DOWNLOAD Harman Kardon AVR 500 Service Manual ↓ Size: 506 KB | Pages: 40 in PDF or view online for FREE

20 OPERATION

Once you have completed the setup and config-
uration of the AVR 500, it is simple to operate
and enjoy. The following instructions should be
followed for you to maximize your enjoyment of
your new receiver:

• When using the AVR 500 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 on the front panel or the AVR Selector a
or CD/TAPE/DVD Input Selector 

b. 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 

m

n or front panel 9 ) ! @ # $.

To turn the unit off at the end of a listening
session, simply press the System Power
Control

2 on the front panel or the Power

d on the remote. Power to any

equipment plugged into the rear panel
Switched AC Outlet fl will be shut off 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.

• To program the AVR 500 for automatic turn-
off, press the Sleep Button

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
Information Display and it will count down until
the time has elapsed.

When the programmed time has elapsed, the
unit will automatically turn off. Note that the
front-panel display will dim to one-half bright-
ness when the Sleep function is programmed.
To cancel the Sleep function, press and hold the
Sleep Button

until the information 

display returns to normal brightness and the
Sleep indicator numbers disappear.

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 using the
front panel Main Power Switch 1.

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

The AVR 500 is equipped with a powerful on-
screen display system that makes it easy to view
the current status of the unit or to have mes-
sages appear to confirm any functional change,
such as a volume increase, input source selec-
tion, or surround-mode selection. Two modes of
on-screen display are available, a “Semi-OSD”
mode that only displays a message when some
aspect of the operation is changed, and a “Full-
OSD” mode that displays a complete status
report on the unit’s current condition.

Semi-OSD
In the Semi-OSD mode, a one-line message will
appear at the bottom of the screen when
changes are made to the unit’s operational sta-
tus. to activate the Semi-OSD mode, press the
OSD button 

s once. A confirmation message

(Figure 5) will appear briefly at the bottom of
your video display to remind you that this feature
is turned on. The message will time-out and 
disappear after a few seconds.

When Semi-OSD mode is in use, single-line
messsages will appear at the bottom of the
screen to confirm changes to the volume,
source, surround mode or tuner frequency.
These messages, which will also be superim-
posed on any video program that is playing,
will disappear after a few seconds.

To turn off the Semi-OSD mode after it has been
activated, simply press the OSD button 

s

once. When the OSD OFF message
appears, the on-screen displays are deactivated.

Full-OSD
An alternative display option is to have a full-
screen report of the AVR 500’s status appear. To
activate the Full-OSD, press the OSD button
s three times in quick succession. The first
press will turn the Semi-OSD on, the second
will turn the Semi-OSD off, and the third will
bring a full-status report to the screen. NOTE:
Full-OSD displays will always appear against a
blue background. Even if video is playing, they
will not be superimposed over the signal. To

view OSD items and video at the same time you
must use the Semi-OSD mode.

The status report will vary depending on the type
of audio input in use. For an analog source, the
first line in the display will show which audio
input is active (Figure 5). When a digital audio
source is in use, the display will indicate which
coaxial or optical input is active (Figure 6).

Figure 5

Figure 6

Activating the Full-OSD will also simplify adjust-
ments to any system parameter, as a full list of
choices will be shown. The selected option will
appear in reversed, highlighted video, while other
choices will appear in normal white on blue video.

The Full-OSD system may be turned off by
pressing the OSD button 

s once.

In the normal, factory default setting , the front
panel Information Display 

35 will always

illuminate at full brightness. However, in some
installations you may prefer to have the display
appear at half brightness or not illuminate at all.
To adjust the setting so that the display lights at
other than full brightness, follow these steps:

• Press both 

34 at

the same time. Note that VFD DIMMER
will appear in the Main Information Diaplay 

V.

• Quickly release both buttons, and then
press and release the Set Button 

˘. The

      A U D I O   S O U R C E   : D I G I T A L

      V I D E O   S O U R C E   : D V D

      A U D I O   I N P U T     : O P T   1  

      B I T S T R E A M   I N   : 3 / 2 . 1 C H  

      S U R R .   M O D E   : D O L B Y

    D I G I T A L

 M U L T I   R O O M   :

O F F  

O N

      M A S T E R   V O L U M E : Ð 2 0 D B

      A U D I O   S O U R C E   : V I D E O   1

      V I D E O   S O U R C E   : V I D E O   1  

      A U D I O   I N P U T     : A N A L O G  

 

      S U R R .   M O D E   : D O L B Y

  P R O  L O G I C

 M U L T I   R O O M   :

O F F  

O N

      M A S T E R   V O L U M E : Ð 1 7   D B

90

min

80

min

70

min

60

min

50

min

40

min

30

min

20

min

10

min

5

min

1

min

OFF

21 OPERATION

V will now

read VFD FULL.

• Within five seconds, press either of the 
Selector Buttons

34 to choose either half

brightness, as indicated by the display VFD
HALF, or completely off with the display
blank. You may cycle through all of the options
by continually pressing the 

34..

• When the desired brightness setting is reached,
Press Set Button 

31 twice to return to normal.

• To select a source at any time, press any of
the Source Selector buttons on the remote
b m n or front panel 9 ) ! @
# $.

• The front-panel Video 3 Inputs 8 may be
used to connect a device such as a video game
or camcorder to your home entertainment
system on a temporary basis.

• When an audio source is selected the last
video input used remains routed to the Video
Outputs 1 ™ and TV Monitor Video
Output b. This permits simultaneously 
viewing and listening to different sources.

• When a Video Input source is selected, the
video signal for that input will be routed to the
TV Monitor Video Output jack b and will 
be viewable on a TV monitor connected to the
AVR 500. Make certain that your TV is set to the
proper input to view the signal.

• Adjust the volume to a comfortable level
using the front-panel Volume Control

ˆ or

remote Volume Up/Down 

buttons.

• When listening in the Stereo mode, with the
surround circuits off, the Balance Control

7

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 

f ı. This will inter-

rupt the output to all speakers and the head-
phone jack, but it will not affect any recording
or dubbing that may be in progress. When the
system is muted the MUTE indicator 

X will

light in the Information Display 

35. Press

the Mute button 

f ı again to return to

normal operation.

• During a listening session you may wish to
adjust the Bass Control 5 and Treble
Control 6 to suit your listening tastes or
room acoustics.

• For private listening, plug the 1/4" stereo
phone plug from a pair of stereo headphones
into the front-panel Headphone Jack 4.

• In normal operation, when the AVR 500 is
turned on, it will always return to the volume
setting in effect when the unit was turned off.
However, for some installations you may prefer
to always have the AVR turn on at a specific
setting, regardless of the level when the unit
was turned off. To enter that mode and setting,
folow these steps:

1. Press both of the 

34. at the same time. Note that

VFD DIMMER will appear in the
Main Information Display

V.

2. Quickly release both buttons, and then

press either one of the 

34. again and note that VOL

DEFAULT will appear in the Main
Information Display

V.

3. To have the volume control 

always turn on

at the same level, press the Set Button
i and then release it. The Main
Information Display will now read Vol
Set Ð xxDB, with the actual 
number being the current volume level.

4. Within five seconds, use the Volume

Control 

ˆ to set the desired volume level

for turn on.

5. When the volume level is set, press the

Set Button 

i 31  twice to return to

normal operation.

• To return the Volume Control setting at
turn on to the last volume level in use, follow
these steps:

1. Press both of the 

Selector Buttons

34. at the same time. Note that VFD
DIMMER will appear in the Main
Information Display

V.

2. Quickly release both buttons, and then

press either one of the 

Selector

Buttons 

34. again and note that VOL

DEFAULT will appear in the Main
Information Display 

V.

3. Press the Set Button 

i 31 ..

4. Press the 

Selector Buttons 

34. until

DEFAULT OFF appears in the Main
Information Display 

V.

5. Press the Set Button

i 31 . twice to

return to normal operation.

One of the most important features of the
AVR 500 is its ability to reproduce a full multi-
channel surround-sound field from digital
sources, analog matrix surround-encoded pro-
grams and standard stereo programs. In all, a
total of eight listening modes are available on
the AVR 500.

Selection of a surround mode is based on per-
sonal taste, as well as the type of program
source material 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

†

†

may be played in either the Dolby Digital, Dolby
Pro Logic or Movie Surround modes depending
on the source material.

NOTE: Once a program has been encoded with
surround information, it retains the surround
matrix as long as the program is broadcast in
stereo. Thus, movies with surround sound will
carry surround information when they are broad-
cast via conventional TV stations, cable, pay TV
and satellite transmission. In addition, 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.

When a program is not listed as carrying inten-
tional surround information, you may find that
the Pro Logic, Dolby 3 Stereo, Logic 7 and VMAx
modes often deliver enveloping surround presen-
tations through the use of the natural informa-
tion present in all stereo recordings. However, for
stereo, but non-surround programs, we suggest
that you try the Logic 7, VAMx or Theater modes.

Surround modes are selected using either the
front-panel controls or the remote. To select a
surround mode from the front panel, simply
press the button that corresponds to the 

(continued on page 23)

22 OPERATION

DOLBY DIGITAL

DTS

DOLBY PRO LOGIC

LOGIC 7 C
LOGIC 7 M

DOLBY 3 STEREO

THEATER

VMAx

STEREO

Available only with digital input sources encoded with Dolby Digital data. It provides 
up to five separate main audio channels and a special dedicated Low-Frequency Effects
channel.

Available only with digital input sources encoded with DTS data. Available on special
DVD, LD and audio-only discs, DTS provides up to five separate main audio channels and
a special dedicated low-frequency channel.

The standard mode for analog surround sound decoding. It uses information encoded 
in a two-channel stereo recording to produce four distinct outputs: Left, Center, Right and
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.

An advanced mode that extracts the maximum surround information from either 
surround-encoded programs or conventional stereo material. 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 con-
ventional stereo recordings and music programs. 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.

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

Surround processing uses matrix surround decoding to simulate a standard movie or
stage theater.

When only the two front-channel loudspeakers are used, Harman’s patented VMAx mode
delivers a three-dimensional sound space with the illusion of “phantom speakers” at the
center and surround positions.

This mode turns off all surround processing and presents the pure left and right 
channel presentation of two-channel stereo programs.

Center: 0 ms – 5 ms
Surround: 0 ms – 15 ms

Delay not adjustable

15 ms – 30 ms
Initial Setting = 20 ms

Delay time not adjustable

No surround channels

27.3 ms (not adjustable)

No surround channels

No surround channels

23 OPERATION

(continued from page 21)

desired mode 

( Ó Ô  Ò Ú. To select

a surround mode using the remote, press the
Surround Mode Selector

, and then

press the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

g to change the

mode. As you press the buttons, the Surround
mode name will appear in the Main
Information Display 

V, and an individual

mode indicator will also light up 

F G H I

J K.

Note that the Dolby Digital or DTS modes may
only be selected when a digital input is in use.
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
configured), press the Surround Off button

Ù

on the front panel, or follow the instructions
shown above for using the remote until SURR
OFF appears in the Main Information
Display 

V. When the AVR 500’s surround cir-

cuits are turned off, and it is in the Stereo mode,
the SURR OFF indicator L will illuminate
in the Information Display 

35.

Digital audio such as Dolby Pro Logic is a major
advancement over past systems. It delivers five
discrete channels: left front, center, right front, left
surround and right surround. Each channel is full
range and offers dramatically improved dynamic
range and significant improvements to signal-to-
noise ratios. In addition, both of the digital sys-
tems 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 systems descibed
as “5.1”. The bass channel is totally separate but
since it is intentionally bandwidth limited, sound
designers have given it that unique designation.

Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital (originally known as AC-3

®

) is avail-

able on DVD and LD discs and is a part of the
new high-definition television (HDTV) system.

Note that an optional, external RF demodulator
is required to use the AVR 500 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 the Optical
or Coaxial inputs d e of the AVR 500. No

demodulator is required for use with DTS-
encoded laser discs.

DTS
DTS is another digital audio system that is
capable of delivering 5.1 audio. Although both
DTS and Dolby Digital are digital, they use dif-
ferent methods of encoding the signals, and
thus they require different decoding circuits to
convert the digital signals back to analog.

DTS-encoded soundtracks are available on
select DVD and LD discs, as well as on special
audio-only DTS discs. You may use any LD or
CD player equipped with a digital output to
play DTS-encoded discs with the AVR 500. All
that is required is to connect the player’s output
to either the Optical or Coaxial input on the
rear panel d e.

In order to listen to DVDs encoded with DTS
sound track, the DVD player must be compati-
ble 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 prob-
lem with the AVR 500, as some players cannot
pass the DTS signal through to the digital out-
puts. If you are in doubt as to the capability of
your DVD player to handle DTS discs, consult
the player’s owner’s manual.

To utilize either digital mode you must have 
a digital source properly connected to the 
AVR 500. Connect the digital outputs from DVD
players, HDTV receivers and CD players to the
Optical or Coaxial inputs on the rear panel
d e. In order to provide a backup signal and
a source for analog stereo recording, the ana-
log outputs provided on digital source equip-
ment should also be connected to their appro-
priate inputs on the AVR 500 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 the input using the remote or front-panel
controls as outlined in this manual. Next, select
the digital source by pressing the appropriate
Digital Input Selector button 

¯ and then

using the 

⁄

¤

buttons 

g on the remote or

the Selector buttons

34on the front panel to

choose either of the two OPTICAL or
COAXIAL inputs, as they appear in the
Main Information Display 

V or on-screen

display. Press the Set button 

i ˘ to enter

the desired choice. When the digital source is
playing, the AVR 500 will automatically detect
whether it is a multichannel Dolby Digital or
DTS source, or a conventional PCM signal,
which is the standard output from CD players.
An indicator will light in the Information 
Display to confirm the digital signal is Dolby
Digital

F or PCM E and if the source is

OPTICAL C or COAX A.

Digital Status
When a digital source is playing, the AVR 500
will automatically switch to the proper surround
mode. It is important to note, however, that not
all Dolby Digital or DTS sources are encoded
with the full complement of five channels plus
LFE. When a digital source is playing, the Main
Information Display

V or on-screen display

will change to show the input source and
digital type (OPTICAL or COAX). When a
source with digital encoding is playing, the
input source name will appear in the
Information Display or on-screen display, fol-
lowed by a numeric key indicating the type and
number of channels being decoded as follows:

3/2.1: This message appears when a
full complement of Dolby Digital signals is
present: 3 front channels (left, center and
right), 2 surround channels (surround left
and surround right) and “1” channel,
which is the dedicated Low Frequency
Effects (LFE) channel.

3/1: This message indicates the system
is decoding a standard Dolby Pro Logic sig-
nal with left-front, center and right-front
channels and a single mono surround 
channel.

2/0: This message indicates that the sys-
tem is decoding a traditional two-channel
stereo signal and that no center, surround
or LFE signals are present.

1/0: This is a monaural signal that plays
through the center-channel speaker only.
There is no sound at the front-left, front-right
or surround speakers.

The current status of the AVR may also be
obtained by pressing the OSD Button

s

until the Full-OSD appears on your video 
display’s screen.

Night Mode
A special feature of Dolby Digital is the Night
mode, which enables AC-3 input sources to be