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INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 17

The AVR 340 is designed for flexible use with
multiroom systems, external control components
and power amplifiers.

Main Room Remote Control Extension
If the receiver is placed behind a solid or smoked
glass cabinet door, the obstruction may prevent
the remote sensor from receiving commands. In
this event, the remote sensor of any Harman
Kardon or other compatible device, not covered
by the door, or an optional remote sensor may
be used. Connect the Remote IR Output of
that device or the output of the remote sensor to
the Remote IR Input jack 

!.

If other components are also prevented from
receiving remote commands, only one sensor is
needed. Simply use this unit’s sensor or a remote
eye by running a connection from the Remote
IR Output jack 

 to the Remote IR Input

jack on Harman Kardon or other compatible
equipment.

Multiroom IR Link
The key to remote room operation is to link the
remote room to the AVR’s location with wire for
an infrared receiver and speakers or an amplifier.
The remote room IR receiver (this can be an
optional IR receiver or any other remotable
Harman Kardon device in the remote room with
IR sensor integrated) should be connected to the
AVR via standard coaxial cable. Connect the
Remote IR Output of the device or of the
optional sensor with the Multiroom IR Input
jack 

) on the AVR’s rear panel.

If other Harman Kardon compatible source
equipment is part of the main room installation,
the Remote IR Output jack 

 on the rear

panel should be connected to the IR IN jack on
that source device. This will enable the remote
room location to control source equipment
functions.

When a remote IR sensor is used to control non-
Harman Kardon source equipment, we recom-
mend that you make a direct connection or use
an optional, external IR “blaster” connected to
the Remote IR Carrier Output Jack

+. If you

are in doubt as to which IR Output jack to use
for the equipment in your system, contact your
dealer or installer, or the manufacturer’s support
site and ask whether the unit to be controlled
uses “full carrier” or “stripped” carrier IR com-
mands. When “full carrier commands” are used,
make the connection to the Remote IR Carrier
Output Jack

+. Otherwise, make the connec-

tion to the Remote IR Output Jack

 as

noted above.

NOTE: All remotely controlled components must
be linked together in a “daisy chain”. Connect
the IR OUT jack of one unit to the IR IN of the
next to establish this chain.

Multiroom Audio Connections
Depending on your system`s requirement and
distance from the AVR to the remote room, three
options are available for audio connection:

Option 1: Use high-quality, shielded audio
interconnect phono cable from the AVR’s loca-
tion to the remote room. In the remote room,
connect the interconnect cable to a stereo
power amplifier. The amplifier will be connected
to the room’s speakers. At the AVR, plug the
audio interconnect cables into the Multiroom
Output Jacks 

' on the AVR’s rear panel.

Option 2: Place the amplifier that will provide
power to the remote location speakers in the
same room as the AVR, and connect the
Multiroom Output jacks 

' on the rear panel

of the AVR to the audio input of the remote
room amplifier. Use the appropriate speaker wire
to connect the optional power amplifier to the
remote speakers. High-quality wire of at least 
2.5 mm

2

is recommended for long multiroom

connections.

Option 3: Taking advantage of the AVR’s built-
in seven-channel amplifier, it is possible to use
two of the amplifier channels to power speakers
in the remote room. When using this option you
will not be able to use the full 7.1-channel capa-
bilities of the AVR in the main listening room,
but you will be able to add another listening
room without additional external power ampli-
fiers. To use the internal amplifiers to power a
remote zone, connect the speakers for the
remote room location to the Surround
Back/Multiroom Speaker Outputs

.

Before using the remote room you will need to
configure the amplifiers for surround operation
by changing a setting in the Multiroom menu,
following the instructions shown on page 43.

NOTE: For all options, you may connect an
optional IR sensor (Harman Kardon He 1000) in
the remote room to the AVR via an appropriate
cable. Connect the sensor’s cable to the
Multiroom IR Input

) on the AVR and use

the Zone II remote to control the room volume.
Alternatively, you may install an optional volume
control between the output of the amplifiers and
the speakers.

NOTE: The AVR 340’s multiroom system is only
capable of distributing analog audio sources to
the remote zone. Therefore, when connecting
your digital audio equipment (e.g. CD or DVD
players) as described on page 14, make sure to
use both analog and digital audio connections
to ensure that the devices will be available to
the multiroom system.

A-BUS Installation Connections
The AVR is among the very few receivers avail-
able today that offers built-in A-BUS Ready

®

operation. When used with an optional A-BUS
keypad or control module, you have all the bene-
fits of remote zone operation without the need
for an external power amplifier.

To use the AVR with an approved A-BUS prod-
uct, simply connect the keypad or module that is
in the remote room to the AVR using standard
“Category 5” wiring that is properly rated for
the inwall use specific to the installation.
Terminate the wiring at the receiver end to a
standard RJ-45 jack in compliance with the
instructions furnished with the A-BUS module.

You may connect a single A-BUS module to the
AVR 340 with no further equipment needed. If
you wish to connect more than one A-BUS
module, an optional, external A-BUS hub may be
used to provide that capability.

No further installation or adjustment is needed,
as the A-BUS connector on the AVR routes the
signals in and out of the keypad to their proper
destination for power, signal source and control.
The output fed to the A-BUS jack is determined
by the AVR’s multiroom system, and the menus
may be used as is.

AC Power Connections
This unit is equipped with two accessory AC
outlets. They may be used to power accessory
devices, but they should not be used with 
high-current draw equipment such as power
amplifiers. The total power draw to the
Unswitched Outlet 

 must not exceed 

100 watts, that to the Switched Outlet 

50 watts.

The Switched

 outlet will receive power only

when the unit is on completely. This is recom-
mended for devices that have no power switch
or a mechanical power switch that may be left in
the “ON” position.

NOTE: Many audio and video products go into a
Standby mode when they are used with
switched outlets, and cannot be fully turned on
using the outlet alone without a remote control
command.

The Unswitched

 outlet will receive power

as long as the unit is plugged into a powered AC
outlet and the Main Power Switch 1 is on.

The AVR draws significantly more current than
other household devices such as computers that
use removable power cords. For that reason, it is
important that only the cord supplied with the
unit (or a direct replacement of identical capaci-
ty) be used.

Once the power cord is connected, you are
almost ready to enjoy the AVR 340’s incredible
power and fidelity!

18 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

No matter which type or brand of speakers is
used, the same model or brand of speaker
should be used for the front-left, center and
front-right speakers. This creates a seamless
front soundstage and eliminates the possibility
of distracting sonic disturbances that occur when
a sound moves across mismatched front-channel
speakers.

The placement of speakers in a multichannel
home-theater system can have a noticeable
impact on the quality of sound reproduced.

Depending on the type of center-channel
speaker in use and your viewing device, place
the center speaker either directly above or below
your TV, or in the center behind a perforated
front-projection screen.

Once the center-channel speaker is installed,
position the left-front and right-front speakers so
that they are as far away from one another as
the center-channel speaker is from the preferred
listening position. Ideally, the front-channel
speakers should be placed so that their tweeters
are no more than 60cm above or below the
tweeter in the center-channel speaker.

They should also be at least 0.5 meter from your
TV set unless the speakers are magnetically
shielded to avoid colourings on the TV screen.
Note that most speakers are not shielded, even
with complete surround sets only the Center
speaker may be.

Depending on the specifics of your room
acoustics and the type of speakers in use, you
may find that imaging is improved by moving the
front-left and front-right speakers slightly
forward of the center-channel speaker. If
possible, adjust all front loudspeakers so that
they are aimed at ear height when you are
seated in the listening position.

Using these guidelines, you’ll find that it takes
some experimentation to find the correct
location for the front speakers in your particular
installation. Don’t be afraid to move things
around until the system sounds correct. Optimize
your speakers so that audio transitions across
the front of the room sound smooth.

When the AVR is used in 5.1-channel operation,
the preferred location for surround speakers is
on the side walls of the room, at or slightly
behind the listening position. In a 6.1-channel
system, a back surround speaker is required, ide-
ally placed at the center of the room's rear wall,
pointing directly towards the front center chan-
nel speaker. The center of the speaker should
face you (see below).

In a 7.1-channel system, both side surround and
back surround speakers are required. The center
of the speaker should face you (see below).

Rear surround speakers are required when a full
7.1-channel system is installed, and they may
also be used in 5.1 channel mode as an alterna-
tive mounting position when it is not practical to
place the main surround speakers at the sides of
the room. Speakers may be placed on a rear
wall, behind the listening position. As with the
side speakers, the center of the rear surrounds
should face you. The speakers should be no more
than 2 meters behind the rear of the seating
area.

It is appropriate to configure the AVR 340 for
either 5.1- or 7.1-channel operation, but not for
6.1 channels. When 6.1-channel program
material or a 6.1-channel processing mode is in
use, material for the surround back channel will
be outputted simultaneously through both the
Surround Back Left and Right Speaker
Outputs

. Connecting only one loudspeaker

to these speaker terminals will not only deprive
you of the benefits of 7.1-channel surround
modes, such as Logic 7, but will also interfere
with the functioning of EzSet/EQ speaker setup
and calibration, as described on page 24. It may
also put undesirable strain on the surround back
amplifier circuits and power supplies.

At least 15 cm from celling

At least 60 cm

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION  19

Subwoofers produce largely nondirectional
sound, so they may be placed almost anywhere in
a room. Actual placement should be based on
room size and shape and the type of subwoofer
used. One method of finding the optimal location
for a subwoofer is to begin by placing it in the
front of the room, about 15cm from a wall, or
near the front corner of the room. Another
method is to temporarily place the subwoofer in
the spot where you will normally sit, and then
walk around the room until you find a spot where
the subwoofer sounds best. Place the subwoofer
in that spot. You should also follow the
instructions of the subwoofer’s manufacturer, or
you may wish to experiment with the best
location for a subwoofer in your listening room.

Once the speakers have been placed in the room
and connected, the remaining steps are to pro-
gram the system configuration memories.

Although it is necessary to assign input/output
settings and surround mode choices manually, we
recommend that you take advantage of the
power and precision of EzSet/EQ to automatically
select and enter the settings for all other audio
parameters. This will not only save you time; it
will ensure that your room is calibrated and
equalized with an accuracy not possible when
these settings are made manually. You are now
ready to power up the AVR 340 to begin these
final adjustments.

You are now ready to power up the AVR to begin
these final adjustments.

1. Plug the Power Cable

 into an unswitched

AC outlet.

2. Press the Main Power Switch 1 in until it

latches and the word “OFF” on the top of the
switch disappears inside the front panel. Note
that the Power Indicator 3 will turn
orange, indicating that the unit is in the
Standby mode.

3. Remove the protective plastic film from the

main front-panel lens. If left in place, the film
may affect the performance of your remote
control.

4. Install the three supplied AAA batteries in the

remote as shown. Be certain to follow the (+)
and (–) polarity indicators that are on the top
of the battery compartment.

5. Turn the AVR on either by pressing the System

Power Control 2 or the Input Source
Selector % on the front panel, or via the
remote by pressing the Power On Button
3, AVR Selector 5 or any of the Input
Selectors

46 on the remote. The Power

Indicator 3 will turn blue to confirm that the
unit is on, and the Main Information
Display Ò will also light up.

NOTE: After pressing one of the Input Selector
buttons

4 to turn the unit on, press the AVR

5 to have the remote control the AVR

functions.

When making the following adjustments, you
may find them easier to make via the unit’s on-
screen display system. These easy-to-read
displays give you a clear picture of the current
status of the unit and facilitate speaker, delay,
input or digital selection you are making.

To view the on-screen displays, make certain you
have made a connection from the Video Monitor
Out jack 

 on the rear panel to the composite

or S-Video input of your TV or projector. In order
to view the AVR’s displays, the correct video input
must be selected on your video display. Note that
the on-screen menus are not available when a
component video display is in use.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When viewing the on-screen
menus using a CRT-based projector, plasma display
or any direct-view CRT monitor or television, it is
important that they not be left on the screen for an
extended period of time. As with any video display,
but particularly with projectors, constant display of
a static image such as these menus or video game
images may cause the image to be permanently
“burned into” the CRT. This type of damage is not
covered by the AVR warranty and may not be cov-
ered by the projector TV set’s warranty.

The AVR has two on-screen display modes,
“Semi-OSD” and “Full-OSD.” When making con-
figuration adjustments, it is recommended that
the Full-OSD mode be used. This will place a
complete status report or option listing on the
screen, making it easier to view the available
options and make the settings on the screen. The
Semi-OSD mode uses one-line displays only.

Note that when the full OSD system is in use, the
menu selections are not shown in the Infor-
mation Display Ò. When the full OSD menu
system is used,

OSD O N

will appear in the

Main Information Display Ò to remind you
that a video display must be used.

When the semi-OSD system is used in conjunc-
tion with the discrete configuration buttons, the
on screen display will show a single line of text
with the current menu selection. That selection
will also be shown in the Main Information
Display Ò.

The full OSD system can always be turned on or
off by pressing the OSD button 

L. When this

button is pressed the 

MASTER MENU

(Figure 1) will appear, and adjustments are made
from the individual menus. Note that the menus
will remain on the screen for 20 seconds after the
latest action was made on the screen menu, then
they will “time-out” and disappear from the
screen. The time-out may be increased to as
much as 50 seconds by going to the

ADVANCED SELECT

menu, and changing

the item titled 

FULL OSD TIME OUT

.

The semi-OSD system is also available as a sys-
tem default, although it may be turned off by
using the 

ADVANCED SELECT

menu. (See

page 42). With the semi-OSD system, you may
make adjustments directly, by pressing the but-
tons on the front panel or remote control for the
specific parameter to be adjusted. For example, to
change the digital input for any of the sources,
press the Digital Select Button Û

G and

then any of the Selector buttons

‹

/

›

7 or

⁄

/

¤

D on the front panel or remote.

The AVR 340 features an advanced memory sys-
tem that enables you to establish different con-
figurations for the speaker configuration, digital
input, surround mode, delay times, crossover fre-
quencies and speaker setting for each input
source. To ease the speaker setting, the same
speaker setting can also be made for all inputs.
This flexibility enables you to custom tailor the
way in which you listen to each source and have
the AVR memorize them. This means, for example,
that you may associate different surround modes
and analog or digital inputs with different
sources, or set different speaker configurations
with the resultant changes to the bass manage-
ment system or the use of the center speaker
and/or the Subwoofer. Once these settings are
made, they will automatically be recalled
whenever you select that input.

* *   M A S T E R   M E N U   * *

    I N P U T   S E T U P
    A U D I O   S E T U P
    S U R R O U N D   S E L E C T
    E z S e t / E Q
    M A N U A L   S E T U P
    M U L T I - R O O M
    A D V A N C E D

20 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

However, we recommend that the first time you
use the AVR, you take advantage of the simplicity
of configuring the system using the EzSet/EQ
process, which takes the guesswork out of speak-
er size and delay settings, and balances the
speaker output levels to tailor the AVR’s sound
presentation to your specific system and room.
Before beginning the EzSet/EQ procedure, there
are a few adjustments that need to be made to
ensure accurate results.

The factory default settings for the AVR 340 have
all inputs configured for an analog audio input
except for the DVD input, where the Coaxial
Digital Input

 is the default and the Video 2

input, where the Optical Digital Audio Input
 is the default. Once the DSP processing system
is used for the first time for any input, the speaker
settings will automatically default to “Small” at
all positions with the subwoofer set to “LFE.” The
default setting for the surround modes is Logic 7
Music, although Dolby Digital or DTS will auto-
matically be selected as appropriate when a
source with digital encoding is in use.

Before using the unit, you will probably want to
change the settings for most inputs so that they
are properly configured to reflect the use of digi-
tal or analog inputs and the surround mode asso-
ciated with the input. Remember that since the
AVR memorizes the settings for each input indi-
vidually, you will need to make these adjustments
for each input used. However, once they are
made, further adjustment is only required when
system components are changed.

To make this process as quick and as easy as pos-
sible, we suggest that you use the full-OSD sys-
tem with the on-screen menus, and step through
each input.
It is recommended that you record your settings
for each input using the work-sheets in the
appendix to this manual, in the event there is a
power loss or if you need to reenter the settings
for some other reason.

Input Setup
The first step in configuring the AVR is to select
an input, i.e. to associate an analog or digital
input with each input source in use, e.g. CD or
DVD. Note that once an input is selected, all
settings for the Digital Input, Speaker Configura-
tion, Delay and Surround Mode will ”attach”
themselves to that input and be stored in a
nonvolatile memory. This means that once made,
the selection of an input will automatically recall
those settings. For that reason, the procedures
described below must be repeated for each input
source so that you have the opportunity to
custom tailor each source to your specific
listening requirements. However, once made they
need not be changed again unless you need to
alter a setting.

When using the full-OSD system to make the
setup adjustments, press the OSD button 

L

once so that the 

MASTER MENU

(Figure 1)

appears. Note that the 

›

cursor will be next to

the 

INPUT SETUP

line. Press the Set button

F to enter the menu and the 

INPUT

SETUP

menu (Figure 2) will appear on the

screen. Press the 

‹

/

›

buttons 

E until the

desired input name appears in the highlighted
video, as well as being indicated in the front
panel Input Indicators  by the blue LED next
to the desired input name. If the input will use the
standard left/right analog inputs, no further
adjustment is needed.

The AVR offers you the option of renaming each
input (except tuner) as it appears in the on-screen
and front panel messages. This is helpful if you
have more than one VCR, if you wish to associate
a specific product brand name with the input, or
to simply enter any name that will help you to
remember which source is being selected.

To change the input name, press the 

⁄

/

¤

D on the remote so that

the 

➞ cursor is pointing to 

NAME

. Next, press

and hold the Set Button

F for a few seconds

until a flashing box appears to the right of the
colon. Immediately release the Set Button

F,

as you are now ready to enter the device name.

Press the 

⁄

/

¤

D and

note that a complete set of alpha-numeric charac-
ters will appear with the start of the alphabet in
capital letters followed by the lower-case letters
and then numbers and symbols. When you press
the 

¤

D, a series of sym-

bols and numbers will appear, followed by a
reverse list of the alphabet in lower-case letters.
Press the button either way until the first letter of
the desired name appears. If you wish to enter a
blank space as the first character, press the 

›

.

When the desired character appears, press the 

›

 and repeat the process

for the next letter, and continue until the desired
name is entered, up to a maximum of fourteen
characters.

Press the Set Button

F to enter the input

name into the system memory and to proceed
with the configuration process.

If your system includes any sources that are
equipped with Y/Pr/Pb component video outputs,
the AVR is able to switch them to send the proper
signals to your video display. Both Component
Video Inputs

 may be assigned to any

source for added system flexibility. The default
setting is for the Video 1 Component Video
Input

 to be assigned to the DVD, with the

 assigned to the

other inputs. If your system does not include com-
ponent video at this time, or if you do not need to
change these defaults, press the 

¤

D to go to the next setting.

To change the Component Video assignment, first
make certain that the 

➞ cursor is pointing to the

COMPONENT I N

line on the menu screen,

and then press the 

‹

/

›

E until you see the desired input in the
highlighted video. The clicking noise that you will
hear when the component video inputs is
switched is normal, due to the relay used to
ensure proper isolation between the three inputs.

When the desired component input has been
selected, press the 

¤

D

go to the next setting.

If you wish to associate one of the digital inputs
with the selected input source, press the 

¤

D on the remote while the 

INPUT

SETUP

menu (Figure 2) is on the screen, and

note that the on-screen cursor will drop down to
the 

DIGITAL I N

line. Press the 

‹

/

›

E until the name of the desired digital
input appears. To return to the Analog input,
press the buttons until the word 

ANALOG

appears. When the correct input source appears,
press the 

¤

button 

D until the ➝ cursor

appears next to 

BACK T O MASTER MENU

,

and press the Set Button

F.

To associate an analog or digital input with the
input source currently selected at any time using
the discrete function buttons, press the Digital
Input Select Button Û

G on the front panel

or the remote while the full-OSD is not in use.
Within five seconds, make your input selection
using the Selector buttons on the front panel 7
or the 

⁄

/

¤

D Buttons on the remote until

the desired digital or analog input is shown in the
Main Information Display Ò and in the
lower third of the video display connected to the
AVR. Press the Set Button

F to enter the new

input assignment.

    *   I N P U T   S E T U P   *    

I N P U T           : D V D
N A M E :
C O M P O N E N T   I N : C O M P   V 1
D I G I T A L   I N : C O A X I A L   1
A U T O   P O L L   : O F F

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U