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OPERATION 29

To listen to a program in traditional two-channel
stereo, using the front left and front right 
speakers only (plus the subwoofer, if installed and
configured), press the Stereo Button 

5

until 

SURR OFF

appears in the Main

˜.

Digital audio is a major advancement over older
analog surround processing systems such as
Dolby Pro Logic. It delivers five or six discrete
channels: left front, center, right front, left
surround and right surround and with DTS ES
(see below) even surround back (with identical
signals for left and right). Each channel repro-
duces full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and
offers dramatically improved dynamic range and
significant improvements to signal-to-noise
ratios. In addition, digital systems have the
capability to deliver an additional channel that is
specifically devoted to low-frequency infor-
mation. This is the “.1” channel referred to when
you see these systems described as “5.1,” “6.1”
or “7.1”. The bass channel is separate from the
other channels, but since it is intentionally
bandwidth-limited, sound designers have given it
that unique designation.

Dolby Digital 
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3

®

) is 

a standard part of DVD, and is available on 
specially encoded LD discs and satellite
broadcasts and it is a part of the new high-
definition television (HDTV) system.

Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR to listen to the Dolby
Digital sound tracks available on laser discs.
Connect the RF output of the LD player to the
demodulator and then connect the digital output
of the demodulator to the Optical or Coaxial
inputs 

 !*Ó of the AVR.

No demodulator is required for use with DVD
players or DTS-encoded laser discs.

DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is capa-
ble of delivering 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 audio. Although
both DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use
different methods of encoding the signals, and
thus they require different decoding circuits to
convert the digital signals back to analog.

DTS-encoded sound tracks are available on select
DVD and LD discs, as well as on special audio-
only DTS CDs. You may use any LD, DVD or CD
player equipped with a digital output to play
DTS-encoded special audio-only CDs with the
AVR, but DTS-LDs can be played on LD players
and DTS-DVDs on DVD players only. All that is
required is to connect the player’s digital output
to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the
rear panel 

 ! or front panel *Ó.

In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS
sound tracks, the DVD player must be compatible
with the DTS signal as indicated by a DTS logo
on the player’s front panel. Note that early DVD
players may not be able to play DTS- encoded
DVDs. This does not indicate a problem with the
AVR, as some players cannot pass the DTS signal
through to the digital outputs. If you are in doubt
as to the capability of your DVD player to handle
DTS DVDs, consult the player’s owner’s manual.

Please note that some DVD players are shipped
with their output set for Dolby Digital only. To
insure that DTS data is being sent to the AVR,
please check the setup menu system on your
DVD player to make certain that DTS data output
is enabled.

PCM Audio Playback
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) is the non- com-
pressed digital audio system used for compact
discs, Non-Dolby Digital/DTS Laserdiscs and some
special PCM encoded DVDs. The digital circuits in
the AVR are capable of high quality digital-to-
analog decoding, and they may be connected
directly to the digital audio output of your
CD/DVD or LD player (LD only for PCM or DTS
programs, for Dolby Digital laser discs an RF
adapter is needed, see ”Dolby Digital” above).

Connections may be made to either the Optical
or Coaxial inputs 

 ! on the rear panel or the

front panel Digital Inputs

*Ó.

To listen to a PCM digital source, first select the
input for the desired source (e.g., CD) to feed its
video signal (if any) to the TV monitor and to
provide its analog audio signal for recording.
Next press the Digital Select button 

Û

G

and then use the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

D on the

remote, or the Selector buttons

7 on the front

panel, until the desired choice appears in the
Main Information Display 

˜, then press the

Set button 

@

F to confirm the choice.

During PCM playback the unit automatically will
turn to the default surround mode or to the

LOGIC 7

mode but you also may select any

surround mode except Dolby Digital or DTS.

Selecting a Digital Source
To utilize either digital mode you must have 
properly connected a digital source to the 
AVR. Connect the digital outputs from DVD play-
ers, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD play-
ers to the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear
or front panel 

 !*Ó. In order to provide a

backup signal and a source for analog stereo
recording, the analog outputs provided on digital
source equipment should also be connected to
their appropriate inputs on the AVR rear panel
(e.g., connect the analog stereo audio output
from a DVD to the DVD Audio inputs

 on

the rear panel when you connect the source’s
digital outputs).

To select a digital source such as DVD, first select
its input using the remote or front panel Input
Selector

4% as outlined in this manual in

order to feed its video signal (if any) to the TV
monitor and to provide its analog audio signal
for recording. When the digital input associated
with the input selected (e.g. “DVD”) is not
selected automatically (due to the input settings
made earlier during the system configuration, see
page 18), select the digital source by pressing
the Digital Input Selector button 

G Û and

then using the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D on the remote

or the Selector buttons

7 on the front panel to

choose any of the 

OPTICAL

or 

COAXIAL

inputs, as they appear in the Main Information
Display 

˜ or on-screen display.

When the digital source is playing, the AVR will
automatically detect whether it is a multichannel
Dolby Digital or DTS source or a conventional
PCM signal, which is the standard output from
CD players.

Note that a digital input (e.g. coaxial) remains
associated with any analog input (e.g. DVD) as
soon as it is selected, thus the digital input need
not be re-selected each time the appropriate
input choice (e.g. DVD) is made.

30 OPERATION

Digital Bitstream Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the AVR senses
the type of bitstream data that is present. Using
this information, the correct surround mode will
automatically be selected. For example, DTS bit-
streams will cause the unit to switch to DTS
decoding, and Dolby Digital bitstreams will enable
Dolby Digital decoding. When the unit senses
PCM data, from CDs and LDs and some music
DVDs or certain tracks on normal DVDs, it will
allow the appropriate surround mode to be select-
ed manually. Since the range of available surround
modes depends on the type of digital data that is
present, the AVR uses a variety of indicators to let
you know what type of signal is present. This will
help you to understand the choice of modes and
the input channels recorded on the disc.

When a digital source is playing, the AVR will
display a variety of messages to indicate the type
of bitstream received. These messages will appear
shortly after an input or surround mode is
changed, and will remain in the Main
Information Display 

˜ for about five seconds

before the display returns to the normal surround
mode indication.

For Dolby Digital and DTS sources, a three digit
indication will appear, showing the number of
channels present in the data. An example of this
type of display is 3/2/.1.

The first number indicates how many discrete
front channel signals are present.

• A 3 tells you that separate front left, center and

front right signals are available. This will be dis-
played for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 pro-
grams.

• A 2 tells you that separate front left and right

signals are available, but there is no discrete
center channel signal. This will be displayed for
Dolby Digital bit streams that have stereo pro-
gram material.

• A 1 tells you that there is only a mono channel

available in the Dolby Digital bitstream.

The middle number indicates how many discrete
surround channel signals are present.

• A 2 tells you that separate surround left and

right signals are available. This will be displayed
for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 programs.

• A 1 tells you that there is only a single, sur-

round encoded surround channel. This will
appear for Dolby Digital bit streams that have
matrix encoding.

• A 0 indicates that there is no surround channel

information. This will be displayed for two-
channel stereo programs.

The last number indicates if there is a discrete
Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel. This is the
“.1” in the common abbreviation of “5.1” sound
and it is a special channel that contains only bass
frequencies.

• A .1 tells you that an LFE channel is present.

This will be displayed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and
DTS 5.1 programs, as available.

• A 0 indicates that there is no LFE channel infor-

mation available. However, even when there is
no dedicated LFE channel, low frequency sound
will be present at the subwoofer output when
the speaker configuration is set to show the
presence of subwoofer.

When Dolby Digital 3/2/.1 or DTS 3/2/.1 signals
are being played, the AVR will automatically
switch to the proper surround mode, and no
other processing may be selected. When a Dolby
Digital signal with a 3/1/0 or 2/0/0 signal is
detected you may select any of the Dolby sur-
round modes.

It is always a good idea to check the readout for
the channel data to make certain that it matches
the audio logo information shown on the back of
a DVD package. In some cases you will see indi-
cation for “2/0/0” even when the disc contains a
full 5.1, or 3/2/.1 signal. When this happens,
check the audio output settings for your DVD
player or the audio menu selections for the spe-
cific disc being played to make certain that the
player is sending the correct signal to the AVR.

PCM Playback Indications
PCM is the abbreviation for Pulse Code
Modulation, which is the type of digital signal
used for standard CD playback, and other non-
Dolby Digital and non-DTS digital sources such as
Mini-Disc. When a PCM signal is detected, the
Main Information Display

˜ will briefly

show a message with the letters PCM, in addition
to a readout of the sampling frequency of the
digital signal.

In most cases this will be 

4 8 KHZ

, though in

the case of specially mastered, high-resolution
audio discs you will see a 

9 6 KHZ

indication.

The 

PCM 4 8 KHZ

indication will also appear

when modes or inputs are changed for analog
sources. In those cases the system is telling you
the sampling frequency used internally at the
output of the analog-to-digital converters that
change the incoming signal from a VCR, tape
deck, the tuner, or other ana-log source to digital.

Speaker/Channel Indicators
In addition to the Bitstream Indicators, the 
AVR features a set of unique channel-input
indicators that tell you how many channels of
digital information are being received and/or
whether the digital signal is interrupted.
(See Figure 9).

These indicators are the L/C/R/LFE/SL/SR/SBL/SBR
letters that are inside the center boxes of the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators 

$ in the

front panel Main Information Display

˜.

When a standard analog stereo or matrix 
surround signal is in use, only the “L” and “R”
indicators will light, as analog signals have only
left and right channels.

Digital signals, however, may have one, two, five,
six or seven separate channels, depending on the
program material, the method of transmission
and the way in which it was encoded. When a
digital signal is playing, the letters in these 
indicators will light in response to the specific
signal being received. It is important to note that
although Dolby Digital, for example, is referred to
as a “5.1” system, not all Dolby Digital DVDs or
audio tracks selected on DVD or other Dolby
Digital programs are encoded for 5.1. Thus, it is
sometimes normal for a DVD with a Dolby Digital
soundtrack to trigger only the “L” and “R”
indicators.

NOTE: Many DVD discs are recorded with both
“5.1” and “2.0” versions of the same sound-
track. When playing a DVD, always be certain to
check the type of material on the disc. Most discs
show this information in the form of a listing or
icon on the back of the disc jacket. When a disc
does offer multiple soundtrack choices, you may
have to make some adjustments to your DVD
player (usually with the “Audio Select” button or
in a menu screen on the disc) to send a full 5.1
feed to the AVR or to select the appropriate
audio track and thus language. It is also possible
for the type of signal feed to change during the
course of a DVD playback. In some cases the pre-
views of special material will only be recorded in
2.0 audio, while the main feature is available in
5.1 audio. As long as your DVD player is set for
6-channel output, the AVR will automatically

OPERATION  31

sense changes to the bitstream and channel
count and reflect them in these indicators.

Important Note: When a digital surround
source (Dolby Digital, DTS) is played, the letters
SBL/SBR for the Surround Back channels will
appear only when a DTS ES DISCRETE 6.1 source
is played. Then this surround mode will be indi-
cated in the front display and on-screen display.
With all other recordings the icons for the sur-
round back speakers may light (when those
speakers have been configured) to indicate that a
signal will be fed to them (Matrix decoded with
NEO:6, LOGIC 7 or 7 CH Stereo), but no letters
inside will light as the unit will not receive an
input signal for the surround back channels.

The letters used by the Speaker/Channel Input
Indicators

$ also flash to indicate when a bit-

stream has been interrupted. This will happen
when a digital input source is selected before the
playback starts, or when a digital source such as
a DVD is put into a Pause mode. The flashing
indicators remind you that the playback has
stopped due to the absence of a digital signal
and not through any fault of the AVR. This is
normal, and the digital playback will resume
once the playback is started again.

Night Mode 
A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night
mode, which enables Dolby Digital input sources
to be played back with full digital intelligibilty
while reducing the maximum peak level and
lifting the low levels by 

1

/

4

to 

1

/

3

. This prevents

abruptly loud transitions from disturbing others
without reducing the impact of the digital source.
The Night mode is available only when the Dolby
Digital mode is selected.

The Night mode may be engaged when a Dolby
Digital DVD is playing by pressing the Night
Button 

B on the remote. Next, press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to select either the middle range or

full compression versions of the Night mode. To
turn the Night mode off, press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D until the message in the lower third of the
video display and the Main Information
Display 

˜ reads 

D-RANGE OFF

.

The Night mode may also be selected to always
be on as soon as the Dolby Digital mode is 
activated at either level of compression using the
options in the 

DOLBY

menu. See page 24 for

information on using the menus to set this
option.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON DIGITAL PLAYBACK:
• When the digital playback source is stopped, or
in a pause, fast forward or chapter search mode,
the digital audio data will momentarily stop, and
the channel position letters inside the Speaker/
Channel Indicators

$ will flash. This is nor-

mal and does not indicate a problem with either
the AVR or the source machine. The AVR will

return to digital playback as soon as the data is
available and when the machine is in a standard
play mode.

• Although the AVR will decode virtually all DVD
movies, CDs and HDTV sources, it is possible that
some future digital sources may not be compatible
with the AVR.

• Note that not all digitally encoded programs
and not all audio tracks on a DVD contain full
5.1 or 6.1 channel audio. Consult the program
guide that accompanies the DVD or laser disc to
determine which type of audio has been record-
ed on the disc. The AVR will automatically sense
the type of digital surround encoding used,
indicate it in the Channel Input Indicators

$

and adjust to accommodate it.

• When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is playing,
you normally may not be able to select some of
the analog surround modes such as Dolby Pro
Logic II, Dolby 3 Stereo, Hall, Theater, 5CH/7CH
Stereo or Logic 7, except with specific Dolby
Digital 2.0 recordings that can be played with
the Pro Logic II modes too (see page 31).

• When a digital source is playing, it is possible
to make an analog recording using the Tape

or Video 1 or Video 2 or 

" record outputs,

even if the source is connected to any digital
input of the AVR only, as long as "Surround Off"
mode is selected (possible with a PCM source
only). But the analog two channel signal, even of
a Dolby Digital (not DTS) source, the ”Downmix”
to Stereo or Dolby Surround, can be recorded by
connecting its analog audio outputs to the
appropriate analog inputs (e.g. DVD) of the AVR.
Additionally, the digital signals will be passed
through to the Digital Audio Outputs 

.

In normal operation, the audio or video source
selected for listening through the AVR is 
sent to the record outputs. This means that any
program you are watching or listening to may be
recorded simply by placing machines connected
to the outputs for Tape Outputs

 or Video 1

or 2 Outputs

" in the record mode.

When a digital audio recorder is connected to
any of the Digital Audio Outputs

, you are

able to record the digital signal using a CD-R,
MiniDisc or other digital recording system.
Note that all digital signals will be passed
through to both, coaxial and optical, digital 
outputs simultanously, no matter which kind of
digital input was selected.

NOTES:
• The digital outputs are active only when a digital
signal is present, and they do not convert an ana-
log input to a digital signal, or change the format
of the digital signal (e.g. Dolby Digital to PCM or
vice versa, but coaxial digital signals are converted

to optical signals and vice versa). In additon, the
digital recorder must be compatible with the
output signal. For example, the PCM digital output
from a CD player may be recorded on a CD-R or
MiniDisc, but Dolby Digital or DTS signals may not.

• To make an analog recording from a digital
source is possible, but only from a PCM source
(not Dolby Digital or DTS) and correctly only with
"Surround Off" mode (with any Surround mode
only the L/R front signals will be fed to the record
outputs).

Normal output level adjustment for the 
AVR is established using the test tone, as out-
lined on page 22. In some cases, however, it may
be desirable to adjust the output levels using
program material such as a test disc, or a selec-
tion you are familiar with. Additionally, the out-
put level for the subwoofer and those for the
Stereo and VMAx modes can only be adjusted
using this procedure. Note that all adjustments
made with any input will be effective with all
inputs selected, just as it is the case with the
adjustment using the test tone.

To adjust the output levels using program materi-
al, first select the surround mode for which you
want to trim the speakers (see NOTE below), start
your program material source and set the 
reference volume for the front left and front right
channels using the Volume Control

).

Once the reference level has been set, press the
Channel Select button 

CÙ and note that

FRONT L LEVEL

will appear in the Main

˜. To change the level,

first press the Set button 

F @, and then use

the Selector buttons 

7 or the 

⁄

¤

buttons

D to raise or lower the level. DO NOT use the
volume control, as this will alter the reference
setting.

Once the change has been made, press the Set
button 

F @ and then press the Selector but-

tons 

7 or the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to select the

next output channel location that you wish to
adjust. To adjust the subwoofer level, press the
Selector buttons 

7 or the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D

until 

WOOFER LEVEL

appears in the Main

˜ or on-screen display

(only available if the subwoofer is turned on).

Press the Set button 

F @ when the name of

the desired channel appears in the Main
Information Display 

˜ and on-screen 

display, and follow the instructions shown above
to adjust the level.

32 OPERATION / ADVANCED FEATURES

Repeat the procedure as needed until all chan-
nels requiring adjustment have been set. When
all adjustments have been made and no further
adjustments are made for five seconds, the 
AVR will return to normal operation.

If you are using a disc with noise test signals or
an external signal generator as the source from
which to trim the output levels, you may use the
EzSet feature of the remote to guide you to the
correct SPL level. To use the remote for this pur-
pose, start the test tone from the source and
press and quickly release the SPL Indicator
Select

* to activate the sensor.

While the test tone is played, the Program/SPL
Indicator

2 will change color to indicate the

level. When it is red, the level is too high; when it
is orange, the level is too low. To set the refer-
ence level, open the Volume Control 

) until

the SPL Indicator´s LED lights green when the
test signal is fed to the left front speaker. Then
adjust the level of all other speakers, while they
are receiving the test signal, until the LED lights
green for all channels. After the output levels 
for all channels are aligned, press the SPL
Indicator Select

* to turn the sensor and

indicator off.

The channel output may also be adjusted using
the full-OSD on-screen menu system. First, set
the volume to a comfortable listening level using
the Volume Control

ı

). Then, press the

OSD button 

L to bring up the 

MASTER MENU

(Figure 1). Press the 

¤

Button 

D four times until the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the 

CHANNEL ADJUST

line. Press the Set Button 

F to activate the

CHANNEL ADJUST

menu (Figure 10).

When the menu appears, the internal test tone
will be turned off. This will allow you to use your
external test disc or other source material as the
test signal. Then, use the 

⁄

/

¤

D to

select the channels to be adjusted. At each 
channel position use the 

‹

/

›

E&

to change the output level.
Remember, when you are using a disc with test
signal (e.g. pink noise) or an external signal
generator as the source, the goal is to have the
output level at each channel be equal when
heard at the listening position, with any surround
mode selected. When your test source is a nor-
mal disc with music signals, you may adjust the

level for each channel and surround mode as you
prefer, e.g. you may lower the center channel
level when you find it to be too high or increase
the level of the rears when you find it to be too
low with specific surround modes.

If you wish to reset all the levels to their original
factory default of 0dB offset, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D so that the on-screen cursor is

next to the 

CHANNEL RESET

line and

press the 

‹

/

›

E& so that the

word 

ON is highlighted. After the levels are

reset, resume the procedure outlined above to
reset the levels to the desired settings. When all
adjustments are done, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D to move the on-screen 

›

cursor so that it is

next to 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

and

then press the Set Button

F if you wish to go

back to the main menu to make other adjust-
ments. If you have no other adjustments to
make, press the OSD Button

L to exit the

menu system.

NOTE: The output levels may be separately
trimmed for each digital and analog surround
mode. If you wish to have different trim levels for a
specific mode, select that mode and then follow the
instructions in the steps shown above.

With Stereo and Vmax modes the adjustment
procedure described above is the only way to
trim the output level, e.g. to match the Stereo or
Vmax level with other modes.

This product is equipped with a memory backup
system that preserves tuner presets and system
configuration information if the unit is turned off
completely, accidentally unplugged or subjected
to a power outage. This memory will last for
approximately two weeks, after which time all
information must be reentered.

*   C H A N N E L   A D J U S T   *

F L     :   0 d B     S B R   :   0 d B      

C E N   :   0 d B     S B L   :   0 d B

F R     :   0 d B     S L     :   0 d B

S R     :   0 d B     S U B   :   0 d B

C H A N N E L   R E S E T     :   O F F

T E S T   T O N E             :   O F F

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U

The AVR 230 is equipped with a number of
advanced features that add extra flexibility to
the unit’s operation. While it is not necessary to
use these features to operate the unit, they pro-
vide additional options that you may wish to
use.

The AVR’s front panel Main Information
Display

˜ is set at a default brightness level

that is sufficient for viewing in a normally lit
room. However, in some home theater installa-
tions, you may wish to occasionally lower the
brightness of the display, or turn it off completely.

To change the display brightness setting for a
specific listening session, you will need to make
an adjustment in the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu. To start the adjustment, press the OSD
button 

L to bring the 

MASTER MENU

to

the screen. Press the 

⁄

Button 

D, until the

on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the 

ADVANCED

line. Press the Set Button 

F to enter the

ADVANCED SELECT

menu (Figure 11).

To change the brightness setting, at the

ADVANCED SELECT

menu, make 

certain that the on-screen 

›

cursor is next to the

VFD

line, and press the 

›

Button 

& until the

desired brightness level is highlighted in the
video display. When 

FULL

is shown, the dis-

play is at its normal brightness. When 

HALF

is

shown, the display is at half the normal bright-
ness level. When 

OFF

is shown, all of the in-

dicators in the Main Information Display

˜

will go dark.

If you wish to make other adjustments in the
menu, press the 

⁄

/

¤

Buttons 

D until the on-

screen 

›

cursor is next to the desired setting or

the 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

line and

press the Set button 

F. If you have no other

adjustments to make, press the OSD Button 

L

to exit the menu system.

  *   A D V A N C E D   S E L E C T   *

V F D             : F U L L  

V O L U M E   D E F A U L T : O F F  

D E F A U L T   V O L   S E T : % 2 5 d B

S E M I   O S D   : O F F   O N

S E M I   O S D   T I M E   O U T :   3 S E C

F U L L   O S D   T I M E   O U T : 2 0 S E C  

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U