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8

SB 30

Placing the Soundbar and Subwoofer  

and Connecting the System 

5.  After making all of the connections described in 

Connecting the System, on this page, 

attach the soundbar to the brackets by sliding the slots in its feet onto the brackets’ 

vertical tabs.

The performance of a subwoofer is directly related to its placement in the listening room 

and its physical position relative to the other speakers in the system.
While it is true that in general our ears do not hear directional sounds at the low 

frequencies where subwoofers operate, when installing a subwoofer within the limited 

confines of a room, the reflections, standing waves and absorptions generated within the 

room will strongly influence the performance of any subwoofer system. As a result, the 

specific location of the subwoofer in the room does become important to the amount and 

quality of bass that is produced.
For example, placing the subwoofer next to a wall generally will increase the amount of 

bass in the room; placing it in a corner (1) generally will maximize amount of bass in the 

room. However, corner placement can also increase the destructive effect of standing 

waves on bass performance. This effect can vary depending on the listening position – 

some listening positions may yield very good results while others may have far too much 

(or too little) bass at certain frequencies.
In many rooms, placing the subwoofer along a wall away from a corner (2) can produce 

the best integration between the sound of the subwoofer and that of the left and right 

speakers. In some rooms, the best performance could even result from placing the 

subwoofer behind the listening position (3).

SB 30 CNTR 

Soundbar

TV

1.

2.

3.

We strongly recommend that you experiment with placement before choosing a final 

location for your subwoofer. One way you can determine the best location for the 

subwoofer is by temporarily placing it in the listening position and playing music with 

strong bass content. Move around to various locations in the room while the system is 

playing (putting your ears where the subwoofer would be placed), and listen until you find 

the location where the bass performance is best. Place the subwoofer in that location.

Analog:  Use the supplied stereo audio cable to connect the soundbar’s Analog Input 

connectors to your TV’s stereo audio output. If your TV has two sets of audio output 

jacks, use the set that has a fixed (not variable) output level. It will let you turn your 

TV’s speakers all the way off while the TV still supplies a constant audio signal to the 

soundbar.
Digital: If your disc player, cable tuner or satellite tuner has a coaxial or optical digital 

output, you can use the supplied optical digital audio cable and a coaxial digital audio 

cable (not supplied) to connect them to the soundbar’s Optical and Coaxial Digital Input 

connectors. We recommend setting the component’s digital output to “Bitstream” so it 

will send Dolby

®

 Digital and DTS

®

 bitstreams to the SB 30 CNTR for decoding. This will 

produce better results when using the Virtual and HARMAN Wave surround modes (see 

Surround Modes, on page 11).
NOTE: If your disc player, cable tuner or satellite tuner does not have a digital output you 

can connect its analog audio output to your TV. The TV will send its audio signal to the 

soundbar through the analog connection described above.

AUDIO

OUT

OPTICAL

DIGITAL

OUT

COAXIAL

DIGITAL

OUT

L

1 2 3 4

L

1 2 3 4

TV

Stereo 

Audio Cable 

(supplied)

Optical 

Digital Audio Cable 

(supplied)

Coaxial 

Digital Audio Cable 

(not supplied)

Satellite Tuner

Disc Player

SB 30 CNTR Soundbar

The soundbar’s Voltage Selector switch is set at the factory to accommodate the AC 

power voltage in the area where the soundbar is shipped. 
IMPORTANT: Before you connect the power cord for the first time it is a good idea 

your area. 
In the event that you do need to change the Voltage Selector switch setting:

1.  Make sure that the soundbar is powered off and the power cord is disconnected from 

the soundbar.

2.  Slide the Voltage Selector switch to the appropriate setting (“110 – 120V” or “220 – 

240V”) as required for your area.

Harman Kardon

SB 30 / 230V Service Manual

Page 9 of 43

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SB 30

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Connecting and Using  

Your Soundbar Speaker System 

After you have made and verified all of the source connections and the Voltage Selector 

switch setting:

1.  Connect the supplied AC power cord to the SB 30 CNTR’s Power Cord connector and to 

a working unswitched wall outlet.

2.  Connect the subwoofer’s power cord into a working unswitched wall outlet.

L

1 2 3 4

This area is designed to become 

quite warm during normal operation

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

SB 30 CNTR Soundbar

SB 30 Subwoofer

Voltage Selector 

Switch

Power Cord 

Connector

Wall 

Outlet

Wall 

Outlet

Power 

Cord

AC 

Power Cord 

(supplied)

Set the soundbar’s and subwoofer’s Power switches in their “On” positions. Normally, you 

can leave both Power switches set to “On” all the time. If you will be away from home for 

an extended period of time, or if you will not be using the system for an extended period, 

set both Power switches to “Off.”

L

1 2 3 4

This area is designed to become 

quite warm during normal operation

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

Power 

Switch

Power 

Switch

SB 30 Subwoofer

SB 30 CNTR Soundbar

Harman Kardon

SB 30 / 230V Service Manual

Page 10 of 43

10

SB 30

Using Your Soundbar Speaker System 

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

have more than one SB 30 system in operation, you may change the channel at which 

the wireless system operates. There are four-position Wireless Code switches on both 

the soundbar and subwoofer. To change the wireless channel, set each of the switches to 

one of the other three positions. 

L

1 2 3 4

L

1 2 3 4

This area is designed to become 

quite warm during normal operation

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

SB 30 CNTR Soundbar

SB 30 Subwoofer

Wireless Code 

Switch

Wireless Code 

Switch

Manually: To turn the soundbar on manually, momentarily press the Power button on the 

soundbar or on the remote control. Pressing the Power button while the soundbar is on 

will put it into the Standby mode.

Power 

Button

Power 

Button

NOTE: If you put the soundbar into the Standby mode manually, you can turn it back on 

only by manually pressing the Power button again.
Auto turn-on: The soundbar has a signal detector that will automatically turn the unit on 

when it senses an audio signal at any of its inputs. To minimize power consumption, the 

signal detector is not activated unless the soundbar first senses any kind of IR remote 

signal. Once the soundbar’s signal detector has been activated, the unit will automatically 

turn from Standby to on as soon as it detects an input signal at any of its source input 

connections.
Auto turn-off: The soundbar will automatically enter the Standby mode if no audio signal 

is detected at any of its source input connections for approximately 15 minutes.

The subwoofer will automatically turn on when it receives an audio signal from the 

soundbar, and it will return to the Standby mode when it has received no audio signal for 

15 minutes. The subwoofer’s Power LED will turn blue when the subwoofer is on and will 

turn amber when the subwoofer is in Standby.

Use the subwoofer’s Volume control to balance its volume with that of the soundbar. Once 

you find the proper balance between the subwoofer and the soundbar, the soundbar’s 

Volume Up/Down buttons will control the volume of the entire system, and you should not 

have to readjust the subwoofer’s Volume control.

Volume 

Control

This area is designed to become 

quite warm during normal operation

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

•  Sometimes the ideal subwoofer volume setting for music is too loud for films, 

while the ideal setting for films is too quiet for music. When setting the subwoofer’s 

Volume control, listen to both music and films with strong bass content and find a 

“middle ground” volume level that works for both.

•  If your subwoofer always seems too loud or too quiet, you may want to place it in 

a different location. Placing the subwoofer in a corner will always tend to increase 

its bass output, while placing it away from any walls or corners will always tend to 

lessen its bass output.

Harman Kardon

SB 30 / 230V Service Manual

Page 11 of 43

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When the subwoofer is properly in phase with the soundbar speakers, the sound will be 

clearer and have more impact. In-phase performance will make percussive sounds like 

drums, piano and plucked strings sound more lifelike. Although there is no absolutely 

correct setting for the subwoofer’s Phase switch, in most cases it should be left in the 

“Normal” position. 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.

This area is designed to become 

quite warm during normal operation

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

Phase 

Switch

Press the Volume Up and Down buttons on the soundbar or the remote control to raise 

and lower the system’s volume one step at a time. Hold down the buttons to raise or lower 

the volume continuously. To mute the system, press the remote control’s Mute button.

Volume Down/Up 

Buttons

Mute Button
Volume Down/Up 

Buttons

For the best sound, we recommend turning your TV’s built-in speakers off. Consult your 

TV’s owner’s manual to find out how to do it. If there is no way to turn your TV’s speakers 

off, you can adjust your TV’s volume so that the SB 30 system will always supply most 

of the sound:

1.  Using the volume buttons on your TV, turn its volume all the way down.
2.  Then use the soundbar’s Volume Up/Down buttons to set the sound to a comfortable 

listening level.

Press the Source button on the soundbar or the remote control to switch among the three 

sources: optical digital, coaxial digital and analog. 

Source 

Button

Source 

Button

The soundbar’s Status LEDs will glow white to indicate the active source.

Optical Digital

Analog

Coaxial Digital

Your soundbar incorporates extremely sophisticated digital signal processing that, along 

with 13 individual transducers powered by 11 amplifier channels, creates an astonishingly 

realistic surround-sound presentation in any size room, for listeners at any position in the 

room, without needing any extra speakers or wires.
Press the Surround Mode button on the soundbar or the remote control to switch among 

the three surround modes: Stereo, Virtual and HARMAN Wave.

Surround Mode 

Button

Surround Mode 

Button

The soundbar’s Status LEDs glow blue to indicate the active surround mode:

Stereo

HARMAN Wave

Virtual

Using Your Soundbar Speaker System 

Harman Kardon

SB 30 / 230V Service Manual

Page 12 of 43