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Remote Control Functions

a

An

infrared beam is transmitted from
these emitters when you press any
button on the remote. For best oper-
ation, always point the front of the
remote towards the sensor on the
AVR40 35 and do not obstruct this
area.

b

Press this button to place

the unit in the sleep mode. The dis-
play will dim and the unit will turn off
after the number of minutes shown
in the information display.

c

Press this button

to turn the AVR40 on or off.

NOTE:

In order for this button to

work, the AVR40 must first be placed
in the standby mode by pressing the
front panel 

1

until it is engaged and the ring sur-
rounding the switch turns amber.

d

Press

one of these buttons to choose an
input source.

NOTE:

Automatic Power On:  When

you press an 

while the unit is in the Standby
Mode, the system will automatically
be turned on.

e

Press

these buttons to scan up or down
through the stations entered in the
tuner memory. The 

›

button will also

advance the disc being played in
compatible Harman Kardon CD
changers.

f

These but-

tons control some transport func-
tions of compatible Harman Kardon
cassette decks. The 

‹ ›

buttons put

the deck or primary transport in play
or change the direction during play.
The 

Î

±

button will pause the deck

during play or record. Press it again
to continue playback or recording.

g

These but-

tons control the play 

›

, Pause 

±

and

Stop 

Í 

functions of compatible

Harman Kardon CD or cassette
players.

h

Press these buttons to

manually tune higher or lower fre-
quency stations. They may also be
used to put a compatible Harman
Kardon CD player or cassette deck
in the fast forward 

››

or fast reverse

‹‹

mode.

i

Press these buttons to tune to sta-
tions with a strong enough signal for
acceptable listening. These buttons
will also change the disc track on
compatible Harman Kardon CD
players.

NOTE:

In order for the transport

controls ghi to function, you
must first press the Source Select
Button d for the device to be
controlled.

j

Install

two “AA” batteries as shown to
power the remote control.

k

Press this button to

change the display brightness. One
press dims the display and a sec-
ond press turns the display com-
pletely off. Press it again to return to
normal brightness.

l

Push

the bar away from you to raise the
unit’s volume, and press it towards
you to lower the volume.

m

Press this button to

momentarily silence the speakers.
Note that the word MUTE will flash in
the information display along with
the 

ı to

remind you that the Mute function is
engaged. Press the button again to
return to the previously selected
listening level.

n

Press this button

to increase the level of the Center
Channel for improved dialogue intel-
ligibility, or to turn the Center Boost
circuit off. Note that a Red LED will
illuminate above the 

button Ò on the front panel when
Center Boost is activated.

o

Press these buttons to

increase or decrease the amount of
Wrap signal that is applied when the
unit is in a surround mode and the
rear channel speakers are engaged.

p

Press this button to auto-

matically scan through the list of sta-
tions programmed into the tuner
memory. The tuner will stop for five
seconds at each station. To stop the
scan on a desired station press the
button again.

q

Press this button to

begin the calibration process that
establishes the proper output levels
for each channel.

r

Press this but-

ton to select a surround processing
mode. Each press will cycle through
the list of available modes. Select
SURR OFF to turn all surround pro-
cessing off and listen in a two chan-
nel stereo mode.

s

Press these buttons to select the
speaker being adjusted when using
the Calibrate function.

t

Press

these buttons to adjust the center or
rear channel level when using the
Calibrate function.

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Installation and Configuration

Your new Harman Kardon receiver is
designed to provide the best reproduction
from both movies and musical pro-
grams. To assure that the unit operates to
its fullest capability, it is important that
you spend a few minutes to properly
install and configure all of the elements
in your new system. Some, or all of the
following steps will apply to your system,
depending on the equipment in use. If
you have any questions concerning the
installation of this product consult your
local dealer, or contact the Harman
Kardon web site at 
www.harmankardon.com

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Many
products feature automatic turn on cir-
cuitry which may accidentally be activated
when making connections. For your own
safety and to prevent damage to speakers,
amplifiers and other components we
strongly recommend that all equipment
power be turned off at the 

1

, or that AC power cords be

unplugged when any system connections
are made or changed.

Using high-quality interconnect cables,
connect all source components to the
appropriate input jacks on the rear
panel. When connecting audio recorders
and VCRs it is important to make certain
that the PLAY/OUT jacks on the recorders
are connected to the 

jacks on the

AVR40, and that the RECORD/IN jacks of
the recorders are connected to the 

jacks on the AVR40.

Assemble the supplied AM loop antenna
as shown below and connect it to the 

f

. 

It may be necessary to rotate the antenna
or change its position to achieve the best
AM reception. Connect an FM antenna to
the 

g

. A 

300-ohm to 75-ohm adapter may be
required for some antennae.

If you are using the AVR40 to switch
video inputs, connect the 

out-

put 

‚

to a video input on your TV or

projector.

The rear panel accessory outlets on the
AVR40 may be used to power low current
devices such as CD players or tape decks.
The 

fl

are activated only

when the AVR40 is turned on. The

fi

may be used with

VCRs, as the power to these outlets is live
as long as the AVR40 remains connected
to an AC power source. 

CAUTION: The total power load for all
products connected to the accessory out-
lets must not exceed 100 watts. Do not
use them for high current devices such as
power amplifiers.

If the AVR40’s front panel remote sensor

35

is blocked by cabinet doors you may

still operate the unit via remote control
with the use of an optional external
remote sensor. Connect the output of the
sensor to the rear panel 

·

. This

AM LOOP ANTENNA SETTING

Stand and place it on a shelf, or hang it on a wall.

jack may also be used as the IR input
from compatible multiroom control
systems.  The AVR40’s remote sensor may
be looped to other components by con-
necting the 

°

to the IR

remote input jack of other compatible
components.

Speaker Selection and Placement
Depending on the type of center channel
speaker in use and your viewing device,
place the center speaker directly above or
below your TV.

Once the center channel speaker is
installed, position the left 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 24

″

higher 

or lower from the tweeter in the center
channel speaker.

Depending on the specifics of your room
acoustics and the type of speakers in use,
imaging may be improved by moving the
front left and right speakers slightly for-
ward 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 may 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 speaker
locations so that pans across the front of
the room sound smooth, and that sounds
from all speakers appear to arrive at the
listening position at the same time with-
out delay from the center speaker as
opposed to the left and right speakers.

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Installation and Configuration

Surround speakers should be placed on
the side walls of the room, at or slightly
behind the listening position. The speak-
ers should be located so that the bottom
of the cabinet is at least 24

″

higher than

the listeners’ ears when in the desired
area. 

If side wall mounting is not practical, the
speakers may be placed on a rear wall,
behind the listening position. Again, they
should be located so that the bottom of
the cabinet is at least 24

″

higher than

the listeners’ ears. The speakers should
be no more than 6

′

behind the rear of

the seating area.

Subwoofers produce non-directional
sound, so they may be placed almost
anywhere in a room. Subwoofer place-
ment is highly influenced by room size
and shape, and the type of subwoofer
used. Follow the instructions of the sub-
woofer’s manufacturer, or experiment
with the best location for a subwoofer in
your listening room.

Speaker Connections
Once the speakers are positioned in the
room connect them to the rear panel
output terminals. For optimal reproduc-
tion we recommend the use of high qual-
ity speaker wire. Wire of AWG 16 or
greater is recommended for short runs
(under 15

′

) and wire of AWG 14 or

greater is recommended for longer runs.
Be certain to observe polarity when con-
necting speakers by connecting the posi-
tive (+) and negative (

-

) terminals 

on the AVR40 to like terminals on 
the speakers.

To connect the front left, right and center
channel speakers twist the red or black
terminal 

¤‹›

counterclockwise

until the V-shaped notch at the rear of
the terminal is exposed. Insert the

stripped end of the speaker wire through
the notch and tighten the terminal until
it is tight.

NOTE: Be certain to match positive (+)
terminals on the AVR40 to the positive
terminals on the speakers. While most
speaker manufacturers observe the same
red/black color code as the AVR40, some
reverse the pattern.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To avoid a short
circuit that will cause the receiver to shut
down, make sure that the wires for one
speaker do not touch any other.

For proper operation, it is essential that a
speaker be connected to BOTH Rear
Speaker 

⁄

terminals. If only one rear

speaker is connected, no sound will be
heard. It is also important that the
impedance of the rear speakers be no 
less than 4-ohms each, although 6-ohm
or 8-ohm speakers may also be used.

To connect the rear speakers 

⁄

, hold

the spring clips down and push the wire
through the hole, making certain that
the inner copper conductors do not sepa-
rate. Release the clip to secure the con-
nection. Again, make certain that you
observe proper polarity by connecting the
(+) terminals on the receiver to (+) ter-
minals on the speakers, and likewise for
the negative (

-

) terminals.

Subwoofer connections are made using
the 

a

. When

using a powered subwoofer, connect
BOTH the left and right output sub-
woofer outputs to the respective left and
right line level inputs on your subwoofer.
The AVR40 subwoofer outputs are full
range, so it may be necessary to adjust
the crossover frequency on the sub-
woofer’s control panel to properly match
the subwoofer to your other speakers.

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AVR40  rev (j)  4/16/97

Right Front
Speaker

Left Front

Speaker

No more

than 24

″

Center Front Speaker

A) Front Channel Speaker Installation 
with Direct View TV Sets or Rear Screen
Projectors

Center Front

Speaker

Optional Rear Wall Mounting

TV or Projection Screen

Right Front

Speaker

Left Front

Speaker

No more than 6 feet

when rear-mounted

speakers are used

At least 2 feet

At least 6 inches from ceiling 

B) The distance between the left and right
speakers should be equal to the distance
from the seating position to the viewing
screen. You may also experiment with
placing the left and right speakers slightly
forward of the center speaker.

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Installation and Configuration

Consult the subwoofer instructions or
consult your dealer for additional
information.

When using a single subwoofer and a
separate mono power amplifier, the
AVR40 subwoofer outputs must be com-
bined using an optional “Y” adapter. If
there is no crossover in the subwoofer an
optional, external low pass filter or
crossover system must be used.

External Amplifier Connections
The flexibility of the AVR40 permits you
to use external power amplifiers in place
of the unit’s built in circuits. If a five
channel amplifier is used, simply remove
the jumper pins connecting the front
left/right outputs 

b

and the main

amplifier inputs 

c

. Connect the preamp

outputs for all channels 

bde

to the

appropriate input connections of your
power amplifier. Remove the speaker wire
connections from the receiver and con-
nect them to the external amplifier. All
other operation of the receiver remains
normal.

NOTE: Although there are two outputs
for the center channel, both are identi-
cal. In most installations only one center
channel connection is necessary.

It is also possible to use a higher power
external amplifier for the front channels
and use the AVR40’s internal amplifier to
power the surround channels. For this
installation remove the jumper pin con-
necting the front left right outputs 

b

and the main amp inputs 

c

. Flip the

pins so that the rear outputs 

d

are

connected to the main inputs.

Connect the front channel outputs to the
appropriate inputs of the external ampli-
fier, and move the front channel speaker

wire connections from the AVR40 to the
power amplifier.

Finally, connect the rear channel speaker
wires to the front left and right speaker
outputs on the AVR40 

¤‹

, as shown

on the accompanying diagram.

the performance it is capable of within
the specific environment of your
listening room.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Many listeners
are often confused about the operation of
the rear (surround) channels. While
some assume that sound should always
be coming from each speaker, most of the
time there will be little or no sound in the
rear channels. This is because they are
only used when a movie director or
sound mixer specifically places sound
there to create ambiance, an effect or to
continue action from the front of the
room to the rear. When the output levels
are properly set it is normal for them to
operate only occasionally. Artificially
increasing the volume to the rear
speakers may destroy the illusion of
an enveloping sound field that dupli-
cates the way you hear sound in a movie
theater or concert hall.

It is also important to note that the Dolby
Pro Logic surround processing used in
the AVR40 rear channel is a single
monaural feed, even though there are
two speakers. The position of the speakers
and the relationship of the level of sound
in the rear channel and the front left or
right channels creates the effect of direc-
tional sounds for the rear channels.
Thus, when adjusting the rear channel
there is only one, as opposed to two
adjustments.

To begin the adjustment process, first set
the system volume to the level that you
will use during a typical listening ses-
sion. Next, press the 

button

(q

on the front panel or remote. Note

that the front panel display will change
to read 

LF

although there will be no

change to the system output.

13

AVR40  rev (j)  4/16/97

LEFT

RIGHT

RIGHT

MAIN IN

FRONT

LEFT

PRE OUT

CENTER

PRE OUT

CENTER

SPEAKER

8

Ω

FRONT

SPEAKERS

8

Ω

SUB

WOOFER

OUT

REAR

PRE OUT

NOTE: When using an external amplifier
for the front channels it is highly recom-
mended that the same power be used for
the left, center and right channels.

Output Level Calibration
For proper operation in the surround
modes it is important that the level from
all channels be as close to one another as
possible. A small amount of time spent to
properly calibrate the AVR40’s output 
levels will enable the unit to deliver all

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