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SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 21

The factory default settings for the AVR 8500
have all inputs configured for an analog audio
input except for the DVD input, where the
Coaxial Digital 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 set-
ting for the surround modes is “Surround Off,” or
two-channel stereo, although Dolby Digital or
DTS will automatically be selected as appropri-
ate 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, the type of speakers
installed and the surround mode associated with
the input. Remember that since the AVR memo-
rizes the settings for each input individually, you
will need to make these adjustments for each
input used. However, once they are made, fur-
ther adjustment is only required when system
components are changed.

To make this process as quick and as easy as
possible, we suggest that you use the full-OSD
system with the on-screen menus, and step
through each input. Once you have completed
the settings for the first input, many settings
may be duplicated for the remaining inputs.

The items that follow will describe the individual
settings required for each input. Remember that
once the settings are made for one input, they
must be made for all other input sources in your
system.

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
Configuration and Surround Mode will ”attach”
themselves to that input and be stored in a non-
volatile 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 listne-
ing 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 M E N U (Figure
1) appears. Note that the 

›

cursor will be next

to the IN/OUT SETUP line. Press the Set
button 

F to enter the menu and the

IN/OUT S E T U P

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 ı by the
green LED next to the desired input name. If the
input will use the standard left/right analog
inputs, no further adjustment is needed (except
with DVD).

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

¤

D on the remote while the

IN/OUT S E T U P

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

to continue with the In/Out settings.

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 remote

while the full-OSD is not in use. Within five sec-
onds, make your input selection using the 

‹

/

›

7 $ buttons on the front or the 

⁄

/

¤

D

Buttons on the remote until the desired digital
or analog input is shown in the Upper Display
Line A and in the upper line of the on-screen
display. Press the Set Button

F to enter the

new input assignment.

An exclusive Harman Kardon feature is the abili-
ty to switch front panel Audio/Video jacks from
their normal use as inputs to output connections
so that portable recording devices may easily be
connected. The front panel analog Video 5
Jacks Ò are normally set as an input for use
with camcorders, video games and other
portable audio/video products, but they may be

switched to an output for connection to portable
audio/video recorders. To temporarily switch
them to outputs, select the IN/OUT
S E T U P

menu. Press the 

¤

button 

D until

the on-screen 

›

cursor is pointing to the

V I D E O 5

line. Press the 

›

button 

' so

that the word O U T is highlighted. Note that
the Input/Output Status Indicator 
between the S and Composite video jacks will
turn red, indicating that the analog Video 5
Jacks Ò are now record outputs.

Selection of the jacks as an output will remain
effective as long as the AVR is on. However, once
the unit is turned off, the jack will revert to its
normal use as an input when the unit is turned
on again.

The AVR 8500 features electronic bass and
treble adjustments for the front left and right
channels for stereo and all surround modes,
except THX. Accessable either through the on
screen menu or directly from the remote control,
the electronic adjustments provide greater
accuracy than traditonal front panel knobs.

To adjust the tone controls through the on-
screen menu system you must first go to the
IN/OUTSETUP

menu. If that menu is not

already on the screen, press the OSD Button
L so that the MASTERMENUappears. As
the 

›

cursor will already be at the IN/OUT

menu line, press the Set Button

F to enter

the IN/OUT menu. Next, press the 

¤

Button

D until the 

›

cursor is next to the TONE

MODE

line.

At the TONE MODE line press the 

‹

/

›

Buttons 

E' to select OUTif you wish to

disable any settings for the tone controls. When
OUT

is highlighted the unit is in the ”flat”

mode and the tone controls have no effect. The
normal setting is IN, which activates the tone
controls.

To adjust either the bass or treble settings for
the front left and right speakers, press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D until the 

›

cursor is to the left of

the setting you wish to adjust. At the line for the
desired option, press the 

‹

/

›

Buttons 

E'

to increase or decrease the bass or treble
output.

When adjustments have been made, press the

¤

Button 

D unil the 

›

cursor is next to

BACK TO MASTER MENU

to continue

with the system configuration.

    *   I N / O U T   S E T U P   *    

I N P U T

: V I D E O   1

D I G I T A L   I N

: O P T I C A L   1

V I D E O   5

: I N   O U T

T O N E   M O D E

: I N   O U T

B A S S

: 0 d B

T R E B L E

: 0 d B

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U

22 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

The tone controls may also be adjusted at any
time by pressing the Tone Mode Button 8
on the front panel or

/ on the remote control.

The first press will bring up the Tone Mode
setting in the Semi-OSD on-screen display and in
the Lower Display Line B. Press the 

‹

/

›

Buttons 7 $ on the front panel or 

⁄

/

¤

D

on the remote to activate or disable the tone
controls as shown above.

To change the tone control settings, press the
Tone Mode Button 8

/ until the desired

setting (BASS or TREBLE) appears in the semi-
OSD on-screen display and in the Lower
Display Line B. When you see the correct
name press the 

‹

/

›

Buttons 7 $ on the front

panel or 

⁄

/

¤

D on the remote to make the

adjustments. If no buttons are pressed for five
seconds the displays will return to their normal
operation and any changes will be stored in the
AVR's memory.

NOTE: Although all other settings in the
IN/OUT SETUP

Menu are specific to the

input being adjusted, the Tone settings are
global and will carry through to all input
sources. There is no need to adjust these settings
when configuring subsequent inputs.

Speaker Setup
This menu tells the AVR which type of speakers
are in use. This is important as it adjusts the
settings that determine which speakers receive
low-frequency (bass) information. For each of
these settings use the LARGE setting if the
speakers for a particular position are traditional
full-range loudspeakers that are capable of
reproducing sounds below 80Hz. Use the
SMALL

setting for smaller, frequency-limited

satellite speakers that do not reproduce sounds
below 80Hz or 100Hz or mid-size speakers that
cannot reproduce frequencies below 40 or 60 Hz
(selectable). Note that when “small” front
speakers are used, a subwoofer is required to
reproduce low-frequency sounds. Remember
that the “large” and “small” descriptions do not
refer to the actual physical size of the speakers,
but to their ability to reproduce low-frequency
sounds. If you are in doubt as to which category
describes your speakers, consult the
specifications in the speakers’ owner’s manual,
or ask your dealer.

Notes:
• As the speaker settings need to be made for

each input individually, you can determine
which speaker should be used depending on
the input source selected. So it´s possible e.g.
to turn off the Center and/or the Sub with any
music source selected and to use them with
any movie input source.

• With the currently selected input all speaker

settings will be copied to all other surround
modes (as far as speakers are used with them)
and need not be repeated when another sur-
round mode is selected with that input.

• You can select four X-over frequencies: 40Hz,

60Hz, 80Hz and 100Hz. As the frequency
selected will affect all speakers which are set
to  "SMALL", you should select that
frequency fitting the best with the "smallest"
speaker in your system as per the definitions
below.

• The default setting for all speakers is

"SMALL"  and the Sub "ON".

To start with the speaker setting, first select any
of the DTS Neo:6 modes as with them all speak-
ers and all speaker modes are available. It is eas-
iest to select these modes directly, without the
on-screen display, so press the OSD button 

L

to turn the on-screen display off if it is still visi-
ble. Then press the DTS Neo:6 button & on
the front panel or 

  on the remote.

1. It is easiest to enter the proper settings for
the speaker setup through the SPEAKER
S E T U P

menu (Figure 3). So press the OSD

L to bring up the MASTER

M E N U

(Figure 1), and then press the 

¤

D once so that the cursor is on the

S P E A K E R S E T U P

line. At this point,

press the Set Button

F to bring up the

SPEAKER SETUP

menu (Figure 3).

2. The first line on the SPEAKER SETUP
menu allows you to configure the AVR for either
standard 5.1 or advanced 6.1/7.1 operation.
With the on-screen 

›

cursor at the CH

CONFIG

line, press the Set Button

F and

then press the 

‹

or 

›

E' so that

is highlighted if you have no surround

back speakers installed, or 6.1/7.1 if you
have one or two speakers connected to the
Surround Back Preamp Outputs 

 through

optional, external power amplifiers.

Making this selection will set the surround mode
options for the AVR so that only the correct
modes for the number of speakers in your specif-
ic system will be available. Should you change
your system and add Surround Back speakers at
a later date, it is important to change this setting
so that advanced surround modes such as THX
Surround EX, 7 Channel Stereo, Logic 7/7.1,
DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete and Matrix, DTS+NEO:6,
and DTS NEO:6 will be available.

Important Note: Moreover this setting is
linked with the Surround Back Speaker selection
outlined below, both settings will turn on
(”6.1/7.1”) or off (”5.1”) these speakers in the
same manner.

When the desired selection is made, press the

¤

D to begin the speaker configura-

tion process.

3. Once the setting is made for 5.1 or 6.1/7.1
operation, the on-screen cursor 

›

will be at the

top of the list of speaker positions, pointing
toward the LEFT/RIGHT line, which sets
the configuration for the front left and right
speakers. If you wish to make a change to the
front speakers’ configuration, press the 

‹

/

›

E' so that either LARGEor

SMALL

appears, matching the appropriate

description from the definitions shown above.

When SMALL is selected, low-frequency front
channel sounds below the x-over frequency
selected (see above and item 9 below) will be
sent only to the subwoofer output. If you choose
this option and there is no subwoofer connected,
you will not hear any low-frequency sounds with
front channel signals.

When LARGE is selected, a full-range output
will be sent to the front left and front right 
outputs. Depending on the choice made in 
the SUBWOOFER line in this menu (see
below), the front left and right bass information
may also be directed to the subwoofer.

Important Note: When a speaker set with a
subwoofer and two front satellites connected to
the Sub´s speaker outputs is used, the Sub´s
inputs must be connected to the Front speaker
outputs

 and LARGEmust be selected for

the front speakers.

4. When you have completed your selection for
the front channel, press the 

¤

D on

the remote to move the cursor to CENTER.

*   S P E A K E R   S E T U P   *

C H   C O N F I G   :   5 . 1   6 . 1 / 7 . 1

L E F T / R I G H T :  

S M A L L

               

C E N T E R         :  

S M A L L

S U R R O U N D     :  

S M A L L

S U R R   B A C K   :  

S M A L L

S U B W O O F E R   :  

S U B

X - O V E R   F R E Q :   8 0   H Z

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U

SYSTEM CONFIGURATION  23

5. Press the 

‹

/

›

E' on the

remote to select the option that best describes your
center speaker, based on the speaker definitions
shown below.

When SMALL is selected, low-frequency 
center channel sounds will be sent to the Fronts,
if they are set to LARGE and Sub is turned off
(see below). When Sub is on, low frequency cen-
ter channel sounds will be sent to the subwoofer
only.

When LARGE is selected, a full-range output
will be sent to the center speaker output, and NO
center channel signal will be sent to the sub-
woofer output (except when the Pro Logic II
Music mode is in use).

NOTE: If you choose Logic 7 as the surround
mode for the particular input source for which
you are configuring your speakers, the AVR will
not make the LARGE option available for the
center speaker. This is due to the requirements of
Logic 7 processing, and does not indicate a
problem with your receiver.

When NONE is selected, no signals will be sent
to the center-channel output. The receiver will
operate in a “phantom” center channel mode.
Center-channel information will be sent to the
left and right front channel outputs and the cen-
ter channel bass will be sent to the subwoofer
output when SUB L/R+LFE is selected in
the SUBWOOFER line in this menu (see
below). This mode is needed if no Center speak-
er is used. Note that when the Logic 7 Cinema
surround mode is selected a Center speaker
must be used, the Logic 7 modes Music and
Enhance work well without a Center too.

6. When you have completed your selection for
the center channel, press the 

¤

D

on the remote to move the cursor to 
SURROUND

.

7. Press the 

‹

/

›

E' on the remote

to select the option that best describes the sur-
round speakers in your system based on the
speaker definitions shown above.

When SMALL is selected, with all digital sur-
round modes low-frequency surround channel
sounds will be sent to the Fronts when Sub is
turned off or to the subwoofer output when Sub
is on. With any analog surround mode the rear
bass feed depends on the mode selected and
the setting of the Sub and front speakers.

When LARGE is selected, a full-range output
will be sent to the surround channel outputs
(with all analog and digital surround modes),
and, except with Hall and Theater modes, NO
surround channel bass will be sent to the sub-
woofer output.

When NONE is selected, surround-sound infor-
mation will be split between the front left and
front right outputs. For optimal performance
when no surround speakers are in use, the Dolby
3 Stereo mode should be used.

When you are using surround back speakers
with your system, press the 

¤

D on

the remote to move the cursor to SURR
BACK

and set the speaker type for the speak-

ers connected to the Surround Back Preamp
Outputs

 through an optional, external

power amplifier. The choices and procedure for
configuring these speakers are identical to those
shown above for the main surround speakers.

8. When you have completed your selection for
the surround channels, press the 

¤

D

on the remote to move the cursor to
SUBWOOFER

.

9. Press the 

‹

/

›

E' on the

remote to select the option that best describes
your system.

The choices available for the subwoofer position
will depend on the settings for the other speak-
ers, particularly the front left/right positions.

If the front left/right speakers are set to
SMALL

, the subwoofer will automatically be

set to SUB, which is the “on” position.

If the front left/right speakers are set to
LARGE

, three options are available:

• If no subwoofer is connected to the AVR, press

the 

‹

/

›

E' on the remote so

that NONE appears in the on-screen menu.
When this option is selected, all bass informa-
tion will be routed to the front left/right
“main” speakers.

• If a subwoofer is connected to the AVR, you

have the option to have the front left/right
“main” speakers reproduce bass frequencies
at all times, and have the subwoofer operate
only when the AVR is being used with a digital
source that contains a dedicated Low
Frequency Effects, or LFE soundtrack. This
allows you to use both your main and sub-
woofer speakers to take advantage of the spe-
cial bass created for certain movies. To select
that option press the 

‹

/

›

E'

on the remote so that SUB (LFE)
appears in the on-screen menu.

• If a subwoofer is connected and you wish to

use it for bass reproduction in conjunction
with the main front left/right speakers, regard-
less of the type of program source or Surround
mode you are listening to, press the 

‹

/

›

E' on the remote so that

SUB L/R+LFE

appears in the on-

screen menu. When this option is selected, a
full-range signal will be sent to the front
left/right “main” speakers, and also to the LFE
soundtrack. The subwoofer will receive the
front left and right bass frequencies under the
crossover frequency selected in the next option
setting on this menu, as described below.

10. When you have completed your selection for
the subwoofer, press the 

¤

D on the

remote to change the cursor to X-OVER
FREQ

. The crossover setting may only be

adjusted using the on-screen display system.

At this line, you will select the frequency under
which bass information is directed to the
Subwoofer Output ∞ and above which the
remaining signal is directed to all speakers that
are set to SMALL. When making these selec-
tions, choose the crossover frequency that is
closest to the lower frequency limit of your
smallest speaker in use. This figure is normally
printed in the owner’s manual or data sheet for
the speakers; or consult the speaker’s manufac-
turer.

• When you use large full range speakers for all

channels, able to reproduce bass below 40Hz
with sufficient power, choose 40Hz, and
LARGE

for all speakers. In this case the sub-

woofer will support the front speakers with all
frequencies below 40Hz.

• When any of your speakers has been set to

SMALL

, the crossover frequencies 40Hz or

60Hz should be selected to match typical mid-
size speakers, that cannot handle lower fre-
quencies with sufficient level. Or select the fre-
quencies 8 0 H z or 1 0 0 H z to match
the typical crossover points of the smaller
speakers used in satellite speaker systems.
Choose the option that is closest to your
speakers’ design. If you are using THX certified
speakers throughout your system, the
crossover should be set to 80Hz, all speakers
set to SMALL and the Subwoofer(s) must be
connected.

11. When the crossover frequency selection has
been made, press the 

¤

D and then

the Set Button

F to return to the Main

menu.

24 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION

12. The Speaker Configuration may also be
changed at any time without using the full-OSD
on-screen menu system by pressing the
Speaker Select button on the remote 

(.

Once the button is pressed, FNT SPEAKER
will appear in both the lower third of the video
display and in the Main Information Display
ˆ.

Within five seconds, either press 

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D on the remote to select a different speaker
position, or press the Set Button 

F to begin

the adjustment process for the front left and
right speakers.

When the Set button 

F has been pressed and

the system is ready for a change to the front
speaker setting, the on-screen display and Main
Information Display ˆ will read F R O N T
L A R G E

or F R O N T S M A L L depending

on the current setting. Press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons

D on the remote until the desired setting is
shown, using the instructions for “large” or
“small” shown earlier, then press the Set button
F.

If another speaker position needs to be changed,
press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D on the remote to

select a different speaker position, press the Set
button 

F and then the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D

on the remote until the correct speaker setting is
shown and press the Set button 

F again to

confirm the selection.

To assist in making these settings, the icons in
the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E
will change as the speaker type is selected at
each position. When only the inner icon box is
lit, the speaker is set for “small.” When the inner
box and the two outer boxes with circles inside
them are lit, the speaker is set for “large.” When
no indicator appears at a speaker location, that
position is set for “none” or “no” speaker. When
6.1/7.1 system configuration has been selected
the Surround Back icons SBL/SBR will only turn
on when the surround mode selected provides
for surround back signals, i.e. with DTS Neo:6
without THX, Dolby Digital with THX 
(THX Surround EX) and DTS.

Note: These icons are available only when 
making setup changes without the use of the
full OSD mode.

As an example, in the Figure below, all speakers
are set for “large,”and a subwoofer is set.

Surround Setup
Once the speaker setup has been completed, the
next step for configuration of the input selected
is to set the surround mode you wish to use with
that input. Since surround modes are a matter of
personal taste, feel free to select any mode you
wish – you may change it later. The Surround
Mode chart on page 30 may help you select the
mode best suited to the input source selected.
For example you may select Dolby Pro Logic II or
Logic 7 for most analog inputs and Dolby Digital
for inputs connected to digital sources. In the
case of inputs such as a CD Player, Tape Deck or
Tuner, you may wish to set the mode to Stereo, if
that is your preferred listening mode for stan-
dard stereo sources, where it is unlikely that sur-
round encoded material will be used.
Alternatively, the 5 Channel Stereo or Logic 7
Music mode may also be a good choice for
stereo-only source material.

When selecting surround modes, please remem-
ber that in the case of digital surround program
material, the AVR will always examine the data
stream and automatically switch to the correct
surround mode (Dolby Digital or DTS) regardless
of any setting made in the menu system. You
may then add the THX processing by pressing
any of the Home THX Buttons 6

 on

front panel or remote.

It is easiest to complete the surround setup
using the full-OSD on-screen menus. From the
MASTER

menu (Figure 1), press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D until the 

›

cursor is next to the

SURROUND SELECT

menu. Press the Set

F so that the SURROUND

SELECT

menu (Figure 4) is on the screen.

After the SURROUND SELECT MENU
appeared the cursor will be next to the THX
line. Note that THX is no separate surround
mode selectable but a post processing for any
surround mode selected previously (except the
Logic 7 and Stereo modes).

To set the THX processing in combination with
the surround mode for the input selected at first
select the surround mode as outlined below,
then move the cursor to the THX line and press
the Set Button

F. Each of the remaining five

lines on the menu (Figure 4) contains the various
surround mode categories, and within those
menus you may choose one of the sub-modes.
Note that the list of specific sub-modes in some
categories will vary according to whether 5.1 or
6.1/7.1 operation is chosen and Dolby Digital
will appear only when a digital input is selected.
In addition, the DTS modes (except NEO:6) avail-
able in the AVR will not appear unless a digital
source is selected and playing the correct bit-
stream.

Note: When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is
selected and playing, the AVR will select the
appropriate surround mode automatically, no
matter which surround or Logic 7 mode was
selected for that input as default. Then no other
surround modes will be available, except VMAx
with Dolby Digital recordings and all Pro Logic II
modes with Dolby Digital 2 channel (2.0) record-
ings (see page 35). Also THX or Logic 7 process-
ing can be added (see above).

To select the mode that will be used as the ini-
tial default for an input, first press the 

⁄

/

¤

buttons 

D until the on-screen cursor is next to

the desired mode’s master category name, such
as Dolby, DTS, DSP (SURR), etc. Next, press the
Set Button

F to view the sub-menu. Press

the 

‹

/

›

E' to scroll through the

available choices, and then press the 

¤

D so that the cursor is next to BACK TO
SURR SELECT

to return to the surround

select menu.

The THX sub-menu will only have one choice
when the mode is selected, as there may only be
a single option once the 5.1 or 6.1/7.1 version
of the mode is selected. In the case of other
modes, such as Dolby, DTS, Logic 7, DSP and
STEREO there will be multiple options or choices.

To set the THX processing for the current input
after the surround mode was selected as
described above, move the cursor to the THX
line and press the Set Button

F.

* *   S U R R O U N D   S E L E C T   * *

T H X

D O L B Y

D T S

L O G I C   7

D S P   ( S U R R )

S T E R E O

B A C K   T O   M A S T E R   M E N U