24
SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
System Configuration
As an example, in the Figure below, all speakers
are set for “large,” and a subwoofer is set.
Surround Setup
Once the speaker setup has been completed, the
next step for that input is to set the surround
mode you wish to use with that input. Since sur-
round modes are a matter of personal taste, feel
free to select any mode you wish – you may
change it later. The Surround Mode chart on page
28 may help you select the mode best suited to
the input source selected. For example you may
select Dolby Pro Logic II or Logic 7 for most ana-
log inputs and Dolby Digital for inputs connected
to digital sources. In the case of inputs such as a
CD Player, Tape Deck or Tuner, you may wish to
set the mode to Stereo, if that is your preferred
listening mode for standard stereo sources,
where it is unlikely that surround encoded materi-
al will be used. Alternatively, the 5 Channel Stereo
or Logic 7 Music mode may also be a good
choice for stereo-only source material.
It is easiest to complete the surround setup using
the full-OSD on-screen menus. From the
MAS-
TER
menu (Figure 1), press the
⁄
/
¤
buttons
D
until the
›
cursor is next to the
SUR-
ROUND SELECT
menu. Press the
Set
Button
F
so that the
SURROUND
SELECT
menu (Figure 5) is on the screen.
Figure 5
Each of the option lines on this menu (Figure 5)
selects the surround mode category, and within
each of those categories there will be a choice of
the specific mode options. The choice of modes
will vary according to the speaker configuration
in your system.
When the
SURR BACK
line of the
SPEAKER SETUP
menu (Figure 4) is set to
NONE
the AVR 4550 will be configured for 5.1-
channel operation, and only the modes
appropriate to a five-speaker system will appear.
When the
SURR BACK
line of the
SPEAKER SETUP
menu (Figure 4) is set to
SMALL
or
LARGE
the AVR 4550 will be
configured for 6.1/7.1-channel operation, and
additional modes such as Dolby Digital EX and
7 STEREO or Logic 7 7.1 will appear, as they are
only available when seven main speakers are
present. In addition, the modes DTS ES (Discrete)
and DTS+NEO:6 (DTS ES Matrix) available in the
AVR 5550 will not appear unless a digital source
is playing the correct bitstream.
Note:
When a Dolby Digital or DTS source is
selected and playing, the AVR 4550 will select
the appropriate surround mode automatically, no
matter which surround mode was selected for
that input as default. Then no other surround
modes will be available, except VMAx with Dolby
Digital recordings and all Pro Logic II modes with
Dolby Digital 2 channel (2.0) recordings (see
page 33).
To select the mode that will be used as the initial
default for an input, first press the
⁄
/
¤
buttons
D
until the on-screen cursor is next to the
desired mode’s master category name. Next,
press the
Set Button
F
to view the sub-
menu. Press the
‹
/
›
Buttons
E&
to scroll
through the available choices, and then press the
¤
Button
D
so that the cursor is next to
BACK TO MASTER MENU
to continue the
setup process.
On the
Dolby
menu (Figure 6), the selection
choices include Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II
Music, Dolby Pro Logic II Cinema, Dolby Pro
Logic II Emulation and Dolby 3 Stereo. A com-
plete explanation of these modes is found on
Page 28. Note that when the Dolby Digital mode
is selected there are additional settings available
for the Night mode that are associated with the
surround mode only, not with the input. That´s
why these settings must be made only once, not
with each input in use. They are described later in
the next main chapter (see below).
Figure 6
On the
DTS
menu, the selection choices made
with the
‹
/
›
Buttons
E&
on the remote
are determined by a combination of the type of
DTS program material in use and whether the
5.1 or 6.1/7.1 speaker output configuration is in
use.
When the 5.1 configuration is in use the AVR will
automatically select the 5.1 version of DTS
processing when a DTS data stream is received.
When the 6.1/7.1 mode is selected, the DTS-ES
Discrete mode will automatically be activated
when a DTS source with the ES Discrete “flag” is
in use and the DTS-ES Matrix mode will be acti-
vated when an ES-Matrix encoded audio track is
received. In both cases the appropriate surround
mode will be indicated in the
Lower Display
Line
B
in the front panel display and on the
screen. When a non-ES DTS disc is in use, when
the 6.1/7.1 mode is chosen the unit automatical-
ly will select the DTS + NEO:6 mode to create a
full eight-speaker surround mode. See page 28,
32 for a complete explanation of the DTS modes.
On the
Logic 7
menu, the selection choices
made with the
‹
/
›
Buttons
E&
on the
remote are determined by whether the 5.1 or
6.1/7.1 speaker output configuration is in use. In
either case, the selection of a Logic 7 mode
enables Harman Kardon’s exclusive Logic 7 pro-
cessing to create fully enveloping, multichannel
surround from either two-channel Stereo or
Matrix-encoded programming such as VHS
cassettes, laserdiscs or television broadcasts
produced with Dolby surround.
In the 5.1 configuration you may select the Logic
7/5.1 Music, Cinema or Enhanced modes. They
work best with two-channel music, surround-
encoded programs or standard two-channel pro-
gramming of any type, respectively. When the
6.1/7.1 mode is selected, the Logic 7/7.1 Music
or Cinema modes are available, but the output
will be in a full eight-channel sound field. Note
that the Logic 7 modes are not available when
either Dolby Digital or DTS Digital soundtracks
are in use.
On the
DSP
(
SURR
)
menu, the selection
choices made with the
‹
/
›
Buttons
E&
on
the remote select one of the DSP surround
modes that are designed for use with two-chan-
nel stereo programs to create a variety of sound
field presentations. The choices available are Hall
1, Hall 2, Theater, VMAx Near and VMAx Far. The
Hall and Theater modes are designed for multi-
channel installations, while the two VMAx modes
are optimized for use in delivering a full surround
field when only the front left and front right
speakers are installed. See pages 28 and 31 for a
complete explanation of the DSP surround
modes. Note that the Hall and Theater modes are
not available when a Dolby Digital or DTS sound-
track is played.
On the
STEREO
menu, the selection choices
made with the
‹
/
›
Buttons
E&
on the
remote may either turn the surround processing
off for a traditional two-channel stereo presenta-
tion, or select
5 Stereo
or
7 Stereo
depending on whether the 5.1 or 6.1/7.1 output
is in use. The latter modes feed the stereophonic
