Harman Kardon AVR 520 review (1 Viewer)

[Lewis Besze]

Joe.

I also read the manual and my conclusion was like Mal's.

It seems that the available choices when selecting "large",is 40-60hz,however this referring to the lowpass section of the sub[the upper end of the subs response] not the high pass section for the mains,which means they are receiving full range signal with no filtering.

So I'm hoping that you could verify this by running a test tone through the mains only.If your mains don't go that low,you can always connect your powered sub to the preamp output of that channel,select sub no,and then switch between the large and small settings,and various crossover choices.

I'm not trying to argue with you about this,I know that manuals sometimes confusing or misleading,but this is very important to me,in order to consider this receiver to buy.

Another thing,

can the 520 engage the back surround speaker in DD mode,creating a "psudio" EX decoding much like the Denon AVR-3801/02 does?

The manual wasn't too clear about that either.

Thanks for you efforts in advance!

 

[Kevin L K]

Guys--read the manual.You can set fronts to large w/a crossover of either 60hz or 40hz or to small w/a crossover of either 80hz or 100hz and the same goes for the center & surrounds. From the manual:

If the front left/right speakers are set to

LARGE , three options are available:

• If no subwoofer is connected to the

AVR 520, press the ‹/ ›Buttons o

on the remote so that NONE appears in

the on-screen menu. When this option is

selected, all bass information will be routed

to the front left/right “main” speakers.

• If a subwoofer is connected to the AVR 520,

you have the option to have the front

left/right “main” speakers reproduce bass

frequencies at all times, and have the sub-woofer

operate only when the AVR 520 is

being used with a digital source that contains

a dedicated Low Frequency Effects, or

LFE soundtrack. This allows you to use both

your main and subwoofer speakers to take

advantage of the special bass created for

certain movies. Press ‹/ ›Buttons

o on the remote so that SUB

(LFE)appears in the on-screen menu.

• If a subwoofer is connected and you wish to

use it for bass reproduction in conjunction

with the main front left/right speakers,

regardless of the type of program source or

Surround mode you are listening to, press

the ‹/ ›Buttons o on the remote

so that SUB LFE+L/R appears in

the on-screen menu. When this option is

selected, a full-range signal will be sent to

the front left/right “main” speakers, and the

subwoofer will receive the bass frequencies

under frequency selected in the next option

setting on this menu, as described below.

When you have completed your selection for the

subwoofer, press the ¤button n on the

remote to change the cursor to SUB X-

OVER FREQ . The subwoofer crossover set-ting

may only be adjusted using the on-screen

display system.

At this line, you will select the frequency at

which bass information is directed to the

Subwoofer Output ∞. The choices available

will depend on the setting made previously for

the front left/right speakers. When making

these selections, choose the crossover frequency

that is closest to that of your front left/right

speakers, or the upper frequency limit of your

subwoofer. This figure is normally printed in the

owner’s manual or data sheet for the speakers;

or consult the speaker’s manufacturer.

• When the front speakers have been set to

LARGE , the crossover choices are

40 Hz or 60 Hz to match the typical

crossover points of full range speakers.

Choose the option that is closest to your

speakers’ design.

• When the front speakers have been set to

SMALL , the crossover choices are

80 Hz or 100 Hz to match the typical

crossover points of the smaller speakers

used in satellite speaker systems. Choose

the option that is closest to your speakers’

design.

 

[Lewis Besze]

LARGE , the crossover choices areare
40 Hz or 60 Hz to match the typical
crossover points of full range speakers.
Choose the option that is closest to your
speakers’ design.

This is why I was confused.
The word "large" never been used by other manufacturers,when there was anything but unfiltered signal to the speaker.Even if the lowest setting[40hz] was used the setting constituted to as "small".
Thanks for clearing it up!

 

[john waring]

great to see other harmon kardon people here. I have just hooked up my new AVR510. Pretty happy so far. Except I cannot get the on screen display to come up. I have hooked a RCA jack from MONITOR OUT on the RECIEVER to my tv. Anyone know what I am not doin right? Thanks.

 

[MarkO]

John,,, have you tried to hit the tv/vcr button? Sometimes called tv/video or input button. If that dosent work check to see if the h/k has a display on/off option in the main menu. Also, make sure you have the h/ks output hoooked up to an unused input. Sometimes they cant be shared with another source. What I mean by this is, Say for example you have youre DvD player hooked up via S video cable to youre tv. if the S video input shares input #1 with another set of inputs such as a conponent input that is also input #1 both cant be used at the same time on some tvs. If it turns out you are out of inputs and you have a vcr hooked up what you can do is use the input on the vcr and switch the vcr to "line input" when you want to use the onscreen display of the h/k. Hope this made some sense.

 

[john waring]

Thanksguys,I got it. I had no idea it was the tv/video button on my original tv remote . Drove me nuts. Here's another small problem I have now. I used the ez set and it did what it was supposed to do. Then my wife changed a couple of settings. I then went to do the ez set and now it wont do the adjustments. After pressing the spl button I dont get the test sound but I can see that the remote is reading the levels but just wont adjust the sound.I wonder what I've done to that now. I am on digital, Does it have to be recieving a signal that has all speakers working or will it work when its just recieving a digital signal to the fronts and the sub. thanks again guys. This problem is not major as I can set speakers manually but would like to know that my ez set is working.

 

[Sheldon]

For John Waring.I noticed that you live in Montreal.Do you know who the Definitive Technology dealer is there or a website for them??

 

[john waring]

I do not know ,but will try to find out for you.

 

[JohnnyG]

John, EZset doesn't work in all surround modes. Make sure you're in ProLogic, or Logic 7 (or Dolby Digital or DTS of course).

Many of the AVRx10 models had bad remotes too, so if the above isn't the answer, contact your dealer.

 

[Jeff Savage]

John with EZ Set issue. I had a problem like yours and it was driving me nuts. I finally figured out what the problem was. The EZ Set is a 2 way feature so your remote needs to be able to talk to your receiver. I bet that your angle of the remote during the EZ Set process is such that the receiver can't talk to it. To test aim the remote directly at the receiver and then perform the setup routine. If this works increase the angle to the recommended 45 or until you lose the signal again.

It only took me 2 hours to figure this out DOH!!!

Hope this helps,

Jeff

 

[DavidAM]

Hey guys,

I'm having the same troubles with my new 520. I just hooked it up this weekend and didn't really have much time to play with it, but I'm also having trouble getting the OSD on my TV and the EZ set to work. The receiver will say "OSD ON" when I press the button but its not showing on my TV. I am passing the signal through my VCR but pushing the TV/VCR button doesn't work. VCR tapes play video and sound too, so I'm assuming that is hooked up correctly. As far as the EZ set feature, the light on the remote blinks and then stays constant but I'm not getting any test tone to play. I've tried it in Pro Logic, Logic 7 and Neo6 and still nothing. Any clue why it won't work? Also, I hooked my Xbox through the front RCA jacks and the sound works, but its not passing the video. If I hook the Xbox through the front jacks on my VCR and put the VCR on Input2 everything works fine. I don't mind going through my VCR, but why would the sound work when going through the 520 but not the video? Do I need to change it to In or Out to pass video through? I'm really liking this receiver but am still learning how to use it. It took me an hour to figure out after switching from cd/video etc. that I had to press "AVR" on the remote to control the volume! I was getting pissed because the remote would work the volume sometimes but not other times. I'm figuring everything works but I'm doing something wrong so if anyone has any suggestions on my problems, let me know!

 

[GuyCrawford]

You are missing one thing with the large/small crossover issue and it is spelled out in the manual quote above. When you set the main speakers for large, the 40 or 60 hz crossover is for the subwoofer ONLY, the mains still get a full range signal. I have the AVR320 and checked with Avia and my mains are definitely getting a full range signal when set for large. I find I prefer the small/80 hz setting with my PSB 5T and Velodyne CT150.

If any one is curious about the 320, it is amazingly powerful for only 55 watts a channel. It blows my old 100 watt Pioneer out of the water. I am very impressed overall with the unit. Now, if I could only get it to decode Dolby EX......

 

[JohnnyG]

DavidAM, since you're plugging your AVR into the composite video input on you VCR, you have to set your VCRs input to match. For example, you say you select Video2 for your Xbox, so I assume you'd have to select Video1 for your AVR. If this isn't it, make sure there's nothing wrong with your VCR by trying to play your Xbox through the rear input where you're connecting the AVR.

To set speaker levels automatically, the EZset button must be held down for a few seconds while you're pointing the remote at the AVR. A single push will put it in manual SPL mode.

If you want the volume buttons on the remote to always control the AVR volume, press and hold down the MUTE button while you press one of the device buttons ('DVD' for instance) and release both. A yellow light should flash. Now press the volume UP key once, and then the AVR key once. Do this for each applicable device.

 

[john waring]

Hi, Took the remote back and demanded a new one . Works fine now. The old one was no good. The whole middle section of buttons did not function but the top ones and the bottom ones were fine. To check your remote, plug in a camcorder and turn it on . Face the remote into the camera lens so you can see the remote on your tv. By pushing each button you will see a white light flash on your remote.This will tell you if all buttons are working.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I have also considered this (or to be precise, the AVR5000, which I believe is the European equivalent) and I have checked out the manual online re bass management.

The manual doesn't actually say that the same goes for surrounds & center, so I was curious about it, since I have four identical speakers, and would like them all to crossover at the same freq. In fact, I have been unable to find the crossover freq for surrounds and center at all...

To complicate things my center is a bit smaller than the other speakers, so ideally I would like to crossover it at say 80 Hz, while 40 or 60 would be better for fronts and rears...

 

[Doug Brewster]

Just wanted to join tis thread and say I have been the ecstatic owner of an HK avr520 for about a week. It replaced my Denon avr2500. There is no comparison...Well there is a comparison - the Denon is totally outclassed. Ignoring the obvious (Dolby Digital, DTS, Logic7, 5 channels of equal power), there is the 520's higher quality amps. That 45 amp reserve is so obvious.

Was going to go with the 2802 due to budget and other factors. Am very glad I didn't.

Anyway, I will keep an eye on this thread and look for tweaks and problem areas (currently am not having any problems).

Does anyone else here LOVE this receiver?

 

[TomMadden]

I do!

My only gripe is the remote. h/k's past remotes were much higher quality, IMHO.

 

[Tony Lai]

Long time listener, first time caller...

So basically Logic 7 can not be applied ontop on ac3/dts digital audio?

I heard this is true.

Because if it did do this trick, I would own a H/K 520 now, regardless of EX or not.

Also does it have 192/24 DAC's on all channels and do you know what brand they are?

T.

 

[brian reis]

I've had my 520 for a couple of weeks now. My only setup problem now is the "stereo" mode. I can't adjust main fronts to large or small. It just has "------". That allows me to only set the sub to "sub(L+R)" with Xover of 40 or 60 or "sub None" with same Xovers. Any ideas??

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hi Brian,

H/K assumes that for 2 channel you will want the speakers 'Large' or full range. I have the 510 but most sub/sat systems I've heard with the 520 generally work fairly well with the 60Hz X-over. I have full range towers so I usually don't run my sub in 2 channel but when I do it's at the 40Hz X-over.