Congratulations! With the purchase of a Harman Kardon AVR55 you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment. The AVR55 has been custom designed to provide all the excitement and detail of movie sound tracks and every subtle nuance of musical selec- tions.
Important Safety Information Verify Line Voltage Before Use Your AVR55 has been designed for use with 120-volt AC current. Connection to a line voltage other than that for which it is intended can create a safety and fire hazard, and may damage the unit. If you have any questions about the volt- age requirements for your specific model, or about the line voltage in your area,...
Unpacking The carton and shipping materials used to protect your new receiver during ship- ment were specially designed to cushion it from shock and vibration. We suggest that you save the carton and packing materials for use in shipping if you move, or should the unit ever need repair.
AVR 55 MEMO FM MODE AM/FM TUNE Headphones Power Speaker 1 Main Power Switch 2 System Power Control 3 Power Indicator 4 Memo Button 5 Headphone Jack 6 FM Mode 7 Speaker Switch 8 AM/FM 9 Tuning Button ) CD...
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1 Main Power Switch: Press this button to apply power to the AVR55. When the switch is pressed the unit is placed in a Standby mode, as indicated by the amber LED 3 sur- rounding the System Power control 2. This button MUST be pressed in to operate the unit.
3 5 Information Display: This dis- play delivers messages and status indications to help you operate the receiver. See page 7 for a complete explanation of the display. 3 6 Remote Sensor Window: The sensor behind this window receives infrared signals from the remote con- trol.
Front Panel Information Display REC CONTOUR VID 2 SOURCE DIGITAL PRO LOGIC A Vid 1 Record Indicators B Dolby Digital Indicator C Analog Dolby Surround Mode Indicators D Analog Surround Mode Indicators E Sleep Indicator A Vid 1 Record Indicators: A dot appears next to one of the sources shown in this indicator to tell you which input has been selected as...
!d on the front panel or remote. ¤ TV Inputs: Connect the audio and video outputs from a TV, Satellite receiver or other A/V source to these jacks. The signal sent to the video jack may also be used to trig- ger the TV Auto On function.
M E M O M E M O AM/FM COAX PRESET DISC TAPE 1 FM MODE TAPE 2 DISPLAY SELECT AVR 55 Learning SLEEP 3 ST MATRIX C L E A R C L E A R P-SCAN P-SCAN SKIP TUNE/...
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Mute: Press this button to tem- porarily cut the audio output of the receiver. Press it again to return to the previous volume level. q Transport Controls: These buttons may be programmed to...
Sending LED: This indicator should flash any time a button is pressed to confirm that a command is being sent to the receiver or another unit. If the light is dim or does not illuminate when a button is pressed the batteries in the remote...
NOTE: When the source device 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 high that the signal is distorted.
Remote Cont. jack to the Remote In jack on Harman Kardon or other compatible equipment. External Audio Power Amplifier Connections If desired, optional, external power audio power amplifiers may be used with the AVR55.
Remote Control Programming and Operation This product is equipped with a powerful remote control. As supplied, it will operate the receiver, as well as most CD players and tape decks manufactured by Harman Kardon. If your equipment requires differ- ent codes, it may be programmed to copy the codes from most infrared remotes.
WARNING: These keys transmit codes that are vital to the operation of the product. It is not recommended that they be programmed with alternative codes, as it may then be impossible to operate certain functions of the receiver. Night Delay Coax Select...
After completing all audio, video and system connections, there are a few con- figuration adjustments that must be made. A few minutes spent to correctly configure and calibrate the unit will greatly add to your listening experience. Speaker Selection The placement of speakers in a multi- channel home theater system can have a noticeable impact on the quality of sound reproduced.
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System Configuration Once the speakers have been placed in their proper positions and connected to the AVR55, the final steps in the instal- lation process involve configuration of the unit for the specific speaker types in use and the balancing of speaker output levels.
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Speaker Output Adjustments Adjustments and calibration of the speaker output levels is important to proper surround operation. During this process, the unit is adjusted so that the output levels from each channel have a reference level that is as close to one another as possible.
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6. The test tone will now be heard through the front right speaker. Once again, first listen to the test noise to determine if it is louder or softer than the previous two channels. If an adjustment is required, use the Speaker Level buttons until the level is...
With the correct delay time figures for your listening room calculated, first make certain that the unit is in the Dolby Pro Logic mode by pressing the Surround button Ò Mode Dolby Surround buttons until the Mode Pro Logic indicator is illuminated.
Basic Operation Once you have completed the setup and configuration of your new receiver, it is simple to operate and enjoy. The follow- ing instructions will provide the steps needed to enjoy the AVR55: • When using the AVR55 for the first...
While this feature is most commonly used with a TV, it may be used with any video source such as a satellite receiver or VCR. To use the TV Auto-On feature follow these steps: 1. Connect the video source that will be used to trigger the Auto-On feature to the TV Inputs ¤...
To listen to a program in traditional two- channel stereo, with only the front left and right speakers plus the subwoofer, if installed, press the button Stereo on the remote or the Surround Off Ô button on the front panel. Dolby Digital Dolby Digital (also known as AC-3) is the latest advancement in surround sound...
6. NOTE: The design of some early DVD players is such that you may occasionally hear a click or pop when the player starts after being paused or after a Search mode is used. This is a function of the format and does not indicate any problem with your AVR55.
Recalling Preset Stations • To manually select a station previously entered in the preset memory, press the Numeric Buttons 3 7 w correspond- ing to the desired station’s location. To select the station in location “30, ” press button only. •...
• Turn up volume control • Check speaker-wire connections at receiver and speaker ends for shorts • Contact your local Harman Kardon service depot • Select a mode other than Stereo • There is no surround information from mono sources •...
Audio Section Stereo Mode Continuous Average Power (FTC) 65 Watts per channel 20Hz–20kHz: @ < 0.07% THD, both channels driven into 8 Ohms Five-Channel Surround Mode Power Per Individual Channel Front L&R channels: 55 Watts per channel, @ 0.07% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms Center channel: 55 Watts, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms Surround channels:...
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