Harman Kardon AVP-1A Owners Manual - Page 21
Harman Kardon AVP-1A Manual
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ADDITIONAL HINT: After system polarity checks are completed, use the internal noise generator in the AVP1A to verify proper hookup. The burst of noise should start at left front and move clockwise around the room. The Noise Sequence switch on the rear panel of the AVP1A should be set to turn off the L and R Side outputs. Note: If dual-drive surrounds are used it is very important that you observe proper polarity. Read the instructions packaged with the dipoles for additional installation and hookup or if you are only going to use the dipoles with a single stereo amplifier. INPUT LEVEL CALIBRATION It is necessary to adjust the input level of sources in order to get the best results from your AVP1A. This adjustment yields the best dynamic range from the surround decoder circuitry, preventing overload distortion or excessive background hiss. Correct calibration also ensures accurate tracking of the steering logic and the modified Dolby B noise reduction system in the Dolby Pro Logic circuitry. A test tone (Chapter 5 on WOW!) can be used in conjunction with the front panel LED level display to calibrate the system. Feed in the test tone and adjust the input level so that the 0 dB LED just reaches full intensity. Under normal operating conditions, the red LED should never do more than flicker occasionally (which indicates input overload). If no test tone is available, you can still calibrate the system with reasonable accuracy by turning up the input level control until the 0 dB LED glows brightly during medium level passages in movies, but not high enough to illuminate the red LED. Movies are duplicated at slightly different audio levels, so you may need to touch up this adjustment occasionally. You may expect a 1 to 3 dB variation among various film transfers. AUTO BALANCE / INPUT BALANCE The Automatic Input Balance circuit corrects improperly bal- anced software, which tends to pull the dialog off center. These channel errors occur in the multiple copying stages between the original master and your source. In most cases the autobalance circuitry within your AVP1A will provide extremely accurate correction. Occasionally, some software may have errors beyond the correction ability of the internal circuitry. To manually correct for such imbalances, press the left or right button located on the right side of the front panel of the AVP1A to turn off the autobalance circuit. You may also perform these same functions from the remote control. With the Center output on but with the Center Speaker amplifier turned off, push the left or right channel button to minimize leakage of center channel dialog to left or right speakers. The liquid crystal display will indicate the amount of level change. Turn the center channel amplifier back on to restore normal system operation. When your wish to restore Autobalance operation, push the AUTO button (located between the left and right buttons) to disengage manual balance. OUTPUT LEVEL CALIBRATION The AVP1A provides individual channel output level controls. These allow you to compensate for differences in amplifier and speaker sensitivities and for placement variations from installation to installation. These set-and-forget adjustments are essential for reproducing proper soundstaging and image localization. These controls are located on the rear panel of the AVP1A just above the audio output jacks. The output levels are adjusted after completing the input level adjustments. Once input/output level calibration is completed, system volume changes are made using the up/down buttons on the infrared remote control. The best way to adjust the output level controls is by using a dB Sound Pressure Level (SPL) meter in conjunction with the internal bandwidth-limited pink noise generator in the AVP1A. The goal is to set the volume at the primary listening position to read 85 dB SPL (C-weighted low mode) from each speaker in sequence, using the individual output level controls. You should use the meter pointing straight up towards the ceiling.