Harman Kardon CDR 2 User manual

Advanced Technologies Featured in the
FL Series CD Changers, CDR 2 and DVD 5
Harman Kardon products have delivered unparalleled
performance, elegant design and ease of operation for
almost half a century. Our new lineup – FL Series CD
changers, the DVD 5 and the CDR 2 – incorporates some
of the most advanced digital technologies available to date.
FL Series CD Changers (FL 8550 & FL 8370)
All CD changers are created equal, right?
Wrong! All CD players are NOT created equal. In fact, the most common reason people buy
CD players is that they want “CD-quality sound.”Consumers associate CD-quality sound with
being good, but that does not mean that all CD players perform the same. That’s like assuming
all cars perform the same. After all, any car gets you from point A to point B, regardless of the
manufacturer, yet everyone would agree that a Lexus offers a level of refinement, performance
and luxury not found in a Yugo.
CD players are no different. While one could argue that the CD is a constant, the signal path it
follows is not. The single most important factor in the final sound quality is the conversion of
the signal from digital to analog, otherwise known as the D/A (digital to analog) converter. It’s
here that the integrity of “CD-quality”sound can be degraded.
Harman Kardon has dedicated itself to building CD players that, simply put, “sound better.”
We use some of the best D/A converters available. That means Burr-Brown 20-bit D/A
converters in both the FL 8550 and FL 8370. Couple that with HDCD®processing (more on
that below), and the FL Series CD players bring true meaning to the phrase “CD-quality
sound.”In addition, the FL 8550 and FL 8370 are both equipped with a coaxial digital output
for digital recording (using the new CDR 2 CD recorder). This coaxial output can also be used
to pass a DTS®stream from DTS-encoded CDs. However, the Burr-Brown D/A converters and
HDCD processors are only beneficial when an analog connection is used. Therefore, for peak
performance from your stereo CDs and HDCD discs, it is best to use the analog outputs/connections
of the CD player. (Note: When using a digital output connection, HDCD information from HDCD
discs will be passed intact to other equipment such as the CDR 2, or to receivers with HDCD
processing onboard, such as the Harman Kardon AVR 7000.)
What about chassis design?
Power supplies and electrical parts can cause a condition known as “stray magnetic radiation.”
This condition can interfere with the integrity of digital-quality sound, thereby reducing fidelity
and accuracy (signal/noise ratio). Harman Kardon goes to great lengths to reduce stray
magnetic radiation by using specially engineered transformers and careful placement within
the changer’s chassis. This design dramatically reduces field radiation that would normally
interfere with the digital signal. This results in significantly increased signal-to-noise
figures with greater accuracy and detail.
Power for the digital revolution™ .
®

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High Definition Compatible Digital®(HDCD®)
(AVR 7000, FL 8550 & FL 8370)
HDCD overcomes the limitations of the CD.
When the original “Red Book”CD standard was developed, many musical purists and
some sound engineers felt that the 16-bit words and 44.1kHz sampling rate was limiting the
integrity of the original recording session by losing some information. These limitations are
overcome in new, higher resolution formats such as DVD Audio and Super Audio Compact Disc
(SACD). However, these new technologies are still expensive and it will be a number of years
before they’ll be featured on a wide array of CD titles. In today’s marketplace, High Definition
Compatible Digital (HDCD) is the most recognized way to overcome the deficiencies of
standard CDs.
The benefits.
HDCD is a sophisticated 20-bit encode/decode process that captures and stores extra data on a
standard CD to deliver higher resolution. The digital master recording, with all of the ambience
and harmonics of the original recording session, is fed into a professional HDCD encoder, and
this CD-compatible data is carried through to the CDs you purchase.
Here’s where we get the benefits. When HDCD-encoded discs are played through the
AVR 7000 (via the coaxial or optical inputs) or on an FL 8550 or FL 8370, the HDCD decoder
reproduces all of the ambience, overtones and harmonics of the original recording session.
HDCD also delivers smoother, more natural-sounding vocals and instruments, while producing
a wider, more open soundstage.
In addition to unlocking the high-quality potential inherent in HDCD-encoded discs, the
HDCD digital filtering circuits in the AVR 7000, FL 8550 and FL 8370 provide an additional
margin of quality due to their superior performance. Thus, HDCD processors even improve the
sonic presentation of non-HDCD discs.
(For more information about HDCD, visit www.hdcd.com.)
CDR 2 Dual-Tray CD Recorder
What’s so special about 4x record speed?
Convenience. Harman Kardon has introduced the industry’s first 4x dub speed, dual-tray,
consumer CD audio recorder. Currently, all other dual-tray consumer CD audio recorders offer
2x record speed, meaning they are capable of recording a 60-minute disc in 30 minutes. The
Harman Kardon CDR 2 is the first dual-tray CD recorder to offer 4x dubbing speed, meaning
it’s capable of dubbing a 60-minute disc in just 15 minutes!
So it records fast, but does it sound good?
In the ongoing tradition of the FL Series CD changers, the CDR 2 reflects the same passion for
high-quality audio. In fact, the CDR 2 uses the latest, most advanced D/A (digital to analog)
and A/D (analog to digital) converters available from AKM (Asahi Kasei Microsystems). AKM,
a leading manufacturer of audiophile-grade DACs, has produced a 96kHz technology that
effectively meets the needs of today’s –and tomorrow’s –digital media. This design ensures
that playback and analog recordings (made from external sources) are as accurate and as pure
as the original recording.
What about analog and digital connections?
The CDR 2 is ready for whatever components you have in your system. Besides being equipped
with analog and digital optical and coaxial input connections on its rear panel, it conveniently
includes a coaxial digital input on its front panel for easy connections to portable digital
equipment. In addition, it includes optical, coaxial and analog outputs for interface with the
remaining components in your system. Overall, the CDR 2 offers a level of performance, user-
friendliness and connectibility that anyone can appreciate.
Advanced Technologies Featured ...

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Advanced Technologies Featured ...
DVD 5 Five-Disc DVD/CD Changer
What makes one DVD player different from another?
Performance, features and value –three things with which the DVD 5 is synonymous. Just
because a DVD player is used for movies, its audio capabilities shouldn’t suffer. And that’s where
Harman Kardon, a leader in the audio industry, shines. One half of the home-theater experience is
professional-quality sound, which Harman Kardon has been providing since the 1950s.
And Harman Kardon incorporates in its DVD 5 the same AKM 96kHz/24-bit DACs used in the
CDR 2 and the AVR 7000. In addition, Harman Kardon uses high resolution,10-bit video DACs for
crystal-clear video performance.
You may be wondering why Harman Kardon offers a DVD changer. Well, the DVD 5 plays CDs and
CD-RW discs as well as DVDs (after all, there’s more to life than just movie marathons!). This means
that the DVD 5 is ready to be the heart of a complete home-theater and music-entertainment system.
The DVD 5 also offers optical, coaxial and analog output connections, allowing it to interface with
any system, while offering composite-video, S-video and component-video outputs for the best in
video performance.
Why is component video important?
You’re only as good as your weakest link. Unfortunately, not all video connections are the same
and not every TV has the same video connections. So, the DVD 5 offers all three connection types:
composite, S and component, making it universal. Of these three, however, component video
offers the very best in video performance. This is accomplished by separating the video signal into
separate luminance and color-difference signals, and transmitting them through three separate,
shielded cables. This, in turn, delivers the most accurate, distortion-free signal to the television,
allowing your customer to tap into the awesome video capabilities of the DVD 5.
AKM 96kHz/24-Bit D/A Converters (AVR 7000, CDR 2 & DVD 5)
Asahi Kasei Microsystems, Inc. (AKM), has developed the audio industry’s most dynamic and
ultraquiet digital-to-analog converters (DACs). These DACs accept up to 96kHz/24 bits of
information. The AKM DACs used in Harman Kardon’s products feature a dynamic range up to
120dB, twice as much as the previous generation of DACs. All this translates into exceptional sound
quality with wide dynamic range from your music CDs and DVD movies, or any other digital source.
This means that using the AVR 7000 for playback of any digital source provides a demonstrable
quality increase. Connect any CD player with a digital output to the AVR 7000 and you have the
equivalent of a free CD-player upgrade. Your CDs will sound better than ever before!
Harman Kardon used AKM DACs in its DVD 5 to provide the finest quality audio playback for use
with Dolby Surround and stereo equipment. (Dolby Digital and DTS source materials can be played
back with discrete 5.1 sound by using the DVD 5’s digital outputs with an external decoder.)
The use of AKM DACs and ADCs in the CDR 2 means that it is already equipped for the finest
audiophile-grade playback and recording of analog sources possible.
(Further information is available at www.akm.com.)
In Summary
Harman Kardon’s CD changers and DVDs are outstanding choices for your customers’audio
systems. From their basic mechanics –such as proper chassis design and connectibility using digital
inputs and outputs; a front-panel digital input (on the CDR 2); front-panel headphone jacks with
level control; and composite-, S- and component-video outputs (on the DVD 5) –to the most
advanced digital technology –such as HDCD processing in our CD changers and audiophile-grade
AKM D/A and A/D converters –Harman Kardon offers state-of-the-art features that will make your
customers’listening experiences the best they can be!