Congratulations! With the purchase
of a Harman Kardon AVR55 you are
about to begin many years of listening
enjoyment. The AVR55 has been custom
designed to provide all the excitement
and detail of movie sound tracks and
every subtle nuance of musical selec-
tions. With on-board Dolby
*
Digital
Decoding, the AVR55 delivers six discrete
channels of audio that take advantage of
the digital sound tracks from the latest
DVD and LV releases as well as future
HDTV broadcasts.
While complex digital systems are hard
at work within the AVR55 to make all of
this happen, hookup and operation are
simple. Color-keyed connections and a
comprehensive learning remote control
make the AVR55 easy to use. To obtain
the maximum enjoyment from your
new receiver we urge you to take a few
minutes to read through this manual.
This will ensure that connections to
speakers, source playback units and other
external devices are made properly. In
addition, a few minutes spent learning
the functions of the various controls will
enable you to take advantage of all the
power the AVR55 is able to deliver.
If you have any questions about this
product, its installation or operation,
please contact your retailer or custom
installer. They are your best local source
of information.
Introduction
4
Description and Features
The AVR55 is a full-featured A/V receiver,
incorporating a wide variety of listening
options. In addition to Dolby Digital
decoding, Dolby Pro Logic
*
and Dolby 3
Stereo are available for compatibility with
the tens of thousands of movies and tele-
vision programs encoded with analog
surround information. A choice of Hall,
Theater, Church and Stadium modes is
also available for use with both encoded
sources and traditional two-channel
stereo recordings.
A total of four audio/video inputs, as
well as four additional audio only inputs
including a phono input and an FM
stereo/FM/AM tuner are available for the
utmost flexibility. Front panel AV inputs
simplify connections to video games or
camcorders.
The AVR55’s powerful amplifier uses
traditional Harman Kardon High-Current
design philosophies to meet the wide
dynamic range of any program selection.
Harman Kardon invented the high-
fidelity receiver over forty-five years ago.
With state-of-the-art features and time-
honored circuit designs, the AVR55 is one
of the finest receivers ever offered by
Harman Kardon.
■ On-Board Dolby Digital Decoding
■ Coax, Optical or RF Digital Inputs
■ Six Analog Surround Modes
■ Learning Remote Control
■ Composite Video Switching
■ Preamp Output for ALL Channels
Permits Ease of Expansion
■ Phono Input
