No sound from any speaker light around Power switch BA is red No sound from surround or center speakers Unit does not respond to remote commands Intermittent buzzing in tuner Letters flash in the Channel Indicator Display and Digital Audio stops CAUSE e No AC Power e Intermittent input connections e Mute is on e Volume control is down e Display brightness is turned off e Amplifier is in protection mode due to possible short e Amplifier is in protection mode due to internal problems e Incorrect surround mode e Incorrect configuration e Stereo or Mono program material e Speakers not properly connected e Weak batteries in remote e Wrong device selected e Remote sensor Eq is obscured e Local interference e Digital audio feed paused SOLUTION e Make certain AC power cord is plugged into a live outlet e Check to see if outlet is switch controlled e Make certain that all input and speaker connections are secure e Press Mute button e Turn up volume control e Follow the instructions in the Display Brightness section on page 23 so that the display is set to VFD FULL e Check speaker wire connections for shorts at r
10. all analog and digital surround modes and except with Hall and Theater modes NO surround channel bass will be sent to the sub woofer output When NONE is selected surround sound information will be split between the front left and front right outputs Note that for optimal performance when no surround speakers are in use the Dolby 3 Stereo mode should be used instead of Dolby Pro Logic 9 When you have completed your selection for the surround channel press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front Pj and then press the A w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons on the front panel to change the display to S WSPKR 10 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front EN and then press the A w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons F4 on the front panel to select the option that best describes your Subwoofer system The choices available for the subwoofer position will depend on the settings for the other speak ers particularly the front left right positions If the front left right speakers are set to SMALL the subwoofer will automatically be set to SUB which is the on position If the front left right speakers are set to LARGE three options are available e f no subwoofer is connected to the AVR 1550 press the arrow buttons F4 so that NONE appears in the display When this option is selected all bass information wil
11. channel out put levels using the internal test tone as a refer ence For more information on output level adjustment see page 17 Selector Buttons When you are establish ing the AVR 1550 s configuration settings use these buttons to select from the choices available as shown in the Main Information Display f HE Main Information Display This display delivers messages and status indications to help you operate the receiver See pages 7 8 for a complete explanation of the Information Display HE Volume Control Turn this knob clockwise to increase the volume counterclockwise to decrease the volume If the AVR is muted adjusting volume control will automatically release the unit from the silenced condition Pit Set Button When making choices during the setup and configuration process press this button to enter the desired setting as shown in the Main Information Display f into the AVR 1550 s memory The set button may also be used to change the display brightness See page 23 PA Digital Input Selector When playing a source that has a digital output press this button to select between the Optical and Coaxial Digital inputs See pages 21 22 for more information on digital audio PP Delay Press this button to begin the sequence of steps required to enter delay time settings See page 16 for more information on delay times Front Panel Information Display BMEMGIM KJOBLEULTESIRIN P DSOOD
12. enter settings into the AVR 1550 s memory It is also used in the setup procedures for delay time speaker configuration and channel output level adjustment Digital Select Direct Press this button to assign one of the digital inputs to a source See page 22 for more information on using digital inputs In Tuner mode press this button when the tuner is in use to start the sequence for direct entry of a stations frequency After pressing the button simply press the proper Numeric Keys 2 to select a station See page 24 for more informa tion on the tuner y Numeric Keys These buttons serve as a ten button numeric keypad to enter tuner preset positions They are also used to select channel numbers when TV VCR or Sat receiver has been selected on the remote or to select track numbers on a compatible Harman Kardon CD DVD or LD player Tuner Mode Press this button when the tuner is in use to select between automatic tun ing and manual tuning When the button is pressed so that the AUTO indicator e goes out pressing the Tuning buttons DEA will move the frequency up or down in single step increments When the FM band is in use and the AUTO indicator e is on pressing this button will change to monaural reception making even week stations audible See page 24 for more information Volume Up Down Press these buttons to raise or lower the system volume D Tuning Up Down When the tuner is in use these
13. from the AC wall outlet This prevents any possibility of accidentally send ing audio or transient signals to the speakers that may damage them Important Note In order to clearly identity all connectors and simplify nstallation as per the new EIA CEA 863 standard all connections are colour coded as follows For Speakers and Audio In Outputs White Left speakers front and Red Right speakers front For Speakers Green Center Blue Left Surround and Grey Right Surround For Audio Output Purple Subwoofer For Composite Video In Outputs Yellow For Digital Audio In Outputs Orange 1 Connect the analog output of a CD player to the CD inputs NOTE When the CD player has both fixed and variable audio outputs it is best to use the fixed output unless you find that the input to the receiver is so low that the sound is noisy or so high that the signal is distorted 2 Connect the analog Play Out jacks of a cas sette deck MD CD R or other audio recorder to the Tape Input jacks Connect the analog Record In jacks on the recorder to the Tape Output jacks on the AVR 1550 3 Connect the digital output of any digital device to the appropriate input connections on the AVR 1550 rear panel Note that the Optical and Coaxial digital inputs QS may be used with a Dolby Digital or DTS source or the output of a conventional CD MD or LD player s PCM S P DIF output 4 Connect the Coaxial Digital Outputs on th
14. set at a default brightness level that is sufficient for viewing in a normally lit room However in some home theater installa tions you may wish to occasionally lower the brightness of the display or turn it off completely The display brightness may be changed by pressing and holding the Set button P W on the front for three seconds until the message in the Main Information Display M reads V F D F ULL Within five seconds press the front panel lt gt buttons gg until the desired bright ness display level is shown At that point press the Set button PIN again to enter the setting Memory Backup This product is equipped with a memory backup system that preserves tuner presets and system configuration information if the unit is turned off completely accidentally unplugged or subjected to a power outage This memory will last for approximately two weeks after which time all information must be reentered OPERATION 23 Operation Tuner Operation The AVR 1550 s tuner is capable of tuning AM FM and FM Stereo broadcast stations and receiving RDS data Stations may be tuned manually or they may be stored as favorite station presets and recalled from a 30 position memory Station Selection 1 Press the AM FM Tuner Select button on the remote to select the tuner as an input The tuner may be selected from the front panel by either pressing the Input Source Selector EE until the tuner is active or by pressing t
15. such as a video game or camcorder to your home entertainment system on a temporary basis e As the input source is changed the new input name will appear in the Main Information Display M e When a pure audio source Tuner CD Tape is selected the last video input used remains rout ed to the Video 1 Outputs except from its own Video 1 2 source and Video Monitor Output This permits simultaneous viewing and listening to different sources e When a Video source is selected its audio sig nal will be fed to the speakers and the video sig nal for that input will be routed to the appropriate Monitor Output jack and will be viewable on a TV monitor connected to the AVR 1550 Controls and Use of Headphones e Adjust the volume to a comfortable level using the front panel Volume Control EE or remote Volume Up Down buttons e To temporarily silence all speaker outputs press the Mute button p This will interrupt the output to all speakers and the headphone jack but it will not affect any recording or dub bing that may be in progress Press the Mute button again to return to normal operation e To set the output of the AVR 1550 so that the output is flat with the Tone controls de acti vated press the Tone Mode button button once or twice so that the words Tone Out appear momentarily in the Main Information Display M To return the tone controls to an active condition press the Tone Mode q but t
16. technology that creates or decodes full range discrete left center right right surround and left surround channels from either matrix surround encoded programs and conventional stereo sources The Dolby ProLogic II Movie mode is optimized for movie soundtracks that are recorded with matrix surround by creating true rear left center and right signals The ProLogic II Music mode should be used with musical selections that are recorded with matrix surround or with normal stereo mode creating discrete rear left and right signals The ProLogic Il Emulation mode creates compelling five channel surround from conventional stereo recordings Uses the information contained in a surround encoded or two channel stereo program to create center channel information In addition the information that is normally sent to the rear channel surround speakers is carefully mixed in with the front left and front right channels for increased realism Use this mode when you have a center channel speaker but no surround speakers The THEATER mode creates a sound field that resembles the acoustic feeling of a standard live performance theater with stereo and even pure mono sources The two Hall modes create sound fields that resemble a small HALL 1 or medium sized HALL 2 concert hall with stereo and even pure mono sources This mode takes advantage of multiple speakers to place a stereo signal at both the front and back of a room Ideal for playing music in sit
17. that time the word TEXT will flash in the Information Display when RT is selected e The current time of day CT Note that it may take up to two minutes for the time to appear in that time the word T IME will flash in the information display when CT is selected Please note that the accuracy of the time data is dependent on the radio station not the AVR 1550 Some RDS stations may not include some of these additional features If the data required for the selected mode is not being transmitted the Main Information Display M will show a NO TYPE NO TEXT or NO TIME message after the individual time out In any FM mode the RDS function requires a strong enough signal for proper operation If you receive a partial message or the RDS Indicator EE going on and off try slowly adjusting the antenna or tune to another stronger RDS station Operation Program Search PTY An important feature of RDS is its capability of encoding broadcasts with Program Type PTY codes that indicate the type of material being broadcast The following list shows the abbrevia tions used to indicate each PTY along with an explanation of the PTY e RDS ONLY e TRAFFIC e NEWS News e AFFAIRS Current Affairs e INF 0 Infomation e SPORT Sports e EDUCATE Educational e DRAMA Drama e CULTURE Culture e SCIENCE Science e VARIE D Varied Speech Programs e POPM Popular Music e ROCKIT Rock Music eM 0 R M Middle of t
18. the Tuner mode Pressing it again will switch between the AM and FM frequency bands holding it pressed for some seconds will switch between stereo and mono receiving and between automatic and manual tuning mode See page 24 for more information on the tuner f t Preset Stations Selector Press this but ton to scroll up or down through the list of sta tions that have been entered into the preset memory See page 24 for more information on tuner programming fil Input Source Selector Press this button to change the input by scrolling through the list of input sources IA RDS Select Button Press this button to dis play the various messages that are part of the RDS data system of the AVR 1550 s tuner See page 24 for more information on RDS 6 FRONT PANEL CONTROLS Fe Channel Select Button Press this button to begin the process of trimming the channel output levels using an external audio source For more information on output level trim adjustment see page 23 IZ Speaker Select Button Press this button to begin the process of selecting the speaker positions that are used in your listening room See page 14 for more information on setup and configuration IA Video 3 Input Jacks These audio video jacks may be used for temporary connection to video games or portable audio video products such as camcorders and portable audio players HS Test Tone Selector Press this button to begin the process of adjusting the
19. will be selected automatically but you may also select any Pro Logic Il mode only Music or Emulation should be used then D T S When the DTS indicator lights a DTS bitstream is being received When the unit senses this type of data only the DTS mode may be used P CM When the PCM indicator lights a standard Pulse Code Modulation or PCM signal is being received This is the type of digital audio used by conventional compact disc and laser disc record ings When a PCM bitstream is present all modes except Dolby Digital and DTS are available Note that the PCM signal format can be selected on the DVD player with any audio track even with Dolby Digital tracks but not with Dolby Digital decoding So if selected even 2 0 D D audio tracks can be played with all surround modes In addition to the Bitstream Indicators the AVR 1550 features a set of unique channel input indicators that tell you how many channels of digital information are being received and if the digital signal is interrupted These indicators are the L C R SL SR LFE letters that are inside the center boxes of the Speaker Channel Input Indicators A in the front panel Main Information Display fE When a standard analog stereo or matrix surround signal is in use only the L and R indicators will light as analog signals have only left and right channels respectively even surround recordings carry surround information on the left and right
20. will turn green EJ Headphone Jack This jack may be used to listen to the AVR 1550 s output through a pair of headphones Be certain that the headphones have a standard 6 3 mm stereo phone plug Note that the speakers will automatically be turned off when the headphones are connected Selector Buttons HE Main Information Display HE Volume Control PX Set Button PA Digital Input Selector PY Delay EJ Remote Sensor Window The sensor behind this window receives infrared signals from the remote control Aim the remote at this area and do not block or cover it unless an external remote sensor is installed Hi Tone Mode Pressing this button activates the menu for setting the Bass and Treble controls FRONT PANEL CONTROLS 5 Front Panel Controls Surround Mode Selector Press this but ton to change the surround mode by scrolling through the list of available modes Note that Dolby Digital and DTS modes can be selected only when a digital input is used See page 20 for more information about surround modes EJ Tuning Selector Press the left side of the button to tune lower frequency stations and the right side of the button to tune higher frequency stations When a station with a strong signal is reached the TUNED indicator J will illuminate in the Main Information Display ff see page 24 for more information on tuning stations EJ Tuner Band Selector Pressing this button will automatically switch the AVR to
21. words S DELAY appear in the Main Information Display M 3 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front PIN 4 Press the A w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons Ed on the front panel until the desired rear delay time for the Dolby Digital mode calculated using the formula for Dolby Digital above item a appears in the display 5 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front FN to enter the setting into the AVR 1550 s memory 6 Press the A w buttons on the remote once so that C DELAY appears in the Main Information Display M 7 Press the Enter button 3 on the remote control or the Set button on the front PX 8 Press the A w buttons on the remote until the desired delay time for the center chan nel appears in the display 9 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front Pf to enter the setting into the AVR 1550 s memory You have now completed the delay time settings for all surround modes and inputs Night Mode Settings The Night mode is a feature of Dolby Digital that uses special processing to preserve the dynamic range and full intelligibility of a movie sound track while reducing the peak level This prevents abruptly loud transitions from disturbing others without reducing the sonic impact of a digital source Note that the Night mode is only avail able when the Dolby Digital su
22. 893 342 4 910 779 4 975 954 5 034 983 O 5 136 651 and 5 333 200 Cooper Bauck Transaural Stereo Manufactured under license from Digital Theater Systems Inc US Pat COAXIAL No 5 451 942 5 956 674 5 974 380 5 978 762 and other world wide patents issued and pending DTS and DTS Digital Surround are O registered trademarks of Digital Theater Systems Inc Copyright 1996 2000 Digital Theater Systems Inc All Rights Reserved DIGITAL IN Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories Dolby Pro Logic under O and the double D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories COAXIAL OPTICAL Tape Inputs Tape Outputs Video 1 Audio Inputs AM Antenna Video 1 Audio Outputs Video 2 Audio Inputs FM Antenna Tape Inputs Connect these jacks to the PLAY OUT jacks of an audio recorder Tape Outputs Connect these jacks to the RECORD INPUT jacks of an audio recorder Video 1 Audio Inputs Connect these jacks to the PLAY OUT audio jacks on a VCR or other video source AM Antenna Connect the AM loop antenna supplied with the receiver to these terminals If an external AM antenna is used make connections to the AM and GND terminals in accordance with the instructions supplied with the antenna Video 1 Audio Outputs Connect these jacks to the RECORD INPUT audio jacks on a VCR or any other Audio recorder Video 2 Audio Inputs Connect these jacks to the PLAY OUT audio
23. AVR 1550 Audio Video Receiver OWNER S MANUAL harman kardon AVR 1550 PRO LOGICI DIGITAL SURROUND DIS DOD OPTI COAX ANALOG RDS TA AUTO TUNED ST MEM PRESET T MA NA NA NA NA NA NA DA e mr pom WANT IAN WANT ANT JANE ANT NT WANT ite 0i ET DOD OOPLI DU3ST DSP TestTone Speaker Channel Digital Select Delay 2 Tone Mode w Surround Mode amp w Tuning v Preset A v Source Phones harman kardon Power for the Digital Revolution Table of Contents Introduction Safety Information Unpacking Front Panel Controls Front Panel Information Display Rear Panel Connections Remote Control Functions Installation and Connections Audio Equipment Connections Video Equipment Connections SCART A V Connections Speaker Selection and Placement System Configuration First Turn On Settings to be Made With Each Input Used Input Setup Speaker Setup Surround Setup Making Settings independent of selected Input Delay Settings Night Mode Settings Output Level Adjustment Operation Basic Operation Source Selection Controls and Use of Headphones Surround Mode Chart Surround Mode Selection Digital Audio Playback Selecting a Digital Source Digital Status Indicators Night Mode Tape Recording Output Level Trim Adjustment Display Brigthness Memory Backup Tuner Operation RDS Operation Function List Troubleshooting Guide Processor Reset
24. C plug to an unswitched AC wall output DVD Video Inputs Connect these jacks to the composite or S Video output jacks on a DVD player or other video source Video 1 Video Outputs Connect these jacks to the RECORD INPUT composite or S Video jack on a VCR Z Video 1 Video Inputs Connect these jacks to the PLAY OUT composite or S Video jacks on a VCR or other video source Video 2 Video Inputs Connect these jacks to the PLAY OUT composite jacks on a second VCR or other video source Remote Control Functions Power On Button IR Transmitter Window Mute Power Off Button Input Selectors AVR Selector AM FM Tuner Select Test Button Sleep Button Surround Mode Selector Night Mode Channel Select Button D A V Buttons lt Button Enter Button Digital Select Direct Button Numeric Keys Tuner Mode Volume Up Down ED Tuning Up Down D Speaker Select Transport Controls Button ED RDS Select Button Preset Up Down ED Clear Button D Memory Button Delay NOTE The function names shown here are each button s feature when used with the AVR Most buttons have additional functions when used with other Harman Kardon devices See page 26 for a list of these functions IMPORTANT NOTE The AVR 1550 s remote is shipped trom the factory to operate the AVR 1550 and most Harman Kardon CD or DVD players and cassette decks Before using the remote it is
25. D R OF F When the Night mode is active the Night Mode Indicator e will also illuminate Operation IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK 1 When the digital playback source is stopped or in a pause fast forward or chapter search mode the digital audio data will momentarily stop and the channel position letters inside the Speaker Channel Indicators A will flash This is normal and does not indicate a problem with either the AVR 1550 or the source machine The AVR 1550 will return to digital playback as soon as the data is available and when the machine is in a standard play mode 2 Although the AVR 1550 will decode virtually all DVD movies CDs and HDTV sources it is possible that some future digital sources may not be com patible with the AVR 1550 3 Note that not all digitally encoded programs and not all audio tracks on a DVD contain full 5 1 channel audio Consult the program guide that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to deter mine which type of audio has been recorded on the disc The AVR 1550 will automatically sense the type of digital surround encoding used indi cate it in the Bitstream Indicators FM and Channel Input Indicators A and adjust to accommodate it 4 When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing you normally may not be able to select some of the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro Logic Il Dolby 3 Stereo Hall Theater or 5CH Stereo except with special audio tracks see indication
26. Dolby Digital on previous page or data format selected see PCM on previous page 5 When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing it is not possible to make an analog recording using the Tape or Video 1 record out puts if the source is connected to any digital input of the AVR 1550 only Tape Recording In normal operation the audio or video source selected for listening through the AVR 1550 is sent to the record outputs This means that any program you are watching or listening to may be recorded simply by placing machines connected to the outputs for Tape Outputs or Video 1 Outputs in the record mode When a digital audio recorder is connected to the Coaxial Digital Audio Outputs you are able to record the digital signal using a CD R MiniDisc or other digital recording system Note that all digital signals will be passed through to the coaxial digital output no matter which kind of digital input was selected NOTES e The digital outputs are active only when a digi tal signal is present and they do not convert an analog input to a digital signal or change the for mat of the digital signal e g Dolby Digital to PCM or vice versa but optical digital input signals are converted to coaxial signals In additon the digital recorder must be compatible with the out put signal For example the PCM digital output from a CD player may be recorded on a CD R or MiniDisc but Dolby Digital or DTS signa
27. EM CONFIGURATION Surround Setup Once the speaker setup has been completed the next setup step is to set the surround mode you wish to use with each input Since surround modes are a matter of personal taste feel free to select any mode you wish you may change it later The Surround Mode chart on page 20 may help you select the mode best suited to the input source selected However to make it easier to establish the initial parameters for the AVR 1550 it is best to select any Dolby Pro Logic II mode for most analog inputs and Dolby Digital for inputs connected to digital sources In the case of inputs such as a CD Player Tape Deck or Tuner you may wish to set the mode to Stereo if that is your preferred listening mode for standard stereo sources where it is unlikely that surround encod ed material will be used To set the surround mode you wish to use with the input selected press the Surround Mode Selector button FA on the front or D and the A v buttons on the remote until the desired surround mode s name appears in the Main Information Display M Note that Dolby Digital and DTS will only appear as choices when a digital input has been selected After the surround mode setting has been made with the current input repeat the setting with all inputs you will use The surround mode can also be changed at any time later and the AVR 1550 s memory system will keep the settings for the input selected until they are chan
28. Music with music surround mode When no rear speakers are in use the Dolby 3 Stereo mode should be selected with all surround recordings Note that when Dolby Digital 2 0 signals e g D D 2 0 tracks from DVD that are encoded with Dolby Pro Logic information are received via any digital input the Dolby Pro Logic Il Movie mode will be selected automatically in addition to the Dolby Digital mode and will decode a full range 5 1 channel surround sound even from those recordings see also Dolby Digital on page 22 To create wide enveloping sound field environments and defined pans and flyovers with all analog stereo recordings select the Dolby Pro Logic II Music or Emulation mode NOTE Once a program has been encoded with matrix surround information it retains the sur round information as long as the program is broadcast in stereo Thus movies with surround sound may be decoded via any of the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro Logic ll when they are broadcast via conventional TV stations cable pay TV and satellite transmission In addition a growing number of made for tele vision programs sports broadcasts radio dramas and music CDs are also recorded in surround sound You may view a list of these programs at the Dolby Laboratories Web site at www dolby com Even when a program is not listed as carrying intentional surround information you may find that the Dolby Pro Logic Il Dolby 3 Stereo modes of
29. When the letters flash the digital input has been interrupted See page 18 and 27 for more information on the Channel Indicators PRESET ICE SLEEP EE IT ooer Cu CH EHR e 0 Auto Indicator J Speaker Channel Input Indicators e Preset Number Sleep Timer E Preset Indicator FY Sleep Indicator Memory Indicator U Stereo Indicator e Preset Number Sleep Timer When the tuner is in use these numbers indicate the spe cific preset memory location in use See page 24 for more information on preset stations When the Sleep function is in use these numbers show how many minutes remain before the unit goes into the Standby mode Preset Indicator This indicator lights when the tuner is in use to show that the Preset Number Sleep Timer e is showing the sta tion s preset memory number See page 24 for more information on tuner presets FI Sleep Indicator This indicator lights when the Sleep function is in use The numbers in the Preset Sleep Number Indicators will show the minutes remaining before the AVR 1550 goes into the Standby mode See page 19 for more information on the Sleep function Memory Indicator This indicator flashes when entering presets and other information into the tuners memory U Stereo Indicator This indicator illuminates when an FM station is being tuned in stereo FRONT PANEL INFORMATION DISPLAY 7 Rear Panel Connections DIGITAL OUT U S Patent Nos 4
30. are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Confidential Unpublished Works 1992 1999 Dolby Laboratories Inc All rights reserved DTS and DTS Surround are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems Inc UltraStereo is a trademark of UltraStereo Corp Crystal is a registered trademark of Cirrus Logic Corp harman kardon H A Harman International Company 250 Crossways Park Drive Woodbury New York 11797 www harmankardon com Harman Consumer International 2 route de Tours 72500 Chateau du Loir France 2002 Harman Kardon Incorporated Part No 55498730
31. at you wish to adjust To adjust the subwoofer level press the Selector buttons yg or the A Y buttons until SW LEVEL appears in the Main Information Display M only available if the subwoofer was selected during the speaker configuration see page 14 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front EI when the name of the desired channel appears in the Main Information Display M and on screen display and follow the instructions shown above to adjust the level Repeat the procedure as needed until all channels requiring adjustment have been set When all adjustments have been made press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front PX twice the AVR 1550 will return to normal operation NOTE The output levels may be separately trimmed for each digital and analog surround mode If you wish to have different trim levels for a specific mode select that mode and then follow the instructions in the steps shown above Changing the levels by the trim adjustment as described above will automatically change the level settings shown during the Output Level Adjustment see page 17 correspondingly and vice versa and will remain in the AVR 1550 s memory system even when the unit is turned off With Stereo mode the adjustment procedure described above is the only way to trim the out put level Display Brightness The AVR 1550 s front panel Main Information Display f is
32. ation on RDS Preset Up Down When the tuner is in use press these buttons to scroll through the stations programmed into the AVR 1550 s memory Clear Button Press this button to clear incorrect entries when using the remote to directly enter a radio station s frequency Memory Button Press this button to enter a radio station into the AVR 1550 s preset memory After pressing the button the MEMORY indicator yg will flash you then have five sec onds to enter a preset memory location using the Numeric Keys p2 See page 23 for more information Delay Prev Ch Press this button to begin the process for setting the delay times used by the AVR 1550 when processing surround sound After pressing this button the delay times are entered by pressing the Enter button and then using the A w buttons to change the setting Press the Enter button again to com plete the process See page 16 for more infor mation Installation and Connections After unpacking the unit and placing it on a solid surface capable of supporting its weight you will need to make the connections to your audio and video equipment Audio Equipment Connections We recommend that you use high quality inter connect cables when making connections to source equipment and recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals When making connections to audio source equipment or speakers it is always a good prac tice to unplug the unit
33. between the left and right speakers should be equal to the distance from the seating position to the viewing screen You may also experiment with placing the left and right speakers slightly forward of the center speaker INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 13 System Configuration Once the speakers have been placed in the room and connected the remaining steps are to program the system configuration memories With the AVR 1550 two kind of memories are used those associated individually with the input selected e g surround modes and others working independently from any input selected like speaker output levels or delay times used by the surround sound processor First Turn On You are now ready to power up the AVR 1550 to begin these final adjustments 1 Plug the Power Cable into an un switched AC outlet 2 Press the Main Power Switch EE in until it latches and the word OFF on the top of the switch disappears inside the front panel Note that the Power Indicator KA will turn orange indicating that the unit is in the Standby mode 3 Remove the protective plastic film from the front panel lens If left in place the film may affect the performance of your remote control 4 Install the three supplied AAA batteries in the remote as shown Be certain to follow the and polarity indicators that are on the bottom of the battery compartment 5 Turn the AVR 1550 on either by pressing the System Power Cont
34. buttons will tune up or down through the selected frequency band If the Tuner Mode but ton has been pressed or the Band button IA on the front panel was held pressed so that the AUTO indicator el is illuminated pressing either of the buttons will cause the tuner to seek the next station with acceptable signal strength for quality reception When the AUTO indicator e is NOT illuminated pressing these buttons will tune stations in single step increments See page 24 for more information Speaker Select Press this button to begin the process of configuring the AVR 1550 s Bass Management System for use with the type of speakers used in your system Once the button has been pressed use the A buttons to select the channel you wish to set up Press the Enter button and then select the speaker type see page 14 for more information Transport Buttons These buttons do not have any functions for the AVR but they may be used for the forward reverse play operation of a wide variety of compatible Harman Kardon CD or DVD players and audio or video cassette recorders P Button This button does not have a function with the AVR 1550 When a compatible Harman Kardon DVD player or TV is selected it may be used to navigate the menus of those devices RDS Select Button Press this button to display the various messages that are part of the RDS data system of the AVR 1550 s tuner See page 24 for more inform
35. ch press of the button will increase the time before shut down in the following sequence 90 _ 80 70_ 60 50 z min min min min 40 4 30 _ 20 _ 10 gt OFF min min min min The sleep time will be displayed in the Preset Number Sleep Timer Indicator e and it will count down until the time has elapsed When the programmed sleep time has elapsed the unit will automatically turn off to Standby mode Note that the front panel display will dim to one half brightness when the Sleep function is programmed To cancel the Sleep function press and hold the Sleep Button until the information display returns to normal brightness and the Sleep indicator numbers return to 0 in the Main Information Display M Source Selection e To select a source press any of the Source Selector buttons on the remote OOO NOTE After pressing one of the Input Selector buttons you must press the AVR Selector to have the remote control the AVR functions e The input source may also be changed by pressing the front panel Input Source Selector button KE Each press of the button will move the input selection through the list of available inputs e As the input is changed the AVR 1550 will automatically switch to the digital input if selected surround mode and speaker configura tion that were entered during the configuration process for that source e The front panel Video 3 Inputs Ej may be used to connect a device
36. channels only Digital signals however may have one to six separate channels depending on the program material the method of transmission and the way in which it was encoded When a digital signal is playing the letters in these indicators will light in response to the specific signal being received It is important to note that although Dolby Digital for example is referred to as a 5 1 system not all Dolby Digital DVD or audio tracks selected on DVD or other Dolby Digital programs are encoded for 5 1 Thus it is some times normal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital soundtrack to trigger e g only the L and R indicators Night Mode A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night mode which enables Dolby Digital input sources to be played back with full digital intelligibilty while reducing the maximum peak level and lift ing the low levels by 1 4 to 1 3 This prevents abruptly loud transitions trom disturbing others without reducing the impact of the digital source The Night mode is available only when Dolby Digital mode is selected The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night Button on the remote Next press the amp buttons to select either the middle range or full compression versions of the Night mode To turn the Night mode off press the 4 Y buttons until the message in the lower third of the video display and the Main Information Display M reads
37. d SAT receiver when selected Surround Mode Selector Press this button to begin the process of changing the surround mode After the button has been pressed use the a w buttons to select the desired surround mode See page 21 for more information Night Mode Press this button to activate the Night mode This mode is available only with Dolby Digital encoded digital sources and it preserves dialog center channel intelligibilty at low volume levels See page 22 for more information Channel Select Button This button is used to start the process of setting the AVR 1550 s output levels with an external source Once this button is pressed use the A w buttons to select the channel being adjusted then press the Enter button followed by the A w buttons again to change the level setting See page 23 for more information 10 REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS a v Buttons These are multi purpose buttons They will be used most frequently to select a surround mode These buttons are also used to increase or decrease output levels when config uring the unit to select speaker configuration or to select the digital inputs They are also used to enter delay time settings after the Delay button has been pressed lt q Button This button does not have a function with the AVR 1550 When a DVD player or TV is selected it may be used to navigate the menus of those devices Enter Button This button is used to
38. e AVR is not turned on this will power up the unit Next it will select the source shown on the button as the input to the AVR Finally it will change the remote control so that it controls the compatible Harman Kardon prod uct selected After pressing one of these buttons you must press the AVR Selector button REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 9 Remote Control Functions again to operate the AVR S functions with the remote AVR Selector Pressing this button will switch the remote so that it will operate the AVR s functions If the AVR is in the Standby mode it will also turn the AVR on AM FM Tuner Select Press this button to select the AVR s tuner as the listening choice Pressing this button when the tuner is in use will select between the AM and FM bands Test Tone Press this button to begin the sequence used to calibrate the AVR 1550 s output levels See page 17 for more information on calibrating the AVR 1550 O Sleep Button Press this button to place the unit in the Sleep mode After the time shown in the display the AVR 1550 will automatically go into the Standby mode Each press of the button changes the time until turn off in the fol lowing order 90 gt 80 a 70 y 60 50 min min min min min 40__ 30 gt 20 10 _ OFF min min min min Hold the button pressed for two seconds to turn off the Sleep mode setting Note that this button is also used to change channels on your TV VCR an
39. e HiFi VCRs need an adapter trom Scart to 6 RCA plugs see fig 2 normal video or from Scart to 4 Audio 2S Video jacks see fig 5 S Video VCR Read carefully the instruction attached to the adapter to find which of the six plugs is used for the record signal to the VCR connect with the AVR s Out jacks and for the playback signal from the VCR connect with the AVR s In jacks Do not misconnect Audio and Video sig nals Don t hesitate to consult your dealer if you are uncertain e f you use only normal video devices the TV monitor needs an adapter from 3 RCA plugs to Scart fig 3 only If also S Video devices are used an adapter from 2 RCA 1S Video plugs to Scart is needed additionally fig 6 connected to the SCART input on your TV that is provided for S Video Note that only the video plugs the yellow cinch plug in fig 3 and the S Video plug in fig 6 must be connected to the TV Monitor Output and the volume on the TV must be reduced to minimum Important Note for Adapter Cables If the cinch connectors of the adapter you ll use are labeled connect the Audio and Video In plugs with the corresponding Audio and Video In jacks on the AVR 1550 and with a VCR con nect the Out plugs to the Out jacks on the AVR Note that with some adapter types it may be just turned around If no signal is audible visi ble when the VCR is playing connect the Out plugs to the In jacks on
40. e normally made via a line level audio connection trom the Subwoofer Output to the line level input of a subwoofer with a built in amplifier When a passive subwoofer is used the connection first goes to a power amplifier which will be con nected to one or more subwoofer speakers If you are using a powered subwoofer that does not have line level inout connections follow the instructions furnished with the speaker for con nection information Note Speaker sets with two front satellites and a passive subwoofer must be connected to the front speaker outputs only rather than to the Subwoofer Output Video Equipment Connections Video equipment is connected in the same man ner as audio components Again the use of high quality interconnect cables is recommended to preserve signal quality To ensure best video per formance S Video sources should be connected to the AVR 1550 only with their S Video In Outputs not with their composite video connec tors too 1 Connect a VCR s audio and video Play Out jacks to the Video 1 or Video 2 In jacks OAA on the rear panel The Audio and Video Record In jacks on the VCR should be con nected to the Video 1 jacks on the AVR 1550 2 Connect the analog audio and video outputs of a satellite receiver cable TV converter or tele vision set or any other video source to the Video 2 amp if not in use or Video 3 H jacks 3 Connect the video outputs of a DVD or laser di
41. e rear panel of the AVR to the matching digital input connections on a CD R or MiniDisc recorder 5 Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with the unit as shown below Connect it to the AM and GND screw terminals 6 Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM 75 ohm connection The FM antenna may be an external roof antenna an inside powered or wire lead antenna or a connection trom a cable system Note that if the antenna or con nection uses 300 ohm twin lead cable you must use a 300 ohm to 75 ohm adapter to make the connection 7 Connect the front center and surround speak er outputs to the respective speakers To assure that all the audio signals are carried to your speakers without loss of clarity or resolu tion we suggest that you use high quality speaker cable Many brands of cable are avail able and the choice of cable may be influenced by the distance between your speakers and the receiver the type of speakers you use personal preferences and other factors Your dealer or installer is a valuable resource to consult in selecting the proper cable Regardless of the brand of cable selected we recommend that you use a cable constructed of fine multistrand copper with an area greater than 2 mm Cable with an area of 1 5 mm may be used for short runs of less than 4 m We do not recom mend that you use cables with an area less than 1mm due to the power loss and degradation in performance that will
42. e settings the icons in the Speaker Channel Input Indicators 1 will change as the speaker type is selected at each position When only the inner icon box is lit the speaker is set for small When the inner box and the two outer boxes with circles inside them are lit the speaker is set for large When no indicator appears at a speaker location that position is set for none or no speaker As an example in the Figure below the left front and right front speakers are set for large the center left surround and right surround speakers are set for small and a subwoofer is set After the speaker setting has been made with one input repeat as described above with all inputs you will use In most cases the speaker type will be the same and may be quickly entered by entering the same data used for the original input But with some music sources you may prefer to listen to your surround system without using a Center speaker particularily when a small Center is in use with an audio performance not matching perfectly with the main front speakers With these sources selected the Center speaker will then be turned off automatically enter NONE for the Center setting while its signal will be fed to the left and right Fronts The speaker setting mode can also be changed at any time later and the AVR 1550 s memory system will keep these settings for the input selected until they are changed again GO 16 SYST
43. e speaker and the black ter minals on the AVR 1550 to the black termi nals on the speakers See page 11 for more information on speaker polarity Surround Speaker Outputs Connect these outputs to the matching or terminals on your left and right surround speakers When making speaker connections always make cer tain to maintain correct polarity by connecting CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK AC INFUT DO NOT OPEN 230V 50Hz 360W DO NOT EXPOSE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE ATTENTION O RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS ENLEVER NE PAS EXPOSER LA PLUIE NI L HUMIDIT CENTER FRONT SPKRS 80 SPRA LADI CALIFORNIA USA MADE IN P R C cQ E co O TV Audio Inputs Optical Digital Inputs AC Power Cord DVD Video Inputs Video 1 Video Outputs Video 1 Video Inputs Video 2 Video Inputs the red terminals on the AVR 1550 to the red terminals on the speakers and the black terminals on the AVR 1550 to the black terminals on the speakers See page 11 for more information on speaker polarity TV Audio Inputs Connect these jacks to the Audio Out jacks on a TV or other video SOUICE Optical Digital Inputs Connect the opti cal digital output from a DVD player HDTV receiver LD player MD player or CD player to these jacks The signal may be either a Dolby Digital signal a DTS signal or a standard PCM digital source AC Power Cord Connect the A
44. eaners thinner alcohol or any other volatile cleaning agent Do not use abrasive cleaners as they may damage the finish of metal parts Avoid spraying insecticide near the unit Moving the Unit Before moving the unit be certain to disconnect any interconnection cords with other components and make certain that you disconnect the unit from the AC outlet Unpacking The carton and shipping materials used to protect your new receiver during shipment were specially designed to cushion it from shock and vibration We suggest that you save the carton and packing materials for use in shipping if you move or should the unit ever need repair To minimize the size of the carton in storage you may wish to flatten it This is done by carefully slitting the tape seams on the bottom and collapsing the carton Other cardboard inserts may be stored in the same manner Packing materials that cannot be collapsed should be saved along with the carton in a plastic bag If you do not wish to save the packaging materials please note that the carton and other sections of the shipping protection are recyclable Please respect the environment and discard those materials at a local recycling center Front Panel Controls harman kardon AVR 1550 EE Main Power Switch PA System Power Control EJ Power Indicator EJ Headphone Jack Eq Remote Sensor Window Ki Tone Mode Surround Mode Selector EJ Tuning EE Main Power Switch Press t
45. eceiver and speaker ends e Contact your local Harman Kardon service depot e Select a mode other than Stereo e Check speaker mode e With analog or digital Dolby surround modes the surround decoder may not create rear channel information from non encoded programs e Check speaker wire connections or use test tone to verity connections see page 18 e Change remote batteries e Press the AVR selector e Make certain front panel sensor is visible to remote or connect remote sensor e Move unit or antenna away from computers fluorescent lights motors or other electrical appliances e Resume play for DVD e Check that Digital Signal is fed to the Digital Input selected Processor Reset In the rare case where the units operation or the displays seem abnormal the cause may involve the erratic operation of the system s memory or microprocessor To correct this problem first unplug the unit trom the AC wall outlet and wait at least three min utes After the pause reconnect the AC power cord and check the unit s operation If the system still malfunctions a system reset may clear the problem To clear the AVR 1550 s entire system memory including tuner presets output level settings delay times and speaker configuration data first put the unit in Standby by pressing the System Power Control button BA Next press the Tone Mode Fi and the RDS A buttons simul taneously The unit will turn on automatically and display the
46. efinition television HDTV system Note that an optional external RF demodulator is required to use the AVR 1550 to listen to the Dolby Digital sound tracks available on laser discs Connect the RF output of the LD player to the demodulator and then connect the digital output of the demodulator to the Optical or Coaxial inputs of the AVR 1550 No demodulator is required for use with DVD players or DTS encoded laser discs DTS DTS is another digital audio system that is capa ble of delivering 5 1 audio Although both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital they use different methods of encoding the signals and thus they require different decoding circuits to convert the digital signals back to analog DTS encoded sound tracks are available on select DVD and LD discs as well as on special audio only DTS CDs You may use any LD DVD or CD player equipped with a digital output to play DTS encoded special audio only CDs with the AVR 1550 but DTS LDs can be played on LD players and DTS DVDs on DVD players only All that is required is to connect the player s output to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the rear panel OPERATION 21 Operation PCM Audio Playback PCM Pulse Code Modulation is the non com pressed digital audio system used for compact discs Non Dolby Digital DTS Laserdiscs and some special PCM encoded DVDs The digital cir cuits in the AVR 1550 are capable of high quality digital to analog decoding
47. ers six discrete channels of audio that take advantage of the digital sound tracks trom the latest DVD and LD releases and Digital Television broadcasts To obtain the maximum enjoyment from your new receiver we urge you to take the time to read through this manual This will ensure that connections to speakers source playback units and other external devices are made properly In addition a few minutes spent learning the func tions of the various controls will enable you to take advantage of all the power the AVR 1550 is able to deliver If you have any questions about this product its installation or its operation please contact your dealer He is your best local source of informa tion Description and Features The AVR 1550 is among the most versatile and multi featured A V receivers available incorpo rating a wide range of listening options In addi tion to Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for digi tal sources a broad choice of analog surround modes are available for use with sources such as CD VCR TV broadcasts and the AVR s own FM AM tuner In addition to providing a wide range of listening options the AVR 1550 is easy to configure so that it provides the best results with your speakers and specific listening room environment For the ultimate in flexibility the AVR 1550 features connections for three video devices partially with both composite and S Video inputs Two additional audio inputs are available a
48. etc Dolby Digital AC 3 55dB DTS 55dB Frequency Response 1W 0dB 3dB 10Hz 65kHz High Instantaneous Current Capability HCC 25 Amps Transient Intermodulation Distortion TIM Unmeasurable 28 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FM Tuner Section Frequency Range 87 5 108MHz Usable Sensitivity IHF 1 3 uV 13 2dBt Signal to Noise Ratio Mono Stereo 70 65cB DIN Distortion Mono Stereo 0 15 0 3 Stereo Separation 35dB 1kHz Selectivity 300kHz 65dB Image Rejection 80dB IF Rejection 90dB AM Tuner Section Frequency Range 520 161 1kHz Signal to Noise Ratio 45dB Usable Sensitivity Loop 500 UV Distortion 1kHz 50 Mod 0 8 Selectivity 9kHz 30dB Video Section Video Format PAL NTSC Input Level Impedance 1Vp p 75 ohms Output Level Impedance 1Vp p 75 ohms Video Frequency Response 10HZ 8MHz 3dB General Power Requirement AC 220 240V 50hz Power Consumption 72W idle 580W maximum 2 channels driven Dimensions Max Width 440mm Height 166mm Depth 435mm Weight 11 kg Depth measurement includes knobs buttons and terminal connections Height measurement includes feet and chassis All features and specifications are subject to change without notice Harman Kardon is a registered trademark and Power for the digital revolution is a trademark of Harman International Industries Inc Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories Dolby Pro Logic II AC 3 and the Double D symbol
49. ged again Making Settings independent of selected Input After the settings described above have been made for all input sources in your system the fol lowing settings made with any input will remain in effect independent of the input selected Delay Settings Only for the Dolby Digital or Dolby Pro Logic Il modes you will need to adjust the delay time setting Note that the delay time is not adjustable for any other modes Important Note Once the delay time is set with any input it will be effective with all other inputs too Moreover the surround delay time setting must be made only for either the Dolby Pro Logic II or the Dolby Digital mode The other setting will be set automatically Due to the different distances between the lis tening position for the front channel speakers and the surround speakers the amount of time it takes for sound to reach your ears from the front or surround speakers is different You may com pensate for this difference through the use of the delay settings to adjust the timing for the specific speaker placement and acoustic conditions in your listening room or home theater The factory setting see Surround Mode Chart page 20 is appropriate for most rooms but some installations create an uncommon distance between the front and surround speakers that may cause the arrival of front channel sounds to become disconnected from surround channel sounds To resynchronize the front center and s
50. he Road Music e LIGHT Classical Music e CLASSICS Serious Classical Music e OTHER Other Music e WEATHER Weather Information e FINANCE Financial Programs e CHILDREN Children s Programs e SOCIAL A Social Affairs Programs e RELIGION Religious Broadcasts e PHONE IN Phone in Programs e TRAVEL Travel and Touring e LEISURE Leisure and Hobby e JAZZ Jazz Music e COUNTRY Country Music e NATIONAL National Music e OLDIES Oldies Music e FOLK M Folk Music e DOCUMENT Documentary Programs e TEST Emergency Test e ALARM Emergency Broadcast Information You may search for a specific Program Type PTY by following these steps 1 Press the RDS button PAE until the cur rent PTY is shown in the Main Information Display M 2 While the PTY is shown press the Preset Up Down button He or hold them pressed to scroll through the list of available PTY types as shown above 3 Press any of the Tuning Up Down buttons EJE the tuner begins to scan the FM band upwards or downwards for the first station that has RDS data that matches the desired selec tion and acceptable signal strength for quality reception 4 The tuner will make up to one complete scan of the entire FM band for the next station that matches the desired PTY type and has accept able reception quality If no such station is found the display will read NONE for some seconds and the tuner will return to the last FM station in use before the search
51. he Tuner Band Selector J at any time 2 Press the AM FM Tuner Select button or Tuner Band Selector again to switch between AM and FM so that the desired trequen cy band is selected 3 Press the Tuner Mode button on the remote or hold the Band Selector J on the front panel pressed for 3 seconds to select manual or automatic tuning When the AUTO indicator is illuminated in the Main Information Display M the tuner will only stop at those stations that have a strong enough signal to be received with acceptable quality When the AUTO indicator e is not illuminated the tuner is in a manual mode and will stop at each frequency increment in the selected band 4 To select stations press any Tuning button EJ When the AUTO indicator e is illumin ated press the button to cause the tuner to search for the next highest or lowest frequency station that has an acceptable signal or hold the button pressed to tune more quickly and release it to start the auto search In the Auto mode the tuner will play each station in stereo or mono mode just as the program is transmitted If the AUTO indicator e is not illuminated tap the Tuning button EJ to advance one frequen cy increment at a time or press and hold it to locate a specific station When the TUNED indicator i illuminates the station is properly tuned and should be heard with clarity 5 Stations may also be tuned directly by press ing the Direct button
52. he distance from the preferred listening position in the center of the room to both the center channel speaker and either the left or right speaker If the distances are equal no further adjustment is required and the center delay should be left zero If the distance to the front speakers is greater than the distance to the center speaker you may wish to reposition the speakers by moving the front left and front right speakers closer to the listening position or the center speaker further away trom the listening position If repositioning of the speakers is not possible adjust the center delay time adding one milli second of center channel delay for every 30 cm closer to the listening position the center speaker is than the front speakers For example if the front left and front right speakers are each 3 m from the listening position and the center chan nel speaker is 2 4 m away the delay is figured as 300 cm 240 cm 60 cm suggesting an optimal center delay of 2 milliseconds To set the delay time follow these steps 1 To make the delay settings for the Dolby Digital mode this will include the Center delay setting and the surround delay for the Pro Logic Il mode will be set automatically press the Input Source Selector EE on the front or on the remote and select any input now that is associated with a digital input and the Dolby Digital surround mode 2 Press the Delay button A on the remote or front panel The
53. his button to apply power to the AVR 1550 When the switch is pressed in the unit is placed in a Standby mode as indicated by the orange LED RY sur rounding the System Power Control BA This button MUST be pressed in to operate the unit To turn the unit off completely and prevent the use of the remote control this switch should be pressed until it pops out from the front panel so that the word OFF may be read at the top of the switch NOTE This switch is normally left in the ON position DIS GRID OPT COAX ANALOG RDS TA AUTO TUNED ST MEM PRESET De ade ne te OR Pear a see E NA MA MA WAL MA NA MA NA amp my POM WANE WANE JAN JANI WANE WANT ANT AN nr Ut EA OO OUAI Doss DSP Channel DigitalSelect Deay EX Tuner Band Selector Hi Preset Stations Selector EH Input Source Selector IA RDS Select Button fe Channel Select Button IE Speaker Select Button IA Video 3 input jacks ita Test Tone Selector F1 System Power Control When the Main Power Switch EE is ON press this button to turn on the AVR 1550 press it again to turn the unit off to Standby Note that the Power Indicator surrounding the switch RY will turn green when the unit is on EJ Power Indicator This LED will be illumi nated in orange when the unit is in the Standby mode to signal that the unit is ready to be turned on When the unit is in operation the indicator
54. ideo sources are used and the appropriate input on the TV must be selected Important Note for the Use of SCART Cinch Adapters When video sources are connected to the TV directly with a SCART cable specific control sig nals apart from Audio Video signals will be ted to the TV These specific signals are With all video sources the signal for automatic input selection that switches the TV automatically to the appropriate input as soon as the video source is started And with DVD players the sig nals automatically turning the TV to 4 3 16 9 format with 16 9 TVs or 4 3 TVs with 16 9 capability and turning the RGB video decoder of the TV on or off depending on the DVD player s setting With any adapter cable these control signals will be lost and the appropriate setting of the TV must be made manually Installation and Connections Speaker Selection No matter which type or brand of speakers is used the same model or brand of speaker should be used at least for the front left center and front right speakers This creates a seamless front soundstage and eliminates the possibility of distracting sonic disturbances that occur when a sound moves across mismatched front channel speakers Speaker Placement The placement of speakers in a multichannel home theater system can have a noticeable impact on the quality of sound reproduced Depending on the type of center channel speaker in use and your viewing device place the cen
55. ill be sent to the subwoofer out put When NONE is selected no signal will be sent to the center channel output The receiver will operate in a phantom center channel mode and center channel information will be sent to the left and right front channel outputs and its bass will be sent to the subwoofer output too as long as SUB L R LFE is selected in the SUB WOOFER line in this menu see below This mode is needed if no Center speaker is used 7 When you have completed your selection for the center channel press the Enter button B on the remote control or the Set button on the front Pj and then press the a w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons yg on the front panel to change the display to SUR SPKR 8 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front EX again and then use the A w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons Ed on the front panel to select the option that best describes your system based on the Surround speaker definitions shown in preceding section When SMALL is selected with all digital sur round modes low frequency surround channel sounds will be sent to the Fronts when Sub is turned off or to the subwoofer output when Sub is on With the analog surround modes the rear bass feed depends on the mode selected and the setting of the sub and front speakers When LARGE is selected a full range output will be sent to the surround channel outputs with
56. important to remember to press the Input Selector button that corresponds to the unit you wish to operate It is also important to remember that many of the buttons on the remote take on different functions depending on the product selected using the Input Selectors The descriptions shown here primarily detail the functions of the remote when it is used to operate the AVR 1550 See page 26 for information about alternate functions for the remote s buttons a T ING D je C REPEAT MENU PROG SURR DIRECT RANDOM SPEAKER MEMORY gt Q gt RE y DIGITAL 3 B bE EF QO 4 Cc 2 0 0 A gt VOLUME ENTER CH DELAY TITLE NIGHT SLEEP MUTE Power On Button Press this button to turn on the power IR Transmitter Window Point this window towards the AVR 1550 when pressing buttons on the remote to make certain that intrared commands are properly received Mute Press this button to momentarily silence the AVR 1550 or TV set being controlled depending on which device has been selected harman kardon AVR 1550 Power Off Button Press this button to place the AVR 1550 in the Standby mode Input Selectors Pressing one of these buttons will perform three actions at the same time First if th
57. ion it is a good idea to make these adjustments while seated in your favorite listening position As the adjust ment must be made for each surround mode it is best to select any input associated with any Dolby Pro Logic Il mode make the adjustment for that surround mode then step through all inputs youre using and thus through all surround modes associated with the inputs and repeat the adjustment when any surround mode appears that has not yet been adjusted 1 Select any input associated with any Dolby Pro Logic Il surround mode by pressing the Input Source Selector El until the Pro Logic Il in the display light up 2 Press the Test Tone button GTS on the remote The words TE ST F L will appear in the Main Information Display M SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 17 System Configuration 3 The test noise will immediately begin to circu late in the speakers in a clockwise rotation pausing at each position for two seconds As the test noise rotates the speaker positions F L CEN FR SR SL Front Left Center Front Right Surround Right Surround Left will be shown in the Main Information Display M As an added assist while the test noise is circu lating the proper channel position will also be indicated in the Speaker Channel Indicators A by a blinking letter within the correct chan nel Turn up the volume now until you can hear the noise clearly IMPORTANT NOTE Because this test noise will have a much lower level
58. jacks on a VCR or other video source FM Antenna Connect the supplied indoor or an optional external FM antenna to this terminal CD Inputs Connect these jacks to the ana log output of a compact disc player or CD changer CoaxialDigital Audio Outputs Connect this jack to the matching digital input connector on a digital recorder such as a CD R or MiniDisc recorder 8 REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS SURR SPKRS 89 RIGHT LEFT CD Inputs Coaxial Digital Audio Outputs Coaxial Digital Inputs Subwoofer Output Video Monitor Outputs Front Center Speaker Outputs Surround Speaker Outputs Coaxial Digital Inputs Connect the coax digital output from a DVD player Do not connect the RF digital output of an LD player to these jacks Subwoofer Output Connect this jack to the line level input of a powered subwoofer If an external subwoofer amplifier is used connect this jack to the subwoofer amplifier input Video Monitor Outputs Connect these jacks to the composite and or S Video input of a TV monitor or video projector to view the output of any video source selected by the receiver s video switcher Front Center Speaker Outputs Connect these outputs to the matching or terminals on your front center speakers When making speaker connections always make certain to maintain correct polarity by connecting the red terminals on the AVR 1550 to the red terminals on th
59. l be routed to the front left right main speakers e f a subwoofer is connected to the AVR 1550 you have the option to have the front left right main speakers reproduce bass frequencies at all times and have the subwoofer operate only when the AVR 1550 is being used with a digital source that contains a dedicated Low Frequency Effects or LFE soundtrack This allows you to use both your main and subwoofer speakers to take advantage of the special bass created for certain movies To select that option press the arrow buttons fd so that SUB L F E appears in the display e f a subwoofer is connected and you wish to use it for bass reproduction in conjunction with the main front left right speakers regardless of the type of program source or surround mode you are listening to press the arrow buttons id so that L R LFE appears in the display When this option is selected a com plete feed will be sent to the front left right main speakers and the subwoofer will receive the front left and right bass frequencies under the crossover frequency 80 Hz additionally to the LFE soundtrack see above 11 When all speaker selections have been made for the input selected Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front PI twice or simply wait for three seconds until the display returns to the normal mode SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 15 System Configuration To assist in making thes
60. lly select and switch to the correct mode Dolby Digital or DTS regard less of the mode that has been previously select ed For more information on selecting digital sources see the following section of this manual To listen to a program in traditional two channel stereo using the front left and front right speak ers only plus the subwoofer if installed and con figured follow the instructions shown above for using the remote until SUR R OF F appears in the Main Information Display M Digital Audio Playback Digital audio is a major advancement over older analog matrix surround systems It delivers five discrete channels left front center right front left surround and right surround Each channel reproduces full frequency range 20Hz to 20kHz and offers dramatically improved dynamic range and significant improvements to signal to noise ratios In addition digital systems have the capability to deliver an additional channel that is specifically devoted to low frequency informa tion This is the 1 channel referred to when you see these systems descibed as 5 1 The bass channel is separate trom the other channels but since it is intentionally bandwidth limited sound designers have given it that unique designation Dolby Digital Dolby Digital originally known as AC 3 is a standard part of DVD and is available on specially encoded LD discs and satellite broad casts and it is a part of the new high d
61. ls may not Output Level Trim Adjustment Normal output level adjustment for the AVR 1550 is established using the test tone as outlined on pages 17 and 18 In some cases however it may be desirable to adjust the out put levels using program material such as a test disc or a selection you are familiar with Additionally the output level for the subwoofer and those for the Stereo mode can only be adjusted using this procedure To adjust the output levels using program mate rial first select the surround mode for which you want to trim the speakers see NOTE below by selecting the appropriate input associated with the desired surround mode start your program material source and set the reference volume for the front left and front right channels using the Volume Control FE Once the reference level has been set press the Channel Select button F and note that FL LEVEL will appear in the Main Information Display M for five seconds To change the level first press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front AN and then use the Selector but tons Ed or the a w buttons to raise or lower the level DO NOT use the volume control as this will alter the reference setting Once the change has been made press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front BI and then press the Selector buttons Ed or the a v buttons R to select the next output channel location th
62. nd a total of two digital inputs make the AVR 1550 capable of handling all the latest digital audio sources A coax digital output is available for direct connection to digital recorders _CAUTION _ RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN CAUTION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER OR BACK NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important Operating and maintenance servicing instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance WARNING TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE The AVR 1550 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 tidelity receiv er more than forty seven years ago With state of the art circuitry and time honored circuit designs the AVR 1550 is one of the finest receivers ever offered by Harman Kardon within its price range WE Onboard Dolby Digital and DTS Decoding Using Crystal
63. nually tune through the list of stored preset stations one by one press the Preset Stations Selector buttons En on the front panel or remote RDS Operation The AVR 1550 is equipped with RDS Radio Data System which brings a wide range of intorma tion to FM radio Now in use in many countries RDS is a system for transmitting station call signs or network information a description of station program type text messages about the Station or specifics of a musical selection and the correct time RDS Tuning When an FM station is tuned in and it contains RDS data the RDS Indicator EE will illuminate and the AVR 1550 will automatically display the station s call sign or other program service in the Main Information Display X RDS Display Options In normal RDS operation the display will indi cate the station name broadcast network or call letters Pressing the RDS button Fea enables you to cycle through the various data types in the following sequence e The stations call letters with some private sta tions other information too e The stations frequency e The Program Type PTY as shown in the list below e A text message Radiotext RT containing special information from the broadcast station Note that this message may scroll across the dis play to permit messages longer than the eight positions in the display Depending on signal quality it may take up to 30 seconds for the text message to appear in
64. occur Cables that are run inside walls should have the appropriate markings to indicate listing with UL CSA or other appropriate testing agency stan dards Questions about running cables inside walls should be referred to your installer or a licensed electrical contractor who is familiar with the applicable local building codes in your area When connecting wires to the speakers be cer tain to observe proper polarity Remember to connect the negative or black wire to the same terminal on both the receiver and the speaker Similarly the positive or red wire should be connected to the same terminals on the AVR 1550 and speaker NOTE While most speaker manufacturers adhere to an industry convention of using black terminals for negative and red ones for positive some manufacturers may vary from this configu ration To assure proper phase and optimal per formance consult the identification plate on your speaker or the speaker s manual to verity polarity If you do not know the polarity of your speaker ask your dealer for advice before pro ceeding or consult the speaker s manufacturer We also recommend that the length of cable used to connect speaker pairs be identical For example use the same length piece of cable to connect the front left and front right or sur round left and surround right speakers even if the speakers have a different distance from the AVR 1550 8 Connections to a subwoofer ar
65. om at or slightly behind the listening position The center of the speaker should face you If side wall mounting is not practical the speakers may be placed on a rear wall behind the listening position The speakers should be no more than two meters behind the rear of the seating area 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 subwoofer in that spot You should also follow the instructions of the subwoofer s manufacturer or you may wish to experiment with the best location for a subwoofer in your listening room Center Front Speaker No more than 60cm Left Front Speaker Right Front Speaker A Front Channel Speaker Installation with Direct View TV Sets or Rear Screen Projectors TV or Projection Screen s E Left Front Center Front Right Front Speaker Speaker Speaker EAHA No more than 2m lt When rear mounted _ speakers are used Optional Rear Wall Mounting B The distance
66. on once or twice so that the words Tone I n momentarily appear in the Main Information Display M Once Tone In is shown in the Display press the Set Button Pf on the front panel to select the Bass Control Adjustments can be made with the Selector Buttons yy on the front panel Pressing the Set button again selects the Treble Control Make your adjust ments with the Selector Buttons ff e For private listening plug the 6 3 mm stereo phone plug from a pair of stereo headphones into the front panel Headphone Jack EJ Note that when the headphone s plug is connected the word HEADPHONE will scroll once across the Main Information Display M and all speakers will be silenced When the head phone plug is removed the audio feed to the speakers will be restored OPERATION 19 Operation Surround Mode Chart MODE DOLBY DIGITAL DTS DOLBY PRO LOGIC Il DOLBY 3 STEREO THEATER HALL 1 HALL 2 5 Channel Stereo SURROUND OFF STEREO FEATURES Available only with digital input sources encoded with Dolby Digital data It provides up to five separate main audio channels and a special dedicated Low Frequency Effects channel Available only with digital input sources encoded with DTS data Available on special DVD LD and audio only discs DTS provides up to five separate main audio channels and a special dedicated low frequency channel Dolby Pro Logic Il is the latest version of Dolby Laboratory s benchmark surround
67. panel yg or the A v buttons on the remote until the desired digital or analog input is shown in the Main Information Display M Then press the Enter button to enter the new digital input assignment After the setting has been made with one input repeat as described above with all inputs in use The digital input associated with the input selected can also be changed at any time later and the AVR 1550 s memory system will keep the settings until they are changed again Speaker Setup This setup tells the AVR 1550 which type of speakers are in use This is important as it adjusts the settings that determine which speakers receive low frequency bass informa tion and whether a Center speaker should be used or not separately for each input used For each of these settings use the LARGE setting if the speakers for a particular position are traditional full range loudspeakers that are capable of reproducing sounds below 100Hz Use the SMALL setting for smaller frequency limited satellite speakers that do not reproduce sounds below 100Hz Note that when small front left and right speakers are used a subwoofer is required to reproduce low frequency sounds If you are in doubt as to which category describes your speakers consult the specifications in the speakers owner s manual or ask your dealer Remember that each speaker setup that differs trom the default settings see above must be made individually for each inpu
68. passing the crossovers of the DSP s When LARGE is selected a full range output will be sent to the front left and front right out puts Depending on the subwoofer configuration see below the front left and right bass informa tion may also be directed to a subwoofer Important Note When a speaker set with two front satellites and a passive subwoofer is used connected to the front speaker outputs the fronts must be set for LARGE 5 When you have completed your selection for the front channels press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front Et and then press the a w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons Ed on the front panel to change the display to CEN SPKR 6 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front EX again and use the a w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons yg on the front panel to select the option that best describes your system based on the Center speaker definitions shown in preceding section When SMALL is selected low frequency cen ter channel sounds will be sent to the Fronts if they are set for LARGE and Sub is turned off When Sub is on low frequency center channel sounds will be sent to the subwoofer only When LARGE is selected a full range output will be sent to the center speaker output and with analog and digital surround modes except with the Pro Logic Il Music mode NO center channel signal w
69. rectionality and intensity 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 ambiance a special effect or to continue action from the front of the room to the rear When the output levels 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 IMPORTANT NOTE The output level can be adjusted for each digital and analog surround mode separately This allows you to compensate for level differences between speakers that may also vary with the surround mode selected or to increase or decrease the level of certain speakers intentionally depending on the surround mode selected Note that adjustments made for any surround mode are effective with all inputs associated with that surround mode Before beginning the output level adjustment process make certain that all speaker connec tions have been properly made The system volume should be turned down at first To adjust and calibrate the output levels follow these steps For accurate calibrat
70. ribed on page 23 of this manual In addition any of the settings made in the initial configuration of the unit may be changed at any time As you add new or different sources or speakers or if you wish to change a setting to better reflect your listening taste simply follow the instructions for changing the settings for that parameter as shown above Note that any set tings changed at any time will be stored in memory in the AVR 1550 also if it s turned off completely unless it will be reset see page 27 The settings will either depend on the input Speaker configuration analog digital input selection surround mode or on the surround mode selected speaker output level as described on previous pages Having completed the setup and configuration process for your AVR 1550 you are about to experience the finest in music and home theater listening Enjoy Operation Basic Operation Once you have completed the setup and configu ration of the AVR 1550 it is simple to operate and enjoy The following instructions should be followed for you to maximize your enjoyment of your new receiver Turning the AVR 1550 On or Off e When using the AVR 1550 for the first time you must press the Main Power Switch EE on the front panel to turn the unit on This places the unit in a Standby mode as indicated by the orange color of the Power Indicator Ki Once the unit is in Standby you may begin a listening session by pressing the Sy
71. rol FJ or the Input Source Selector EE on the front panel or via the remote by pressing the AVR Selector or any of the Input Selectors on the remote The Power Indicator KI will turn green to confirm that the unit is on and the Main Information Display f will also light up 14 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION Settings to be Made With Each Input Used The AVR 1550 features an advanced memory system that enables you to establish different settings for the speaker configuration digital input and surround mode for each input source This flexibility enables you to custom tailor the way in which you listen to each source and have the AVR 1550 memorize them This means for example that you may associate different sur round modes and analog or digital inputs with different sources or set different speaker contig urations with the resultant changes to the bass management system or the use of the Center speaker Once these settings are made they will automatically be recalled whenever you select an input The default settings for the AVR 1550 as it is shipped trom the factory have all inputs set for an analog source except for the DVD input which has the Coaxial Digital Input 1 as the default with stereo as the surround mode the front left and right speakers set to large with surround modes other speakers to small and a subwoofer connected Before using the unit you will probably want to change these settings for mos
72. rround mode is selected To adjust the Night mode setting press the Input Source Selector EE on the front or G on the remote and select an input that is associated with a digital input and the Dolby Digital sur round mode Next press the Night button 3 on the remote When the button is pressed the words D R Dynamic Range followed by the current setting MID MAX OFF will appear in the Main Information Display M Press the a W buttons within five seconds to select the desired setting OFF When OFF is shown in the display the Night mode will not function MID When MID is shown in the display a mild compression will be applied M A X When MAX is shown in the display a more severe compression algorithm will be applied When you want to use the Night mode feature we recommend that you select the MID setting as a Starting point and change to the MAX setting later if desired When any Night mode is selected the NIGHT Mode Indicator NT will illuminate To confirm the selection press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front PA or wait for some seconds until the display returns to the normal mode Output Level Adjustment Output level adjustment is a key part of the con figuration process for any surround sound prod uct It is particularly important for a Dolby Digital receiver such as the AVR 1550 as correct outputs will ensure that you hear sound tracks with the proper di
73. sc player to the DVD jacks 4 Connect the Video Monitor Out jacks on the receiver to the composite and S Video input of your television monitor or video projector Video Connection Note e S Video or Composite video signals may only be viewed in their native formats and will not be converted to the other format INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 11 Installation and Connections SCART A V Connections For the connections described above your video device needs RCA cinch connectors or and S Video connectors for all Audio and Video signals Any normal video device Not SVHS or High 8 for only playback needs 3 RCA jacks VCRs for record and playback even 6 RCA jacks Any S Video device SVHS High 8 needs 2 RCA Audio and 1 S Video jack Video if it s a play back unit or 4 RCA Audio In Out and 2 S Video Video In Out jacks if it s a recording VCR Many european video devices are equipped with RCA Cinch or S Video jacks only partially not with all audio and video in outputs needed as described above but with a so called Scart or Euro AV connector almost rectangular jack with 21 pins see drawings on this page In that case the following Scart to Cinch adapters or cables are needed e Units for playback such as satellite receivers camcorders DVD or LD players need an adapter from Scart to 3 RCA plugs see fig 1 normal video devices or from Scart to 2 RCA 1 S Video plugs see fig 4 S Video devices
74. smitting RDS data i Dolby 3 Stereo Indicator EE RDS Indicator DSP Mode Indicator E4 Traffic Program Indicator Tuned Indicator M Main Information Display M Night Mode Indicator DSP Mode Indicator This indicator lights when any of the surround modes created by Digital Signal Processing or DSP are in use These modes include Hall 1 Hall 2 Theater and 5 Channel Stereo 4 Traffic Program Indicator This indicator illuminates if the RDS station tuned sometimes transmits traffic information see page 24 for more information on RDS Tuned Indicator This indicator illuminates when a station is being received with sufficient sig nal strength to provide acceptable listening quality M Main Information Display This display shows messages relating to the status input source surround mode tuner volume level or other aspects of unit s operation R Night Mode Indicator This indicator lights when the AVR 1550 is in the Night mode which preserves the dynamic range of digital program material at low volume levels 6 Auto Indicator This indicator illuminates when the tuner s Auto mode is in use A Speaker Channel Input Indicators These indicators are multipurpose indicating either the speaker type selected for each channel or the incoming data signal configuration The left cen ter right right surround and left surround speaker indicators are composed of three boxes while the subwoofer is a single box
75. stem Power Control FJ or the Source button EE on the front panel or the AVR Selector Note that the Power Indicator El will turn green This will turn the unit on and return it to the input source that was last used The unit may also be turned on trom Standby by pressing any of the Source Selector buttons on the remote O O NOTE After pressing one of the Input Selector buttons to turn the unit on press the AVR Selector to have the remote control the AVR functions To turn the unit off at the end of a listening ses sion simply press the System Power Control EJ on the front panel or the Power Off Button on the remote To switch off both the AVR 1550 and compatible Harman Kardon DVD or CD Player first press the Input Selector button and after press the Power Off Button After that press the AVR Selector Button followed by the Power Off Button When the remote is used to turn the unit off it is actually placing the system in a Standby mode as indicated by the orange color of the Power Indicator Ki When you will be away from home for an extended period of time it is always a good idea to completely turn the unit off with the front panel Main Power Switch EX NOTE All preset memories may be lost if the unit is left turned off with the Main Power Switch EE for more than two weeks Using the Sleep Timer e To program the AVR 1550 for automatic turn off press the Sleep Button on the remote Ea
76. t in use It is best to select the Dolby Pro Logic II Movie mode for speaker setup Then with the currently selected input all speaker settings will be copied to other surround modes too as far as possible and need not be repeated with any other mode System Configuration With the AVR 1550 turned on follow these steps to configure the speakers 1 Put the AVR 1550 in the Dolby Pro Logic Il Movie mode by pressing the Surround Mode Selector button FA on the front or and then the a w buttons on the remote until DOLBYPROLOGICIIMOVIE appears in the Main Information Display M and the PRO LOGIC II indicator A lights 2 Press the Speaker button p IE on the remote or front panel The words F NT SPKR will appear in the Main Information Display M 3 Press the Enter button on the remote control or the Set button on the front PX 4 Press the a w buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons F4 on the front panel until either F LARGE or F SMALL appears matching the type of speakers you have at the left front and right front positions as described by the definitions shown in preceding section When SMALL is selected low frequency front channel sounds will be sent only to the subwoofer output Note that if you choose this option and there is no subwoofer connected you will not hear any low frequency sounds from the front channels This setting is not available with stereo mode to ensure purest sound by by
77. t inputs so that they are properly configured to reflect the use of digital or analog inputs the type of speakers installed and the surround mode associated with the input Remember since the AVR 1550 s memory system keeps the settings for each input sepa rate trom the other inputs you will need to make these adjustments for each input used However once they are made further adjustment is only required when system components are changed To make this process as quick and as easy as possible we suggest that with each of these set tings to be made you step through each input Once you have completed the settings for the first input many settings may be duplicated for the remaining inputs The items that follow will describe the individual settings required for each input Input Setup The first step in configuring the AVR 1550 is to select an input This may be done by pressing the front panel Input Source Selector EE until the desired input s name appears momen tarily in the Main Information Display M The input may also be selected by pressing the appropriate Input Selector on the remote control OG OQ The second step is to associate one of the digital inputs with the selected input source if this is needed otherwise the selected analog input will remain Press the Digital Input Select button AIQ on the front panel or the remote Within five seconds make your input selection using the Selector buttons on the front
78. ten deliver enveloping surround presentations through the use of the natural surround information present in all stereo recordings However for stereo programs without any surround information the Theater Hall and 5CH Stereo modes should be tried effective particu larly with old extreme stereo recordings and for mono programs we suggest that you try the Theater or Hall modes Surround modes are selected using either the front panel controls or the remote To select a surround mode trom the front panel press the Surround Mode Selector FA to scroll through the list of available modes To select a surround mode using the remote press the Surround Mode Selector and then press the A w buttons to change the mode As you press the buttons the Surround mode name will appear in the Main Information Display M and an individual mode indicator will also light up Col D Gi Gl FI Regard that any time a surround mode is changed it remains associated with the input just selected until another choice is made NOTE The name of each Surround Mode will scroll through the Main Information Display M while the modes are being selected To avoid exiting from the surround mode selection process be certain to push the A w buttons while a mode name is still visible Note that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes may only be selected when a digital input is in use In addition when a digital source is present the AVR 1550 will automatica
79. ter speaker either directly above or below your TV or in the center behind a perforated front projection screen Once the center channel speaker is installed position the left front and right front speakers so that they are as far away from one another as the center channel speaker is from the preferred listening position Ideally the front channel speakers should be placed so that their tweeters are no more than 60cm above or below the tweeter in the center channel speaker They should also be at least 0 5 meter from your TV set unless the speakers are magnetically shielded to avoid colourings on the TV screen Note that most speakers are not shielded even with complete surround sets only the Center speaker may be Depending on the specifics of your room acoustics and the type of speakers in use you may find that imaging is improved by moving the front left and front right speakers slightly forward of the center channel speaker It possible adjust all front loudspeakers so that they are aimed at ear height when you are seated in the listening position Using these guidelines you ll find that it takes some experimentation to find the correct location for the front speakers in your particular installation Don t be afraid to move things around until the system sounds correct Optimize your speakers so that audio transitions across the front of the room sound smooth Surround speakers should be placed on the side walls of the ro
80. than normal music the volume must be lowered after the adjustment for all channels is made BEFORE you turn the test tone off NOTE This is a good time to verity 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 1550 off using the Main Power Switch EH and check the speaker wiring to make cer tain that each speaker is connected to the cor rect output terminal 18 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION After checking for speaker placement let the test noise circulate again and listen to see which channels sound louder than the others Using the front left speaker as a reference press the A V buttons on the remote to bring all speakers to the same volume level Note that when one of the A w 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 button the cir culation will resume after five seconds Continue to adjust the individual speakers until they all have the same volume Note that adjust ments should be made with the A w buttons on the remote only NOT the main volume controls NOTE The subwoofer output level is not adjustable using the test tone To change the subwoofer level follow the steps for Ou
81. the AVR and turned around If the adapter plugs are not labeled in that way pay attention to the signal flow direc 12 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS Figure 1 SCART Cinch Adapter for playback signal flow SCART gt Cinch Figure 2 SCART Cinch Adapter for record and playback signal flow SCART lt gt Cinch Black Figure 3 Yellow e Cinch SCART Adapter for playback Red signal flow Cinch gt SCART Figure 4 SCART S Video Adapter for playback signal flow SCART gt Cinch Figure 5 SCART S Video Adapter for record and playback signal flow SCART lt gt Cinch Figure 6 SCART S Video Adapter for playback signal flow Cinch gt SCART S Video Out Black Ce e Black Yellow Red Blue Yellow Green White Red Black S Video In Black Red Blue Yellow S Video In S Video Out alla 1 Also other colours possible e g brown and grey tions as shown in the diagrams above and in the instruction attached to the adapter If uncertain don t hesitate to consult your dealer Important Notes for S Video connections 1 Only the S Video In Out of S Video devices must be connected to the AVR NOT both nor mal video and S Video In Outputs except the TV see item 2 2 Like most common AV units the AVR 1550 does not convert the Video signal to S Video or vice versa Thus both connections must be made from the AVR 1550 to the TV if both Video and S V
82. the cabinet may present a shock hazard and any modification to the product will void your guarantee If water or any metal object such as a paper clip wire or a staple accidentally falls inside the unit disconnect it from the AC power source immediately and consult an authorized service station 4 SAFETY INFORMATION Installation Location W To assure proper operation and to avoid the potential for safety hazards place the unit on a firm and level surface When placing the unit on a shelf be certain that the shelf and any mounting hardware can support the weight of the product W Make certain that proper space is provided both above and below the unit for ventilation If this product will be installed in a cabinet or other enclosed area make certain that there is sufficient air movement within the cabinet Under some circumstances a fan may be required M Do not place the unit directly on a carpeted surface M Avoid installation in extremely hot or cold locations or an area that is exposed to direct sunlight or heating equipment W Avoid moist or humid locations M Do not obstruct the ventilation slots on the top of the unit or place objects directly over them Cleaning When the unit gets dirty wipe it with a clean soft dry cloth If necessary wipe it with a soft cloth dampened with mild soapy water then a fresh cloth with clean water Wipe dry immediately with a dry cloth NEVER use benzene aerosol cl
83. to the TV monitor and to provide its analog audio signal for recording When the digital input appropriate with the DVD player is not selected automatical ly due to the input settings made earlier during the system configuration see page 14 select the digital source by pressing the Digital Input Selector button qX PA and then using the A Y buttons on the remote or the Selector buttons gy on the front panel to choose any of the OPTICAL or COAXIAL inputs as they appear in the Main Information Display M and Display Indicators AA When the digital source is playing the AVR 1550 will automatically detect whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital DTS source or a conventional PCM signal which is the standard output from CD players A Bitstream Indicator FY will light in the Main Information Display FE to confirm that 22 OPERATION the digital signal is Dolby Digital DTS or PCM Note that a digital input e g coaxial remains associated with any analog input e g DVD as soon as it is selected thus the digital input need not be re selected each time the appropriate input choice e g DVD is made Digital Status Indicators When a digital source is playing the AVR 1550 senses the type of bitstream data that is present Using this information the correct surround mode will automatically be selected For exam ple DTS bitstreams will cause the unit to switch to DTS decoding and Dolby Digital bitstreams will enable Dolb
84. tput Level Trim Adjustment on page 23 When all channels have the same output level turn the Volume FE down to about 40dB otherwise the listening level may be too high as soon as the source s music starts to play After wards press the Test Tone Selector AG button again to turn the test tone off and com plete the process IMPORTANT NOTE The Output level adjust ment made will be effective for the surround mode currently selected also when other inputs are selected using the same surround mode To adjust the output level with all other surround modes used step through all inputs you re using by pressing the Source Selector buttons iil on the front panel or the appropriate Input Selectors on the remote When the indica tor for any surround mode for which the level adjustment has not yet been made lights in the Main Information Display M repeat the level adjustment described above This will also allow you to compensate level differences between speakers that may be different with each surround mode or to increase or decrease the level of certain speakers intentionally depending on the surround mode selected Once the settings outlined on the previous pages have been made the AVR 1550 is ready for operation While there are some additional settings to be made these are best done after you have had an opportunity to listen to a vari ety of sources and different kinds of program material These advanced settings are desc
85. uations such as a party it places the same signal at the tront left and surround left and at the front right and surround right speakers The center channel is fed a summed mono mix of the in phase material of the left and right channels This mode turns off all surround processing and presents the pure left and right channel presentation of two channel stereo programs 20 OPERATION DELAY TIME RANGE Center 0 ms 5 ms Initial Setting 0 ms Surround 0 ms 15 ms Initial Setting 0 ms Delay time not adjustable Movie and Emulation 10 ms 25 ms Initial Setting 10 ms Music 0 ms 15 ms Initial Setting 0 ms No surround channels Delay time not adjustable Delay time not adjustable No delay is available for this mode No surround channels Operation Surround Mode Selection One of the most important features of the AVR 1550 is its ability to reproduce a full multichannel surround sound field from digital sources analog matrix surround encoded programs and standard stereo or even mono programs In all a total of eleven listening modes are available on the AVR 1550 Selection of a surround mode is based on person al taste as well as the type of program source material being used For example motion pic tures CD s or TV programs bearing the logo of one of the major surround encoding processes such as Dolby Surround should be played in either the Dolby Pro Logic II Movie with movies or
86. urround channels follow these steps Measure the distance from the listening viewing position to the front speakers in meters 2 Measure the distance trom the listening viewing position to the surround speakers 3 Subtract the distance to the surround speakers from the distance to the front speakers and multiply the result by 3 a When setting the delay time for the Dolby Digital surround modes the optimal delay time is the result of that subtraction For example if the front speakers are 3 m away and the sur round speakers are 1 m away the optimal delay time is figured as 3 1 x3 6 Thus in this example the delay time for Dolby Digital should be set at six milliseconds b When setting the delay time for any Dolby Pro Logic II mode take the result of the calculation above and add 15 to obtain the optimal delay time For example if the front speakers are 3 m away and the surround speakers are 1 m away System Configuration the optimal delay time is figured as 3 1 x3 15 21 Thus in this example the Pro Logic II delay should be set at twenty milliseconds NOTE The DTS 5CH Stereo Hall and Theater modes use a fixed nonadjustable delay time The Dolby Digital Mode also includes a separate setting for the center channel delay mode since the discrete nature of these signals makes the location of the center channel speaker more criti cal To calculate the delay for the center channel measure t
87. y Digital decoding When the unit senses PCM data from CDs and LDs and some music DVDs or certain tracks on normal DVDs it will allow the appropriate surround mode to be selected manually Since the range of available surround modes depends on the type of digital data that is present the AVR 1550 uses a variety of indicators to let you know what type of signal is present This will help you to understand the choice of modes and the input channels recorded on the disc When a digital source is playing a Bitstream Indicator FY will light to show which type of signal is playing DO fear When the DOLBY D indicator lights a Dolby Digital bitstream is being received Depending on the audio track selected on the source player and number of channels on the disc different surround modes are possible Note that only one channel without subwoofer called 1 0 audio or all five channels with subwoofer 5 1 audio or all steps between can be recorded on digitally surround encoded audio tracks see NOTE below With all those tracks except 2 0 audio only the Dolby Digital mode is available When the Dolby Digital signal is only two channel 2 0 these two channels and r often contain Pro Logic surround informations With those tracks the AVR 1550 automatically switches to the Dolby Pro Logic Il Movie mode in addition to the Dolby Digital mode When the D D 2 0 signal contains no Pro Logic infor mation the pure Dolby Digital mode

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