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OPERATION 25

Once you have completed the setup and configu-
ration of the AVR 3000, it is simple to operate
and enjoy. The following instructions should be
followed for you to maximize your enjoyment of
your new receiver:

Turning the AVR 3000 On or Off
• When using the AVR 3000 for the first time, you
must press the Main Power Switch 1 on the
front panel to turn the unit on. This places the unit
in a Standby mode, as indicated by the amber
color of the Power Indicator 3. Once the unit
is in Standby, you may begin a listening session by
pressing the System Power Control 2 or the
Source button ! on the front panel or the AVR
Selector

5. Note that the Power Indicator

3

will turn green. This will turn the unit on and

return it to the input source that was last used.
The unit may also be turned on from Standby by
pressing any of the Source Selector buttons on
the remote 

4'6.

NOTE: After pressing one of the Input Selector
buttons

4 (except VID4) to turn the unit on,

press the AVR Selector

5 to have the remote

control the AVR functions.

To turn the unit off at the end of a listening ses-
sion, simply press the System Power Control
2

on the front panel or the Power Off

3 on the remote. Power will be shut

off to any equipment plugged into the rear panel
Switched AC Outlets

 and the Power

Indicator 3 will turn amber.

When the remote is used to turn the unit “off” it
is actually placing the system in a Standby mode,
as indicated by the amber color of the Power
Indicator 3.

When you will be away from home for an
extended period of time it is always a good idea
to completely turn the unit off with the front
panel Main Power Switch 1.

NOTE: All preset memories may be lost if the
unit is left turned off with the Main Power
Switch 1 for more than two weeks.

Using the Sleep Timer
• To program the AVR 3000 for automatic turn-
off, press the Sleep Button

9 on the remote.

Each press of the button will increase the time
before shut down in the following sequence:

The sleep time will be displayed in the Preset
Number/Sleep Timer Indicator R and it will
count down until the time has elapsed.

When the programmed sleep time has elapsed,
the unit will automatically turn off (to Standby
mode). Note that the front panel display will dim
to one half brightness when the Sleep function
is programmed. To cancel the Sleep function,
press and hold the Sleep Button 

9 until the

information display returns to normal brightness
and the Sleep indicator numbers disappear and
the words SLEEP O F F appear in the
Main Information Display Y.

• To select a source, press any of the Source
Selector buttons on the remote 

46.

NOTE: After pressing one of the Input Selector
buttons

4 (except VID4) to turn the unit on,

press the AVR Selector

5 to have the remote

control the AVR functions.

• The input source may also be changed by
pressing the front-panel Input Source
Selector button !. Each press of the button
will move the input selection through the list of
available inputs.

• As the input is changed, the AVR 3000 will
automatically switch to the digital input (if
selected), surround mode and speaker configura-
tion that were entered during the configuration
process for that source.

• The front-panel Video 4 Inputs % may be
used to connect a device such as a video game
or camcorder to your home entertainment
system on a temporary basis.

• As the input source is changed, the new input
name will appear momentarily as an on-screen
display in the lower third of the video display.
The input name will also appear in the Main
Information Display Y and a green LED will
light next to the selected input’s name in the
front-panel Input Indicators Ô.

• When a pure audio source (Tuner, CD, Tape, 6
Channel direct inputs) is selected, the last video
input used remains routed to the Video 1 and
Video 2 Outputs

  (except from its own

Video 1/ source) and Video Monitor Output
. This permits simultaneous viewing and lis-
tening to different sources.

• When a Video source is selected, its audio sig-
nal will be fed to the speakers and the video sig-
nal for that input will be routed to the appropriate
Monitor Output jack 

 and will be viewable

on a TV monitor connected to the AVR 3000.

• Adjust the volume to a comfortable level using
the front panel Volume Control ( or remote
Volume Up/Down 

$ buttons.

• The Balance Control & may be used to
adjust the relative sound output between the left
front and right front speakers.

• To temporarily silence all speaker outputs
press the Mute button 

. This will interrupt

the output to all speakers and the headphone
jack, but it will not affect any recording or dub-
bing that may be in progress. When the system
is muted, the MUTE indicator P will light in
the Main Information Display Ú. Press the
Mute button 

 again to return to normal

operation.

• During a listening session you may wish to
adjust the Bass Control ^ and Treble
Control * to suit your listening tastes or room
acoustics. Note that these controls are not effec-
tive with the 6-Channel Direct Input.

• To set the output of the AVR 3000 so that the
output is “flat,” with the Tone controls and the
Balance control de-activated, press the Tone
Mode button 6 button once or twice so that
the words T o n e O u t appear momentarily
in the Main Information Display Y. To
return the tone controls to an active condition,
press the Tone Mode 6 button once or twice
so that the words T o n e I n momentarily
appear in the Main Information Display Y.

• For private listening, plug the 6.3 mm stereo
phone plug from a pair of stereo headphones
into the front panel Headphone Jack 4. Note
that when the headphone’s plug is connected,
the word HEADPHONE will scroll once
across the Main Information Display Y and
all speakers will be silenced. When the head-
phone plug is removed, the audio feed to the
speakers will be restored.

90

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OFF

26 OPERATION

DOLBY DIGITAL

Available only with digital input sources encoded with Dolby Digital data. It provides 

Center: 0 ms – 5 ms

up to five separate main audio channels and a special dedicated Low Frequency Effects 

Initial Setting – 0 ms

channel.

Surround: 0 ms – 15 ms
Initial Setting – 0 ms

DTS

Available only with digital input sources encoded with DTS data. Available on special 

Delay time not adjustable 

DVD, LD and audio-only discs, DTS provides up to five separate main audio channels and 
a special dedicated low frequency channel.

DOLBY PRO LOGIC

The standard mode for analog surround sound decoding. It uses information encoded 

15 ms – 30 ms 

in a two channel stereo recording to produce four distinct outputs: Left, Center, Right and

Initial Setting = 15 ms

a Mono Surround channel. Use this mode for accurate reproduction of programs bearing 
the Dolby Surround, DTS Stereo, UltraStereo or other “Surround” logos. Surround-encoded 
programs include videocassette, DVD and LD movies, TV and cable programs, radio 
programs and audio CDs. Dolby Pro Logic processing may also be used to provide a 
pleasing surround effect with some stereophonic source material that does not carry 
surround encoding.

DOLBY 3 STEREO

Uses the information contained in a surround encoded or two channel stereo program to 

No surround channels 

create center channel information. In addition, the information that is normally sent to the 
rear channel surround speakers is carefully mixed in with the front left and front right 
channels for increased realism. Use this mode when you have a center channel speaker 
but no surround speakers.

THEATER

This surround processing uses matrix surround decoding to simulate a standard movie or 

Delay time not adjustable 

stage theater with stereo and even pure mono sources.

HALL

The Hall mode offers matrix surround decoding that simulate

Delay time not adjustable

a medium-sized chamber hall or opera house with stereo and even pure mono sources.

VMAx Near

When only the two front channel loudspeakers are used, Harman’s patented VMAx mode 

No surround channels 

VMAx Far

delivers a three-dimensional sound space with the illusion of “phantom speakers” at the 
center and surround positions. The VMAx N, or “Near Field” mode should be selected when
your listening position is less than 1,5m from the speakers. The VMAx F, or “Far Field” mode
should be selected when your listening positioin is greater than 1,5m from the speakers.

5-Channel Stereo

This mode takes advantage of multiple speakers to place a stereo signal at both the front and

No delay is available for 

back of a room. Ideal for playing music in situations such as a party, it places the same signal

this mode

at the front-left and surround-left, and at the front-right and surround-right speakers. The center
channel is fed a summed mono mix of the in-phase material of the left and right channels.

SURROUND

This mode turns off all surround processing and presents the pure left and right 

No surround channels 

OFF (STEREO)

channel presentation of two channel stereo programs.

LOGIC 7 C
LOGIC 7 M

An advanced mode that extracts the maximum surround information from either
conventional stereo material or surround-encoded programs. When used with encoded
material, decoding is more accurate in terms of the placement of sounds, and fades and pans
are much smoother and more realistic than with other decoding techniques. Logic 7 also
delivers increased spaciousness and a wider sound stage when it is used with conventional
natural stereo recordings and music programs throug the use of the natural surround
information present also in those stereo recordings. The Logic 7C or Cinema mode is tailored
to provide an optimal sound field for movie soundtracks. The Logic 7M or Music mode uses a
decoding formula that is best suited to music.

Delay time not adjustable

OPERATION  27

One of the most important features of the 
AVR 3000 is its ability to reproduce a full multi-
channel surround sound field from digital
sources, analog matrix surround encoded pro-
grams and standard stereo or even mono pro-
grams. In all, a total of thirteen listening modes
are available on the AVR 3000.

Selection of a surround mode is based on personal
taste, as well as the type of program source mate-
rial being used. For example, motion pictures or TV
programs bearing the logo of one of the major
surround encoding processes, such as Dolby
Surround, DTS Stereo or UltraStereo

††

should be

played in either the Dolby 3 Stereo or Dolby Pro
Logic surround modes depending on the source
material and speakers in use.

However to create wider, enveloping sound field
environments and more defined pans and
flyovers with all analog stereo and surround
recordings select Harman Kardon’s exclusive
Logic 7 mode, that creates a stereophonic left
and right rear signal, just as recorded in real life
(e.g. sound being recorded from left rear side will
be heard from that side only) for a dramatic
improvement in comparison to Dolby Pro Logic.

NOTE: Once a program has been encoded with
matrix surround information, it retains the sur-
round information as long as the program is
broadcast in stereo. Thus, movies with surround
sound may be decoded via any of the analog sur-
round modes such as Pro Logic or Logic 7, when
they are broadcast via conventional TV stations,
cable, pay TV and satellite transmission. In addi-
tion, a growing number of made-for-television
programs, sports broadcasts, radio dramas and
music CDs are also recorded in surround sound.
You may view a list of these programs at the Dolby
Laboratories Web site at www.dolby.com.

Even when a program is not listed as carrying
intentional surround information, you may find
that the Pro Logic, Dolby 3 Stereo or Logic 7
modes often deliver enveloping surround presen-
tations through the use of the natural surround
information present in all stereo recordings.
However, for stereo programs without any sur-
round information the Theater, Hall and 5CH
Stereo modes should be tried (5CH Stereo is effec-
tive particularly with old ”extreme” stereo record-
ings) and for mono programs, we suggest that you
try the Theater or Hall modes. And when you use
only two front channel speakers you should select
Harman’s patented VMAx mode, delivering a virtu-
ally three dimensional sound space with two
speakers only.

Surround modes are selected using either the
front panel controls or the remote. To select a
surround mode from the front panel, press the
Surround Mode Selector 7 to scroll through
the list of available modes. To select a surround

mode using the remote, press the Surround
Mode Selector

A, and then press the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

D to change the mode. As you press

the buttons, the Surround mode name will
appear in the Main Information Display Y,
and an individual mode indicator will also light
up C D F H I J K L N. As the sur-
round modes change, a green LED will light next
to the current mode in the Surround Mode
Indicators list ˆ on the front panel.

Note that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes may
only be selected when a digital input is in use. In
addition, when a digital source is present, the
AVR 3000 will automatically select and switch to
the correct mode (Dolby Digital or DTS), regard-
less of the mode that has been previously select-
ed. For more information on selecting digital
sources, see the following section of this manual.

To listen to a program in traditional two channel
stereo, using the front left and front right speak-
ers only (plus the subwoofer if installed and con-
figured), follow the instructions shown above for
using the remote until SURR OFF appears
in the Main Information Display Y.

Digital audio is a major advancement over past
systems such as Dolby Pro Logic. It delivers five dis-
crete channels: left front, center, right front, left sur-
round and right surround. Each channel reproduces
full frequency range (20Hz to 20kHz) and offers
dramatically improved dynamic range and signifi-
cant 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 information. This is the
“.1” channel referred to when you see these sys-
tems descibed as “5.1”. The bass channel is sepa-
rate from the other channels, but since it is inten-
tionally 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 3000 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 

#$ of the AVR 3000.

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 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 3000, 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 output
to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the
rear panel 

 or front panel #$.

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 3000, 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.

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 3000 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 #$.

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 Ò

G

and then use the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

D on the

remote, or the Selector buttons 5 on the front
panel, until the desired choice appears in the
Main Information Display Y, then press the
Set button Ó

F to confirm the choice.

When a PCM source is playing, the PCM indica-
tor A will light. During PCM playback you may
select any surround mode except Dolby Digital or
DTS.

Playback from PCM sources may also benefit
from the Logic 7. When playing a stereo or sur-
round-encoded PCM source, such as an LD or CD

28 OPERATION

or a PCM audio track from DVD, use the Logic 7
C or Cinema mode. For stereo or surround encod-
ed pure music recordings use the Logic 7 M or
Music mode for a wider front sound stage (see
Surround Mode Chart page 26).

MP3 Audio Playback
The AVR 3000 is one of the first A/V receivers to
provide on-board decoding for the MP3 audio
format used on specific computer audio files and
by portable MP3 players/recorders. In addition,
some new CD and DVD players are capable of
playing back optical discs that are recorded with
MP3, rather than standard CD audio information.
By offering MP3 decoding, the AVR 3000 is able
to deliver more precise conversion of the digital
signals to an analog output, along with the ben-
efits of listening to the MP3 audio through the
AVR 3000’s high current amplifier and the speak-
ers from your surround system, rather than the
smaller speakers and low powered amplifiers typ-
ically used with computers.

To take advantage of the AVR 3000’s MP3 capa-
bilities, simply connect the PCM output of a com-
puter sound card able to feed the MP3 format to
its digital output, or the PCM output of MP3
compatible CD or DVD players or of a portable
MP3 player with a digital output, to either the
rear panel Digital Inputs

 or the front

panel Digital Inputs #$. When the digital
MP3 signal is selected, the MP3 Bitstream
Indicator A will light, and the audio will begin
playing.

NOTES:
• The AVR 3000 is only capable of playing sig-
nals in the MP3 (MPEG 1/Layer 3) format. It is
not compatible with other computer audio
codecs.

• The MP 3 DSP mode found in the new 
AVR 3000 requires an MP3 SPDIF stream.
Presently, only a few units provide this but in the
coming generations of motherboards and operat-
ing system updates this will follow, since SPDIF is
the standard for audio & video hardware.

• The digital audio input signal may be either
optical or coaxial, but the signal must be in the
PCM format. Direct connection of USB or serial
data outputs is not possible, even though the sig-
nals are in the MP3 format. If you have any ques-
tions about the data output format from your
computer or a sound card, check with the
device’s Owner’s Manual or contact the manu-
facturer’s technical support area.

Selecting a Digital Source
To utilize either digital mode you must have
properly connected a digital source to the
AVR 3000. Connect the digital outputs from DVD
players, HDTV receivers, satellite systems or CD
players to the Optical or Coaxial inputs on the
rear or front panel 

#$. In order to pro-

vide a backup signal and a source for analog
stereo recording, the analog outputs provided on
digital source equipment should also be connect-
ed to their appropriate inputs on the AVR 3000
rear panel (e.g., connect the analog stereo audio
output from a DVD to the DVD inputs 

 on the

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

When playing a digital source such as DVD, first
select its input using the remote or front panel
controls 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 record-
ing. When the digital input appropriate with the
DVD player is not selected automatically (due to
the input settings made earlier during the system
configuration, see page 19), select the digital
source by pressing the Digital Input Selector
button 

G Ò and then using the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D on the remote or the Selector buttons 5
on the front panel to choose any of the
OPTICAL

or COAXIAL inputs, as they

appear in the Main Information Display Y,
Display Indicator BE or on-screen display.
When the digital source is playing, the AVR 3000
will automatically detect whether it is a multi-
channel Dolby Digital, DTS source, MP3 or a con-
ventional PCM signal, which is the standard out-
put from CD players. A Bitstream Indicator A
will light in the Main Information Display Ú
to confirm that the digital signal is Dolby Digital,
DTS, MP3 or PCM.
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.

Digital Status Indicators
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 3000
senses the type of bitstream data that is present.
Using this information, the correct surround mode
will automatically be selected. For example, DTS
bitstreams 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
selected manually. Since the range of available
surround modes depends on the type of digital
data that is present, the AVR 3000 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, a Bitstream
Indicator A will light to show which type of
signal is playing:

DOLBY D

: When the DOLBY D indicator

lights, a Dolby Digital bitstream is being received.

Depending on the audio track selected on the
source player and number of channels on the
disc, different surround modes are possible. Note
that only one channel without subwoofer, called
”1.0” audio, or all five channels with subwoofer
(”5.1” audio) or all steps between can be record-
ed on digitally surround encoded audio tracks
(see NOTE below). With all those tracks, except
”2.0” audio, only the Dolby Digital and VMAx
modes are available. When the Dolby Digital sig-
nal is only two channel (”2.0”) these two chan-
nels (l and r) often contain Pro Logic surround
informations. With those tracks the AVR3000
automatically switches to the Pro Logic mode,
but you may also select the Vmax mode.

D T S

: When the DTS indicator lights, a DTS bit-

stream is being received. When the unit senses
this type of data, only the DTS mode may be used.

P C M

: When the PCM indicator lights, a standard

Pulse Code Modulation, or PCM, signal is being
received. This is the type of digital audio used by
conventional compact disc and laser disc record-
ings. When a PCM bitstream is present, all modes
except Dolby Digital and DTS are available. Note
that the PCM signal format can be selected on the
DVD player with any audio track, even with Dolby
Digital tracks (but not with Dolby Digital decod-
ing). So, if selected, even ”2.0” D.D. audio tracks
can be played with all surround modes, also with
the most effective Logic 7.

M P 3

: When the MP3 indicator lights, a compat-

ible MPEG 1/Layer 3 digital signal is being
received. This is the popular audio format used by
many computer programs for recording com-
pressed audio files. When an MP3 bitstream is 
present, the sound will automatically be played
in the stereo (surround off) mode. The surround
modes are not available during MP3 playback.

In addition to the Bitstream Indicators, the
AVR 3000 features a set of unique channel input
indicators that tell you how many channels of
digital information are being received and if the
digital signal is interrupted.

These indicators are the L/C/R/LS/RS/LFE letters
that are inside the center boxes of the
Speaker/Channel Input Indicators Q in the
front panel Main Information Display Ú.
When a standard analog stereo or matrix sur-
round signal is in use, only the “L” and “R” indi-
cators will light, as analog signals have only left
and right channels, respectively, even surround
recordings, carry surround information on the left
and right channels only.

Digital signals, however, may have one to six sep-
arate channels, depending on the program mate-
rial, 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