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12

AVR

Introduction to Home Theater

this introductory section will help you to familiarize yourself with some basic concepts 

unique to multichannel surround-sound receivers, which will make it easier for you to set 

up and operate your Avr.

A home theater typically includes an audio/video receiver, which controls the system 

and supplies amplification for the loudspeakers; a disc player; a source component for 

television broadcasts (cable box, satellite dish receiver, hdtv tuner or antenna connected 

to the tv); a tv or video display; and multiple loudspeakers.

the main benefit of a home theater system is its ability to produce “surround sound.” 

Surround sound uses multiple speakers and amplifier channels to immerse you in the 

audio/video presentation for a dramatically increased sense of realism.
your Avr may have up to seven main speakers connected directly to it, plus a subwoofer. 

each main speaker is powered by its own amplifier channel inside the Avr. A system 

with more than two speakers is called a multichannel system. the different main speaker 

types in a home theater system are:

•  Front Left and Right: the front left and right speakers are used as in a two-channel 

system. In many surround-sound modes, these speakers are secondary, while the 

main action, especially dialogue, is reproduced by the center speaker.

•  Center: when you are watching movies and television programs, the center speaker 

reproduces most of the dialogue and other soundtrack information, anchoring it with 

the picture. when you are listening to a musical program, the center speaker helps 

to create a seamless front soundstage, creating a realistic “you-are-there” listening 

experience.

•  Surround Left and Right: the surround left and right speakers produce ambient 

sounds that help create a realistic and immersive surround-sound environment. 

they also help recreate directional sound effects such as aircraft flyovers.

•  Surround Back Left and Right: Surround back channel speakers are used with 

surround modes such as the dolby digital ex, dolby digital plus, dolby truehd, dtS-

eS

®

 (discrete and matrix), dtS-hd

™

 high resolution Audio, dtS-hd master Audio

™

 

and logic 7

®

 7.1 modes that are designed for 7.1-channel systems. 

•  Front Height Left and Right: your Avr includes dolby pro logic IIz decoding, which 

uses the Avr’s Assigned Amp channels as front height channels. the addition of 

front height channels – an additional pair of speakers positioned above the front left 

and right speakers – produces a surround-sound experience with added depth and 

dimension by creating lifelike sound that comes at you from varying heights.

note: you can set up your system to use either surround back speakers or front height 

speakers; you cannot use both.
the surround back channel speakers are optional. If your system does not include 

surround back left and right speakers, you can set up your Avr with a 5.1-channel 

surround-sound system in the main listening area, and you can reassign the surround 

back channel amplifiers to power loudspeakers located in another room in a multizone 

system. (Alternately, you can reassign the surround back channel amplifiers to power 

front height speakers for use with dolby pro logic IIz. See Manual Speaker Setup, on 

page 36, for more information.)
many people expect the surround speakers to play as loudly as the front speakers. 

Although you will calibrate all of the speakers in your system to sound equally loud at the 

listening position, most artists use the surround speakers for ambient effects only, and 

they create their programs to steer relatively little sound to these speakers.

•  Subwoofer: A subwoofer is designed to play only the lowest frequencies (the deep 

bass). It augments smaller, limited-range main speakers that are usually used for 

the other channels. many digital-format programs, such as movies recorded in 

dolby digital, contain a low-frequency effects (lfe) channel that is directed to the 

subwoofer. the lfe channel packs the punch of a rumbling train or airplane, or the 

power of an explosion, adding realism and excitement to your home theater. Some 

people use two subwoofers for additional power and for even distribution of the 

sound.

there are different theories as to the best way to present surround sound and to 

distribute each audio channel’s sounds to the surround-sound system’s speakers.  

A variety of algorithms have been developed in an effort to recreate the way we hear 

sounds in the real world, resulting in a rich variety of options. Several companies 

have developed different surround-sound technologies, all of which can be accurately 

reproduced by your Avr:

•  Dolby Laboratories: dolby truehd, dolby digital plus, dolby digital, dolby digital 

ex, dolby pro logic

®

 IIx and IIz.

•  DTS: dtS-hd high resolution Audio, dtS-hd master Audio, dtS, dtS-eS (discrete 

and matrix), dtS neo:6

®

, dtS 96/24

™

.

•  HARMAN International: logic 7

®

, hArmAn virtual speaker, hArmAn headphone.

•  Stereo Modes: generic modes that expand upon conventional two-channel stereo, 

including 5ch and 7ch Stereo.

Appendix table A12, on page 50, contains detailed explanations of the different surround-

sound options available on your Avr. digital surround-sound modes, such as the dolby 

digital and dtS modes, are available only on specially encoded programs, such as those 

available via hdtv, dvd and blu-ray disc media and digital cable or satellite television. 

other surround modes may be used with digital and analog signals to create a different 

surround presentation or to use a different number of speakers. Surround-mode selection 

depends upon the number of speakers in your system, the program you are watching or 

listening to, and your personal tastes.

13

English

AVR

Place Your Speakers

determine the locations for your system’s speakers according to their manufacturer’s 

directions and the layout of your listening room. use the illustrations below as a guide for 

7.1-channel and 5.1-channel systems. 
to create the most realistic surround-sound environment possible, you should place 

your speakers in a circle with the listening position at its center. you should angle each 

speaker so it directly faces the listening position. use the diagrams below as a guide.

tv

c

fl

fr

Sl

Sr

Sub

Speaker positioning for 5.1-channel Systems

tv

c

fl

fr

Sbl

Sr

Sl

Sbr

Sub

tv

c

fl

fhl*

fhr*

fr

Sr

Sl

Sub

*  fhl and fhr speakers should be at least 

3 ft (0.9m) above the fl and fr speakers.

Speaker positioning for 7.1-channel Systems  

(top: with Surround back Speakers; bottom: with front height Speakers)

NOTE: In a 7.1-channel system, you must choose to use either surround back speakers 

or front height speakers – you cannot use both simultaneously.

place the center speaker either on top of, below or mounted on the wall above or below 

the tv or video display screen. place the front left and right speakers along the circle, 

about 30 degrees from the center speaker and angled toward the listener.
place the front left, front right and center speakers at the same height, preferably at 

about the same height as the listener’s ears. the center speaker should be no more than  

2 feet (0.6m) above or below the left/right speakers. If you’re using only two speakers 

with your Avr, place them in the front left and right positions.

you should place the left and right surround speakers approximately 110 degrees from 

the center speaker, slightly behind and angled toward the listener. Alternatively, place 

them behind the listener, with each surround speaker facing the opposite-side front 

speaker. you should place the surround speakers 2 feet – 6 feet (0.6m – 1.8m) higher 

than the listener’s ears.

In a 7.1-channel system, place the side surround speakers 90 degrees from the center 

speaker, directly to either side of the listening position. place the surround back left and 

right speakers 150 degrees from the center speaker, directly facing the opposite-side 

front speaker. you should place all the surround speakers 2 feet – 6 feet (0.6m – 1.8m) 

higher than the listener’s ears.

your Avr includes dolby pro logic IIz decoding, which uses the Avr’s Assigned Amp 

channels as front height channels. the addition of front height channels – an additional 

pair of speakers positioned above the front left and right speakers – produces a surround-

sound experience with added depth and dimension by creating lifelike sound that comes 

at you from varying heights.
we recommend placing front height speakers at least 3 feet (0.9m) higher than the front 

left and front right speakers, and directly above or farther apart than the front left and 

right speakers. the higher and further apart you place the front height speakers, the more 

you should angle them down and in toward the listening position.

NOTE: your receiver will sound its best when the same model or brand of loudspeaker 

is used for all positions.

because a room’s shape and volume can have a dramatic effect on a subwoofer’s 

performance, it is best to experiment with placement so that you will find the location 

that produces the best results in your particular listening room. with that in mind, these 

rules will help you get started:

•  placing the subwoofer next to a wall generally will increase the amount of bass in 

the room.

•  placing the subwoofer in a corner generally will maximize the amount of bass in 

the room. 

•  In many rooms, placing the subwoofer along the same plane as the left and right 

speakers can produce the best integration between the sound of the subwoofer and 

that of the left and right speakers. 

•  In some rooms, the best performance could even result from placing the subwoofer 

behind the listening position.

A good way to determine the best location for the subwoofer is by temporarily placing it in 

the listening position and playing music with strong bass content. move around to various 

locations in the room while the system is playing (putting your ears where the subwoofer 

would be placed), and listen until you find the location where the bass performance is 

best. place the subwoofer in that location.

14

AVR

Types of Home Theater System Connections

there are different types of audio and video connections used to connect the Avr to your 

speakers, your tv or video display, and your source devices. the consumer electronics 

Association has established the ceA

®

 color-coding standard.

front left/right

white/red

center

green

Surround left/right

blue/gray

Surround back/front height left/right

brown/tan

Subwoofer

purple

coaxial (input or output)

orange

optical Input

black

optical record output

gray

component video

red/green/blue

composite video 

yellow

Speaker cables carry an amplified signal from the Avr’s speaker terminals to each 

loudspeaker. they contain two wire conductors, or leads, that are differentiated in some 

way, such as with colors or stripes.
the differentiation helps you maintain proper polarity, without which your system’s low-

frequency performance can suffer. each speaker is connected to the Avr’s speaker-

output terminals using two wires, one positive (+) and one negative (–). Always connect 

the positive terminal on the speaker, which is usually colored red, to the positive terminal 

on the receiver, which is colored as indicated in the connection color guide table, above. 

the negative terminals on the speakers and the Avr are black.
your Avr uses binding-post speaker terminals that can accept bare-wire cables or 

banana plugs. bare-wire cables are installed as shown below:

1. Unscrew Cap

2. Insert Bare Wire

3. Tighten Cap

1. unscrew cap

3. tighten cap

2. Insert bare wire

banana plugs are inserted into the hole in the middle of the terminal cap, as shown 

below:

A. tighten cap

b.  Insert banana connector into hole in cap

A. Tighten Cap

B. Insert Banana Connector

into Hole in Cap

Always connect the colored (+) terminal on the Avr to the (+) terminal on the speaker 

(usually red), and the black (–) terminal on the Avr to the (–) terminal on the speaker 

(usually black).
IMPORTANT: Make sure the ( + ) and ( – ) bare wires do not touch each other or 

the subwoofer is a speaker dedicated to reproducing only the low (bass) frequencies, 

which require more power. to obtain the best results, most speaker manufacturers offer 

powered subwoofers that contain their own amplifiers. use a single rcA audio cable to 

make a line-level (non-amplified) connection from the Avr’s Subwoofer connector to a 

corresponding input jack on the subwoofer.

Although the Avr’s purple subwoofer output looks similar to a full-range analog audio 

jack, it is filtered so that only the low frequencies pass through it. don’t connect this 

output to any device other than a subwoofer.

Audio and video signals originate in source devices (components where a playback 

signal originates) such as your blu-ray disc or dvd player, cd player, dvr (digital video 

recorder) or other recorder, tape deck, game console, cable or satellite television tuner, 

an ipod or iphone (connected to the Avr’s uSb port) or an mp3 player. the Avr’s fm/Am 

tuner also counts as a source, even though no external connections are needed other 

than the fm and Am antennas. Separate connections are required for the audio and video 

portions of the source device’s signal, except for digital hdmI connections. the types of 

connections you use will depend upon the capabilities of the source device and of your 

tv or video display.

Digital Audio Connections – HDMI
there are two types of audio connections – digital and analog. digital audio signals are 

required for listening to sources encoded with digital surround modes, such as dolby 

digital and dtS, or for uncompressed pcm digital audio. your Avr has three types of 

digital audio connections: hdmI, coaxial and optical. do not use more than one type of 

digital audio connection for each source device. however, it’s okay to make both analog 

and digital audio connections to the same source.
your Avr is equipped with seven rear-panel hdmI input connectors, and one hdmI 

monitor output connector. (the Avrs also have a front-panel hdmI input connector.) hdmI 

technology enables digital audio and video information to be carried using a single cable, 

delivering the highest quality picture and sound. If your tv or video display device has an 

hdmI input connector, make a single hdmI connection from each source device to the 

Avr. usually, a separate digital audio connection is not required.
the Avr’s hdmI output connection contains an Audio return channel (Arc) that carries 

a digital audio signal from your tv or video display back to the Avr. It allows you to listen 

to hdmI devices that are connected directly to your tv (such as an Internet connection) 

without making an additional connection from the device to the Avr. the Arc signal 

is active when the tv source is selected. See System Settings, on page 39, for more 

information. (the Avr 3700 and Avr 370 have two hdmI output connections.)
the hdmI connector is shaped for easy plug-in (see illustration, below), and hdmI 

cable runs are limited to about 10 feet (3m). If your video display has a dvI input and is 

hdcp-compliant, use an hdmI-to-dvI adapter (not included), and make a separate audio 

connection.

15

English

AVR

Types of Home Theater System Connections

Digital Audio Connections – Coaxial
coaxial digital audio jacks are usually color-coded in orange. Although they look like 

standard rcA-type analog jacks, you should not connect coaxial digital audio outputs to 

analog inputs or vice versa.

Digital Audio Connections – Optical
optical digital audio connectors are normally covered by a shutter to protect them from 

dust. the shutter opens as the cable is inserted. optical input connectors are color-coded 

using a black shutter, while optical outputs use a gray shutter.

Analog Audio Connections
two-channel analog connections require a stereo audio cable, with one connector for 

the left channel (white) and one for the right channel (red). these two connectors are 

attached to each other.

for source devices that have both digital and analog audio outputs, you may make both 

connections. If you are going to be setting up a multizone system, remember that Zone 

2 is an audio-only zone (the Avr does not have a Zone 2 video output). therefore, make 

analog connections for any audio source devices (such as a cd changer) that you will 

want available for listening in Zone 2 at all times. 
the analog connections also feed the analog record outputs. you may record materials 

from blu-ray disc recordings, dvds or other copy-protected sources using only analog 

connections. remember to comply with all copyright laws if you choose to make a copy 

for your own personal use.

many source devices output both audio and video signals (e.g., blu-ray disc, dvd 

player, cable television box, hdtv tuner, satellite box, vcr, dvr). In addition to an audio 

connection as described above, make a video connection for each of these source 

devices. make only one type of video connection for each device.

Digital Video Connections
If you have already connected a source device to one of the Avr’s hdmI input connectors, 

you have automatically made a video connection for that device, since the hdmI cable 

carries both digital audio and digital video signals.

Analog Video Connections – Composite Video
your Avr uses two types of analog video connections: composite video and component 

video.
composite video is the basic connection most commonly available. both the chrominance 

(color) and luminance (intensity) components of the video signal are transmitted using a 

single cable. the jack is usually color-coded yellow and looks like an analog audio jack. 

do not connect a composite video jack to an analog audio or coaxial digital audio jack, 

or vice versa.

Analog Video Connections – Component Video
component video separates the video signal into three components – one luminance 

(“y”) and two sub-sampled color signals (“pb” and “pr”) – that are transmitted using 

three separate cables that are color-coded green (y), blue (pb) and red (pr). component 

video cables that join three separate green, blue and red connectors into a single cable 

are sold separately.

If your tv or video display has an hdmI connection, we recommend it as the best quality 

connection. your Avr converts composite and component analog video input signals to 

the hdmI format, upscaling them to high-definition 1080p resolution.