INTRODUCTION 3
Introduction
Thank you for choosing Harman Kardon!
With the purchase of a Harman Kardon
AVR 5500 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 5500 is truly a multichannel receiver for the
new millennium. In addition to the traditional
5.1 digital decoding modes such as Dolby Digital
and DTS, it offers the latest advancements in
surround technology such as Dolby Pro Logic II,
the full suite of DTS-ES 6.1 modes, DTS Neo:6
and the latest 7.1 channel versions of Harman's
own Logic 7 technology.
The AVR 5500 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 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 learn-
ing the functions of the various controls will
enable you to take advantage of all the power
the AVR 5500 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 5500 is among the most versatile and
multifeatured A/V receivers available, incorporat-
ing a wide range of listening options. In addition
to Dolby Digital and DTS decoding for digital
sources, a broad choice of surround modes for
Matrix surround-encoded or Stereo recordings
are available for use with sources such as CD,
VCR, TV broadcasts and the AVR 5500’s own
FM/AM tuner. Along with Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS
Neo:6, Dolby 3 Stereo, 5 Channel or 7 Channel
Stereo and Hall and Theater modes, the AVR
5500 offers Harman International’s exclusive
Logic 7 process in both 5.1 and 7.1 versions to
create a wider, more enveloping field environ-
ment 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
5500 is among the very few A/V receivers that
offer decoding of MP3 data, so that you may lis-
ten to the latest music selections directly from
compatible computers or playback devices with
the power and fidelity you expect from Harman
Kardon.
The AVR 5500 is also featuring HDCD
®
decoding
to provide the most realistic playback of CDs
when a digital connection is used, even with a
normal non-HDCD-compatible CD or DVD player.
In addition to providing a wide range of listening
options, the AVR 5500 is easy to configure so
that it provides the best results with your speak-
ers and specific listening-room environment. On-
screen menus make it simple to enter settings
for speaker configurations and bass manage-
ment, and the EzSet remote measures
a system’s sound levels and automatically cali-
brates them for perfectly balanced sound field
presentation.
For the ultimate in flexibility, the AVR 5500 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
six digital inputs and three outputs make the
AVR 5500 capable of handling all the latest digi-
tal audio sources.
For compatibility with the latest HDTV video
sources and progressive scan DVD players, the
AVR 5500 also features wide-bandwidth, low-
crosstalk component video switching.
Coax and optical digital outputs are available for
direct connection to digital recorders, and both
the front panel analog audio/video and coaxial
digital jacks 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 5500 virtually
future-proof, with everything needed to accom-
modate tomorrow’s new formats right on board.
The AVR 5500’s flexibility and power extend
beyond your main home theater or listening
room. The AVR 5500 includes a sophisticated
multizone 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 5500 from a remote room, a
separate “Zone II” remote is included.
The AVR 5500’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 receiv-
er more than forty-seven years ago. With
state-
of-the-art circuitry and time-honored circuit
designs, the AVR 5500 is the perfect combina
tion
of the latest in digital audio technology, a
quiet
yet powerful analog amplifier in an
elegant, easy-
to-use package.
■ 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 compatible
computers and digital audio players
■ remote automatically sets
output levels for optimum performance
■ High-bandwidth, HDTV-compatible
component video switching
■ Front panel analog A/V inputs, switch-
able to outputs
■ Front panel digital inputs with coax
digital output capability for easy con-
nection to portable digital devices and
the latest video game consoles
■ Multiple digital inputs and outputs
■ On-screen menu and display system
■ Complete multizone system with sepa-
rate “Zone II” remote included
■ 6-Channel/8-Channel Direct Input and
Preamp Outputs and Main Amp Inputs
for Easy Expansion and Use with Future
Audio Formats
■ Main Backlit Remote with Internal
Codes and Learning Capability
■ HDCD Decoding for Superb CD Playback
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