Harman Kardon AVR 225 Product Information - Page 11

Since the introduction of the Compact Disc in 1982, digital technology has gradually taken over the home entertainment world. Initially used only for playback sources such as CDs, the use of digital technology has expanded to include the recording and distribution of virtually all forms of programming. It's also used to compress and process audio signals so that up to eight channels of discrete information may be stored in the space of two. Dolby® Digital, DTS® and MP3 are, each in its own way, examples of how digital technology is used to extend the playback options for audio. Indeed, the digital soundtracks played back on a DVD or through a digital cable box, satellite receiver or HDTV set-top increasingly start with digital recording, and digital technology keeps them pristine along their travels from soundstage to movie theaters to Unfortunately, when digital circuits exist as individual blocks, the potential for trouble has been unavoidable. Until now. With the introduction of the DPR 1001 Digital Path Receiver, Harman Kardon eliminates the need to convert digital signals back to analog between the output of the DSP and the input to the amplifier. How is this done? The simplest way to describe the process is to say that the inefficient power supply, oversized transformers, heat-producing power transistors and large, heavy heat sinks of traditional analog amplifiers are eliminated and replaced with totally digital circuitry. The incredible system efficiency of the digital design - over 80% as compared to slightly more than 55% in a conventional design - means you have seven full channels of high-quality amplification without the need to remove heat. As important, removing the entertainment system thanks to the ability to fit a DPR-based receiver in places where you never thought a high-quality audio system could fit. Because it's Harman Kardon, the DPR's all-digital design does not scrimp on features and flexibility. Other products may use digital amplifiers to save space, but they do not have the power and refinement of a DPR. Logic 7® and VMAx® processing, in addition to Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic® II, DTS 5.1, DTS-ES® and DTS Neo:6®? Of course the DPR has them! Seven audio channels with onboard amplifiers? We wouldn't have it any other way! A full multizone system, complete with assignable amplifier channels to power it right out of the DPR and a standard Zone II remote? Standard on the DPR. An easy-to-use, yet powerful remote control, complete with an digital path receiver technology production houses and DVD pressing plants, to the output of your DVD player. However, once these digital signals reach your home they are processed in various ways that make them resemble digital islands connected to the analog world by bridges. In an A/V receiver these bridges include the analog-to-digital converters on the front end of a system and the digital-to-analog converters (DACs) at the back end which convert the digital signal back to analog after the processor, or DSP, has done its work. Digital signals are virtually free from interference, but each time they are taken apart or put back together there is the opportunity for bits to be lost or for the signal to be degraded. No matter how good the converters are - and Harman Kardon uses some of the best available - some change to the signal is inevitable. EFFICIENCY in % DPR Efficiency Advantage 100 DPR 80 60 Conventional 40 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 OUTPUT POWER in Watts heat sinks, large transformer and cooling fan means not only that the system is totally silent; it is considerably smaller. This gives you more freedom for the placement of a home LCD display and both learning and programmable functions? Certainly! The list goes on and on. After all, the DPR is a Harman Kardon receiver at heart, and no one knows how to build a receiver better than the company that invented the receiver almost 50 years ago. Then there's the sound. It's everything you would expect from Harman Kardon and more. Advanced technology is a bonus, but it's the music and movies that count. The DPR 1001 Digital Path Receiver takes the shortest course, direct from the original source to your speakers, preserving the quality of the performance. That was the reason digital technology was originally applied to home entertainment. With Harman Kardon's new digital path receiver, the promise of Power for the Digital Revolution® is finally realized.