Harman Kardon AVR 8000 Owners Manual - Page 3

Introduction Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon! With the purchase of a Harman Kardon AVR 8000 you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment. Designed to provide all the excitement and detail of movie soundtracks and every nuance of musical selections, the AVR 8000 is truly a multichannel receiver for the new millennium. The AVR 8000 has been engineered so that it is easy to take advantage of all the power of its digital technology. On-screen menus, fully color-coded connection jacks and terminals and our exclusive EzSet remote make installation fast and simple. However, to obtain the maximum enjoyment from your new receiver, we urge you to read this manual. A few minutes spent learning the functions of the various controls will enable you to take advantage of all the power the AVR 8000 is able to deliver. If you have any questions about this product, its installation or its operation, please contact your retailer or custom installer. They are your best local sources of information. Description and Features The AVR 8000 is among the most versatile and multifeatured A/V receivers available, incorporating a wide range of listening options. In addition to the benefits of world-famous THX Ultra processing, as well as Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for digital sources, a broad choice of Matrix surround-encoded or Stereo surround modes are available for use with sources such as CD, VCR, TV broadcasts and the AVR 8000's own FM/AM tuner. Along with THX Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Neo:6, Dolby 3 Stereo, and Hall and Theater modes, the AVR 8000 offers Harman International's exclusive Logic 7 process in both 5.1 and 7.1 versions to create a wider, more enveloping field environment and more defined fly-overs and pans. Another Harman Kardon exclusive is VMAx, which uses proprietary processing to create an open, spacious sound field even when only two front speakers are available. Finally, the AVR 8000 is among the very few A/V receivers that offer decoding of MP3 data, so that you may listen to the latest music selections directly from compatible computers or playback devices with the power and fidelity you expect from Harman Kardon. In addition to providing a wide range of listening options, the AVR 8000 is easy to configure so that it provides the best results with your speakers and specific listening-room environ- ment. On-screen menus make it simple to enter settings for speaker configurations and bass management, and the EzSet remote measures a system's sound levels and automatically calibrates them for perfectly balanced sound field presentation. For the ultimate in flexibility, the AVR 8000 features connections for six video devices, all with both composite and S-Video inputs. Two additional audio inputs are available, and a total of eight digital inputs make the AVR 8000 capable of handling all the latest digital audio sources. For compatibility with the latest HDTV video sources and progressive scan DVD players, the AVR 8000 also features wide-bandwidth, lowcrosstalk component video switching. Behind a front panel door are coax and optical digital inputs and outputs for direct connection to digital recorders, along with analog audio/video connections that may be switched to outputs for use with portable recorders - a Harman Kardon exclusive. Two video recording outputs, preamp-out and main amp-in jacks, and a color-coded eight-channel input make the AVR 8000 virtually future-proof, with everything needed to accommodate tomorrow's new formats right on board. The AVR 8000's flexibility and power extend beyond your main home theater or listening room. The AVR 8000 includes a sophisticated multizone control system that allows you to select one source for use in the main room and a different source for audio and video distribution to a second zone. Complete volume control in the second zone is possible with a separate infrared control link. To make it easy to operate the AVR 8000 from a remote zone, a separate "Zone II" remote is included. The AVR 8000'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-fidelity receiver more than forty-seven years ago. With state-of-the-art circuitry and time-honored circuit designs, the AVR 8000 is the perfect combination of the latest in digital audio technology, a quiet yet powerful analog amplifier in an elegant, easy-to-use package. s THX® Ultra processing, THX Surround EX,™ Dolby* Digital and Dolby Pro Logic* II decoding, and the full suite of DTS® modes, including DTS-ES® 6.1 Discrete & Matrix and Neo:6® using the latest 24-bit, twin-core Crystal® DSP engine s Harman Kardon's exclusive Logic 7® processing, available for the first time with both 7.1 and 5.1 processing in a variety of modes and two modes of VMAx® s MP3 decoding for use with computers and digital audio players s TM remote automatically sets output levels for optimum performance s High-bandwidth, HDTV-compatible component video switching s Discrete front panel coaxial and optical digital inputs and outputs for easy connection to portable digital devices and the latest video game consoles s Multiple digital inputs and outputs s Front panel analog A/V jacks switchable to outputs for easy connection to portable digital devices and video game consoles s On-screen menu and display system s Complete multizone system allows a separate audio and video source to be sent to a remote zone - separate Zone II remote included CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN CAUTION: To prevent electric shock, do not use this (polarized) plug with an extension cord, receptacle or other outlet unless the blades can be fully inserted to prevent blade exposure. 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. 3 INTRODUCTION