14 INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS
System Installation
After unpacking the unit, and placing it on a solid surface
capable of supporting its weight, you will need to make
the connections to your audio and video equipment.
Audio Equipment Connections
We recommend that you use high-quality interconnect
cables when making connections to source equipment
and recorders to preserve the integrity of the signals.
When making connections to audio source equipment
or speakers it is always a good practice to unplug the
unit from the AC wall outlet. This prevents any possibil-
ity of accidentally sending audio or transient signals to
the speakers that may damage them.
1. Connect the analog output of a CD player to the
CD Inputs £.
NOTE: When the CD player has both fixed and vari-
able audio outputs it is best to use the fixed output
unless you find that the input to the receiver is so low
that the sound is noisy, or so high that the signal is
distorted.
2. Connect the analog Play/Out jacks of a cassette
deck, MD, CD-R or other audio recorder to the
Tape
Input Jacks
∞. Connect the analog Record/In jacks
on the recorder to the
Tape Output Jacks ¢ on the
AVR 125.
3. Connect the output of any digital sources to the
appropriate input connections on the AVR 125 rear
panel. Note that the
Optical and Coaxial Digital
Inputs
·c#$ may be used with a Dolby
Digital or DTS source such as a DVD player, or the
output of a conventional CD or LD player’s PCM
(S/P-DIF) output.
4. Connect the
Optical Digital Output fi or Coaxial
Digital Output
fl on the rear panel of the AVR 125 to
the matching digital input connections on a CD-R or
MiniDisc recorder.
5. Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with the
unit as shown below. Connect it to the
AM and GND
Screw Terminals
¡.
6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the
FM
Antenna (75 ohm) Connection
™. The FM antenna
may also be an external roof antenna, an inside pow-
ered or wire lead antenna or a connection from a
cable TV system. Note that if the antenna or connec-
tion uses 300-ohm twin-lead cable, you must use the
300-ohm-to-75-ohm adapter supplied with the unit to
make the connection.
7. If you have a DVD-Audio or SACD player, or other
component that includes an onboard surround
decoder and 6-channel line-level audio outputs, you
may connect these audio outputs to the
6-Channel
Direct Inputs
e. It is also necessary to connect the
coax or optical digital output of a DVD player to coax
or optical digital inputs on the AVR 125
·c#$
to take advantage of Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks.
Connect the DVD player’s video outputs to the
DVD
Video Input Jacks
°g.For audio-only sources,
such as DVD audio or SACD, select the 6-Channel
Direct Input source. For video sources, such as a DVD
select the DVD Input.
8. Connect the front, center and surround
Speaker
Outputs
¶•ª‚⁄ to the respective speakers.
To ensure that all the audio signals are carried to your
speakers without loss of clarity or resolution, we sug-
gest that you use high-quality speaker cable. Many
brands of cable are available and the choice of cable
may be influenced by the distance between your
speakers and the receiver, the type of speakers you
use, personal preferences and other factors. Your
dealer or installer is a valuable resource to consult in
selecting the proper cable.
Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we recom-
mend that you use a cable constructed of fine, multi-
strand copper with a gauge of 14 or smaller. Remember
that in specifying cable, the lower the number, the
thicker the cable.
Cable with a gauge of 16 may be used for short runs
of less than ten feet. We do not recommend that you
use cables with an AWG equivalent of 18 or higher due
to the power loss and degradation in performance that
will occur.
Cables that are run inside walls should have the appro-
priate markings to indicate listing with UL, CSA or other
appropriate testing agency standards. Questions about
running cables inside walls should be referred to your
installer or a licensed electrical contractor who is famil-
iar with the NEC and/or the applicable local building
codes in your area.
When connecting wires to the speakers, be certain to
observe proper polarity. Remember to connect the
“negative” or “black” wire to the same terminal on
both the receiver and the speaker. The AVR 125 con-
forms to the latest CEA-recommended color-coding
for speaker terminals. Accordingly, the positive (+)
terminal, which was previously red, is now a specific
color to assist you in making the correct connections.
If your speakers have color-coded connections, match
the terminal on the AVR 125 to the like terminal on
your speakers. For existing speakers with a red termi-
nal for the positive connection, the connections on the
AVR 125 are as follows:
Front Left = White Front Right = Red
Center = Green
Surround Left = Blue Surround Right = Gray
While most speaker manufacturers adhere to an
industry convention of using black terminals for nega-
tive and red ones for positive, some manufacturers
may vary from this configuration. To ensure proper
phase and optimal performance, consult the identifica-
tion plate on your speaker or the speaker’s manual to
verify polarity. If you do not know the polarity of your
speaker, ask your dealer for advice before proceeding,
or consult the speaker’s manufacturer.
We also recommend that the length of cable used
to connect speaker pairs be identical. For example,
use the same length piece of cable to connect the
front-left and front-right or surround-left and sur-
round-right speakers, even if the speakers are a
different distance from the AVR 125.
9. Connections to a subwoofer are normally made via
a line-level audio connection from the
Subwoofer
Output
§ to the line-level input of a subwoofer with
a built-in amplifier. When a passive subwoofer is used,
the connection first goes to a power amplifier, which
will be connected to one or more subwoofer speakers.
If you are using a powered subwoofer that does not
have line-level input connections, follow the instruc-
tions furnished with the speaker for connection
information.
Video Equipment Connections
Video equipment is connected in the same manner as
audio components.Again, the use of high-quality intercon-
nect cables is recommended to preserve signal quality.
Although any compatible video device may be con-
nected to any video input (with the exception of the
Video 1 Output Jacks bk , which may only be
connected to a video recorder), to make programming
device codes into the remote control easier, we rec-
ommend that you connect your VCR to the
Video 1
Connectors
abijk , your television to the
Video 2 Connectors d , and your cable-TV
converter or satellite receiver to the
Video 3
Connectors
%^.
1. Connect a VCR’s audio and video Play/Out jacks to
the
Video 1 Input Jacks aij on the rear panel.
The Audio and Video Record/In jacks on the VCR
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INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS