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REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 13

J Direct Button: Press this button when the
tuner is in use to start the sequence for direct
entry of a station’s frequency. After pressing the
button simply press the proper Numeric Keys
H to select a station (See page 31 for more
information on the tuner).

K Tuning Up/Down: When the tuner is in use,
these buttons will tune up or down through the
selected frequency band. If the Tuner Mode but-
ton 

I has been pressed or the Band button

9 on the front panel was held pressed so that
the AUTO indicator P is illuminated, pressing
either of the buttons will cause the tuner to seek
the next station with acceptable signal strength
for quality reception. When the AUTO indicator
P is NOT illuminated, pressing these buttons will
tune stations in single-step increments. (See page
31 for more information.)

L OSD Button: Press this button to activate
the On Screen Display (OSD) system used to set
up or adjust the AVR’s parameters.

M Macro Buttons: Press these buttons 
to store or recall a “Macro”, which is a 
pre-programmed sequence of commands 
stored in the remote. (See page 35 for more
information on storing and recalling macros.)

N Transport Buttons: These buttons do not
have any functions for the AVR, but they may be
programmed for the forward/reverse play opera-
tion of a wide variety of CD or DVD players, and
audio or video- cassette recorders. (See page 35
for more information on programming the
remote.)

O Skip Up/Down Buttons: These buttons
do not have a direct function with the 
AVR 3550, but when used with a compatibly
programmed CD or DVD changer they will
change the tracks on the disc currently being
played in the changer.

P RDS Select Button: Press this button to
display the various messages that are part of the
RDS data system of the AVR 3550’s tuner. (See
page 32 for more information on RDS).

Q Preset Up/Down: When the tuner is in
use, press these buttons to scroll through the
stations programmed into the AVR’s memory.
When CD or DVD is selected using the Input
Selector button 

4, these buttons may func-

tion as Slow Fwd/Rev (DVD) or ”+10” (CD).

 Clear Button: Press this button to clear
incorrect entries when using the remote to 
directly enter a radio station’s frequency.

 Memory Button: Press this button to enter
a radio station into the AVR’s preset memory. After
pressing the button the MEMORY indicator U
will flash; you then have five seconds to enter a
preset memory location using the Numeric
Keys

H. (See page 31 for more information.)

 Delay/Prev Ch.: Press this button to begin
the process for setting the delay times used by
the AVR when processing surround sound. After
pressing this button, the delay times are entered
by pressing the Set button 

F and then using

the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to change the setting.

Press the Set button again to complete the
process. (See page 21 for more information.)

 

›

Button: Press this button to change a set-

ting or selection when configuring many of the
AVR’s settings.

! Speaker Select: Press this button to
begin the process of configuring the 
AVR 3550’s Bass Management System for use
with the type of speakers used in your system.
Once the button has been pressed, use the

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D to select the channel you

wish to set up. Press the Set button 

F and

then select the speaker type (see page 19 for
more information.)

" Spare Button: This button does not have
any function for the operation of the AVR 3550,
but it can turn on/off the Multiroom system on
other Harman Kardon AV-receivers with that fea-
ture and the Sub-function on DVD players.

#Volume Up/Down: Press these buttons to
raise or lower the system volume.

$ TV/Video Button: This button does not
have a direct function on the AVR 3550, but
when used with a compatibly programmed VCR,
DVD or satellite receiver that has a “TV/Video”
function, pressing this button will switch
between the output of the player or receiver and
the external video input to that player. Consult
the Owner’s Manual for your specific player or
receiver for the details of how it implements this
function.

% SPL Indicator Select: This button acti-
vates the AVR 3550’s EzSet function to quickly
and accurately calibrate the AVR’s output levels.
Press and hold the button for three seconds and
then release it. Note that the Test Tone will
begin circulating, and the Program Indicator
2 will change colors. During this sequence,
EzSet will automatically adjust the output levels
for all channels until they are equal, as shown by
the Program Indicator lighting green for each
channel. (See page 22 for more information on
EzSet.)

& 6-Ch. Direct Input: Press this button to
select the component connected to the 6-Ch.
Direct Input

 as the source

' Mute: Press this button to momentarily
silence the AVR or TV set being controlled,
depending on which device has been selected.

When the AVR remote is being programmed to
operate another device, this button is pressed
with the Input Selector button 

4 to begin

the programming process. (See page 35 for more
information on programming the remote.)

NOTE: As any of the remote buttons pressed is
active with the device selected, the correspon-
ding Selector button 

45 will briefly flash

red to confirm your selection.

14 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

After unpacking the unit, and placing it on a solid
surface capable of supporting its weight, you will
need to make the connections to your audio and
video equipment.

We recommend that you use high-quality inter-
connect cables when making connections to
source equipment and recorders to preserve the
integrity of the signals.

When making connections to audio source
equipment or speakers it is always a good prac-
tice to unplug the unit from the AC wall outlet.
This prevents any possibility of accidentally send-
ing audio or transient signals to the speakers
that may damage them.

Important Note: In order to clearly identify all
connectors and simplify nstallation, as per the
new EIA/CEA-863 standard, all connections are
colour coded as follows:
For Speakers and Audio In/Outputs: White (Left,
speakers front) and Red (Right, speakers front).
For Speakers: Green (Center), Blue (Left
Surround) and Grey (Right Surround).
For Audio Output: Purple (Subwoofer).
For Composite Video In/Outputs: Yellow.
For Digital Audio In/Outputs: Orange.

1. Connect the analog output of a CD player to
the CD inputs 

.

NOTE: When the CD player has both fixed and
variable audio outputs it is best to use the fixed
output unless you find that the input to the
receiver is so low that the sound is noisy, or so
high that the signal is distorted.

2. Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cas-
sette deck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to
the Tape Input jacks 

. Connect the analog

Record/In jacks on the recorder to the Tape
Output jacks 

 on the AVR.

3. Connect the output of any digital sources to
the appropriate input connections on the 
AVR 3550. Note that the Optical and Coaxial
digital inputs 

  may be used with a Dolby

Digital or DTS source or the output of a con-
ventional CD, MD or LD player’s PCM (S/P-DIF)
output.

4. Connect the Coaxial or Optical Digital
Outputs 

 on the rear panel of the AVR to the

matching digital input connections on a CD-R or
MiniDisc recorder.

5. Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with
the unit as shown below. Connect it to the AM
and GND screw terminals 

.

6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the FM
(75 ohm) connection 

. The FM antenna may

be an external roof antenna, an inside powered
or wire lead antenna or a connection from a
cable system. Note that if the antenna or con-
nection uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you must
use a 300-ohm-to-75-ohm adapter to make the
connection.

7. Connect the front, center and surround speak-
er outputs 

 to the respective speakers.

To assure that all the audio signals are carried to
your speakers without loss of clarity or resolu-
tion, we suggest that you use high-quality
speaker cable. Many brands of cable are avail-
able and the choice of cable may be influenced
by the distance between your speakers and the
receiver, the type of speakers you use, personal
preferences and other factors. Your dealer or
installer is a valuable resource to consult in
selecting the proper cable.

Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we
recommend that you use a cable constructed of
fine, multistrand copper with an area greater
than 2 mm

2

.

Cable with an area of 1.5 mm

2

may be used for

short runs of less than 4 m. We do not recom-
mend that you use cables with an area less than
1mm

2

due to the power loss and degradation in

performance that will occur.

Cables that are run inside walls should have the
appropriate markings to indicate listing with UL,
CSA or other appropriate testing agency stan-
dards. Questions about running cables inside
walls should be referred to your installer or a
licensed electrical contractor who is familiar with
the applicable local building codes in your area.

When connecting wires to the speakers, be cer-
tain to observe proper polarity. Remember to
connect the “negative” or “black” wire to the
same terminal on both the receiver and the
speaker. Similarly, the “positive” or “red” wire
should be connected to like terminals on the
AVR and speaker.

NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers
adhere to an industry convention of using black
terminals for negative and red ones for positive,
some manufacturers may vary from this configu-
ration. To assure proper phase and optimal per-
formance, consult the identification plate on
your speaker or the speaker’s manual to verify
polarity. If you do not know the polarity of your
speaker, ask your dealer for advice before pro-
ceeding, or consult the speaker’s manufacturer.

We also recommend that the length of cable
used to connect speaker pairs be identical. For
example, use the same length piece of cable to
connect the front-left and front-right or sur-
round-left and surround-right speakers, even if
the speakers are a different distance from the
AVR.

8. Connections to a subwoofer are normally
made via a line level audio connection from the
Subwoofer Output

 to the line-level input

of a subwoofer with a built-in amplifier. When a
passive subwoofer is used, the connection first
goes to a power amplifier, which will be con-
nected to one or more subwoofer speakers. If
you are using a powered subwoofer that does
not have line-level input connections, follow the
instructions furnished with the speaker for con-
nection information.

Note: Speaker sets with two front satellites and
a passive subwoofer must be connected to the
front speaker outputs 

 only rather than to the

.

Video equipment is connected in the same man-
ner as audio components. Again, the use of high-
quality interconnect cables is recommended to
preserve signal quality. To ensure best video per-
formance S-Video sources should be connected
to the AVR 3550 only with their S-Video In/
Outputs, not with their composite video connec-
tors too.

1. Connect a VCR’s audio and video Play/Out
jacks to the Video 1 or Video 2 In jacks
 on the rear panel. The Audio and
Video Record/In jacks on the VCR should be con-
nected to the Video 1 jacks 

 on the AVR

3550.

2. Connect the analog audio and video outputs
of a satellite receiver, cable TV converter or tele-
vision set or any other video source to the
Video 2

 (if not in use) jacks.

3. Connect the analog audio and video outputs
of a DVD or laser disc player to the DVD jacks
.

4. Connect the Video Monitor Out

 jacks on

the receiver to the composite and S-Video input
of your television monitor or video projector.

Video Connection Note:
• S-Video or Composite video signals may only

be viewed in their native formats and will not
be converted to the other format. But the OSD
will be viewed on the TV screen in any case,
with Video or S-Video input selected on the TV.

INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 15

For the connections described above your video
device needs RCA (cinch) connectors or/and S-
Video connectors for all Audio and Video signals:
Any normal video device (Not SVHS or High 8) for
only playback needs 3 RCA jacks, VCRs for record
and playback even 6 RCA jacks. Any S-Video
device (SVHS, High 8) needs 2 RCA (Audio) and 1
S-Video jack (Video), if it´s a playback unit, or 4
RCA (Audio In/Out) and 2 S-Video (Video In/Out)
jacks, if it´s a recording VCR.

Many european video devices are equipped with
RCA (Cinch) or S-Video jacks only partially, not
with all audio and video in/outputs needed as
described above, but with a so called Scart or
Euro-AV connector (almost rectangular jack with
21 pins, see drawings on this page).

In that case the following Scart to Cinch adapters
or cables are needed:

• Units for playback, such as satellite receivers,

camcorders, DVD or LD players, need an adapter
from Scart to 3 RCA plugs, see fig. 1 (normal
video devices) or from Scart to 2 RCA+1 S-
Video plugs, see fig. 4 (S-Video devices).

• HiFi VCRs need an adapter from Scart to 6 RCA

plugs, see fig. 2 (normal video), or from Scart to
4 Audio+2S-Video jacks, see fig. 5 (S-Video
VCR). Read carefully the instruction attached to
the adapter to find which of the six plugs is
used for the record signal to the VCR (connect
with the AVR´s Out jacks) and for the playback
signal from the VCR (connect with the AVR´s In
jacks). Do not misconnect Audio and Video sig-
nals. Don´t hesitate to consult your dealer, if you
are uncertain.

• If you use only normal video devices the TV

monitor needs an adapter from 3 RCA plugs to
Scart (fig. 3) only. If also S-Video devices are
used an adapter from 2 RCA+1S-Video plugs to
Scart is needed additionally (fig. 6), connected
to the SCART input on your TV that is provided
for S-Video.

Note that only the video plugs (the ”yellow” cinch
plug in fig. 3 and the S-Video plug in fig. 6) must
be connected to the TV Monitor Output

,

and the volume on the TV must be reduced to
minimum.

Important Note for Adapter Cables:
If the cinch connectors of the adapter you’ll use
are labeled, connect the Audio and Video ”In”
plugs with the corresponding Audio and Video
”In” jacks on the AVR (and with a VCR connect
the ”Out” plugs to the ”Out” jacks on the AVR).
Note that with some adapter types it may be just
turned around: If no signal is audible/ visible
when the VCR is playing connect the “Out” plugs
to the ”In” jacks on the AVR and turned around.
If the adapter plugs are not labeled in that way,
pay attention to the signal flow directions as

→ Cinch

↔ Cinch

→ SCART

→ Cinch

↔ Cinch

→ SCART

1

shown in the diagrams above and in the instruc-
tion attached to the adapter. If uncertain, don’t
hesitate to consult your dealer.

Important Notes for S-Video connections:
1. Only the S-Video In/Out of S-Video devices
must be connected to the AVR, NOT both, nor-
mal video and S-Video In/Outputs (except the TV,
see item 2).

2. Like most common AV units the AVR 3550
does not convert the Video signal to S-Video or
vice versa. Thus both connections must be made
from the AVR 3550 to the TV if both, Video and 
S-Video sources, are used, and the appropriate
input on the TV must be selected.

Important Note for the Use of 
SCART-Cinch Adapters:
When video sources are connected to the TV
directly with a SCART cable, specific control sig-
nals apart from Audio/Video signals will be fed
to the TV. These specific signals are: With all
video sources, the signal for automatic input
selection that switches the TV automatically to
the appropriate input as soon as the video
source is started. And with DVD players, the sig-
nals automatically turning the TV to 4:3/16:9
format (with 16:9 TVs or 4:3 TVs with 16:9
capability) and turning the RGB video decoder of
the TV on or off, depending on the DVD player´s
setting. With any adapter cable, these control
signals will be lost and the appropriate setting
of the TV must be made manually.

16 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

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.

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 ampli-
fiers. 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 turn to
Standby mode only 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.

Finally, when all connections are complete, plug
the power cord into a nonswitched 220-240-volt
AC wall outlet. You’re almost ready to enjoy the
AVR 3550!