Harman-Kardon HK 3485 - Manual (Page 14)

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CONNECTIONS
There are different types of audio and video connections used to
connect the receiver to the speakers and video display, and to connect
the source devices to the receiver. To make it easier to keep them all
straight, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA
® ) has established
a color-coding standard. Table 1 may be helpful to you as a reference
while you set up your system.
Table 1– Connection Color Guide
Types of Connections
This section will briefly review different types of cables and connections
that you may use to set up your system.
Speaker Connections
Speaker cables carry an amplified signal from the receiver’s speaker
terminals to each loudspeaker. Speaker cables contain two wire conduc-
tors, or leads, inside plastic insulation. The two conductors are usually
differentiated in some way, by using different colors, or stripes, or even
by adding a ridge to the insulation. Sometimes the actual wires are
different, one being copper red and the other silver.
The differentiation is important because each speaker must be connected
to the receiver’s Speaker-Output terminals using two wires, one positive
(+) and one negative (–). This is called speaker polarity. It’s important
to maintain the proper polarity for all speakers in the system. If some
speakers have their negative terminals connected to the receiver’s posi-
tive terminals, performance can suffer, especially for the low frequencies.
Always connect the positive terminal on the loudspeaker, which is usually
colored red, to the positive terminal on the receiver, also colored red.
Similarly, always connect the black negative terminal on the speaker to
the black negative terminal on the receiver.
The HK 3485 uses binding-post speaker
terminals that can accept banana plugs
or bare-wire cables.
Banana plugs are simply plugged into the
hole in the middle of the terminal cap.
See Figure 1.
Figure 1 – Binding-Post Speaker Terminals With Banana Plugs
Bare-wire cables are installed as follows (see Figure 2):
1. Unscrew the terminal cap until the pass-through hole in the collar
is revealed.
2. Insert the bare end of the wire into the hole.
3. Screw the cap back into place until the wire is held snugly.
Figure 2 – Binding-Post Speaker Terminals With Bare Wires
Subwoofer
The subwoofer is a specialized type of loudspeaker that is usually
connected in a different way. The subwoofer is used to play only the
low frequencies (bass), which require much more power than the other
speaker channels. In order to obtain the best results, most speaker
manufacturers offer powered subwoofers, in which the speaker contains
its own amplifier on board. Sometimes the subwoofer is connected
to the receiver using the front left and right Speaker Outputs, and then
the front left and right speakers are connected to terminals on the
subwoofer. More often, line-level (nonamplified) connections are made
from the receiver’s Subwoofer Outputs to corresponding jacks on the
subwoofer, as shown in Figure 3. The same full-range signal is output
through both jacks. Thus, you have the option of connecting each jack
to the line-level input on a separate subwoofer. If you have only one
subwoofer with a single line-level input, connect it to the right Subwoofer
Output on the HK 3485.
Figure 3 – Subwoofer
Connecting Source Devices to the HK 3485
The HK 3485 is designed to process audio and video input signals,
playing back the audio and displaying the video on a television or
monitor connected to it. These signals originate in what are known as
“source devices,” including your DVD player, CD player, DVR (digital
video recorder) or other recorder, tape deck, game console, cable or
satellite television box, or MP3 player. Although the tuner is built into the
HK 3485, it also counts as a source, even though no external connec-
tions are needed, other than the FM and AM antennas.
Separate connections are required for the audio and video portions of
the signal.
Analog Audio Connections
Analog audio connections require two cables, one for the left channel
(white) and one for the right channel (red). These two cables are often
attached to each other for most of their length. See Figure 4.
Figure 4 – Analog Audio
L
R
Analog audio
cable (RCA)
Subwoofer
1 2 3
+
Audio Connections
Left Right
Front (FL/FR)
Video Connections
Composite
HK 3485 OM 2/15/07 4:20 PM Page 14