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INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon!
With the purchase of a Harman Kardon
AVR 8000 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
AVR 8000 is truly a multichannel receiver for
the new millennium.
The AVR 8000 has been engineered so that it
is easy to take advantage of all the power of
its digital technology. On-screen menus, fully
color-coded connection jacks and terminals
and our exclusive EzSet remote make installa-
tion fast and simple. However, to obtain the
maximum enjoyment from your new receiver,
we urge you to read this manual. A few min-
utes spent learning the functions of the various
controls will enable you to take advantage of
all the power the AVR 8000 is able to deliver.
If you have any questions about this product,
its installation or its operation, please contact
your retailer or custom installer. They are your
best local sources of information.
Description and Features
The AVR 8000 is among the most versatile and
multifeatured A/V receivers available, incorpo-
rating a wide range of listening options. In
addition to the benefits of world-famous
THX Ultra processing, as well as Dolby Digital
and DTS decoding for digital sources, a broad
choice of Matrix surround-encoded or Stereo
surround modes are available for use with
sources such as CD, VCR, TV broadcasts and the
AVR 8000’s own FM/AM tuner. Along with THX
Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Neo:6,
Dolby 3 Stereo, and Hall and Theater modes,
the AVR 8000 offers Harman International’s
exclusive Logic 7 process in both 5.1 and 7.1
versions to create a wider, more enveloping
field environment and more defined fly-overs
and pans. Another Harman Kardon exclusive is
VMAx, which uses proprietary processing to
create an open, spacious sound field even
when only two front speakers are available.
Finally, the AVR 8000 is among the very few
A/V receivers that offer decoding of MP3 data,
so that you may listen to the latest music selec-
tions directly from compatible computers or
playback devices with the power and fidelity
you expect from Harman Kardon.
In addition to providing a wide range of listen-
ing options, the AVR 8000 is easy to configure
so that it provides the best results with your
speakers and specific listening-room environ-
ment. On-screen menus make it simple to enter
settings for speaker configurations and bass
management, and the EzSet remote measures
a system’s sound levels and automatically
calibrates them for perfectly balanced sound
field presentation.
For the ultimate in flexibility, the AVR 8000 fea-
tures connections for six video devices, all with
both composite and S-Video inputs. Two addi-
tional audio inputs are available, and a total of
eight digital inputs make the AVR 8000 capable
of handling all the latest digital audio sources.
For compatibility with the latest HDTV video
sources and progressive scan DVD players, the
AVR 8000 also features wide-bandwidth, low-
crosstalk component video switching.
Behind a front panel door are coax and optical
digital inputs and outputs for direct connection
to digital recorders, along with analog
audio/video connections that may be switched
to outputs for use with portable recorders – a
Harman Kardon exclusive. Two video recording
outputs, preamp-out and main amp-in jacks,
and a color-coded eight-channel input make
the AVR 8000 virtually future-proof, with
everything needed to accommodate tomorrow’s
new formats right on board.
The AVR 8000’s flexibility and power extend
beyond your main home theater or listening
room. The AVR 8000 includes a sophisticated
multizone control system that allows you to
select one source for use in the main room
and a different source for audio and video
distribution to a second zone. Complete volume
control in the second zone is possible with a
separate infrared control link. To make it easy
to operate the AVR 8000 from a remote zone,
a separate “Zone II” remote is included.
The AVR 8000’s powerful amplifier uses
traditional Harman Kardon high-current design
technologies to meet the wide dynamic range
of any program selection.
Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity
receiver more than forty-seven years ago.
With state-of-the-art circuitry and time-honored
circuit designs, the AVR 8000 is the perfect
combination of the latest in digital audio
technology, a quiet yet powerful analog
amplifier in an elegant, easy-to-use package.
■
THX
®
Ultra processing, THX Surround EX,
™
Dolby* Digital and Dolby Pro Logic* II
decoding, and the full suite of DTS
®
modes, including DTS-ES
®
6.1 Discrete
& Matrix and Neo:6
®
using the latest
24-bit, twin-core Crystal
®
DSP engine
■
Harman Kardon’s exclusive Logic 7
®
processing, available for the first time
with both 7.1 and 5.1 processing in
a variety of modes and two modes
of VMAx
®
■
MP3 decoding for use with computers
and digital audio players
■
remote automatically sets
output levels for optimum performance
■
High-bandwidth, HDTV-compatible
component video switching
■
Discrete front panel coaxial and opti-
cal digital inputs and outputs for easy
connection to portable digital devices
and the latest video game consoles
■
Multiple digital inputs and outputs
■
Front panel analog A/V jacks switch-
able to outputs for easy connection to
portable digital devices and video
game consoles
■
On-screen menu and display system
■
Complete multizone system allows a
separate audio and video source to
be sent to a remote zone – separate
Zone II remote included
TM
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: To prevent electric shock,
do not use this (polarized)
plug with an extension cord,
receptacle or other outlet
unless the blades can
be fully inserted to
prevent blade exposure.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol,
within an equilateral triangle, is intended to
alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
“dangerous voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a
risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral
triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.