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.
Before starting to connect your AVR 745 to the
source devices, display device, speakers and other
components in your system, you should also unpack
the TC 30 remote, which is found in the separate box
inside the AVR 745 carton. So that the TC 30 is ready
when you begin the system configuration process,
install the battery, connect the charger and place the
remote in the charging cradle, as it takes approximately
twelve hours for the battery to fully charge.
IMPORTANT NOTE: For your personal safety and to
avoid possible damage to your equipment and speakers,
it is always 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 6.
NOTE: If your CD player has both fixed and variable
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 Inputs 4. Connect the analog Record/In
jacks on the recorder to the
Tape Outputs 2
on the AVR 745.
3. Connect the output of a digital source such as
a CD or DVD changer or player, a video game, a
digital satellite receiver, an 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
deKM.
4. Connect the coaxial or optical
Digital Audio Outputs
ab on the rear panel of the AVR 745 to the match-
ing digital input connections on a CD-R, MiniDisc or
other digital 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 Connections
l .
6. Connect the supplied FM antenna to the
FM
Antenna Jack
k. 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 an optional
300-ohm-to-75-ohm adapter to make the
connection.
7. Connect the front, center, surround and surround
back speaker outputs
57DE to the respec-
tive 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
selecting the proper cable.
Regardless of the brand of cable selected, we recom-
mend that you use cable
with a gauge of 14 or smaller.
Remember that when 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 building codes in
your area.
When connecting wires to the speakers, be certain
to observe proper polarity. Note that the positive (+)
terminal of each speaker connection has a specific color
code, as noted on page 8. However, most 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 label 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 745.
8. Connections to a single subwoofer are normally
made via a line-level audio connection from the
Main Subwoofer Output 1 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 instructions
furnished with the speaker for connection informa-
tion. If your system uses two subwoofers, connect
the
Subwoofer 2 Output 9 jack on the AVR to
the Line Input of the second subwoofer.
9. If an external audio source such as a DVD-Audio,
SACD or high definition optical disc player with 5.1
or 7.1 analog audio outputs is part of your system,
connect the outputs of the source to the 8-Channel
Direct Inputs f.
Analog Video Equipment Connections
Analog video components are connected in the same
manner as audio components. Again, the use of high-
quality interconnect cables is recommended to preserve
signal quality.
1. Connect the Video Play/Out jacks of a standard
(composite) video or S-Video outputs of a digital
video recorder or conventional VCR to the
Video 1
Video Inputs
T on the AVR. Connect the
Record/In jacks from that device to the
Video 1
Video Outputs
U on the AVR.
2. Connect analog Audio Left/Right Play/Out jacks of
the device connected to the Video 1 Inputs to the
Video 1 Audio Inputs g on the AVR. Connect
the analog Audio Left/Right Record/In jacks from
that device to the
Video 1 Audio Outputs j on
the AVR. If the device has a digital audio output,
connect it to one of the
Coaxial d or Optical e
digital audio inputs.
3. Connect the Play/Out jacks of a standard (compos-
ite) video or S-Video outputs of a video playback
source such as a set-top box or video game con-
sole to the
Video 2 Video Inputs V or Video 3
Video Inputs
W. If the device has analog compo-
nent video (Y/Pr/Pb) outputs, connect them to one
of the
Component Video Inputs Q.
4. Connect the analog audio outputs from the source
to the matching
Video 2 Audio Inputs i or
Video 3 Audio Inputs h. If the device has a digi-
tal audio output, connect it to one of the
Coaxial
d or Optical e digital audio inputs.
5. If the any of the video source devices has analog
component video (Y/Pr/Pb) outputs, but not HDMI,
connect them to
Component Video Inputs Q.
The chart on page 55 has the default settings for
INSTALLATION AND CONNECTIONS 15
AVR 745 OM 5/15/06 5:00 PM Page 15
AVR745
harman/kardon