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INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 13
INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS
System Installation
After unpacking the unit, locating it in a place with ade-
quate ventilation and placing it on a solid surface capable
of supporting its weight, you will need to make the con-
nections to your audio and video equipment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and to
avoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers,
it is always a good practice to turn off and unplug the
AVR and ALL source equipment from the AC output
before making any audio or video system connections.
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.
1. Connect the analog output of a CD player to the
CD Audio 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 it 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 230.
3. Connect the output of any digital sources such as
a CD or DVD changer or player, advanced video
game, a digital satellite receiver, HDTV tuner or digital
cable set-top box or the output of a compatible
computer sound card to the
Optical and Coaxial
Digital Audio Inputs
f*(.
4. Connect the coaxial or optical
Digital Audio Outputs
·a on the rear panel of the AVR 230 to the matching
digital input connections on a CD-R or MiniDisc recorder.
5. Assemble the AM Loop Antenna supplied with the
unit so that the tabs at the bottom of the antenna loop
snap into the holes in the base. Connect it to the
AM
Antenna Terminals
.
6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the
FM (75-
ohm)
Connection ¡. The FM antenna may be an
external roof antenna, an inside powered or wire-lead
antenna or a connection from a cable TV system. If
the antenna or connection 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. Connect the front, center, surround and surround
back 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 select-
ing the proper cable.
Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we recom-
mend that you use a cable constructed of
multistrand
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 10 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 electrician who is familiar 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. Note that the positive (+) ter-
minal of each speaker connection may carry a specific
color code, as noted on page 7. However, many
speakers still use a red terminal for the positive (+)
connection. Connect the “negative” or “black” wire
to the same terminal on both the receiver and
the speaker.
NOTE: While most speaker manufacturers adhere to
an industry convention of using black terminals for
negative and red ones for positive, some may vary
from this configuration. To ensure proper phase and
optimal performance, consult the identification 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 230.
8. 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.
9. If an external multichannel audio source with 5.1
outputs such as an external digital processor/decoder,
DVD-Audio or SACD player is used, connect the
outputs of that device to the
6/8-Channel Direct
Inputs
j.
External Amplifier Connections
The AVR 230’s internal-power amplifier is a traditional
Harman Kardon high-current/ultrawide bandwidth
design. As such, it is more than suitable for most loud-
speakers. However, in some circumstances you may
wish to use an optional, external power amplifier for
added power. This is easily done by connecting the
Preamp Output Jacks ¶ on the AVR 230 to the
input jacks on the amplifier for the channels to be
used. The speakers to be used with the external
amplifier are then connected to the appropriate
output terminals on the power amplifier, not those
on the AVR.
Since the AVR 230 is designed with a full seven-chan-
nel audio path for use with modes such as Dolby
Digital EX and Logic 7/7.1, you may also wish to use
an optional, external amplifier to include both back
surround channels in your system. This is done by
connecting the
SBL and SBR Preamp Out Jacks
¶ on the AVR to the input jacks on the power ampli-
fier. As is the case with the use of any external amplifier,
the speakers are then connected to the appropriate
output terminals on the external amplifier.
When an external amplifier is used for the Surround
Back channels, no special adjustments are needed to
the AVR, other than to make certain that the Surround
Back speakers are properly configured to “Large” or
“Small,” as shown in the Speaker Setup section on
page 18 of this manual. This is necessary to tell the
AVR’s digital processing system that 6.1/7.1 modes
should be activated, as opposed to the default setting
of 5.1 modes.
We also recommend that when an external amplifier is
used for the Surround Back channels you use a stereo
amplifier to feed both channels, although a single,
mono amplifier may be used for one channel
(e.g., SBL), while the AVR’s internal amplifier feeds
the other channel (e.g., SBR). The use of a stereo
amplifier ensures that the two back channels will be
fed with equal power.
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