Harman-Kardon AVR 160 - Manual (Page 30)

30
ADVANCED FUNCTIONS
Much of the AVR 160’s performance is handled automatically, with little
intervention required on your part. The AVR 160 is capable of being
customized to suit your system and your tastes. In this section, some of the
more advanced adjustments available are described.
auDIo proceSSInG anD SurrounD
SounD
Audio signals output by sources are encoded in a variety of formats that can
affect not only the quality of the sound but the number of speaker channels
and the surround mode. You may also manually select a different surround
mode, when available.
analog audio Signals
Analog audio signals usually consist of two channels – left and right. The
AVR 160 offers three options for playback:
Analog Bypass Mode 1. : The 2-channel signal is passed directly from
the input to the volume control, without being digitized or undergoing
any processing for bass management or surround sound. To select analog
bypass mode:
The analog audio inputs for the source must be selected. If necessary, a)
with the remote in AVR device mode, press the Digital Select Button
and use the
KL Buttons to select “ANALOG”.
The tone controls must be disabled by turning off the Tone setting. b)
With the remote in AVR device mode, press the Tone Button and use
the
KL Buttons to select “TONE OUT”.
The 2-channel Stereo mode must be selected. Press the OSD Button, c)
and use the KL Buttons to select “SURROUND SELECT”. Press the
OK Button. Use the KL Buttons to select “STEREO”, and press the
OK Button. Use the M N Buttons to select either the 2- or 7-Channel
Stereo mode.
DSP Surround Off Mode 2. : The DSP Surround Off mode digitizes the
incoming signal and applies the bass management settings, including
speaker configuration, delay times and output levels. Select this mode
when your front speakers are small, limited-range satellites and you are
using a subwoofer. To select this mode, use a digital audio input, or set
the Tone setting to IN, and select 2-channel Stereo mode.
Analog Surround Modes: The AVR 160 is able to process 2-channel audio 3.
signals to produce multichannel surround sound, even when no surround
sound has been encoded in the recording. Among the available modes
are the Dolby Pro Logic II/IIx modes, the Harman Virtual Speaker modes,
the DTS Neo:6 modes, the Logic 7 modes and the Stereo modes.
Digital audio Signals
Digital audio signals offer greater capacity, which allows the encoding of
center and surround channel information directly into the signal. The result
is improved sound quality and startling directionality, since each channel is
reproduced discretely.
Even when only two channels are encoded, the digital signal allows for a
higher sampling rate that delivers greater detail. High-resolution recordings
sound extraordinarily distortion-free, especially at high frequencies.
Surround modes
Surround mode selection is dependent upon the format of the incoming
audio signal, as well as personal taste. Table A9 offers a brief description of
each mode and indicates the types of incoming signals or digital bitstreams
the mode may be used with. Additional information about the Dolby and DTS
modes is available on the companies’ Web sites: www.dolby.com and www.
dtsonline.com.
When in doubt, check the jacket of your disc for more information on which
surround modes are available. Usually, nonessential sections of the disc, such
as trailers, extra materials or the disc menu, are only available in Dolby Digital
2.0 (2-channel) or PCM 2-channel mode. If the main title is playing and the
display shows one of these surround modes, look for an audio or language
setup section in the disc’s menu. Also, make sure your player’s audio output is
set to the original bitstream rather than 2-channel PCM. Stop play and check
the player’s output setting.
For any incoming signal, only a limited number of surround modes are
available. Although there is never a time when all of the AVR 160’s surround
modes are available, there is usually a wide variety of modes available for a
given input.
Multichannel digital recordings are found in the 5.1-, 6.1- or 7.1-channel
formats. The channels included in a 5.1-channel recording are front left,
front right, center, surround left, surround right and LFE. The LFE channel is
denoted as “.1” to represent the fact that it is limited to the low frequencies.
6.1-Channel recordings add a single surround back channel, and 7.1-channel
recordings add surround back left and surround back right channels to
the 5.1-channel configuration. New formats are available in 7.1-channel
configurations. The AVR 160 is able to play the new audio formats, delivering
a more exciting home theater experience.
NOTE: To use the 6.1- and 7.1-channel surround modes, the Surround
Back channels must be enabled. See the Manual Speaker Setup section on
page 33 for more information.
The digital formats include Dolby Digital 2.0 (two channels only), Dolby
Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX (6.1), Dolby Digital Plus (7.1), Dolby TrueHD (7.1),
DTS-HD High-Resolution Audio (7.1), DTS-HD Master Audio (7.1), DTS 5.1,
DTS-ES (6.1 Matrix and Discrete), DTS 96/24 (5.1), 2-channel PCM modes in
32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz or 96kHz, and 5.1 or 7.1 multichannel PCM.
When a digital signal is received, the AVR 160 detects the encoding method
and the number of channels, which is displayed briefly as three numbers,
separated by slashes (e.g., “3/2/.1”).
The first number indicates the number of front channels in the signal:
“ 1” represents a monophonic recording, usually an older program that has
been digitally remastered or, more rarely, a modern program for which
the director has chosen a special effect.
“ 2” indicates the presence of the left and right channels, but no center
channel.
“3” indicates that all three front channels (left, right and center) are present.