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13 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS

Batteries
Insert the two AA batteries supplied with the
CDR 20’s remote by turning the remote over so
that the bottom of the remote is facing towards
you. Gently lift the plastic tab on the battery
cover up and away from you, and lift the lid off.
Insert the batteries in the remote, being careful
to follow the + and – polarity indications in the
bottom of the compartment. Replace the cover
by first seating the two small tabs into the mat-
ing holes at the top of the remote, and then
gently push the cover down until the latch
snaps into place with an audible click.

NOTE: When replacing batteries, it always a
good idea to replace both at the same time.
When the remote will not be used for an
extended period of time, it is also a good idea
to remove the batteries to avoid the possibility
of damage due to corrosion. Batteries contain
chemical substances and we recommend that
you dispose of them properly and in compliance
with any local regulations.

IR Remote Connections
If the CDR 20 is installed behind a cabinet or
other obstruction that may block the path
between the front-panel Remote Sensor 

Û

and the location where you will use the remote,
an optional external IR sensor may be used.
Connect the sensor to the Remote IR In Jack
ª on the rear-panel. This jack may also be
connected to the IR Output jack of another
compatible Harman Kardon component or a
compatible IR system remote product.

You may also use the IR Sensor in the CDR 20
to send commands to other compatible remote
products. Connect the Remote IR Out Jack
‚ to the input of the other product or system.

Power Connections
Connect the AC Power Cord ⁄ to an AC
power source. the CDR 20 uses sensitive, high-
performance computer-grade CD drives, and to
protect them we recommend that you consider
the use of a surge protector, just as you would
for a computer.

If the rear-panel AC outlet on a receiver or
other product is used, make certain that it 
provides at least 28 watts, and that the total
power of all products connected does not
exceed the maximum rated output of the prod-
uct containing the outlets. If the CDR 20 is con-
nected to a switched outlet, remember to turn
on the outlet or product controlling it in order
for the CDR 20 to operate.

14 CD RECORDING BASICS

CD Recorders (CDRs) are similar to standard CD
players, with the addition of the features and
controls needed for recording. Functions such
as play, search and programming for playback
will be familiar, but the recorder will function
slightly differently than what you may be used
to for magnetic tape recorders.

Disc Types
Unlike a conventional CD player, the CDR 20
uses three types of discs, and it is important to
understand how each one plays.

Both decks in the CDR 20 will play

back any conventional CD that bears this logo.

Discs that bear this logo may be

recorded on one time, and when they are final-
ized they will play in either deck in the CDR 20
or in any conventional CD player, including
home, car and portable models. The Record
Deck

% on the CDR 20 may also be used 

to record on these discs, and it will play 
CD-R/Audio discs even if they have not been
finalized.

Discs that bear this logo may be used

for recording on the CDR 20, and they may also
be erased and reused. They may be recorded on
or played on the Record Deck

% of the 

CDR 20 and in other CD-RW recorders or 
CD-RW compatible players. They will NOT play
back in most current CD players unless the
player is CD-RW compatible. CD-RW Audio
discs will play on most DVD players once they
have been finalized.

Discs designed for use in

computer CD-R drives may not be used for
recording in the CDR 20. Only discs specifically
designed for use in consumer CD audio
recorders may be used. If you attempt to 
use a blank-computer-type recordable disc for
recording on the CDR 20 you will see a
NO AUDIO message in the Information
Display

K and recording will not be possible.

However, discs that have been recorded in the
CD-R drive of a computer may be played in the
CDR 20, provided that they have been properly
finalized in accordance with audio standard
IEC958.

Note that the CDR 20 is specifically designed
for the recording and playback of consumer
audio discs, and cannot be used to copy data
discs, DVD discs, or other optical discs used by
video- or computer-game systems.

CDR Terminology and Display Messages
Compact disc recording has its own special 
terminology, and some of the messages 
displayed by the CDR 20 may be new to you.
Before using the CDR 20, you may wish to
familiarize yourself with some of the terms used
by the CDR 20. Additional error message dis-
plays may also appear. Please see page 23 for a
complete explanation of error messages.

Finalize: This term refers to the process
that completes the recording of a disc by
recording a final Table of Contents and prepar-
ing the disc so that it may be played on other
machines. A CD-R disc may not be played on
other CD players until it is finalized. However,
once the finalization process is complete, a 
CD-R disc may not be recorded on again. Only
CD-RW discs may be “Unfinalized,” so that
additional tracks may be recorded on a disc.

TOC: Stands for Table of Contents and it
refers to the data recorded on each CD that
tells the player how many tracks are on the
disc, the total time of the disc and the running
time of each individual track. Each time a disc
of any sort is placed in the CDR 20, you will see
a TOC to indicate that the unit is reading this
data from the disc. This is required to copy the
track information to any recording.

OPC: Stands for Optical Processing 
Calibration. When you see this message in the
Information Display for the Record Deck
K, it means that the laser transport inside the
unit is making the calibrations and adjustments
needed so that the recording process is 
optimized for the specific disc in use.

BUSY: When you see this message, it means
that the Record Deck is completing part of the
record operation. When you see this message,
do not press any buttons; simply wait until the
message clears from the display.

DISC FULL: When there are only four
seconds of record time remaining on a blank
disc, a DISC FULL message will appear
in the Information Display

˚. When you

see this message, you will need to stop the
recording process and, when a CD-R is being
recorded, insert a new blank disc or, when a
CD-RW is in use, either use a new disc or erase
existing tracks following the instructions on
page 22.

15 PLAYBACK BASICS

Playback of CDs on the CDR 20 resembles that
for traditional CD players with a few exceptions
to accommodate the availability of two sepa-
rate playback decks. Before using the CDR 20,
power-up the unit by pressing in the Main
Power Switch

1. Note that the Status-

2 will turn green, indicating

that the unit is on and functioning. At the same
time, the Information Display 

Ú will illuminate

and the legends behind the front-panel controls
will also light up.

Once the Main Power Switch

1 has been

turned on, the CDR 20 may be powered-on 
or -off using the remote control. Pressing the
Power-Off button 

on the remote will

place the unit in a Standby mode, as indicated
by the amber color of the Status-Mode
Indicator

2. To turn the unit on using 

the remote, simply press the Power-On 
button 

a.

Note that when the unit is in the Standby mode,
it is still drawing power from the AC main 
outlets. To turn the unit completely off, press
the Main Power Switch

1. When the

2 goes out, the

CDR 20 is off and not drawing any power.
When you will not be using the unit for an
extended period of time, such as during a 
vacation, we recommend using the Main
Power Switch

1 to turn the unit 

completely off.

Although compact discs are very reliable, rough
handling may damage them. Avoid scratching
the bottom (nonprinted) side of the discs, as
this will affect playback of standard CDs and
interfere with the recording of CD-R and 
CD-RW discs. It is also a good idea to always
handle discs by their edges to avoid fingerprints
which may also interfere with playback quality
and possibly cause damage to the laser and
lens assembly.

Loading and Unloading Discs
To load a disc, first open the desired CD deck
by pressing the appropriate Open/Close 
button 

7$c

. The word OPEN will

appear in the Information Display

K.

Always make certain that there is sufficient
room in front of the unit for the disc drawers to
open. Note that if either disc drawer is blocked,
the drawer will stop at the blocked position and
an ERROR message will appear. Press the
appropriate Open/Close button 

7$c

to reopen the drawer.

Load a disc in the tray with the printed (label)
side facing up. Once the disc is seated, make
certain that it is properly centered within the
tray. When using 3" discs, take extra care to
make certain that the disc is carefully centered
within the smaller ridges in the disc tray.

To close the drawer, press the appropriate
Open/Close button 

7$c

or gently

press on the outside of the front cover of the
disc tray. When the drawer is closed the word
CLOSE will appear momentarily in the
Information Display

K, and the letters

TOC will begin to flash in the display once the
drawer is completely closed.

If the disc is a standard CD or a finalized CD-R
or CD-RW disc, TOC will flash while the unit
reads the disc’s Table of Contents information.
Once that data is read, the Information
Display

K will show the total number of

tracks and the total time of all tracks on the
disc. The CD Indicator

S will also light to

indicate that a standard CD is in use.

When an unfinalized CD-R or CD-RW disc is
placed in the Record Deck

%, the letters

OPC will flash once the Table of Contents has
been read. This indicates that the unit is opti-
mizing its circuits for maximum compatibility
with the specific recordable disc in use. The
number and total running time of any tracks
that have already been recorded will appear in
the Information Display

K, and the appro-

priate indicator 

SP will light to tell you if a 

CD-R or CD-RW disc is in use.

If a computer data disc is placed in the CDR 20,
a DATA DISC or DISC ERROR mes-
sage will appear, depending on whether or not
the data disc is finalized. Data discs will not
play and cannot be recorded or dubbed on the
CDR 20.

Using the Remote
The CDR 20’s infrared remote control is
designed to operate both CD decks, as well as
control the playback programming and record
functions. To allow for efficient use of the
remote, its operation is different from standard
CD players. Some buttons are dedicated to one
specific CD deck, while others are shared
between the two decks.

No matter which deck is playing, the Play
Deck (CDP) and Record Deck (CDR)
Display

b

and Open/Close buttons

c

will always send a command to their

respective deck. The other transport and pro-
gramming functions, however, are shared. To
use any of the transport controls, such as Play
j, Stop x, Pause y or the Search
and Skip buttons 

fiz

, the

p or the Programming

eghkr, first press either the

d to command the Play Deck

3 or the CDR button 

to command the

%. When the button is pressed,

a message reading CDP or CDR will appear in
the appropriate Information Display

K to

confirm the selection.

To switch the remote from controlling one deck
to controlling the other, simply press the Select
button 

d

for the deck you wish to con-

trol at any time.

Note that features relating to the recording
process, such as Speed

s and the double

row of record-function buttons in the center of
the remote 

lmnotuvw

and the Single/Dual buttons 

g` are 

dedicated feature buttons that do not require
any special selection.

Labeled
Surface

16 PLAYBACK BASICS

Normal Play
To play a disc, first make certain that the unit is
properly installed and that the Main Power
Switch

1 is turned on. Turn the CDR 20 on

by pressing the Power-On button 

a on the

remote and note that the front-panel display
will illuminate.

Insert a disc following the instructions shown
on the previous page. To start the playback,
press the Play button on the front panel for the
appropriate deck 

*˘ or press the Select but-

ton on the remote for the desired deck 

d

and then press the Play button on the

remote 

j. The Play/Pause Indicator Q

will show a right pointing triangle 

›

›

›

›

and the

K will show the track

number being played and the running time of
the track. As each new track begins to play, the
track time will reset to 00:00 and begin to
count up for the new track.

NOTE: Remember that Unfinalized CD-R or 
CD-RW discs will only play in the Record
Deck

%. If you attempt to play an Unfinalized

disc in the Play Deck

3, a DISC

ERROR message will appear to remind you
to play the disc in the other deck.

To go directly to a specific track on a disk, enter
the track number using the Numeric Keys
p. Note that when selecting a two digit track
number, the second digit must be entered with-
in three seconds after the first Numeric Key is
pressed.

To play all of the tracks on a disc in random
order, press the Select Button

d

for

the desired deck, and then press the Random
button 

k. The unit will briefly examine all 

of the tracks on the disc and the Random
Indicator

A will illuminate. Each track will be

played in a random order until all tracks on the
disc have been played. Note that there will be a
brief pause in between each track as the unit
searches for the next track to play. During 
the search, the left two positions in the
Information Display

K will show a clock-

wise circle to confirm the search.

To momentarily stop the disc at any time, press
the Pause button 

y(¯. When a disc is

paused, the Play/Pause Indicator

Q will add

two vertical lines to indicate a paused disc.
Press either the Play button 

j*˘ or the

Pause button 

y(¯ to resume playback

at the point where the disc was paused.

When there is only one disc in the unit, it will
automatically stop when all tracks on a disc
have played through. To stop playback at any
time, press the Stop button 

x&¸ for the

deck in use.

When there is a disc in each deck, the player
will respond in one of two ways, depending on
which way the dual-play setting is activated. In
normal operation, when the disc in one drawer
finishes, the disc in the other drawer will begin
to play. When the Dual button 

`ı is

pressed so that the Dual-Play Indicator

J is

lit, each deck will operate as a separate, single-
play CD unit without regard to the status of the
other deck. For complete information on Dual-
Deck and Dual-Play operation, see page 17.

At the end of a listening session, remove the
discs from the decks by following the instruc-
tions shown on the previous page. Do not leave
the disc drawers open when the unit is not 
in use to prevent dust and dirt from entering
the unit and to prevent damage to the disc-
drawer tray.

To place the unit in the Standby mode at
the end of a listening session, press the Power-
Off button . The 

word 

OFF will appear

briefly in the Information Display

K, any

open disc trays will automatically close, and the
Status-Mode Indicator

2 will turn amber.

Search
You may quickly scan through the contents of a
disc while listening to the playback at high
speed in forward or reverse. To move forward
through a disc, press the Forward Search but-
ton

on the remote or press and hold the

Next button 

Óˆ on the front panel that is

appropriate for the deck in use. To move back-
wards through a disc, press the Reverse
Search button

f on the remote, or press

and hold the Previous button 

Ô˜ on the

front panel that is appropriate for the deck in
use. When using the remote, always remember
to make certain that you have selected the deck
you wish to control by pressing the appropriate
selector button 

d

before entering the

desired remote command.

Track Skip
To move from one track on a disc directly to
another, enter the number for the desired track
with the Numeric Keys

p. The disc will

pause briefly to locate the track, and then
immediately play it. When entering a two digit
track number, the second digit must be entered
within three seconds of the first digit.

To move to the next track on a disc by cycling
through the individual tracks, press the Next
button 

z on the remote, or the appropriate

front-panel Next button

Óˆ for the deck in

use. Additional presses of the button will move
forward through the tracks on the disc.

When a disc is playing, press the Previous
button

iÔ˜ to return to the beginning of

the track being played. Additional presses of
the Previous button will move backwards
through the tracks on the disc.

When a disc is stopped, you may press the Next
or Previous buttons to locate a specific track
that you wish to play. When the desired track
number appears at the left side of the appropri-
ate Information Display

K, press the Play

button

j*˘ to hear that track.