Harman Kardon AVR 347 Owners Manual - Page 23

SPEAKER PLACEMENT Before you begin to connect cables, it is important to place your speakers in their correct locations in the room. Optimally, the speakers should be placed in a circle with the listening position at its center. The distance from the listening position to the video display forms the radius of the circle. The speakers should be angled so that they directly face the listening position. Front Speaker Placement The center speaker is placed either on top of, below or mounted on the wall above or below the video display screen. The front left and right speakers are placed along the circle, about 30 degrees from the center speaker and angled toward the listener. It is best to place the front left/right and center speakers as close to the same height as possible, preferably at about the same height as the listener's ears. In any event, the center speaker should be no more than two feet above or below the left/right speakers. Placement of the surround speakers depends on the number of speakers in your system. If you're using only two speakers with the AVR 347, place them in the front left and right positions, and skip to the Installation section. However, Harman Kardon recommends using the AVR 347 in a 5.1- or 7.1-channel configuration for optimal surround sound performance. SUB C FL FR 30° 30° 110° 150° SL 110° 150° SR Alternate placement for Side Surround Left Speaker Alternate placement for Side Surround Right Speaker Figure 15 - Speaker Placement (5.1-Channel System) Placement of Surround Speakers in a 5.1-Channel System The side surround speakers should be placed 110 degrees from the center speaker; that is, slightly behind and angled toward the listener. If this isn't feasible, place them behind the listener, with each surround speaker facing the opposite-side front speaker. See Figure 15. The surround speakers may be placed a little higher than the listener's ears. Placement of Surround Speakers in a 7.1-Channel System In a 7.l-channel system, the side surround speakers are placed 90 degrees from the center speaker, directly to either side of the listening position, which is different than in a 5.1-channel system. The surround back left and right speakers are placed 150 degrees from the center speaker, or directly facing the opposite-side front speaker. See Figure 16. SUB C FL FR 30° 30° 90° SL 150° 90° 150° SR SBL SBR Figure 16 - Speaker Placement (7.1-Channel System) NOTE: Some speaker manufacturers offer 6.1-channel speaker systems, which are compatible with the 6.1-channel digital surround sound formats available on DVD and elsewhere, such as Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES Discrete and Matrix modes. We do not recommend using the AVR 347 in a 6.1-channel configuration. In fact, the 6.1-channel formats will sound better when played through a 7.1-channel system. The same surround back channel information is played through both surround back speakers, but with twice the power and clarity. If you wish to use the AVR 347 with a 6.1-channel speaker system, place the single surround back speaker directly behind the listener, but do not connect it until after you have run the EzSet/EQ procedure for a 5.1-channel system. After EzSet/EQ finishes, connect the surround back speaker to the Surround Back Left Speaker Output. You will then need to follow the directions in the Advanced Features section for manual setup of the surround back speaker. Subwoofer Placement The subwoofer's location is less critical, since low-frequency sounds are omnidirectional. Placing the subwoofer close to a wall or in a corner will reinforce the low frequencies, and may create a "boomy" sound. You may wish to experiment over time by placing the subwoofer where the listener normally sits and then walking around the room until the low frequencies sound best. Place the subwoofer in that spot. NOTE: Your receiver will sound its best when the same model loudspeaker is used for all positions (other than the subwoofer). If that isn't possible, try to use speakers made by the same manufacturer. 23