Harman Kardon AVR 445 Owners Manual - Page 17

INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS System Installation After unpacking the unit, locating it in a place with adequate ventilation 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. IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and to avoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers, it is always good practice to turn off and unplug the AVR and ALL source equipment from the AC output before making any audio or video system connections. Audio Equipment Connections We recommend that you use high-quality interconnect cables when making connections to source equipment and recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals. 1. Connect the analog output of a CD player to the CD Audio Inputs 6. NOTE: If your 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 it is distorted. 2. Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cassette deck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to the Tape Inputs 4. Connect the analog Record/In jacks on the recorder to the Tape Outputs 2 on the AVR 445. 3. Connect the output of a digital source such as a CD or DVD changer or player, a video game, a digital satellite receiver, an HDTV tuner or digital cable set-top box or the output of a compatible computer sound card to the Optical and Coaxial Digital Audio Inputs abKL. 4. Connect the coaxial or optical Digital Audio Outputs XY on the rear panel of the AVR 445 to the matching digital input connections on a CD-R, MiniDisc or other digital recorder. 5. Assemble the AM loop antenna supplied with the unit so that the tabs at the bottom of the antenna loop snap into the holes in the base. Connect it to the AM Antenna Connections i . 6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM Antenna Jack h. The FM antenna may be an external roof antenna, an inside powered or wire-lead antenna or a connection from a cable TV system. If the antenna or connection uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you must use an optional 300-ohm-to-75-ohm adapter to make the connection. 7. Connect the front, center, surround and surround back speaker outputs 57DE to the respective speakers. To ensure that all the audio signals are carried to your speakers without loss of clarity or resolution, we suggest that you use high-quality speaker cable. Many brands of cable are available 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 cable with a gauge of 14 or smaller. Remember that when specifying cable, the lower the number, the thicker the cable. Cable with a gauge of 16 may be used for short runs of less than 10 feet. We do not recommend that you use cables with an AWG equivalent of 18 or higher, due to the power loss and degradation in performance that will occur. Cables that are run inside walls should have the appropriate markings to indicate listing with UL, CSA or other appropriate testing agency standards. Questions about running cables inside walls should be referred to your installer or a licensed electrician who is familiar with the NEC and/or the applicable building codes in your area. When connecting wires to the speakers, be certain to observe proper polarity. Note that the positive (+) terminal of each speaker connection has a specific color code, as noted on page 8. However, most speakers still use a red terminal for the positive (+) connection. Connect the "negative" or "black" wire to the same terminal on both the receiver and the speaker. NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers adhere to an industry convention of using black terminals for negative and red ones for positive, some may vary from this configuration. To ensure proper phase and optimal performance, consult the identification label on your speaker or the speaker's manual to verify polarity. If you do not know the polarity of your speaker, ask your dealer for advice before proceeding, 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 surround-left and surround-right speakers, even if the speakers are a different distance from the AVR 445. 8. Connections to a subwoofer are normally made via a line-level audio connection from the Subwoofer Output 1 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 connected to one or more subwoofer speakers. If you are using a powered subwoofer that does not have line-level input connections, follow the instructions furnished with the speaker for connection information. 9. If an external audio source such as a DVD-Audio, SACD or high-definition optical disc player with 5.1 or 7.1 analog audio outputs is part of your system, connect the outputs of the source to the 8-Channel Direct Inputs c. Analog Video Equipment Connections Analog video components are connected in the same manner as audio components. Again, the use of highquality interconnect cables is recommended to preserve signal quality. 1. Connect the Video Play/Out jacks of a standard (composite) video (or S-video outputs of a digital video) recorder or conventional VCR to the Video 1 Video Inputs R on the AVR 445. Connect the Record/In jacks from that device to the Video 1 Video Outputs S on the AVR. 2. Connect the analog Audio Left/Right Play/Out jacks of the device connected to the Video 1 Inputs to the Video 1 Audio Inputs d on the AVR. Connect the analog Audio Left/Right Record/In jacks from that device to the Video 1 Audio Outputs g on the AVR. If the device has a digital audio output, connect it to one of the Coaxial a or Optical b digital audio inputs. 3. Connect the Play/Out jacks of a standard (composite) video or (S-video outputs of a digital video) playback source such as a set-top box or video game console to the Video 2 Video Inputs T or Video 3 Video Inputs U. If the device has analog component video (Y/Pr/Pb) outputs, connect them to one of the Component Video Inputs O. 4. Connect the analog audio outputs from the source to the matching Video 2 Audio Inputs e or Video 3 Audio Inputs f. If the device has a digital audio output, connect it to one of the Coaxial a or Optical b digital audio inputs. 5. If any of the video source devices has analog component video (Y/Pr/Pb) outputs, but not HDMI, connect them to Component Video Inputs O. The chart on page 59 has the default settings for various source devices, but you may make any connection and change the configuration setting using the IN/OUT SETUP menu, as described on page 23. 6. The default video connection for a DVD player is to use the Component Video Input 3 Jacks O on the AVR, but you may change this assignment in the IN/OUT SETUP menu (see page 23). A DVD player's composite and S-video outputs may also be connected to the DVD Video Inputs Q. Only one connection type is required. INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 17