AVR 170 (serv.man6) - Harman Kardon Audio Service Manual (repair manual). Page 26

AVR

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Advanced Functions, continued

Dolby Pro Logic II Music Mode Adjustments
when you select dolby pro logic II as the music surround mode, additional adjust

ments 

become available:

 

Center Width: this setting affects how vocals sound through the three front speakers. 

A lower number focuses the vocal information tightly on the center channel. higher 

numbers (up to 7) broaden the vocal soundstage. use the left/right buttons to adjust 

this setting.
Dimension: this setting affects the depth of the surround presentation, allowing you to 

“move” the sound toward the front or rear of the room. the setting of “0” is a neutral 

default. Setting “f-3” moves the sound toward the front of the room, while setting “r-3” 

moves the sound toward the rear. use the left/right buttons to adjust it.
Panorama:  with the panorama mode turned on, some of the sound from the front 

speakers is moved to the surround speakers, creating an enveloping “wraparound” 

effect. each press of the ok button toggles the setting on or off.

your AVr is flexible and may be configured to work with most speakers and to compensate 

for the acoustic characteristics of your room.
The EzSet/EQ process automatically detects the capabilities of each connected speaker 

and optimizes the AVR’s performance with your speakers. If you are unable to run EzSet/

eq calibration, or if you wish to set up your AVr for your speakers manually, use the 

manual Setup on-screen menus.
before beginning, place your loudspeakers as explained in the Place Your Speakers 

section, on page 10, and connect them to the AVr. consult the owner’s guide for the 

speakers or the manufacturer’s web site for their frequency-range specification. Although 

you may set the AVr’s individual channel levels “by ear,” an Spl (sound-pressure level) 

meter purchased at a local electronics store will provide greater accuracy.
record your configuration settings in tables A3 and A5 in the Appendix for easy re-entry 

after a system reset or after the AVr’s master power switch has been turned off or the 

unit has been unplugged for more than four weeks.
Step One – Determine Your Speakers’ Crossover Frequencies
Without using the EzSet/EQ process, the AVR can’t detect how many speakers you’ve 

connected to it; nor can it determine their capabilities. consult the technical specifications 

for all of your speakers and locate the frequency response, usually given as a range, e.g., 

100Hz – 20kHz (±3dB). Write down the lowest frequency that each of your speakers 

is capable of playing (100Hz in the above example) as the crossover in Table A6 in the 

Appendix. 

NOTE: This frequency is not the same as the “Crossover Frequency” that may 

For  the  subwoofer,  write  down  the  transducer  size.  The  AVR’s  bass  management 

determines which speakers will be used to play back the low-frequency (bass) portion 

of the source program. Sending the lowest notes to small satellite speakers will result in 

bad sound and may even damage the speakers. the highest notes may not be heard at 

all through the subwoofer.
with proper bass management, the AVr divides the source signal at a crossover point. 

All information above that crossover point is played through your system’s speakers, 

and all information below the crossover point is played through the subwoofer. this way, 

each loudspeaker in your system will perform at its best, delivering a more powerful and 

enjoyable sound experience.

Step Two – Measure the Speaker Distances
Ideally, all of your speakers would be placed in a circle, with the listening position at the 

center. however, you may have had to place some speakers a little farther away from the 

listening position than others. Sounds that are supposed to arrive simultaneously from 

different speakers may blur, due to different arrival times.
your AVr provides a distance adjustment that compensates for these real-world speaker-

placement differences. 
measure the distance from each speaker to the listening position, and write it down 

in table A3 in the Appendix. even if all of your speakers are the same distance from 

the listening position, enter your speaker distances as described in Set the Speaker 

Distances, on this page 25.
Step Three – Manual Setup Menu
now you are ready to program the AVr. Sit in your usual listening position, and make the 

room as quiet as possible.
with the AVr and video display turned on, press the oSd button to display the menu 

system and select manual Setup. the manual Setup menu will appear:

 

for best results, adjust the submenus in this order: number of Speakers, crossover, Sub 

mode, distance and level Adjust.
Number of Speakers
this selection lets you program the correct setting for each speaker group. the settings 

in this menu affect the remainder of the speaker-setup process and the availability of 

various surround modes at any time.
Select “on” when the speakers are present in the system; select “off” for positions 

where no speakers are installed. the front left & right setting is always “on” and may 

not be disabled.

 

when you have finished, press the remote’s back button.

Harman Kardon

AVR 170 / 230V Service Manual

Page 26 of 114