Introduction
Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon!
With the purchase of a Harman Kardon AVR 255/
AVR 355 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 255/
AVR 355 are truly multichannel receivers for the
new millennium. In addition to the traditional 5.1
digital decoding modes such as Dolby Digital and
DTS, they offer the latest advancements in sur-
round technology such as Dolby
®
True HD and
DTS
®
-HD Master Audio™ and the latest 7.1
channel versions of Harman's own Logic 7
technology.
The AVR 255/AVR 355 have been engineered so
that it is easy to take advantage of all the
power of their digital technology. Full-color,
high-definition, multi-language on-screen
menus, fully color coded connection jacks and
terminals make installation fast and simple.
However, to obtain the maximum enjoyment
from your new receiver, we urge you to read this
manual. A few minutes spent learning the func-
tions of the various controls will enable you to
take advantage of all the power the AVR 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 serves as the hub of your home enter-
tainment system, providing a wide range of lis-
tening possibilities for almost any audio or video
program source, whether it is the broadcast of a
movie or sporting event in HDTV or a vintage
mono or stereo recording. When playing digital
audio sources from either the conventional opti-
cal and coaxial inputs, or through the HDMI 1.3a
compliant connections, the AVR decodes Dolby
True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master
Audio and DTS-HD data streams. Two-channel
stereo and matrix surround sources benefit from
all current Dolby Pro Logic IIx modes and DTS
Neo:6. The latest version of our proprietary Logic
7
®
process is on-board to create a wider, more
enveloping sound field and more defined sur-
round channel positioning, regardless of the type
of source material.
Dolby Virtual Speaker is available to create
enveloping sound fields from front left and right
speakers, and the latest Dolby Headphone
circuitry creates an amazing sense of openness
with headphones.
The AVR takes the “video” part of its name seri-
ously. Along with three HDMI inputs and three
100MHz analog component video inputs (two
on the AVR 255), the AVR’s video processing
allows you to scale the output signal to 1080p
loop-through to match the requirements of your
specific video display. Thanks to award winning
Faroudja
®
DCDi Cinema™ technology, your
video sources never looked better. Tying audio
and video together, the AVR provides A/V sync
delay so that the lip sync errors – commonly
seen when digital video processing is used in a
source, program or video display – are
eliminated.
An important addition to the AVR’s impressive
list of features is EzSet/EQ
™
, which automates
the configuration process to make it quicker, eas-
ier and more precise. Using the special micro-
phone supplied with the unit, EzSet/EQ takes the
guesswork out of entering speaker “size” and
crossover information, delay times for all chan-
nels and output levels. In addition to the config-
uration settings, EzSet/EQ also includes room
equalization so that the signals sent to each
speaker are tailored to provide accurate sonic
quality with your specific combination of speaker
type, room size and other factors that influence
room acoustics. With EzSet/EQ, your system is
custom-configured in a few minutes with accu-
racy that previously required expensive and
hard-to-use test equipment.
In tandem with EzSet/EQ, the AVR includes a full
set of manual configuration settings for those
who wish to custom-trim their system even fur-
ther. A Quadruple Crossover bass management
system makes it possible to enter different
crossover settings for each speaker group.
A Stereo-Direct mode bypasses the digital
processor to preserve all of the subtleties of older
analog, two-channel materials, while bass
management, available in the surround and
Stereo-Digital modes, improves your ability to
tailor the sound to suit your room acoustics or
taste.
For the ultimate in flexibility, the AVR’s feature
connections for four video devices, all with both
composite and S-Video inputs. Two additional
audio inputs are available, and a total of six
digital inputs and two outputs make the AVR
capable of handling all the latest digital audio
sources. For compatibility with the latest HDTV
video sources and progressive scan DVD players,
the AVR also features wide-bandwidth, low-
crosstalk component video switching.
Coax and optical digital outputs are available for
direct connection to digital recorders. A video
recording output and a color-coded eight-chan-
nel input make the AVR virtually future-proof,
with everything needed to accommodate tomor-
row’s new formats right on board.
With one simple connection between the
AVR 355 and the optional Harman Kardon
, you are able to listen to materials
stored on your compatible Apple
®
iPod
®
**.
Your AVR’s system remote control has been
preprogrammed with control codes that enable
you to select tracks for playback and navigate
many of your iPod’s functions, even from across
the room. The Bridge™ will even let you charge
your iPod.
The AVR 355’s flexibility and power extend
beyond your main home theater or listening
room. The AVR includes a sophisticated multi-
zone control system that allows you to select
one source for use in the main room and a
different one (Audio only) in a second room.
Complete control over volume is possible with a
separate infrared control link. To make it easy to
operate the AVR from a remote room, a separate
“Zone II” remote is included.
Additional multiroom options include the option
to assign two of the AVR’s output channels to the
multiroom system and the ability to link the AVR
to innovative A-BUS
®
keypads for multiroom oper-
ation without the need for external amplifiers.
The AVR’s powerful amplifier uses traditional
Harman Kardon high-current design technolo-
gies to meet the wide dynamic range of any pro-
gram selection.
Harman Kardon invented the high-fidelity
receiver more then fifty years ago. With state-of-
the-art circuitry and time-honored circuit
designs, the AVR 255 and AVR 355 are the
perfect combination of the latest in digital audio
technology, a quiet yet powerful analog
amplifier in an elegant, easy-to-use package.
**Compatible with all iPod models equipped with a dock connector, including third-generation “Click Wheel” models and newer. Not compatible with iPod
shuffle models. Although iPod photo models are compatible, images stored on the iPod can only be viewed using the controls on the iPod, not with the
AVR remote.
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INTRODUCTION
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