Harman Kardon AVR 1600 Quick start guide

HARMAN KARDON®AVR 1600
SOFTWARE UPGRADE INSTRUCTIONS
Harman Kardon is pleased to offer this product upgrade, which improves
the performance of your AVR and addresses software issues. Unlike many
consumer products, which are designed with “fixed” memory, the AVR
1600 features flash memory that is upgradable by loading the new software
on a standard USB memory stick and placing it in the front-panel jack.
This software package addresses an incompatibility that may occur when the
AVR 1600 is connected to devices such as satellite receivers, video game
consoles or other set top boxes via HDMITM connectivity. Even if you have not
encountered this issue, we recommend that you install the new software to take
advantage of other additional minor performance improvements in this new
software package.
Important Note
This software is specially designed for use with Harman Kardon AVR 1600
receiver. Use with any other models or brands may cause damage to the
product. DO NOT USE THIS SOFTWARE WITH ANY OTHER PRODUCTS.
*WARNING* NOTE: This upgrade is for products used in North America or
countries with 120-volt AC current. If you live in Europe or any part of the world
with 230-volt AC current do not install this upgrade. Installing the incorrect
software may cause problems with your receiver that are not covered by
the unit's warranty.
Please note that depending on when your AVR was manufactured, it may have
already had the latest software installed at the factory. To see if its software
requires an upgrade, please follow these steps:
oWith the AVR turned on, press the AVR button, and then press 1-2-3-4-
OK on the remote control.
oIf the top line of the display reads V1.1 and the bottom line reads 17-03-
2009 02, you have the correct version and no further action is needed.
oIf the display shows any other readout, please proceed with the upgrade.
System Requirements
To install the software upgrade, you will need a USB memory stick with at least
400 Mb of available storage capacity. We recommend that there be no other files
on the memory device, but if it contains any existing files, please check to make
certain that none of them have the file extension of “.bin” as the last three letters
of the file name. Any such files on the memory device must either be removed or
saved to a separate folder on the memory stick. The presence of any other
files with a “.bin” extension in the main “root” directory of the memory

stick may cause the update process to fail and may possibly cause damage
to your AVR that is not covered by the warranty.
Installation Instructions
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING.
Upgrading your receiver is easy, but for the upgrade to work properly, it is
important to precisely follow the instructions below. The upgrade will take less
than 15 minutes, and once it begins you must complete the entire process in one
session. Please allow sufficient time to run through all the steps. If you wish to
have a printed copy of these instructions available to follow as you install the
software, click on the included instructions pdf in the zip file you downloaded and
save a copy to your computer for printout.
Installing the new software will erase all information in your AVR’s system
memory, which means that any configuration settings or tuner presets that you
have entered will be lost. To make it easier to reestablish the settings after
completing the upgrade, you may wish to write down your current system
configurations using the worksheets that are printed in the unit’s Owner’s
Manual, or you may use the blank worksheets included as AVR1600_Setting
Worksheets.pdf. Note that Acrobat®Reader®software is required to open the
worksheet files.
Unzip the file that you downloaded called AVR1600_Software_Upgrade.zip.
Inside the zip file you will find 3 files: AVR1600-V1.1.bin, AVR1600_Setting
Worksheets.pdf, and AVR 1600 V1.1 Upgrade Instructions.pdf.
Plug the memory stick into your computer and wait for the device to be
recognized by the operating system, if necessary.
Next load the AVR1600-V1.1.bin file to your USB stick.
When the file transfer to your USB stick is complete, follow the steps appropriate
to your specific computer and operating system to safely remove the USB stick
from your computer. Then, proceed as follows:
Take the USB stick to your AVR and plug it into the jack on the front
panel. If the front-panel covers are installed, simply press on the side of
the longer cover (on the right side of the front panel) to remove it.
Make sure your AVR is turned on, and that the input is NOT the tuner. We
recommend you press the DVD button before proceeding.
Press the AVR button on the remote and then press 1,7,1,8, and then OK
on the remote.
The front-panel display will read.

SYSTEM UPDATE
EXIT/CONTINUE
Press the OK button to continue. The front panel display will show
Searching as the system looks for the correct file on the USB drive.
When the file with the update information is located, the display will read
SYSTEM UPDATE
EXIT/CONTINUE
Press the OK button on the remote, and the following will happen
automatically:
oThe front panel display will go dark.
oThe volume indicator will also go dark and will then blink to indicate
that the new software is being installed.
oAfter a few minutes, the AVR will briefly go into the Standby mode
as indicated by the Power indicator turning from white to amber.
oThe unit will turn back on, indicating that the software has been
installed.
Once the unit turns on, check to make certain that the new software has
been installed by following these steps:
oPress the DVD source button and then press the AVR button.
oPress 1-2-3-4-OK on the remote control to display the version
number and check to make sure it matches the information shown
below to make certain that your unit is now loaded with the proper
software. If a different number appears, please repeat the upgrade
process.
V1.1 M
17-03-2009 02 U
After a brief pause, the display will show the following information:
DSP VERSION
1.1.1
oYou may wish to write this upgrade information in your owner’s
manual so that you’ll have it available for reference. When new
software is made available through www.harmankardon.com, it will
show the number of the latest version. You will need this
information to see if an additional upgrade is required.
Your new software is now installed. Before your first listening session, all that
remains is to re-enter any input and speaker configuration information and any
tuner presets you wish to use. For optimal performance, we also recommend that

you run EzSet/EQTM room optimization to reset the settings for speaker distance,
output levels and to tune the AVR to the unique characteristics of your listening
room. If you prefer not to use EzSet/EQ room optimization, it is important that the
settings for speaker configuration, speaker distance and speaker levels be
entered manually.
CONGRATULATIONS! With the completion of the upgrade process, your
Harman Kardon AVR is now not only as good as new – it will perform even better
than it did when you first bought it. We wish you many years of happy listening!