Harman-Kardon AVR 247 - Manual (Page 51)

Manual Setup
The AVR 247 is flexibly designed to be used with almost any loud-
speakers available. The flexibility arises from the AVR 247’s capability to
be configured to match the characteristics of your particular speakers,
and to compensate for the acoustic characteristics of your room.
EzSet/EQ automatically detects the capabilities of each speaker, and
optimizes the AVR 247’s performance in your system. However, if for
some reason you are unable to run EzSet/EQ, e.g., you have misplaced
the microphone, or if you wish to make further adjustments to the
settings made by EzSet/EQ, you may use the Manual Setup on-screen
menus as described in this section.
Before beginning manual setup you will need to have fully installed your
AVR, placed your loudspeakers in their correct locations within the room
(see Speaker Placement section), and connected them to the AVR. You
will need the specifications for each of your speakers, which may usually
be found in the owner’s guide for the speakers or on the manufacturer’s
Web site. If necessary, contact the manufacturer to obtain the frequency
range specification. Although the output-level setting portion of manual
setup may be performed “by ear,” we recommend that you purchase an
SPL (sound-pressure level) meter at a local electronics store.
We suggest that you record your configuration settings in the appropri-
ate places in Tables A3 through A7 in the appendix in case you need to
reenter them after a system reset, or if the AVR’s Master Power Switch
is turned off or the unit is unplugged for more than four weeks.
Step One – Determine Speaker Size
Without using EzSet/EQ, the AVR 247 can’t detect how many speakers
you’ve connected to it; nor can it determine their capabilities. For this
part of the system setup, you will need to consult the speaker’s technical
specifications.
The specification you’re looking for is the frequency response, which
is usually given as a range, e.g., 100Hz – 20kHz (±3dB). This specifi-
cation tells you whether the speaker is able to play sounds that are very
high- or low-pitched, represented by the high and low frequencies.
We are concerned with the lowest frequency that each of your main
speakers is capable of playing, which is 100Hz in this example. Use
the Table A5 worksheet in the appendix to note this number as the
crossover for that speaker (not the same as the crossover frequency
listed in the speaker’s specifications).
Your subwoofer’s frequency response will include only the very lowest
frequencies, since the subwoofer is designed to play only bass materials.
A typical frequency response for a subwoofer is 25Hz – 150Hz. In this
case, the higher number should be noted in the worksheet.
This information is required to program the receiver’s bass manage-
ment, which determines which speakers the receiver will use to play
back the low-frequency (bass) portion of the source program.
If you send the lowest notes to small satellite speakers, you won’t hear
these notes very well, and you may even damage the speaker by
exceeding its capabilities. If you send the highest notes to the special-
purpose subwoofer, you may not hear them at all.
With proper bass management, the AVR 247 divides the source signal
at a crossover point. All information above the crossover point is played
through the satellite speaker (front left/right, center, surround left/right, or
surround back left/right), and all information below the crossover point is
played through the subwoofer. This enables each loudspeaker in your
system to perform at its best, delivering an enjoyable sound experience.
Step Two – Measure Speaker Distances
Ideally, all of your speakers were placed in a circle, each at the same
distance from the listening position. However, your room may not be
ideal, and you may have had to place some speakers a little further
away than others. This could affect the overall sound of the receiver,
as sounds that are supposed to arrive simultaneously from different
speakers blur due to different arrival times.
The AVR 247 has a delay adjustment that enables the receiver to
compensate for real-world speaker placements.
Before you begin making adjustments, measure the distance from each
speaker to the listening position, and note it in the Table A3 worksheet
in the appendix. Even if all of your speakers are the same distance from
the listening position, you should enter your speaker distances into the
Delay Adjust menu, which is described in Step Three.
Step Three – Manual Setup Menu
Now you are ready to program these adjustments into the receiver. It’s
best to sit in the usual listening position and make the room as quiet as
possible. Don’t worry if you make a mistake; you can always go back
and change these settings.
With the receiver and video display turned on, press the OSD Button on
the remote to display the menu system. Use the
¤ Button on the
remote to move the cursor to the Speaker tab, and press the Set Button
to display the Speaker Setup menu. See Figure 47.
Figure 47 (repeated) – Speaker Setup Menu Screen
Select the Manual Configuration option, and the Manual Speaker Setup
menu will appear. See Figure 84.
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ADVANCED FUNCTIONS