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Operation

SB 16/230

10

use the subwoofer’s Volume knob to balance the bass with the rest of the sound. play music 

or movies that you are familiar with and adjust the subwoofer’s Volume knob so the bass 

sounds balanced on both music and films. listen to several different music recordings 

and film soundtracks that contain strong bass passages, and find a setting for the Volume 

knob that doesn’t over-emphasize the bass or make it sound weak.

once you find a setting for the subwoofer’s Volume knob that balances the bass with the 

rest of the sound, you shouldn’t have to change it.

this switch adjusts the soundbar’s audio input sensitivity so it will work with tVs that have 

different audio signal output levels. If your tV’s audio signal output is low, the soundbar 

may not play loud enough. In this case, set the trim switch to position 3 so the soundbar 

will play louder. If your tV’s audio signal output is high, you may hear distortion in the 

soundbar at normal listening volumes. In this case, set the trim switch to position 1 to 

reduce the distortion and improve the sound.

In the unlikely event that you encounter interference when operating the system, or if 

you have more than one sb 16/230 system in operation, you may change the wireless 

channel at which the system operates. there are four-position wireless code switches 

on both the soundbar and subwoofer. to change the wireless channel, simply set each 

of the switches to one of the other three positions. 

soundbar and the subwoofer must be set to the same position for the wireless 

note: the maximum wireless operating distance between the soundbar and subwoofer 

is approximately 50 feet (15.3m).

the subwoofer’s crossover knob adjusts the subwoofer’s crossover between 50hz and 

150hz. the higher you set the crossover knob, the higher in frequency the subwoofer will 

operate and the more its bass will “overlap” that of the soundbar. this adjustment helps 

achieve a smooth transition of bass frequencies between the subwoofer and the soundbar 

for a variety of different rooms and subwoofer locations.

to set the crossover knob, listen for the smoothness of the bass. If the bass seems too 

strong at certain frequencies, try a lower crossover knob setting. If the bass seems too 

weak at certain frequencies, try a higher crossover knob setting.

this  switch  determines  whether  the  subwoofer’s  piston-like  action  moves  in  and  out 

in phase with the speakers in the soundbar. If the subwoofer were to play out of phase 

with the soundbar speakers, some of the sound waves produced by the soundbar and 

subwoofer could be canceled out at some frequencies, reducing bass performance and 

sonic  impact. this  phenomenon  depends  in  part  on  the  relative  placement  of  all  the 

speakers in the room. 

although there is no absolutely correct setting for the phase switch, in most cases it should 

be left in the 0° position. when the subwoofer is properly in phase with the soundbar 

speakers, the sound will be clearer and have more impact. this will make percussive 

sounds like drums, piano and plucked strings sound more lifelike. the best way to set 

the phase switch is to listen to music that you are familiar with and adjust the switch so 

that drums and other percussive sounds have maximum impact.

Volume Knob

crossover knob

phase knob

Trim Switch

wireless code 

switch

wireless code 

switch

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11

SB 16/230

Programming the Soundbar to 

Respond to Your TV Remote

you can program the soundbar so it will respond to your tV remote’s power off, mute, volume 

up, volume down and source commands. this programming lets you control your whole 

home theater system with a single remote. before beginning to program the soundbar, 

have your tV remote in hand. we recommend sitting down in front of the soundbar.  
note: some steps will time out, so read through this entire procedure before you begin.  
have the remote handy. when you start the remote programming after step 4, be ready 

to aim the tV remote at the front of the soundbar from about 300mm – 900mm (about 

12 – 36 inches) away.

note: If at any time the surround and source buttons both stop flashing, and the soundbar returns 

to the power-on state, the programming operation has failed. In this case, restart at step 2.
To  program  the  power  off,  surround,  volume  down,  volume  up  or  source 

command:  
1. ensure that the soundbar is on.
2.  simultaneously  press  and  hold  the  soundbar’s  power  and  source  buttons  until  the 

visible surround button flashes blue (the power and source buttons also flash but are 

covered by your fingers). If the buttons do not flash after three seconds, release the 

buttons and try again. 

3.  You now have 20 seconds to momentarily press the soundbar button that you want 

to program (power, surround, Volume down, Volume up, source), or the programming 

operation will fail and you must restart at step 2. when you are successful, the soundbar 

power button light will turn off.

4.  You now have 5 seconds to aim the tV remote at the front of the soundbar and slowly 

and repeatedly press and release the corresponding button on the remote until the 

surround and source buttons on the soundbar flash and then, after a few seconds,  

return to constant illumination. this indicates that the programming operation has been 

successful. otherwise you must restart at step 2.

To program the Mute command: repeat steps 1 and 2. at step 3, press and hold the 

soundbar’s  power  button  until  the  surround  and  source  buttons  switch  to  constant 

illumination. then proceed to step 4.
To erase all remote programming: ensure that the soundbar is on, then simultaneously 

press and hold the soundbar’s surround mode and Volume up buttons until the lights in 

all the buttons flash.

tV remote

hold down both buttons until the 

power, surround and source 

buttons indicators flash

momentarily press the button 

you want to program

300mm 

(12")

ENGLISH

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12

SB 16/230

Troubleshooting

If your sb 16/230 system isn’t performing the way you think it should, check 

to see if the problem is covered in this section before calling your dealer or 

contacting a harman kardon representative.

If the soundbar does not turn on:

check that the soundbar power supply’s ac cord is plugged into a working ac 

•

outlet and that the power supply is plugged into the soundbar.
check that the soundbar’s power switch is in the on position.

•

If the subwoofer does not turn on:

check that the subwoofer’s power cord is plugged into a working ac outlet.

•

check that the subwoofer’s power switch is in the on position.

•

check if the subwoofer’s ac fuse has blown. see 

•

AC Fuse, on page 5, for instructions on checking and changing the fuse.

If there is no sound coming from both the soundbar and the subwoofer:

check that the soundbar is on (the power Indicator is blue).

•

check that the cable connecting the tV or other source component to the 

•

soundbar is properly connected at both ends.
check that the soundbar’s source selector is set to the correct source (the source 

•

Indicator turns white for source 1 – analog and turns blue for source 2 – digital) 

and that the source is playing an audio signal.
check that the system is not muted (when the system is muted, the soundbar’s 

•

power Indicator flashes blue). If the system is muted, momentarily press the 

power button to un-mute the system. 
check that the soundbar’s volume is not turned all the way down (the lowest 

•

setting of the Volume down button will mute the system).

If there is no sound coming from just the subwoofer:

check that the subwoofer Volume control is not turned all the way down (fully 

•

counterclockwise).
check that the wireless code switches on the subwoofer and soundbar are both 

•

set to the same setting number.
move the subwoofer closer to the soundbar. the maximum wireless operation 

•

distance is 50 feet (15.3m).

If the soundbar’s sound is distorted:

set the soundbar’s trim switch to a lower setting.

•

check the source component to see if the distortion is coming from it, and not 

•

from the soundbar.

If the system’s sound is too quiet, even when the soundbar’s volume 
is turned all the way up:

set the soundbar’s trim switch to a higher setting.

•

If the tV or source component is connected via a variable output, check its 

•

instructions to be sure that the output is not turned down too low.

If the bass output is not loud enough:

turn up the subwoofer’s Volume knob.

•

move the subwoofer into a corner of the room.

•

move the subwoofer closer to the seating location.

•

If the soundbar won’t learn your tV remote’s commands:

carefully follow steps 1 – 4 of 

•

Remote, on page 11.
hold the tV remote 12 inches (300mm) in front of the soundbar during the 

•

learning procedure.
although the soundbar will learn commands from most tV remotes, there may be 

•

some Ir codes that it cannot learn.

If  you  press  your  tV  remote’s  power  button  and  the  soundbar  turns  off  when  the 

tV turns on (or vice versa):

press the power button on either the soundbar or the tV (but not both) one time. 

•

this will put them back in sync so they will turn on and off together when you 

press the tV remote’s power button.

You can find additional troubleshooting information in the FAQs link on the Support page at www.harmankardon.com.

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Specifications

13

SB 16/230

Frequency response

50hz – 20khz

midrange transducers

two x 3" (75mm) cones per channel, video-shielded

high-frequency transducer

one x 3/4" dome per channel, video-shielded

amplifier power

25 watts x 2

power requirement

24V dc, 2.5a – 2.7a

dimensions (h x w x d)

110mm x 920mm x 89mm (4-5/16" x 36-1/4" x 3-1/2")

weight

3.6kg (8 lb)

woofer

10" (254mm) cone

enclosure type

ported

power requirement

230V ac, 50hz/60hz, 100w

dimensions (h x w x d)

480mm x 380mm x 380mm (18-7/8" x 13-3/8" x 13-3/8")

weight

15.4kg (34 lb)

ENGLISH

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