Harman-Kardon AVR 445 - Manual (Page 34)

34 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
System Configuration
Output Level Adjustment
Output level adjustment is a key part of the
configuration of any surround-sound product. It
is particularly important for a digital receiver such
as the AVR, as correct outputs ensure that you
hear sound tracks with the proper directionality
and intensity.
In most cases, you will not need to make any
adjustments to the output level, as the settings
made by running Ezset/EQ are as accurate as
those made manually. However, you are able to
use the
CHANNEL ADJUST menu to trim
the settings to suit your personal preferences or
to configure the system so that the output
settings are different from one input source to
another. The ability to make individual output
level adjustments on a per-input basis is useful
for listeners who may prefer different settings for
the subwoofer or an individual channel group
such as the front speakers when playing musical
selections via the CD input as opposed to the
movie soundtracks more frequently used with the
DVD input. This menu also allows you to adjust
the output levels using external sources such as a
test disc or other program material that you use
as a standard, rather than the system’s test tone.
NOTE: Listeners are often confused about the
operation of the surround channels. While some
assume that sound should always be coming
from each speaker, most of the time there will be
little or no sound in the surround channels. This
is because they are only used when a movie
director or sound mixer specifically places sound
there to create ambience, a special effect or to
continue action from the front of the room to
the rear. When the output levels are properly
set, it is normal for surround speakers to
operate only occasionally. Artificially increasing
the volume to the rear speakers may destroy the
illusion of an enveloping sound field that
duplicates the way you hear sound in a movie
theater or concert hall.
Before beginning the output level adjustment
process, make certain that all speaker
connections have been properly made. The
system volume should be turned down at first.
To view or change the current Channel Output
settings, make certain that the
EZSET/EQ
MAIN menu (Figure 17a) is on the screen. Press
the ⁄ / ¤ Navigation Button EF to move
the cursor next to CHANNEL ADJUST and
then press the Set Button FQ. The
CHANNEL ADJUST menu (Figure 22) will
appear on the screen.
Figure 22
To provide the maximum flexibility, channel
output level adjustments may be made either
with or without the internal test tone, and when
the tone is in use, it may be programmed to
automatically circulate among the active
channels or to only move from one channel to
the next on your command. When the
CHANNEL ADJUST menu appears, we
recommend that you first run the test tone once
in the automatic mode to verify that the speakers
have been properly connected. To do this, press
the
⁄ / ¤ Navigation Button EF again
until the cursor is on the TEST TONE line and
then press the ‹ / › Navigation Button
EF until
AUTO is in highlighted video. The
test tone will then circulate among all channels
for five seconds at each position.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because this test noise will
have a much lower level than normal music, the
volume must be lowered after the adjustment for
all channels is made, but BEFORE you return to
the main menu and the test tone turns off.
NOTE: Remember to verify that the speakers
have been properly connected. As the test noise
circulates, listen to make certain that the sound
comes from the speaker position shown in the
Main Information Display ˜. If the sound
comes from a speaker location that does NOT
match the position indicated in the display, turn
the AVR off using the Main Power Switch 1
and check the speaker wiring or connections to
external power amplifiers to make certain that
each speaker is connected to the correct output
terminal.
After checking for speaker placement, let the test
noise circulate again, and listen to see which
channels sound louder than the others. Using the
front left speaker as a reference, press the
‹ / ›
Buttons EF on the remote to bring all
speakers to the same volume level. When one of
the
‹ / › buttons is pushed, the test noise
circulation will pause on the channel being
adjusted to give you time to make the
adjustment. When you release the button, the
circulation will resume after five seconds. The on-
screen cursor
➞ and the test noise can also be
moved directly to the speaker to be adjusted by
pressing the
⁄ / ¤ buttons EF on the
remote.
Continue to adjust the individual channels until
the volume level sounds the same from each
speaker. Note that adjustments should be made
with the
‹ / › Buttons EF on the remote
only, NOT the main volume controls.
If you are using a sound-pressure level (SPL)
meter for precise level adjustment with the test
tone, open the main Volume Control
d to
-15dB and set the individual output level for
each channel so that the meter reads 75dB,
C-Weighted Slow. After all settings are made turn
the main volume down.
You may also make these same adjustments with
complete manual control over the channel being
adjusted by pressing the
⁄ / ¤ Navigation
Button EF until the ➞ cursor is pointing to
the TEST TONE line on the menu and then
using the ‹ / › Navigation Button EF to
select M A N in the highlighted video. In the M A N
mode, the test tone will also start immediately, but
the tone will only be moved to another channel by
pressing the
⁄ / ¤ Navigation Button EF.
When the manual sequencing mode is active, the
tone is turned off by pressing the
⁄ / ¤
Navigation Button EF until the ➞ cursor
is pointing to the TEST TONE line and the
‹ / › Navigation Button EF is then pressed
to select O F F in the highlighted video.
The final option for tone adjustment using the
menu system is to not use the internal test tone
at all. To do this, simply use the
⁄ / ¤
Navigation Button EF to change the
channel and then use the ⁄ / ¤ Navigation
Button EF to change the output level.
When making channel output adjustments
without the internal test tone we strongly recom-
mend that you use a test disc in the “repeat”
mode on your DVD or CD player so that the
signal being used is constant throughout the
adjustment process.
NOTE: The subwoofer output level is not
adjustable using the test tone. To change the
subwoofer level, follow the steps for Output
Level Trim Adjustment on page 44.
When all channels have an equal volume level,
the adjustment is complete. Now turn the
Volume
d down to about -40dB, otherwise
the listening level may be too high as soon as
the source’s music starts to play. To exit this
menu, press the
⁄ / ¤ buttons EF until the
on-screen ➞ cursor is next to the BACK T O
MANUAL SETUP line, and then press the
Set Button FQ to return to the
MANUAL
SETUP .
* C H A N N E L A D J U S T *
F L : 0 d B S B R : 0 d B
C E N : 0 d B S B L : 0 d B
F R : 0 d B S L : 0 d B
S R : 0 d B S W 1 : 0 d B
T E S T T O N E : A U T O O F F M A N
L E V E L R E S E T : O F F O N
C H A D J U S T : G L O B A L
E Z S E T S E T T I N G S : O F F O N
B A C K T O M A N U A L S E T U P
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30362_AVR445_ENG 20/11/06 14:56 Side 34