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MAIN REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS

'

›

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’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 (Large, Small or None) appropriate
with the speaker in use. (See page 22 for more
information.)

) Multi-Room: Press this button to activate
the Multiroom system or to begin the process of
changing the input or volume level for the sec-
ond zone. (See page 41 for more information on
the Multiroom system.)

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

+ SPL Indicator Select: This button acti-
vates the AVR’s EzSet function to quickly and
accurately calibrate the AVR’s output levels.
During this sequence, EzSet will automatically
adjust the output levels for all channels until
they are equal, as shown by the Program
Indicator 

2 lighting green for each channel.

(See page 27 for more information on EzSet.)

, Learn Button: Press this button to begin
the process of “learning” the codes from another
product’s remote into the AVR’s remote. (See page
45 for more information on using the remote’s
learning function.)

- 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 44 for more
information on programming the remote.)

. EzSet Sensor Microphone: The sensor
microphone for the EzSet microphone is behind
these slots. When using the remote to calibrate
speaker output levels using EzSet, be sure that
you do not hold the remote in a way that covers
these slots. (See page 27 for more information
on using EzSet).

NOTE: With the press of any remote button the
Input Selector button

45 associated

with the botton pressed will briefly flash red to
confirm the transmission of the command, as
long as there is a function for that button with
the device selected (see function list on pages
50, 51).

/ Tone Mode Button: Press this button to
turn the controls off so that the output is ”flat”,
or to boost or lower the tone modification.
The first press of this button shows if the tone
controls are active or not. Subsequent presses
enable you to select the treble or bass for
change by pressing the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D. Note

that the tone controls only change the output
for the front left/right speakers. (See page 32 for
more information on the tone controls.)

 THX Mode Select Button: Press this but-
ton to select Home THX processing. The AVR will
automatically select Home THX 5.1 processing,
named "THX CINEMA" with Dolby Digital
sources and "THX" with all others, when no
Surround back speakers are installed or when an
analog source is playing. When Surround Back
speakers are installed and any digital multichan-
nel signal with independent surround channels
(any Dolby Digital x/2 or DTS source) is playing
the AVR will automatically select the THX
Surround EX (7.1) mode, when the button is
pressed once. It will keep a 5.1 signal or down-
mix any 6.1 signal to 5.1 and select Home THX
5.1 when the button is pressed a second time.

To escape from the THX processing and return to
the "Non-THX" mode the button for the sur-
round mode selected previously must be pressed
again.

14 ZONE II REMOTE CONTROL FUNCTIONS

å Power Off
∫ AVR Selector
ç AM/FM Tuner Select
∂ Input Selectors
≠ Tuning Up/Down – Fast Play
ƒ Record/Pause
© Preset/Track Skip
˙ Disc Skip
î Volume Up/Down
∆ Play Forward/Reverse/Stop
˚ Mute

NOTE: The Zone II remote may be used in either
the same room where the AVR is located, or it
may be used in a separate room with an option-
al infrared sensor that is connected to the AVR’s
Multi IR input jack b. When it is used in the
same room as the AVR, it will control the func-
tions of the AVR or any compatible Harman
Kardon products in that room. When it is used in
a separate room via a sensor connected to the
Multi IR Jack b, the buttons for power, input
source, volume and mute will control the source

and volume for the second zone, as connected
to the Multi Out Jacks ‚. (See page 41 for
complete information on using the Multiroom
system.)

The Zone II remote may be used in either the
same room where the AVR 8500 is located, or it
may be used in a separate room with an option-
al infrared sensor that is connected to the 
AVR’s Multi IR input jack 

.

å Power Off: When used in the room where
the AVR is located, press this button to place the
unit in Standby. When it is used in a remote
room with a sensor that is connected to the
Multi IR jack 

, this button turns the Multi-

Room system off.

∫ AVR Selector: Press this button to turn on
the AVR. The input in use when the unit was last
on will be selected.

ç AM/FM Tuner Select: Press this button to
select the Tuner as the input to the Multiroom
system. Press it again to change between the
AM and FM bands.

∂ Input Selectors: When the AVR is off,
press one of these buttons to turn the unit on
and to select a specific input. When the unit is
already in use, pressing one of these buttons will
change the input.

≠ Tuning Up/Down – Fast Play: These but-
tons may be used to change the frequency of
the tuner. These buttons may also control the
Fast Play or Fast Reverse functions of compatible
Harman Kardon CD, DVD or cassette decks in
the same room, or from a remote room when an
IR link is connected to the AVR.

ƒ Record/Pause: Press this button to acti-
vate the Record or Pause function on compatible
Harman Kardon CD, DVD or Cassette Deck prod-
ucts.

© Preset Up/Down – Track Skip: When the
AVR’s tuner is selected as the input source, these
buttons will move up or down through the list of
stations that have been stored in the preset
memory. When a CD or DVD player is selected,
these buttons activate the forward or reverse
track or chapter skip functions.

˙ Disc Skip: Press this button to change
discs on compatible Harman Kardon CD or DVD
changers.

î Volume Up/Down: When used in the
room where the AVR is located, press this button
to raise or lower the volume in that room. When
it is used in a remote room with a sensor that is
connected to the Multi IR Jack 

, this button

will raise or lower the volume in the remote
room.

∆ Play Forward/Reverse/Stop: Press these
buttons to control compatible Harman Kardon
CD, DVD or cassette players.

˚ Mute: When used in the room where the
AVR is located, press this button to temporarily
silence the unit. When it is used in a remote
room with a sensor that is connected to the
Multi IR Jack 

, this button will temporarily

silence the feed to the remote room only. Press
the button again to return to the previous vol-
ume level.

Important Note: No matter in which room the
Zone II remote is used, as with the main remote
it is important to remember to press the Input
Selector button ∂ that corresponds to the
unit you wish to operate befor you change the
device to be controlled.

POWER

OFF

MUTE

AVR

AM//FM

VID 1

VID 3

DVD

CD

TAPE

DN

TUNING

PRESET

VOLUME

DISC SKIP

DISC SKIP

UP

DN

UP

VID 4

VID 2

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.

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 digital output of any digital
sources such as a CD or DVD changer or player,
advanced video game, a digital satellite receiver,
HDTV tuner or digital cable set-top box or the
output of a compatible computer sound card to
the Optical and Coaxial Digital Inputs
  *Ó.

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 connec-
tion uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you should
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 speak-
er cable. Many brands of cable are available and
the choice of cable may be influenced by the dis-
tance between your speakers and the receiver,
the type of speakers you use, personal prefer-
ences 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 rec-
ommend 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 any
appropriate testing agency standards. Questions
about running cables inside walls should be
referred to your installer or a licensed electrician
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. Note that the
positive (+) terminal of each speaker connection
now carries a specific color code as noted on
page 8. However, most speakers will still use a
red terminal for the postive (+) connection.
Connect the “negative” or “black” wire to the
same terminal on both the receiver and the
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 proceeding, 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 connect-
ed to one or more subwoofer speakers. If you are
using a powered subwoofer that does not have
line-level input connections, follow the instruc-
tions furnished with the speaker for connection
information.

9. If an external multi-channel audio source with
5.1 outputs such as an external digital proces-
sor/decoder, DVD-Audio or SACD player is used,
connect the outputs of that device to the 
6-Channel Direct Inputs

.

10. If an external multi-channel audio source
with 7.1 outputs such as an external digital
processor/decoder, DVD-Audio or SACD player is
used, first connect the outputs of that device to
the 6 Channel Direct Inputs as noted above, and
then connect the Surround Back Left and
Surround Back Right output channels of the
source device to the 8-Channel Direct Inputs
.

11. If you plan to use a 7.1 channel source or
wish to take advantage of the 6.1/7.1 channel
processing modes such as THX Surround EX or
DTS-ES, you must use an optional audio power
stereo amplifier for the Surround Back channels.
Connect the SBL and SBR Preamp Outputs
 to the inputs of the amplifier feeding those
channels' speakers.

Video equipment is connected in the same manner
as audio components. Again, the use of high-qual-
ity interconnect cables is recommended to pre-
serve signal quality. To ensure best video perform-
ance S-Video sources should be connected to the
AVR only with their S-Video In/Outputs, not with
their composite video connectors too.

1. Connect a VCR’s audio and video Play/Out
jacks to the Video 1/ Video 2 Input Jacks

!

on the rear panel. The Audio and Video Record/In
jacks on the VCR should be connected to the
Video 1/ Video 2 Output Jacks 

# on the

AVR.

2. Connect the analog audio and video outputs
of a satellite receiver, cable TV converter or
television set or any other video source to the
Video 3/ Video 4 Input Jacks 

" jacks.

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

.

4. Connect the digital audio outputs of a CD, MD
or DVD player, satellite receiver, cable box or
HDTV converter to the appropriate Optical or
Coaxial Digital Inputs 

*Ó.

16 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

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
for 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 next 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 signals. 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 direc-
tions as shown in the diagrams above and in the
instruction 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 below).
When both connections are made, only the 
S-Video signal will be viewed on the screen.

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

5. Connect the Composite and S-Video (if 
S-Video device is in use) Monitor Output

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

6. If your DVD player and monitor both have
component video connections, connect the com-
ponent outputs of the DVD player to the DVD
Component Video Inputs

. Note that even

when component video connections are used the
audio connections must still be made to either
the analog DVD Inputs

 or any of the

Coaxial or Optical Digital Input jacks 

.

7. If another component video device is available,
connect it to the Video 1/ Video 2 Component
Video Inputs 

. The audio connections for this

device should be made to either the Video 1/
Video 2 Inputs

! or any of the Coaxial or

Optical Digital Input jacks 

.

8. If the component video inputs are used, con-
nect the Monitor Component Video Output
 to the component video inputs of your TV,
projector or display device.

9. If you have a camcorder, video game or other
audio/video device that is connected to the AVR
on a temporary, rather than permanent basis,
connect the audio, video and digital audio out-
puts of that device to the Front Panel Inputs
*ÓÒ. A device connected to the Video 5
jacks Ò is selected as the Video 5 input, and
connected to the digital jacks *Ó it is selected
as ”Optical 4” or ”Coaxial 4” input. (See page
21 for more information on input configuration.)

Video Connection Notes:
• Y/Pr/Pb Component, RGB (see page 17),

S-Video or Composite video signals may only
be viewed in their native formats and will not
be converted to the other formats.

• When the component video jacks are used, the

on-screen menus will not be visible. You must
switch to the standard composite or S-Video
input on your TV to view those menus.

• All component inputs/outputs can be used for

RGB signals too, in the same way as described
for the Y/Pr/Pb signals, then connected to the
jacks with the corresponding color.
But this is only correct as long as only the three
RGB video signals are output by the video
source, with a sync signal in the ”G” signal
only, without any sync signal output separately
by the source.