Harman-Kardon AVR 5550 manual

A VR 5550 Audio/ V ideo Receiver OWNER’S MANU AL AVR 5550 ready LOGIC 7 VMAx Power for the Digital Revolution ™ ®[...]

2 T ABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Introduction 4 Safety Information 4 Unpacking 5 F ront P anel Controls 7 F ront P anel Information Display 8 Rear P anel Connections 11 Main Remote Control Functions 14 Zone II Remote Control Functions 15 Installation and Connections 15 Audio Connections 15 Video Connections 16 SCAR T A/V Connections 18 System and P ower Conn[...]

INTRODUCTION 3 Introduction Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon! With the purchase of a Harman Kardon A VR 5550 you are about to begin many years of listening enjoyment. Designed to provide all the excitement and detail of movie soundtracks and every nuance of musical selections , the A VR 5550 is truly a multichannel receiver for the new millenni[...]

4 SAFETY INFORMA TION Safety Information Important Safety Information V erify Line V oltage Before Use Y our A VR 5550 has been designed for use with 220-240-V olt A C current. Connection to a line voltage other than that for which it is intended can create a safety and fire hazard and may damage the unit. If you have any questions about the voltag[...]

FRONT P ANEL CONTROLS 5 1 Main P ower Switch: Press this button to apply power to the A VR 5550. When the switch is pressed in, the unit is placed in a Standby mode , as indicated by the orange LED 3 surrounding the System P ower Control 2 . T his button MUST be pressed in to operate the unit. T o turn the unit off completely and prevent the use of[...]

6 FRONT P ANEL CONTROLS Front P anel Controls 9 Surround Mode Selector: Press this button to cycle through the individual surround modes available after the Surround Mode Group Selector 5 was pressed (see item 5 above). Note that depending on the type of input, some modes are not always av ailable . (See page 32 for more information about surround [...]

FRONT P ANEL INFORMATION DISPLA Y 7 Front P anel Information Display A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q A B D E K L F H I J C G Upper Display Line Lower Display Line OSD Indicator Multi Indicator Speak er/Channel Input Indicator Preset Indicator Memory Indicator Stereo Indicator T uned Indicator Auto Indicator 192 kHz Indicator 96 kHz Indicator T r [...]

8 REAR P ANEL CONNECTIONS Rear P anel Connections                         AVR 5550 AC OUTLETS ~230V/50Hz UNSWITCHED / 100W MAX SWITCHED / 50W MAX 230 V/50Hz                              ?[...]

REAR P ANEL CONNECTIONS 9 Rear P anel Connections S-Video source selected by the receiver’ s video switcher .  DVD V ideo Inputs: Connect these jacks to the composite or S-Video output jacks on a DVD player or other video source .  Front Speaker Outputs: Connect these outputs to the matching + or – terminals on your left and right speak e[...]

10 REAR P ANEL CONNECTIONS tan and black SBR terminals to the red and black terminals on the right remote zone speak er .  RS-232 P ort: This jack is used to enable the A VR 5550 to be controlled by an external com- puter or programmable remote system that uses RS-232 commands . Due to the complexity of RS- 232 connections , we recommend that th[...]

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q    ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - MAIN REMO TE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 11 Main Remote Control Functions P ower Off Button IR T ransmitter Window Program/SPL Indicator P ower On Button Input Selectors A VR Selector AM/FM T uner Select 6-Channel/8-Channel Direct Input T est Button Slee[...]

12 MAIN REMO TE CONTROL FUNCTIONS Main Remote Control Functions IMPORT ANT NO TE: T he AVR 5550’ s remote may be programmed to control up to seven devices , including the A VR 5550. Before using the remote , it is important to remember to press the Input Selector button 4 that corresponds to the unit you wish to operate . In addition, the AVR 555[...]

MAIN REMO TE CONTROL FUNCTIONS 13 K T uning Up/Down: When the tuner is in use , these buttons will tune up or down through the selected frequency band. If the T uner Mode button I has been pressed or the Band but- ton @ on the front panel was held pressed so that the AUTO indicator J is illuminated, press- ing either of the buttons will cause the t[...]

14 ZONE II REMO TE CONTROL FUNCTIONS Zone II Remote Control Functions å P ower Off ∫ A VR Selector ç AM/FM T uner Select ∂ Input Selectors ≠ T uning Up/Down – F ast Play ƒ Record/P ause © Preset/T rack Skip ˙ Disc Skip î V olume Up/Down ∆ Play F orward/Reverse/Stop ˚ Mute NO TE: The Zone II remote may be used in either the same roo[...]

INST ALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 15 After unpacking the unit, and placing it on a solid surface capable of supporting its weight, you will need to mak e the connections to your audio and video equipment. Audio Equipment Connections We recommend that you use high-quality inter- connect cables when making connections to source equipment and recorders to[...]

16 INST ALLATION AND CONNECTIONS Installation and Connections SCAR T A/V Connections F or the connections described above your video device needs RCA (cinch) connectors or/and S- Video connectors for all Audio and Video signals: Any normal video device (Not SVHS or High 8) for only playback needs 3 RCA jacks , VCRs for record and playback even 6 RC[...]

INST ALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 17 Installation and Connections Black Y ellow Red Figure 1: SCART/Cinch-Adapter for playback; signal flow: SCART → Cinch Black Red Blue Y ellow Green White Figure 2: SCART/Cinch-Adapter for record and playback; signal flow: SCART ↔ Cinch Black Y ellow Red Figure 3: Cinch/SCART -Adapter for playback; signal flow: Ci[...]

18 INST ALLATION AND CONNECTIONS System and P ower Connections T he A VR 5550 is designed for flexible use with multiroom systems , external control components and power amplifiers . Main Room Remote Control Extension If the receiver is placed behind a solid or smok ed glass cabinet door , the obstruction may prevent the remote sensor from receivin[...]

INST ALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 19 Installation and Connections Speaker Selection No matter which type or brand of speak ers is used, the same model or brand of speak er should be used for the front-left, center and front-right speak ers. This creates a seamless front soundstage and eliminates the possibility of distracting sonic disturbances that oc[...]

20 SY STEM CONFIGURATION System Configuration Once the speak ers have been placed in the room and connected, the remaining steps are to pro- gram the system configur ation memories . With the A VR 5550 two kind of memories are used, those associated individually with the input selected, e .g. surround modes , and others work- ing globally for all i[...]

SY STEM CONFIGURATION 21 T o make this process as quick and as easy as pos- sible , we suggest that you use the full-OSD sys- tem with the on-screen menus , and step through each input. Input Setup T he first step in configuring the A VR is to select an input, i.e . to associate an analog or digital input with each input source in use , e .g. CD or[...]

22 SY STEM CONFIGURATION System Configuration Figure 3 T he first line of the SPEAKER SETUP menu (Figure 3) allows you to switch the menu to change either the underlying speak er size setting or the exact crossover point used for that speak er group if set to "Small" . F or the first pass through the menu, leave the setting at its default[...]

SY STEM CONFIGURATION 23 decoding modes are available and the surround back amplifier channels will not be used. When this is the case for your system you may wish to tak e advantage of the availability of this amplifier channel pair for use in powering a second set of speak ers that have their source selected by the A VR 5550’ s multiroom contro[...]

24 SY STEM CONFIGURATION System Configuration When the Set button @ F has been pressed and the system is ready for a change to the front speak er setting, the on-screen display and Main Information Display ˜ will read FRONT LARGE or FRONT SMALL depending on the current setting. Press the ‹ / › buttons 7 $ on the front panel or the ⁄ / ¤ but[...]

SY STEM CONFIGURATION 25 System Configuration or Cinema modes are available , but the output will be in a full eight-channel sound field. Note that the Logic 7 modes are not available when either Dolby Digital or DTS Digital soundtracks are in use . On the DSP ( SURR ) menu, the selection choices made with the ‹ / › Buttons E& on the remote[...]

26 SY STEM CONFIGURATION System Configuration When the setting has been made , press the ⁄ / ¤ buttons D so that the › cursor is next to BACK T O SURR SELECT , and press the Set button F to return to the SURROUND SELECT menu. Note that the Night mode may be adjusted directly any time that Dolby Digital surround mode is selected by pressing the[...]

SY STEM CONFIGURATION 27 System Configuration Y ou may repeat this procedure as many times as necessary to achieve a desired result. In order to prevent possible damage to your hearing or your equipment, we emphasize that you should avoid setting the master volume above 0dB . NO TE: The subwoofer output is not adjusted when the test tone is in use [...]

28 SY STEM CONFIGURATION When all channels have an equal volume level, the adjustment is complete . Now turn the V olume ) 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 D until the on- screen › cursor is next to the BACK T O MASTE[...]

OPERA TION 29 Operation Surround Mode Chart MODE FEA TURES DELA Y TIME RANGE DOLBY DIGIT AL Available only with digital input sources encoded with Dolby Digital data. It provides Center: 0 - 30ft / 9m up to five separate main audio channels and a special dedicated Low F requency Effects Initial Setting: 12ft / 3.6m channel. Surround: 0 - 30ft / 9m [...]

30 OPERA TION Operation Surround Mode Chart MODE FEA TURES DELA Y TIME RANGE DOLBY 3 STEREO Uses the information contained in a surround-encoded or two-channel stereo program to No surround channels create center -channel information. In addition, the information that is normally sent to the rear -channel surround speakers is carefully mixed in wit[...]

OPERA TION 31 Operation Basic Operation Once you have completed the setup and configu- ration of the A VR 5550, it is simple to oper ate and enjoy . The following instructions should be followed for you to maximize your enjoyment of your new receiver: T urning the A VR 5550 On or Off • When using the AVR 5550 for the first time , you must press t[...]

32 OPERA TION Operation Controls and Use of Headphones • Adjust the volume to a comfortable level using the front panel V olume Control ı or remote V olume Up/Down ) î buttons . • To tempor arily silence all speaker outputs press the Mute button , ˚ . This will interrupt the output to all speak ers and the headphone jack, but it will not aff[...]

OPERA TION 33 Operation When the 6-Channel/8-Channel direct inputs are in use there is no surround processing, as these inputs tak e the analog output signals from an optional, external DVD-Audio or SACD player , or another source device and carry them straight through to the volume control. T o listen to a program in traditional two-channel stereo[...]

34 OPERA TION Operation T o take advantage of the A VR 5550’ s MP3 capa- bilities , simply connect the digital (SPDIF) output of a computer sound card able to feed the MP3 format to its digital output, or the digital (SPDIF) output of MP3 compatible CD or DVD players or of a portable MP3 player with a digital output to either the rear panel Digit[...]

OPERA TION 35 Operation T hese indicators are the L/C/R/LFE/SL/SR/SBL/SBR letters that are inside the center boxes of the Speaker/Channel Input Indicators E in the front panel Main Information Display ˜ . When a standard analog stereo or matrix surround signal is in use , only the “L ” and “R” indicators will light, as analog signals have [...]

36 OPERA TION Operation digital jacks are now an output, instead of in the default setting as an input. Once changed to an output, the setting will remain as long as the A VR 5550 is turned on, unless the setting is changed in the OSD menu system, as described above . Note , however , that once the A VR 5550 is turned off , the setting is cancelled[...]

ADV ANCED FEATURES 37 Advanced Featur es T he A VR 5550 is equipped with a number of advanced features that add extr a flexibility to the unit’ s operation. While it is not necessary to use these features to operate the unit, they provide additional options that you may wish to use . Surround Amplifier Channel Assignment T he A VR 5550 is equippe[...]

38 ADV ANCED FEATURES / MUL TIROOM OPERA TION Advanced Featur es / Multiroom Operation Semi-OSD Settings T he semi-OSD system places one line messages at the lower third of the video display screen whenever the V olume , Input Source , Surround mode or tuner frequency of any of the configura- tion settings are changed. The semi-OSD system is helpfu[...]

MUL TIROOM OPERA TION 39 Multiroom Oper ation able through the Harman Kardon Web Site at www .harmankardon.com. RS-232 Control T he A VR 5550 is rare among A/V receivers in that it provides the capability for full remote control from compatible computers or special- ized remote control systems . RS-232 program- ming requires specialized programming[...]

40 TUNER OPERA TION T uner Oper ation Basic T uner Operation T he A VR 5550’ s tuner is capable of tuning AM, FM and FM Stereo broadcast stations and receiv- ing RDS data. Stations may be tuned manually , or they may be stored as favorite station presets and recalled from a 30 position memory . Station Selection 1. Press the AM/FM T uner Select b[...]

TUNER OPERA TION 41 T uner Oper ation data is being received. Please note that the accuracy of the time data is dependent on the radio station, not the A VR 5550. Some RDS stations may not include some of these additional features . If the data required for the selected mode is not being transmitted, the Main Information Display ˜ will show a NO T[...]

42 PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE T he A VR 5550 is equipped with a powerful remote control that will control not only the receiver’ s functions, but also most popular brands of audio and video equipment, including CD players , TV sets, cable boxes , VCRs , satellite receivers and other home-theater equipment. Once the A VR 5550’ s remote is programmed[...]

PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE 43 Progr amming the Remote Code Readout When the code has been entered using the Auto Search method, it is always a good idea to find out the exact code so that it may be easily reentered if necessary . Y ou may also read the codes to verify which device has been programmed to a specific Control Selector button. 1. Press and [...]

44 PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE Progr amming the Remote on and off once and the Program/SPL Indicator 2 will flash green three times to indicate that the codes have been erased. T o er ase all codes that have been programmed to all devices in the r emote , follow these steps: 1. Press any Input Selector 45 and also the Learn button + . 2. When the red LE[...]

PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE 45 Progr amming the Remote Programmed Device Functions Once the A VR 5550’ s remote has been pro- grammed for the codes of other devices , press the appropriate Input Selector 4 to change the remote from control over the A VR 5550 to the additional product. When you press any of these buttons , it will briefly flash in red [...]

46 PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE Progr amming the Remote Channel Control Punch-Through T he A VR 5550’ s remote may be programmed to operate so that the channel control function, performed with the Sleep 9 and Surround A buttons , for either the TV , cable or satellite receiver used in your system may be used in con- junction with one of the other devic[...]

PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE 47 Progr amming the Remote Resetting the Remote Memory As you add components to your home-theater system, occasionally you may wish to totally repro- gram the remote control without the confusion of any commands , macros or ”Punch-T hrough“ programming that you may have done . To do this , it is possible to reset the remo[...]

48 FUNCTION LIST Function List No . Button Name A VR Function D VD CD/CDR 1 P ower On P ower On P ower On P ower On 2 P ower Off P ower Off P ower Off P ower Off 3 Mute Mute 4 AV R A VR Select 5 DVD DVD Input Select DVD Select 6 CD CD Input Select CD Select 7 T ape T ape Input Select 8 VID 1 Video 1 Select 9 VID 2 Video 2 Select 10 VID 3 Video 3 Se[...]

FUNCTION LIST 49 Function List No . Button Name T ape VCR (VID 1) TV (VID 2) CBL (VID 3) SA T(VID 3) 1 P ower On Power On Power On Power On Power On P ower On 2 P ower Off P ower Off P ower Off P ower Off P ower Off Power Off 3 Mute Mute 4 AV R 5 DVD 6 CD 7 T ape T ape Select 8 VID 1 VCR Select 9 VID 2 TV Select 10 VID 3 VID 3 Select VID 3 Select 1[...]

50 TROUBLESHOO TING GUIDE T r oubleshooting Guide Processor Reset In the rare case where the unit’ s operation or the displays seem abnormal, the cause may involve the erratic oper ation of the system’ s memory or microprocessor . T o correct this problem, first unplug the unit from the AC wall outlet and w ait at least three minutes . After th[...]

TECHNICAL SPECIFICA TIONS 51 T echnical Specifications Audio Section Stereo Mode Continuous Average P ower (FTC) 85 W atts per channel, 20Hz–20kHz, @ < 0.07% THD, both channels driven into 8 ohms 5/7 Channel Surround Modes P ower Per Individual Channel F ront L&R channels: 70 W atts per channel, @ < 0.07% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms C[...]

250 Crossways P ark Drive, Woodbury , New Y ork 11797 www .harmankardon.com Harman Consumer International: 2, route de T ours, 72500 Château-du-Loir , F rance © 2003 Harman Kardon, Incorporated P art No.: 55575890[...]