AVR 170 (serv.man7) - Harman Kardon Audio Service Manual (repair manual). Page 12

AVR

10

Introduction to Home Theater  

and Place Your Speakers

This introductory section will help you to familiarize yourself with some basic concepts 

unique to multichannel surround-sound AVrs, which will make it easier for you to set 

up and operate your AVr.

A home theater typically includes an audio/video receiver (AVr), which controls 

the system and supplies amplification for the loudspeakers; a disc player; a source 

component for television broadcasts (cable box, satellite dish AVr, hdtV tuner or 

antenna connected to the tV); a tV or video display; and multiple loudspeakers.

the main benefit of a home theater system is its ability to produce “surround sound.” 

Surround sound uses multiple speakers and amplifier channels to immerse you in the 

audio/video presentation for a dramatically increased sense of realism.
your AVr can have up to five main speakers connected directly to it, plus a subwoofer. 

each main speaker is powered by its own amplifier channel inside the AVr. A system 

with more than two speakers is called a multichannel system. the different main 

speaker types in a home theater system are:
•  Front Left and Right: the front left and right speakers are used as in a 2-channel 

system. In many surround-sound modes, these speakers are secondary, while the 

main action, especially dialogue, is reproduced by the center speaker.

•  Center: when you are watching movies and television programs, the center speaker 

reproduces most of the dialogue and other soundtrack information that occurs on the 

screen, anchoring it with the picture. when you are listening to a musical program, the 

center speaker helps to create a seamless front soundstage, creating a more realistic 

“you-are-there” listening experience.

•  Surround  Left  and  Right:  the surround left and right speakers produce ambient 

sounds that help create a realistic and immersive surround-sound environment. they 

als  o help recreate directional sound effects such as aircraft flyovers.

many people expect the surround speakers to play as loudly as the front speakers. 

Although you will calibrate all of the speakers in your system to sound equally loud 

at the listening position, most artists use the surround speakers for ambient effects 

only, and they create their programs to steer relatively little sound to these speakers.

•  Subwoofer: A subwoofer is designed to play only the lowest frequencies (the deep 

bass). It augments smaller, limited-range main speakers that are usually used for 

the other channels. many digital-format programs, such as movies recorded in dolby 

digital, contain a low-frequency effects (lfe) channel that is directed to the subwoofer. 

the lfe channel packs the punch of a rumbling train or airplane, or the power of an 

explosion, adding realism and excitement to your home theater. Some people use two 

subwoofers for additional power and for even distribution of the sound.

there are different theories as to the best way to present surround sound and to distribute 

the individual channel information to the surround-sound system’s speakers. A variety of 

algorithms have been developed in an effort to recreate the way we hear sounds in 

the real world, resulting in a rich variety of options. Several companies have developed 

different surround-sound technologies, all of which can be accurately reproduced by 

your AVr:
•  Dolby Laboratories: dolby truehd, dolby digital plus, dolby digital, dolby digital ex, 

dolby pro logic II.

•  DTS:  dtS-hd

™

 high resolution Audio, dtS-hd master Audio

™

, dtS, dtS 96/24

™

  

dtS neo: 6

™

.

•  HARMAN International: logic 7, virtual speaker.
•  Stereo Modes: 2-channel stereo and 5-channel stereo.
Appendix table A8, on page 32, contains detailed explanations of the different surround-

sound options available on your AVr. digital surround-sound modes, such as dolby 

digital and dtS systems, are available only with specially encoded programs, such 

as those available via hdtV, dVd and blu-ray disc media and digital cable or satellite 

television. other surround modes may be used with digital and analog signals to create a 

different surround presentation or to use a different number of speakers. Surround-mode 

selection depends upon the number of speakers in your system, the programs you are 

watching or listening to, and your personal tastes.

determine the locations for your system’s speakers according to their manufacturer’s 

directions and the layout of your listening room. use the illustration below as a guide for 

5.1-channel systems. 
to create the most realistic surround-sound environment possible, you should place 

your speakers in a circle with the listening position at its center. you should angle each 

speaker so it directly faces the listening position. use the diagram below as a guide.

tV

c

fl

fr

Sl

Sr

Sub

place the center speaker either on top of, below or mounted on the wall above or below 

the tV or video-display screen. place the front left and right speakers along the circle, 

about 30 degrees from the center speaker and angled toward the listener.
place the front left, front right and center speakers at the same height, preferably at 

about the same height as the listener’s ears. the center speaker should be no more than 

2 feet (0.6m) above or below the left/right speakers. If you’re using only two speakers 

with your AVr, place them in the front left and front right positions.

you should place the left and right surround speakers approximately 110 degrees from 

the center speaker, slightly behind and angled toward the listener. Alternatively, you can 

place them behind the listener, with each surround speaker facing the opposite-side front 

speaker. you should place the surround speakers 2 feet – 6 feet (0.6m – 1.8m) higher 

than the listener’s ears.

because a room’s shape and volume can have a dramatic effect on a subwoofer’s 

performance, it is best to experiment with placement so that you will find the location 

that produces the best results in your particular listening room. with that in mind, these 

rules will help you get started:
•  Placing the subwoofer next to a wall generally will increase the amount of bass in the 

room.

•  Placing the subwoofer in a corner generally will maximize the amount of bass in the 

room. 

•  In  many  rooms,  placing  the  subwoofer  along  the  same  plane  as  the  left  and  right 

speakers can produce the best integration between the sound of the subwoofer and 

that of the left and right speakers. 

•  In some rooms, the best performance could even result from placing the subwoofer 

behind the listening position.

A good way to determine the best location for the subwoofer is by temporarily placing it in 

the listening position and playing music with strong bass content. move around to various 

locations in the room while the system is playing (putting your ears where the subwoofer 

would be placed), and listen until you find the location where the bass performance is 

best. place the subwoofer in that location.

Harman Kardon

AVR 170 / 230V Service Manual

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