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Pioneer VSX-515 Receiver

1. Fine Channel Level e Default setting OdB all channels You can achieve better surround sound by properly adjusting the overall balance of your speaker system The following setting can help you make detailed adjustments that you may not achieve using the Quick surround sound setup on page 11 1 Select CH LEVEL from the Manual MCACC setup menu You ll hear test tones from each speaker in turn Since the left speaker is the main reference speaker the level is fixed and cannot be changed Oo Caution e The test tones used in the System Setup are output at high volume the volume increases to 18dB automatically 2 Use cursor left right to select each channel in turn and adjust the levels 10dB as necessary Use f 4 amp cursor up down to adjust the volume of the selected speaker to match the reference speaker When it sounds like both tones are the same volume press cursor left to continue to the next channel e For comparison purposes the reference speaker will change depending on which speaker you select e f you want to go back and adjust a channel simply use amp cursor left right to select it 3 When you re finished press RETURN You will return to the Manual MCACC setup menu 07 The System Setup menu Fine Channel Distance Default setting 3 0 m all channels For proper sound depth and separation with your system it is necessary to add a slight bit of delay to some
2. 3 When you re finished press RETURN 1 e If you are using a Sound Pressure Level SPL meter take the readings from your main listening position and adjust the level of each speaker to 75 dB SPL C weighting slow reading The subwoofer test tone is output at low volumes You may need to adjust the level after testing with an actual soundtrack En INS Using the tuner Chapter 8 Using the tuner Listening to the radio The following steps show you how to tune in to FM and AM radio broadcasts using the automatic search and manual step tuning functions If you already know the frequency of the station you want see uning directly to a station below Once you are tuned to a station you can memorize the frequency for recall later see Saving station presets on the next page for more on how to do this MULTI CONTROL pvo rusa eve eon co wg scenes MULTI CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right En 1 Press TUNER to select the tuner 2 Use the BAND button to change the band FM or AM if necessary Fach press switches the band between FM and AM 3 Tune to a station There are three ways to do this Automatic tuning To search for stations in the currently selected band press and hold TUNE for about a second The receiver will start searching for the next station stopping when it has found one Repeat to search for other stations Manual tuning To change the freque
3. CH RETURN Returns to the last channel selected with DIV SAT and some TVs SUBTITLE Displays changes the subtitles included in multilingual DVD Video discs CH Use to select channels when using a IV VCR DVR etc The following DVR controls can be accessed by pressing SHIFT REC Starts recording REC STOP Stops recording disk and DVD controls for DVD HDD recorders HDD DVD These buttons switch between the hard RECEIVER CONTROL buttons STANDARD Press for Standard decoding and to switch between the various Pro Logic Ilx and Neo 6 options page 36 ADV SURR Use to switch between the various surround modes page 37 STEREO owitches between direct and stereo playback Direct playback bypasses the tone controls and any other signal processing for the most accurate reproduction of a source page 39 Also selects the Auto Surround mode Auto playback on page 36 SLEEP Use to put the receiver in sleep mode and select the amount of time before the receiver turns off page 45 MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS Use Midnight when listening to movie soundtracks at low volume Use Loudness to boost the bass and treble at low volume page 43 DIALOG E Use to make dialog stand out when watching TV or a movie page 43 ACOUSTIC EQ Press to select an Acoustic Calibration EQ setting page 39 INPUT ATT Attenuates lowers the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion gt Controls and d
4. CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR LD player DVD DVR player NET Controlling the rest of your system Button s Function Components 10 button Selects tracks higher than 10 For example press 10 CD MD CD R VCR LD then 3 to select track 13 player ENTER Changes the search mode DVD DISC Chooses the disc Multiple CD player Use as the ENTER button VCR Displays the setup screen for DVR players DVR player Changes sides of the LD LD player TOP MENU Displays the disc top menu of a DVD DVD DVR player MENU Displays menus concerning the current DVD or DVR you DVD DVR player are using t Pauses the tape Cassette deck 4 Stops the tape Cassette deck ENTER Starts playback Cassette deck 4 Fast rewinds fast forwards the tape Cassette deck f Navigates DVD menu options DVD DVR player ENTER GUIDE Displays changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs DVD DVR player CHANNEL Selects channels VCR DVR player AUDIO Changes the audio language or channel DVD DVR player En Controlling the rest of your system Preset Code List please note that there are cases where codes for the manufacturer in the list will not work for the model that you are using There are also cases where only certain functions may be controllable after a
5. to adjust the level see p on page 53 Also adjusts the level of the Advanced Surround effects page 37 as well as Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music page 38 and Neo 6 Music parameters page 38 You can then use the LEVEL buttons to make these adjustments LEVEL Use to adjust the effect and channel levels as well as to change Dolby Pro Logic IIx and Neo 6 Music parameter settings SLEEP Use to put the receiver in sleep mode and select the amount of time before the receiver turns off page 45 En lt gt Controls and displays En MUTE Mutes the sound or restores the sound if it has been muted adjusting the volume also restores the sound DIALOG E Use to make dialog stand out when watching TV or a movie page 43 ACOUSTIC EQ Press to select an Acoustic Calibration EQ setting page 39 FL DIMMER Dims or brightens the display MASTER VOLUME Use to set the listening volume 5 SYSTEM SETUP and Component control buttons The following button controls can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding MULTI CONTROL button DVD LD TV SAT RECEIVER etc TOP MENU Displays the disc top menu of a DVD DTV MENU Displays menus on a digital TV AUDIO Changes the audio language or channel on DVD discs SYSTEM SETUP Press RECEIVER first to access Use to access the System Setup menu see page 46 MENU Displays the disc menu of DVD Video discs It also displays IV and DIV
6. If you have two TVs assign the main TV to the TV CONT button Button s Function TVO Switches the DTV on or off owitches the IV or CATV between standby and on INPUT Switches the TV input Not possible with all models SELECT CHANNEL Selects channels VOLUME Adjust the TV volume TOP MENU Use as the TEXT ON button Select different menus from the DTV functions MENU Select the menu screen AUDIO Use as the AUDIO button GUIDE Use as the GUIDE button for navigating Use as the TEXT OFF button lt lt Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DIV menu i Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DIV menu a Use to choose the RED commands on a DIV menu Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DIV menu gt gt Press to get information on DIV programs p Switches DTV on or off lt lt Use to select closed captioning with DTV Number Use to select a specific TV channel Buttons 10 button Use to add a decimal point when selecting a specific TV channel Components DTV Cable TV Satellite TV TV T Cable TV Satellite TV TV DIV Cable TV Satellite TV TV DIV Ty DTV Cable TV Satellite TV TV Cable TV Satellite TV TV DTV Cable TV Satellite TV DTV Cable TV Satellite TV TV DTV DIV Controlling the rest of your system Button s ENTER DISC Function Use to enter a channel Components Cable TV Satellite TV TV DIV f Select or adjust and navigate items on the menu scr
7. OF on hace doc dow ke eR aad 9 5 kg MO ASQ TDES DO a uia CAV con a UR CUR t oe d 9 7 kg Furnished Parts oBtEp muetOplIOPIeu saa dre v pira d tror et SCR o4 1 Dry cell batteries AA size IEC R6 2 Remote COntrol PPP 1 AM loop antenna uua dou ed iun aee aaa aaa 1 FM wire antenna wo a 1 Power cords VSX 515 815 915 K black models 2 Round 2 pin type and Australian type VSX 515 S silver models Except Australian model oo 0 ccc 3 Round 2 pin type flat blade 2 pin type and UK 3 pin type VSX 815 915 S silver model 00 00 4 Round 2 pin type flat blade 2 pin type UK 3 pin type and Australian type Power plug adaptor VSX 515 815 915 K only 1 d 0 005190 PTT 1 These operating instructions iiis 1 Note e Specifications and the design are subject to possible modifications without notice due to improvements Power cord caution Handle the power cord by the plug Do not pull out the plug by tugging the cord and never touch the power cord when your hands are wet asthis could cause a short circuit or an electric shock Do not place the unit a piece of furniture etc on the power cord or pinch the cord Never make a knot in the cord or tie it with other cords Ihe power cords should be routed such that they are not likely to be stepped on A damaged power cord can cause afire or give you an electrical shock Check the power cord once in a while When you find it damaged ask y
8. Using the Advanced surround effects 37 Dolby Pro Logic Ilx Music settings 38 Neo Musie Settings a sack is www wee ale 38 LISTENING IET te OD a suu acuca qudd oa eee E dw 39 Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ 39 Choosing the INput SIODS scs aco ccn 40 Using the surround back channel Extended mode eee e eu euwceeuuuuaues 41 Using the Virtual Surround Back mode GA OD ae ee deka ewes de Ear ee 42 Using Loudness and Midnight listening 43 PNM GNCING slo ua dass aea d oe ede re a wee 43 Using the TONG Controls s acus ua l 43 Playing ote SOUICES s arvo idi Ge a ecw een 44 Selecting the multichannel analog inputs 44 Using the sleep timer se ee ee eee eee 45 07 The System Setup menu Making receiver settings from the System SCO TCO eacace vc aca E eae ee a 46 Surround back speaker setting 46 Manual MCACC speaker setup 47 Fine Channel Level leeren 48 Fine Channel Distance eee 48 Acoustic Calibration EO 244 aka kw e d 49 Manual speaker setup ele 51 opeaker SeN wa dd d ddr acis ioc e car aO d 51 CIOSSOVUSF NEWW a aaa CRY ROCA RC eds 52 Channellevel scere rrr 52 Speaker Distance seen 53 08 Using the tuner Listening To Ihe TadlOs ux a oe uon e ew a 54 Improving FM stereo SOUNG s x ac nox it 54 TUNING directly TO STAtION usw ewe ew n 54 Saving station presets eee eee eee eee 55 Naming stati n pFesels
9. e Do not adjust the volume during the test tones his may result in incorrect speaker settings The system now checks the microphone and your speaker setup If you see an ERR message in the display there may be a problem with your mic orthe speaker connections Turn off the power and check the problem indicated by the ERR message see below then try the auto surround setup again e ERR MIC Check the microphone connec tion ERR Fch Check the front speaker connec tions ERR Sch Check the surround speaker connections Note ERR SBch Check the surround back speaker connections e ERR SW Make sure the subwoofer has been switched on and volume on the subwoofer is turned up 6 When you see CHECK OK in the display confirm your speaker configuration Use f amp cursor up down to check each speaker in turn YES or NO should reflect the actual speakers connected If the speaker configuration displayed isn t correct use wb cursor left right to change the setting When you re finished go to the next step 7 Select CHECK OK in the display then press ENTER The Auto MCACC finishes by checking the subwoofer level e f the subwoofer output level is too high low SW VOL DWN SW VOL UP blinks in the display for five seconds To exit and check your subwoofer output level press SYSTEM SETUP or simply press ENTER when you re prompted to RETRY 8 The Auto MCACC Setup has finished The MCACC in
10. e Q encoded stereo source other digital AUTO o stereo source Analog 2 channel ON e o G stereo source AUTO Note 1 You can t use the Virtual Surround Back mode with headphones or the STEREO DIRECT mode You can only use the Virtual Surround Back mode if the surround speakers are on and the Surr Back setting is set to NO in the Speaker setting on page 51 he Virtual Surround Back mode cannot be applied to sources that do not have surround channel information You can t adjust the surround back channel level when you re listening to the virtual surround back channel En Listening to your system Using Loudness and Midnight listening The Loudness listening feature can be used to get good bass and treble from music sources at low volume levels The Midnight listening feature allows you to hear effective surround sound of movies at low volume levels The effect automatically adjusts according to the volume at which you re listening MIDNIGHT D RECEIVER CONTROL MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right 1 Press MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS to switch between MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS and OFF Enhancing dialog e Default setting OFF The Dialog Enhancement feature localizes dialog in the center channel to make it stand out from other background sounds in a TV or movie soundtrack RECEIVER CONTROL DIALOG E DIALOGE RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX
11. instruction manual if you re unsure 5 Start recording then start playback of the source component 1 VSX 815 915 only For example you can t record a component hooked up to S video jacks with a recorder hooked up to the composite video outputs see page 19 for more on video connections 2 he receiver s volume balance tone bass treble loudness and surround effects have no effect on the recorded signal e Some digital sources are copy protected and can only be recorded in analog e Some video sources are copy protected These cannot be recorded NET Controlling the rest of your system Chapter 10 Controlling the rest of your system VSX b15 model only Setting the remote to control other components Most components can be assigned to one of the MULTI CONTROL buttons using the component s manufacturer preset code stored in the remote However please note that there are cases where only certain functions may be controllable after assigning the proper preset code or the codes for the manufacturer in the remote control will not work for the model that you are using Note e After one minute of inactivity the remote automatically exits the operation Selecting preset codes directly MULTI CONTROL m amp 9000 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The LED blinks Note 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want to control The LED li
12. speaker setting on page 46 three speaker System settings are possible using the SPEAKERS button If you selected SB NORM or SB BIAMP the speaker system is fixed as SP A or SP amp AB respectively The options below are for the SB 2ND Z setting only e Use the SPEAKERS button on the front panel to select a speaker system setting Press repeatedly to choose a speaker system option e SPA Sound is output from the speakers connected to the A speaker terminals multichannel playback is possible e SP B Sound is output from the two speakers connected to speaker system B only stereo playback is possible 1 e The subwoofer output depends on the settings you made in Speaker setting on page 51 However if SP B is selected above no sound is heard from the subwoofer the LFE channel is not downmixed Depending on the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 output from the surround back pre out terminals may change All speaker systems except SB 2ND Z connections are switched off when headphones are connected En e SP gt AB Sound is output from speaker system A up to 5 channels depending on the source the two speakers in speaker system B and the subwoofer Multichannel sources heard through speaker system A are downmixed for stereo output from speaker system B Bi amping your front speakers VSX 915 model only Bi amping is when you connect the high frequency driver and low frequency driver of your spe
13. 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e Press DIALOG E to switch dialog enhancement on or off Note Using the tone controls Depending on what you are listening to you may want to adjust the bass ortreble using the front panel tone control Illustrations show the VSX 815 915 front panel 1 Press TONE to select the frequency you want to adjust Press to switch between BASS and TREBLE 2 Use the MULTI JOG dial to change the amount of bass or treble as necessary The bass and treble can be adjusted from 6 to 6 dB e Wait about five seconds for your changes to be Input automatically 1 You can t use MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS when DVD 5 1ch has been selected f you switch on Loudness or Midnight listening when DIRECT is selected the receiver automatically switches to STEREO 2 You can only use the tone controls when STEREO DIRECT is selected DIRECT will switch to STEREO when the tone controls are used En Playing other sources INPUT RECEIVER SELECT RECEIVER INPUT SELECT MULTI CONTROL DVD LD HEUS DVR VCR Bion MULTI CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right 1 Turnon the power of the playback component 2 Turn on the power of the receiver 3 Select the source you want to playback Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons or INPUT SELECT 4 Start playback of the component you selected in step 1 Selecting the multichannel analog inputs If you have connecte
14. Cable TV Satellite TV TV INPUT Switches the TV input Not possible with all models TV SELECT TV CH Selects channels Cable TV Satellite TV TV DIV TV VOL Adjust the TV volume Cable I V Satellite TV TV DIV SOURCEO Press to switch the component assigned to the TV CONT Cable TV Satellite TV TV button on or off DIV lt lt Switches the DTV on or off DIV pp Press to get information on DIV programs DIV lt lt Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DIV menu DIV P Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DIV menu DIV i Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DIV menu DIV Use to choose the RED commands on a DIV menu DIV AUDIO Use to switch DIV audio tracks DIV CH RETURN Use to return to the previously selected channel Cable T V Satellite TV TV DIV DTV MENU Press to display the DIV menu DIV GUIDE Use as the GUIDE button for navigating Cable I V Satellite TV TV DIV RETURN Use to select closed captioning with DTV DIV Number Use to select a specific TV channel Cable TV Satellite TV TV Buttons DIV En Controlling the rest of your system Button s 10 button Use to add a decimal points when selecting TV channels ENTER DISC MENU f amp Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu ENTER Function Use to enter a channel Select different menus from the DTV functions Select the menu screen Screen Components DIV Cable TV Satellite TV TV DIV DTV
15. However to receive a signal you ll need to press the input select button for the input you connected the set top box to 3 VSX 815 915 only For better quality you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO TV SAT jack If your set top box also has a component video output you can connect this too See Using the component video jacks on page 20 for more on this 4 f your satellite cable receiver doesn t have a digital audio output omit this step If it only has a coaxial digital output you can connect it to one of the coaxial inputs on this receiver using a coaxial digital audio cable When you set up the receiver you ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the set top box to see The Input Assign menu on page 75 En 0 Connecting up This receiver Connecting other audio components The number and kind of connections depends on the kind of component you re connecting qr Follow the steps below to connect a CD R MD DAT tape recorder or other audio component dat TV SAT 1 If your component has a digital output connect this to a digital input on the receiver as shown The example shows a coaxial connection to the CD digital input jack using a coaxial digital audio cable sg c A m IL rg lt 5s cu 2 If necessary connect the analog audio outputs of the component to a set of spare audio inputs on this receiver a You ll need to make
16. NO VSX 975 only this happens automatically if the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 is set to anything but SB NORM D0 Pro Logic IIx becomes D0 Pro Logic Il 5 1 channel sound 4 f the Extended mode page 41 is switched to OFF or the surround back speakers are set to NO page 46 OO Pro Logic IIx becomes D0 Pro Logic Il 5 1 channel sound Listening to your system D0 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC Up to 7 1 channel sound especially suited to music sources DO Pro Logic IIx GAME Up to 7 1 channel sound especially suited for video games DX PRO LOGIC 4 1 channel surround sound sound from the surround speakers is mono Neo 6 CINEMA 6 1 channel sound especially suited to movie sources Neo 6 MUSIC 6 1 channel sound especially suited to music sources With multichannel sources If you have connected surround back speaker s and have selected Extended ON you can select according to format D0 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE See above only available when you re using two surround back speakers D0 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC See above Dolby Digital EX Creates surround back channel sound for 5 1 channel sources and provides pure decoding for 6 1 channel sources like Dolby Digital Surround EX e DTS ES Allows you to hear 6 1 channel playback with DTS encoded sources Note The Advanced surround effects can be used for a variety of additional surround sound effects Most Advanced Surround mode
17. SENE DIGITAL OUT i aa 9 es SS i E e Je ot Video cord lt b This receiver Coaxial h cable BS TV SAT mem DVD player S COAX u ob e Du VIDEO OUT i Video cord j The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same MD Gmintegide SSS OS 3 Connect your speakers A complete setup of eight speakers including the subwoofer is shown here but everyone s home setup will vary Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner shown below The receiver will work with just two stereo speakers the front speakers in the diagram but using at least three speakers is recommended and a complete setup is best Make sure the positive and negative terminals on the receiver match those on the speakers You can use speakers with a nominal impedance between 6 16 please see Switching the speaker impedance on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 89 Front speakers Center speaker Surround speakers Surround back speakers L R LS RS SBL SBR C This receiver Powered subwoofer SW J The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same Caution e Make sure that all the bare speaker wire is twisted together and inserted fully into the speaker terminal Use good quality speaker wire to connect the speakers
18. VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right Note KO Listening to your system 1 With OO Pro Logic IIx MUSIC mode active press EFFECT CH SEL repeatedly to select C WIDTH DIMEN or PNRM e C WIDTH Center Width provides a better blend of the front speakers by spreading the center channel between the front right and left speakers making it sound wider higher settings or narrower lower settings This is applicable only when using a center speaker DIMEN Dimension adjusts the depth of the surround sound balance from front to back making the sound more distant minus settings or more forward positive settings PNRM Panorama extends the front stereo image to include the surround speakers for a wraparound effect 2 Use the buttons to adjust the setting Center Width is adjustable between 0 and 7 default 3 Dimension between 3 and 3 default 0 Panorama is On or Off default Off 3 Press EFFECT CH SEL again to adjust other settings Neo 6 Music settings Default setting 3 When listening to 2 channel sources in Neo 6 Music mode you can adjust the center image to create a wider stereo effect with vocals Note that this is only available when using a center speaker RECEIVER CONTROL RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right 1 If the Extended mode is switched off OO Pro Logic IIx becomes D0 Pro Logic Il 5 1 channel sound howeve
19. bass frequencies are sent to the subwoofer 07 The System Setup menu effectively Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer If you didn t connect surround back speakers choose NO e Subwoofer SW LFE signals and bass frequencies of channels set to SMALL are output from the subwoofer when YES is selected see notes below Choose the PLUS setting if you want the subwoofer to output bass sound continuously or you want deeper bass the bass frequencies that would normally come out the front and center speakers are also routed to the subwoofer If you did not connect a subwoofer choose NO the bass frequencies are output from other speakers 3 When you re finished press RETURN Q tip e f you have a subwoofer and like lots of bass it may seem logical to select LARGE for your front speakers and PLUS for the subwoofer This may not however yield the best bass results Depending on the speaker placement of your room you may actually experience a decrease in the amount of bass due low frequency cancellations In this case try changing the position or direction of speakers If you can t get good results listen to the bass response with it set to PLUS and YES or the front speakers set to LARGE and SMALL alternatively and let your ears judge which Note sounds best If you re having problems the easiest option is to route all the bass sounds to the subwoofer by selecting SMAL
20. below e f you want a more complete setup option refer to Automatically setting up for surround sound WCACC on page 11 If you choose to do so you can skip the Quick Setup 1 If the receiver is off press STANDBY ON to turn the power on 2 Press QUICK SETUP SW DET flashes in the display while the receiver checks your setup for a subwoofer SW YES or SW NO confirms the subwoofer check then the display prompts you to select your speaker setup 3 Usethe MULTI JOG dial to choose your speaker setup When a subwoofer was detected in step 2 you can cycle between the following choices 2 1ch 3 1ch 7 1ch 4 1ch L 6 1ch 5 1ch If a subwoofer wasn t detected in step 2 you can cycle between the following choices 2 0ch 3 0ch I 4 0ch MD mesi SSS OS e Check the table below to find the speaker setup that corresponds with your system Front Center Surround Surround Sub T Speaker Speakers Back L Woofer 4 Press ENTER 5 Use the MULTI JOG dial to choose your room size Depending on the distance of your speakers from the listening position choose between small medium or large S M or L M being an average sized room 6 Press ENTER 7 Use the MULTI JOG dial to choose your listening position You can cycle between the following choices e FWD If you are nearer to the front speakers than the surround speakers e MID If you are equal distance fro
21. cables VSX 815 915 model only Use component video cables to get the best possible color reproduction of your video source he color signal of the TV is divided into the luminance Y signal and the color PB and PR signals and then output In this way interference between the signals is avoided Component video cables Green Y Blue PB Red PR Connecting up Connecting a DVD player and TV This page shows you how to connect your DVD player and TV to the receiver 1 Connect a coaxial digital audio output on your DVD player to the DIGITAL COAX 1 DVD LD input on this receiver Use a coaxial digital audio cable for the connection 2 Connect the composite video output and the stereo analog audio outputs on your DVD player to the DVD LD inputs on this receiver Use a standard RCA video cable and a stereo RCA phono cable for the connection e f your DVD player has multichannel analog outputs see Connecting the multichannel analog outputs below for how to connect It 3 Connect the analog audio outputs from your TV to the TV SAT inputs on this receiver This will allow you to play the sound from the TV s built in tuner Use a stereo RCA phono cable to do this e If your TV has a built in digital decoder you can also connect an optical digital audio output from your TV to the DIGITAL OPT 1 TV SAT input on this receiver Use an optical cable for the connection 4 Connect the MONITOR OUT video
22. each time This unit can VDQS memorize up to 30 stations stored in three Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right banks or classes A B and C of 10 stations each When saving an FM frequency the MPX 1 Tune to a station you want to memorize setting see previous page is also stored See Listening to the radio on the previous page for more on this 2 Press T EDIT TUNER EDIT The display shows ST MEMORY then a blinking memory class 3 Press CLASS to select one of the three classes then press ST to select the station preset you want You can also use the number buttons or the MULTI JOG dial front panel to select a station preset 4 Press ENTER After pressing ENTER the preset class and number stop blinking and the receiver stores the station Note 1 If the receiver is left disconnected from the AC power outlet for over a month the station memories will be lost and will have to be reprogrammed Naming station presets For easier identification you can name your station presets 1 Choose the station preset you want to name See Listening to station presets below for how to do this 2 Press T EDIT TUNER EDIT The display shows ST NAME then a blinking cursor at the first character position 3 Input the name you want Choose a name up to four characters long Usethe MULTI JOG dial front panel orthe ST buttons remote to select characters Press ENTER to confirm a c
23. jack on this receiver to a video input on your TV Use a standard RCA video cable to connect to the composite video jack DIGITAL AUDIO OUT E OPTICAL dce ANALOG AUDIO OUT I 19 M i E ual w d R z e ms em 1 evt moe H a wn ct D IN FRONT m PIR Ma ih P el 1 SA This receiver gi ae Hd L DIGITAL OUT ANALOG OUT na oo O DVD player The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same Note 1 If your DVD player only has an optical digital output you can connect it to the optical input on this receiver using an optical cable When you set up the receiver you ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the player to see The Input Assign menu on page 75 2 This connection will allow you to make analog recordings from your DVD player 3 VSX 815 915 only For better quality you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO DVD LD jack If your player also has a component video output you can connect this too See Using the component v deo jacks on page 20 for more on this 4 VSX 815 915 only For better quality you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO MONITOR OUT jack See Using the component video jacks on page 20 if you want to use the component video outputs to connect this receiver to your TV En Connecting u
24. menu Acoustic Calibration EQ Acoustic Calibration Equalization is a kind of room equalizer for your speakers excluding the subwoofer It works by measuring the acoustic characteristics of your room and neutralizing the ambient characteristics that can color the original source material This provides a flat equalization setting If you re not satisfied with the automatic adjustment you can also adjust these settings manually to get a frequency balance that suits your tastes Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically If you have already completed Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 A CH ADJ and F ALG ADJ below should already be set Therefore if you want to adjust your settings manually you can skip to Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually below 1 Select EQ A SET from the Manual MCACC setup menu Make sure the microphone is connected e f you re using a subwoofer it is automatically detected every time you switch on the system Make sure it is on and the volume is at the middle position see Other problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup on page 13 for notes regarding high background noise levels and other possible interference 2 Wait for the Auto MCACC Setup to finish As the receiver outputs test tones the frequency balance is adjusted automatically for the following settings A CH A Channel Adjust is a flat setting where all the speakers ar
25. menus INPUT ATT Attenuates lowers the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion T EDIT Press to memorize and name a station for recall page 55 GUIDE Displays the guides on a digital TV SUBTITLE Displays changes the subtitles included in multilingual DVD Video discs RETURN Press to confirm and exit the current menu also use to return to the previous menu with DVDs or to select closed captioning with DTV 6 f TUNE ST ENTER Use the arrow buttons when setting up your surround sound system see page 46 Also used to control DVD menus options and for deck 1 of a double cassette deck player Use the TUNE buttons to find radio frequencies and use ST to find preset stations page 55 7 Component control buttons The main buttons gt W etc are used to control a component after you have selected it using the MULTI CONTROL buttons The controls above these buttons can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding MULTI CONTROL button for example DVD LD DVR VCR or TV SAT when connected to a DIV RETURN Returns to the last channel selected with DIV SAT and some TVs BAND Switches between the tuner AM and FM bands page 54 DTV ON OFF Switches a digital TV on off DTV INFO Use to bring up information screens on a digital TV Controls and displays DISPLAY owitches between named station presets and radio frequencies page 56 CLASS owitch
26. model only e Input Sensitivity DVD LD TV SAT DVR VCR 1 Vp p 75 Q e Output Level Impedance MONITOR OUT ccc cece cece eae 1 Vp p 75 Q e Frequency response DVD LD TV SAT DVR VCR amp MONITOR 5 Hz to 40 MHz dB osignal to Noise Ratio ccs viv ew ee 60 dB e FM Tuner Section Frequency Range 87 5 MHz to 108 MHz Usable Sensitivity Mono 13 2 dBf IHF 1 3 uV 75 Q 50 dB Quieting Sensitivity Mono 20 2 dB Stereo 38 6 dBf Signal to Noise Ratio Mono 73 dB at 85 dBf Stereo 70 dB at 85 aBf Distortion uus woe ege Stereo 0 5 96 1 kHz Alternate Channel Selectivity 60dB 400 kHz Stereo Separation ee 40 dB 1 kHz Frequency Response 30 Hz to 15 kHz 1 dB Antenna Input DIN 15 Q unbalanced Additional information AM Tuner Section Frequency Range OKHZ SIED acuta acci 4 ae d 531 kHz to 1 602 kHz 10kHz step ase ran acid 530 kHz to 1 700 kHz sensitivity IHF Loop antenna 350 uV m Signal to Noise Ratio isses 50 dB PARTO tice oar et we ea ac desc a d Loop antenna Miscellaneous Power requirements Australia model issu AC 240V 50Hz All other models AC 110 120 127 220 240V 50 60Hz Power consumption MAE LOAD TO acad dic Nain d ee bad o 300 W MOF 1 Cc 360 W Id OPAC rac oe doe ir ROGER EE ok wh Ed eal 0 9 W Dimensions 420 W x 158 H x 402 5 D mm Weight without package
27. on the speakers see sound is odd Connecting the speakers on page 22 There seems to be atime lag See Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 between the speakers andthe to set up your system again using MCACC this will automatically output of the subwoofer compensate for a delay in the subwoofer output After using the Auto MCACC Low frequency noise could have been caused by an air conditioner or Setup the speaker size motor Switch off all appliances in the room and rerun the Auto setting LARGE or SMALL is MCACC Setup incorrect Can t operate the remote Replace the batteries refer to page 5 control Operate within 7 m 30 of the remote sensor on the front panel refer to page 35 Remove the obstacle or operate from another position Avoid exposing the remote sensor on the front panel to direct light e VSX 875 975 only Unplug anything connected to the CONTROL IN jack and use remote normally see Operating other Pioneer components on page 25 The display is dark or off Press FL DIMMER on the remote control repeatedly to return to the default VSX 815 915 only The SR Reinsert the SR cable making sure it s connected to the right jack cable is connected butthe see Operating other Pioneer components on page 25 connected components can t Make sure an analog connection has been made between the units be operated with the remote This feature only works with Pi
28. page 46 Also used to control DVD menus options and for deck 1 of a double cassette deck player Use the TUNE buttons to find radio frequencies and use ST to find preset stations page 55 7 TV CONTROL buttons These buttons are dedicated to control the TV assigned to the TV CONT button Thus if you only have one TV to hook up to this system assign it to the TV CONT MULTI CONTROL button If you have two TVs assign the main TV to the TV CONT button see page 64 for more on this TVO Use to turn on off the power of the IV TV VOL Use to adjust the volume on your TV INPUT SELECT Use to select the TV input signal TV CH Use to select channels Controls and displays 8 Component control buttons The main buttons gt W etc are used to control a component after you have selected it using the MULTI CONTROL buttons The controls above these buttons can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding MULTI CONTROL button for example DVD LD DVR VCR or TV SAT when connected to a DTV DTV ON OFF owitches a digital TV on off DTV INFO Use to bring up information screens on a digital TV TUNER DISPLAY owitches between named station presets and radio frequencies page 56 MPX owitches between stereo and mono reception of FM broadcasts If the signal is weak then switching to mono will improve the sound quality page 54 AUDIO Changes the audio language or channel on DVD discs
29. sas adi w dean dex 56 Listening to station presets 56 Changing the frequency step 56 09 Making recordings Making an audio or a video recording 57 10 Controlling the rest of your system V SX 575 Setting the remote to control other COMPONENTS a ara decurrit dra ac d ae tes 58 Selecting preset codes directly 58 EXFSCETUCLODBLS ww Spes aba ec rane Ea E RS 59 Clearing all the remote control settings 59 CONNOR TO Seam e teed ate mhee en ears 60 Controls for other components 61 Preset Code LISU sans kn nmm 63 11 Controlling the rest of your system VSX 875 975 Setting the remote to control other COMPONENTS a icu ox RU ai d RC EI e ecd cR a aa 64 Selecting preset codes directly 64 Programming signals from other remote COMO Saath dera RS OU do eee eo Rd 65 Erasing one of the remote control button cala UO TET 66 Erasing all of the remote control presets 66 B s CN EESTI T Il 66 Confirming preset CodeS sa amp ac Rma 67 e pidge Sale ae saree tare eae are eee eee 68 Controls for other components 69 12 Other connections Second Zone speaker B setup 71 Switching the speaker system 71 Bi amping your front speakers 72 DBi wiring your speakers 72 Connecting additional amplifiers 73 Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma aac erp ee ee ed eee eee wee 73 U
30. source is being processed Note Listening in surround sound Using this receiver you can listen to any source in surround sound However the options available will depend on your speaker setup and the type of source you re listening to If you connected surround back speakers see also Using the surround back channel Extended mode on page 41 The following modes provide basic surround sound for stereo and multichannel sources STANDARD RECEIVER CONTROL STANDARD RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e While listening to a source press STANDARD If necessary press repeatedly to select a listening mode e fthe source is Dolby Digital DTS or Dolby Surround encoded the proper decoding format will automatically be selected and shows in the display With two channel sources you can select from D0 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE Up to 7 1 channel sound especially suited to movie sources 1 e Stereo surround matrix formats are decoded accordingly using Neo 6 CINEMA or D0 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE see Listening in surround sound above for more on these decoding formats The Auto Surround feature is canceled if you connect headphones or select the multichannel analog inputs 2 This button is called ST DIRECT AUTO SURR on the front panel and VSX 575 on y STEREO DIRECT on the remote control 3 If the Extended mode page 41 is switched to OFF or the surround back speakers are set to
31. speakers or as a separate speaker system in another room The System Setup menu 1 Select SB SYSTEM from the System Setup menu See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu above 2 Select the surround back speaker setting SB NORM Select for normal home theater use with surround back speakers in your main speaker system A setup e SB 2ND Z Select to use the surround back B speaker terminals to listen to stereo playback in another room see Second Zone speaker B setup on page 71 SB BIAMP Select this setting if you re bi amping your front speakers see Bi amping your front speakers on page 72 3 When you re finished press RETURN You will return to the System Setup menu Manual MCACC speaker setup You can usethe settings in the Manual MCACC setup menu to make detailed adjustments when you re more familiar with the system Before making these settings you should have already completed Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 You only need to make these settings once unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers A Important For some of the settings below you ll have to connect the setup microphone to the front panel and place it about ear level at your normal listening position See Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 if you re unsure how to do this Also see Other problems when using t
32. speakers so that all sounds will arrive at the listening position at the same time The following setting can help you make detailed adjustments that you may not achieve using the Quick surround sound setup on page 11 1 Select CH DISTN from the Manual MCACC setup menu 2 Use 1 4 cursor up down to adjust the distance of the left channel from the listening position then press ENTER 3 Use cursor left right to select each channel in turn and adjust the distance as necessary Use f 4 amp cursor up down to adjust the delay of the selected speaker to match the reference speaker The delay is measured in terms of speaker distance from 0 1 to 9 0 meters Listen to the reference speaker and use it to measure the target channel From the listening position face the two speakers with your arms outstretched pointing at each speaker Try to make the two tones sound as if they are arriving simultaneously at a position slightly in front of you and between your arm span ory D 1 1 I L NS When it sounds like the delay settings are matched up press cursor right to confirm and continue to the next channel e For comparison purposes the reference speaker will change depending on which speaker you select The System Setup menu e f you want to go back and adjust a channel simply use cursor left right to select it 4 When you re finished press RETURN You will return to the Manual MCACC setup
33. this connection for components without a digital output or if you want to record from a digital component Use a stereo RCA phono cable as shown OPTICAL COAXIAL DIGITAL OUT 2 Bs c A 3 If you re connecting a recorder connect the analog audio outputs REC to the analog audio inputs on the recorder The example shows an analog connection to the CD R TAPE MD analog output jack using a stereo RCA phono cable CD R MD DAT 4 VSX815 915 only lf your recorder has a Da o I digital input connect it to the digital output L ora on the receiver as shown Use an optical cable to make this connection The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same About the WMA9 Pro decoder This unit has an on board Windows Media Audio 9 Professional WMAS9 Pro decoder so it is possible to playback WMA9 Pro encoded audio using a coaxial or optical digital connection when connected to a WMAQ9 Pro Note 1 Note that you must connect digital components to analog audio jacks if you want to record to from digital components like an MD to from analog components En Connecting up compatible player However the connected PC DVD player set top box etc must be able to output WMA9 Pro format audio signals through a coaxial or optical digital output Microsoft Windows Media and the Windows logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
34. 0 W 1kHz 1 0 8 2 SUMOUNG s iind xa id 100 W per channel 1kHz 1 0 8 Q Surround Back VSA515 815 wis x 100 W 1kHz 1 0 8 Q VOA YTE vicodin er 100 W per channel 1kHz 1 0 8 Q Audio section e Input Sensitivity Impedance CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD P ib DRE cana ee x oe eae 200 mV 41 KQ e Frequency response CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD DVD LD OA ce door sies 5 Hz to 100 000 Hz dB e Output Level Impedance DVR VCR REC CD R TAPE ID RE cs a6 sac dane os when 200 mV 2 2 KQ e Tone control IDEO an cana MES ERES RES 6 dB 100 Hz Trebles Es pss ES oer Ed E eR Po 6 dB 10 kHz Loudness 10 dB 4 5 dB 100 Hz 10 kHz at volume level 50 dB e Signal to Noise Ratio DIN Continuous rated power output 50mW CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD DVD TIO TUS T s su ue rr cs 88 64 dB e Signal to Noise Ratio IHF short circuited A network CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD OVD WAT 22224 22559 nd 9 eh 96 dB e Signal to Noise Ratio EIA at 1 W 1 kHz CD DVR VCR CD R TAPE MD VLD TVSA T cue dus na d d Rusa eee dan 19 dB En Video Section e Input Sensitivity Impedance DVR VCR DVD LD TV SAT 1 Vp p 75 Q e Output Level Impedance DVR VCR MONITOR OUT 1 Vp p 75 Q e Frequency response DVR VCR DVD LD TV SAT gt MONITOR 5 Hz to 7 MHz dB Signal to Noise Ratio iiis 55 dB OSS ee gars ahd waste ce CITIES 50 dB Component video section VSX 815 915
35. 5 right 1 Connectthe microphone to the MCACC SETUP MIC jack on the front panel Make sure there are no obstacles between the speakers and the microphone Illustration shows the VSX 915 model If you have a tripod use it to place the microphone so that it s about ear level at your normal listening position Otherwise place the microphone at ear level using a table or a chair 1 VSX 915 only If you are planning on bi amping your front speakers or setting up a separate speaker system in another room read through Surround back speaker setting on page 46 and make sure to connect your speakers as necessary before continuing Eti 03 Quick surround sound setup 2 Ifthe receiver is off press RECEIVER to turn the power on 3 If you have a subwoofer turn it on 4 Press RECEIVER on the remote control then press the SYSTEM SETUP button Press SYSTEM SETUP again at any time to exit the System Setup menu 5 Select A MCACC from the System Setup menu then press ENTER e VSX 975 only Make sure SB NORM is selected then press ENTER again Try to be as quiet as possible after pressing ENTER he system outputs a series of test tones to establish the ambient noise level If the noise level is too high NOISY blinks in the display for five seconds To exit and check the noise levels again press SYSTEM SETUP see the notes about ambient noise below or press ENTER when you re prompted to RETRY
36. 515 model Before you start Illustration shows the VSX 815 915 model o Caution Incorrect use of batteries may result in such hazards as leakage and bursting Observe the following precautions Never use new and old batteries together e Insert the plus and minus sides of the batteries properly according to the marks in the battery case batteries with the same shape may have different voltages Do not use different batteries together When disposing of used batteries please comply with governmental regulations or environmental public instruction s rules that apply in your country or area Installing the receiver When installing this unit make sure to put it on a level and stable surface Don t install it on the following places on a color TV the screen may distort neara cassette deck or close to a device that gives off a magnetic field This may interfere with the sound in direct sunlight in damp or wet areas in extremely hot or cold areas in places where there is vibration or other movement in places that are very dusty in places that have hot fumes or oils such as a kitchen En Ventilation When installing this unit make sure to leave space around the unit for ventilation to improve heat dispersal at least 20 cm at the top If not enough space is provided between the unit and walls or other equipment heat will build up inside interferin
37. CA 401 413 415 ZENITH 403 MAGNAVOX 414 FISHER 426 412 427 PANASONIC 408 432 433 462 463 473 TOSHIBA 405 464 474 JVC 428 430 429 431 407 HITACHI 406 436 434 465 472 SONY 416 417 404 457 458 459 460 461 475 476 477 478 MITSUBISHI 409 420 421 422 423 424 466 467 410 SANYO 410 425 435 468 SHARP 402 418 419 469 411 GOLDSTAR 411 GRADIENTE 441 PIONEER 400 DVD Recorder Manufacturer Code PIONEER 456 487 488 489 TOSHIBA 485 PANASONIC 486 TAPE Manufacturer Code DENON 810 FISHER 813 JVC 802 You should have no problem controlling a component if you find the manufacturer in this list but 4 PANASONIC 802 KENWOOD 804 807 ONKYO 808 809 SONY 801 806 TEAC 805 YAMAHA 811 812 PIONEER 800 CD Manufacturer Code DENON 309 JVC 303 PANASONIC 304 326 KENWOOD 310 311 321 MARANTZ 323 ONKYO 320 308 307 PHILIPS 312 322 313 RCA 302 319 SONY 301 316 317 318 TEAC 305 306 327 324 325 YAMAHA 315 314 328 PIONEER 300 CD R Manufacturer Code PHILIPS 346 PIONEER 345 YAMAHA 347 MD Manufacturer Code SONY 901 KENWOOD 903 SHARP 902 TEAC 904 ONKYO 905 DENON 906 PIONEER 900 DAT Manufacturer Code PIONEER 907 Eni END Controlling the rest of your system Chapter 11 Controlling the rest of your system VSX 815 915 model only Setting the remote to control other components Most components can be assigned
38. Cable TV Satellite TV TV Cable TV Satellite TV TV DTV Controls for other components This remote control can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands see Setting the remote to control other components on page 64 for more on this Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component Button s Function Components SOURCEO Press to switch the component between standby and on lt lt lt P REC SHIFT P Press to return to the start of the current track Repeated presses skips to the start of previous tracks Go back channels channel Press to advance to the start of the next track Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks Go forward channels channel Pause playback or recording Start playback Hold down for fast forward playback Hold down for fast reverse playback Stops playback on some models pressing this when the disc is already stopped will cause the disc tray to open Starts recording To prevent accidental recording this button must be pressed twice to take effect CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R DVD LD player DVR VCR CD MD CD R DVD LD player VCR CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR D
39. Corporation in the United States and or other countries Connecting other video components This receiver has audio video inputs and outputs suitable for connecting analog or digital video recorders including VCRs DVD recorders and HDD recorders 1 Connecta set of audio video outputs on the recorder to the DVR VCR AUDIO and VIDEO inputs on this receiver Use a stereo RCA phono cable for the audio connection and a standard RCA video cable for the video connection 2 Connect a set of audio video inputs on the recorder to the DVR VCR AUDIO and VIDEO outputs on this receiver Use a stereo RCA phono cable for the audio connection and a standard RCA video cable for the video connection Note 3 If your video component has a digital audio output connect it to a digital input on this receiver The example shows a recorder connected to the DIGITAL COAX 1 DVD LD input This receiver lt Ie D PI lt Crm Q eo gt E 9 EE LIS FEE z Cue S Gum he lo z z Gd tdi GU GIN IF e e Ss rc gt 2 o z 5 m S z OPTICAL COAX DIGITAL OUT gt e 2 s e e Ss m S e e VCR DVR LD player etc U OPTICAL DIGITALIN The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same 1 VSX 815 915 only For better qualit
40. IN from the IN ASSIG menu En ENT Other Settings 2 Select the number of the component video input to which you ve connected your video component Use cursor left right to do this e The numbers correspond with the numbers beside the inputs on the back of the receiver 3 Select the component that corresponds with the one you connected to that input Use the f 4 cursor up down buttons to select between DVD TV DVR or OFF Make sure you have connected the audio from the component to the corresponding inputs on the rear of the receiver e f you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input you should also have your TV connected to this receivers COMPONENT VIDEO MONITOR OUT jacks 4 When you re finished press RETURN The Other setup menu The Other menu is where you can make customized settings to reflect how you are using the receiver 1 Select OTHER from the System Setup menu See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu on page 46 for more on this 2 Use cursor left right to select the setting you want to adjust then press ENTER If you are doing this for the first time you may want to adjust these settings in order e DRC Specify the amount of dynamic range adjustment to Dolby Digital soundtracks see Dynamic Range Control Setup below Note e DUALMONO Isolate one channel when listening to discs with dual mono encoding see Dual Mono Se
41. L for the front speakers Crossover network Default setting 100Hz This setting decides the cutoff between bass sounds playing back from the speakers selected as LARGE or the subwoofer and bass sounds playing back from those selected as SMALL It also decides where the cutoff will be for bass sounds in the LFE channel 1 Select X OVER from the SP SETUP menu 2 Use f cursor up down to choose the frequency cutoff point Frequencies below the cutoff point will be sent to the subwoofer or LARGE speakers 3 When you re finished press RETURN Channel level Using the channel level settings you can adjust the overall balance of your speaker system an important factor when setting up a home theater system 1 Select CH LEVEL from the SP SETUP menu 2 Use f 4 cursor up down to select a setup option T TONE M Move the test tone manually from speaker to speaker and adjust individual channel levels T TONE A Adjust channel levels as the test tone moves from speaker to speaker automatically 1 e If the surround speakers are set to NO the surround back speakers will automatically be set to NO e VSX 515 815 only f you are using only one surround back speaker connect the positive wire to the right channel termi nal and the negative wire to the left channel terminal e VSX 975 only f you select one surround back speaker only make sure that speaker is hooked up to the left surroun
42. MCACC on page 11 or Acoustic Calibration EQ on page 49 Refer to these pages for more on Acoustic Calibration Equalization RECEIVER CONTROL ACOUSTIC EQ ACOUSTIC EQ RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right Illustration shows the VSX 815 915 front panel e While listening to a source press ACOUSTIC EQ Press repeatedly to select between ALL CH No special weighting is given to any one channel F ALIGN All speakers are heard in accordance with the front speaker settings CUSTOM 1 2 Custom settings EQ OFF Switches Acoustic Calibration EQ off The MCACC indicator on the front panel lights when Acoustic Calibration EQ is active 1 This button is called ST DIRECT AUTO SURR on the front panel and VSX 515 only STEREO DIRECT on the remote control 2 If you switch on Midnight listening Loudness Dialog Enhancement or the Tone controls when DIRECT is selected the receiv er automatically switches to STEREO 3 You can t use Acoustic Calibration EQ when DVD 5 1ch is on and it has no effect when headphones are connected e f you switch on Acoustic Calibration EQ when DIRECT is selected the receiver automatically switches to STEREO Eti IN Listening to your system Choosing the input signal You need to hook up a component to both analog and digital inputs on the rear of the receiver to select between input signals SIGNAL SELECT 1 Press SIGNAL SELECT
43. Pion eer sound vision soul AUDIO VIDEO MULTI CHANNEL RECEIVER VSX 515 S K VSX 815 S K VSX 915 S K Operating Instructions IMPORTANT CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol CAUTION The exclamation point within an equilateral within an equilateral triangle is intended to TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC triangle is intended to alert the user to the alert the user to the presence of uninsulated SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER OR presence of important operating and dangerous voltage within the product s BACK NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS maintenance servicing instructions in the enclosure that may be of sufficient NSIDE REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFI literature accompanying the appliance magnitude to constitute a risk of electric SERVICE PERSONNEL shock to persons D3 4 2 1 1 En A NOTE Ihis equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee t
44. TO SURR owitches between direct and stereo playback Direct playback bypasses the tone controls and any other signal processing for the most accurate reproduction of a source page 39 Also selects the Auto Surround mode Auto playback on page 36 9 SIGNAL SELECT Use to select an input signal page 40 10 VIDEO INPUT See Connecting to the front panel video terminal on page 20 11 MCACC SETUP MIC jack Use to connect the supplied microphone 12 MASTER VOLUME dial 13 FL DIMMER Dims or brightens the display 14 INPUT ATT Attenuates lowers the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion 15 SPEAKERS VSX 815 915 model Use to change the speaker system VSX 615 page 23 VSX 915 page 71 and to change the impedance setting page 81 SPEAKER IMPEDANCE VSX b15 model Use to change the impedance setting page 81 16 EXTENDED MODE Selects the surround back channel mode page 41 or virtual surround back mode page 42 17 ACOUSTIC EQ Press to select an Acoustic Calibration EQ setting page 39 18 BAND VSX 815 915 model owitches between the tuner AM and FM bands page 54 CLASS VSX 515 model owitches between the three banks classes of station presets page 55 19 TUNING STATION buttons Selects the frequency page 54 and station presets page 55 when using the tuner 20 TUNER EDIT Press to memorize and name a station for recall page 55 21 TONE Press this button to a
45. VD LD DVR player Cassette deck MD CD R VCR DVR player Cassette deck END Controlling the rest of your system Button s Function Components REC STOP Stops recording DVR player SHIFT Bl Number Directly access tracks on a program source CD MD CD R VCR LD buttons player Use the number buttons to navigate the on screen display DVD DVR player 10 button Selects tracks higher than 10 For example press 10 CD MD CD R VCR LD then 3 to select track 13 player ENTER Chooses the disc Multiple CD player aii Ejects the disc MD player Use as the ENTER button VCR Use as the CLEAR button DVD Displays the setup screen for DVR players DVR player Changes sides of the LD LD player TOP MENU Displays the disc top menu of a DVD player DVD DVR player MENU Displays menus for the current DVD or DVR you are using DVD DVR player t Pauses the tape Cassette deck 4 Stops the tape Cassette deck ENTER Starts playback Cassette deck en Fast rewinds fast forwards the tape Cassette deck t amp Navigates DVD menu options DVD DVR Player ENTER GUIDE Press to access the DVD player setup screen DVD DVR Player CH Selects channels VCR DVD DVR Player Selects tracks CD MD CD R Cassette deck AUDIO Changes the audio language or channel DVD DVR Player SUBTITLE Displays changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs DVD DVR Player HDD SHIFT Switches to the hard disk controls when using a DVD DVR Player CH HDD recorde
46. You will return to the Manual MCACC setup menu The System Setup menu Manual speaker setup This receiver allows you to make detailed settings to optimize the surround sound performance You only need to make these settings once unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers These settings are designed to fine tune your system but if you re satisfied with the settings made in Automatically setting up for surround sound WCACC on page 11 it isn t necessary to make all of these settings 1 Select SP SETUP from the System Setup menu then press ENTER See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu above 2 Use cursor left right to select the setting you want to adjust then press ENTER If you are doing this for the first time you may want to adjust these settings in order e SP SET Specify the size and number of speakers you ve connected see Speaker setting below X OVER Specify which frequencies will be sent to the subwoofer see Crossover network on page 52 CH LEVEL Adjust the overall balance of your speaker system see Channel level on page 52 SP DISTN Specify the distance of your speakers from the listening position see Speaker Distance on page 53 Note Speaker setting Use this setting to specify your speaker configuration size number of speakers It isa good idea to make sure that the settings made in Automatically setti
47. akers to different amplifiers in this case to both front and surround back terminals for better crossover performance Your speakers must be bi ampable to do this having separate terminals for high and low and the sound improvement will depend on the kind of speakers you re using 1 Connect your speakers as shown below This illustration below shows the connections for bi amping your front left speaker Hook up your front right speaker in the same way Front left speaker Since both front and surround back speaker terminals output the same audio it doesn t matter which set front or surround back is powering which part Hi or Low of the speaker e Make sure that the 4 connections are properly inserted IN Other connections 2 Select the SB BIAMP setting from the SB SYSTEM menu See Surround back speaker setting on page 46 to specify how you re using the surround back speaker terminals Oo Caution Most speakers with both Hi and Low terminals have two metal plates that connect the Hi to the Low terminals These must be removed when you are bi amping the speakers or you could severely damage the amplifier See your speaker manual for more information If your speakers have a removable crossover network make sure you do not remove it for bi amping Doing so may damage your speakers Bi wiring your speakers VSX 915 model only The reasons for bi wiring are basically the same as bi amping but ad
48. ame Note Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display VSX 815 915 model only If you have a Pioneer plasma display you can use an SR cable to connect it to this unit and take advantage of various convenient features such as automatic video input switching of the plasma display when the input is changed CONTROL 2 Cour Pioneer plasma display 1 To hear sound only from the pre outs simply disconnect any speakers that are connected directly to the receiver e f you re not using a subwoofer change the front speaker setting see Speaker setting on page 51 to LARGE e VSX 875 only Note that there is only one surround back channel pre out terminal e VSX 915 only You can use the additional amplifier on the surround back channel pre outs for a single speaker as well In this case plug the amplifier into the left L Single terminal only e VSX 975 only page 46 The sound you hear from the surround back terminals depends on the Surround back speaker setting on 2 This receiver is compatible with all Pioneer plasma displays from 2003 onward En e Use a 3 ringed miniplug SR cable to connect the CONTROL IN jack of this receiver with the CONTROL OUT of your plasma display Before you can use the extra SR features you need to make a few settings in the receiver See The Input Assign menu on page 75 for detailed instructions VIDEO VIDEO INPUT 1 Pioneer plasma
49. another suitable place that gives good reception AM loop antenna Assemble the antenna and connect to the receiver Attach if necessary and face in the direction that gives the best reception shut Antenna snap connectors Twist the exposed wire strands together and insert into the hole then snap the connector Using external antennas To improve FM reception Connect an external FM antenna as shown below 75 coaxial cable V d TR pc To improve AM reception Connect a 5 6 meter length of vinyl coated wire to the AM antenna terminal without disconnecting the supplied AM loop antenna For the best possible reception suspend horizontally outdoors Outdoor a C antenna 5 6 meters Indoor antenna vinyl coated wire 0 Connecting up Connecting the speakers A complete setup of eight speakers including the subwoofer is shown here but everyone s home setup will vary Simply connect the speakers you have in the manner shown below The receiver will work with just two stereo speakers the front speakers in the diagram but using at least three speakers is recommended and a complete setup is best Make sure the positive and negative terminals on the receiver match those on the speakers You can use speakers with a nominal impedance between 6 16 please see Switching the speaker impedance on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 89 Front speakers Cent
50. ccess the bass and treble controls which you can then adjust with the MULTI JOG dial page 43 22 QUICK SETUP See Using the Quick Setup on page 10 23 System Setup menu controls SYSTEM SETUP Use with the MULTI JOG dial to access the System Setup menu page 10 page 46 page 75 RETURN Press to confirm and exit the current menu En Controls and displays Display 1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11 aan SIGNAL BG SB Dicrrac DOO DIGITAL NEO DODIGITAL VIR SB DIRECT AUTO SURR ATT IL 629 2200p DOPROLOGIC IX WMA9 Pro D E SLEEP C So Banda ANALOG DTS ADV SURR MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS Y SPPAB IR E BBBHES iem 9HSSBSS 223 gese 8282 i232 aaae gead 1222 220p ESL SSeS ooog 0 0 0g 0 0 Ug 000g 0 00g 0 D D 0 0g 0 D cjo Ccj amp Cc ec nm aes daea pases anoo oaea case plese banno mE s5 S868 o g o oo n 2 n ag n 20 o 0 g a a 2 oona ooo EET HET HEFTE ooo o o o t o o ooo o o ooo B cla noc o B aoc 40 125 250 4K13K 12 13 14 1 SIGNAL SELECT indicators Lights to indicate the type of input signal AUTO Lights when AUTO signal select is on SB Depending on the source this lights when a signal with surround back channel encoding is detected DIGITAL Lights when a digital audio signal is detected DO DIGITAL Lights when a Dolby Digital encoded signal is detected ANALOG Lights when an analog signal is detected DTS Lights when a source with DIS encoded audio signal
51. connect the power cord A and B speaker systems VSX 615 model only Thereceiver has two speaker systems A and B A is the main system supporting the full speaker setup If you switch on both A and B speaker systems only the front speakers and the active subwoofer will be audible No sound will come from the center surround or surround back speakers but multichannel sources will be down mixed to the active speakers so no sound will be lost Similarly if you choose just the B system you ll only hear the front speakers connected to the B system and multi channel sources will be down mixed to these two speakers e Press the SPEAKERS button on the front panel to switch between speaker systems A B or both Hints on speaker placement opeakers are usually designed with a particular placement in mind Some are designed to be floorstanding while others should be placed on stands to sound their best Some should be placed near a wall others should be placed away from walls We have provided a few tips on getting the best sound from your speakers following but you should also follow the guidelines on placement that the speaker manufacturer provided with your particular speakers to get the most out of them Place the front left and right speakers at equal distances from the TV When placing speakers near the TV we recommend using magnetically shielded speakers to prevent possible interference such as discoloration of
52. cting TV CONT 2 Some commands from other remote controls cannot be learned but in most cases the remotes just need to be moved closer together or farther apart e f the remote LCD shows ERROR it may also mean the memory is full See Erasing one of the remote control button settings below to erase a programmed button you re not using to free up more memory En Certain buttons represent operations that cannot be learned from other remote controls The buttons available are shown below SOURCE MPX CHRETURN AUDIO SUBTLE Pioneer RECEIVER 6 To program additional signals for the current component repeat steps 4 and 5 To program signals for another component exit and repeat steps 1 through 5 7 Press the RECEIVER button to exit and store the operation s Erasing one of the remote control button settings VSX 915 model only This erases one of the buttons you have programmed and restores the button to the factory default 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button corresponding to the button setting to be erased The LCD on the remote displays the component Controlling the rest of your system 3 Use cursor left right to select ERASE then press ENTER The LCD display flashes PRES KEY 4 Pressand hold the button to be erased for two seconds The LCD display shows OK or NO CODE to confirm th
53. d from the receiver is heard 3 Assign any input source connected to the plasma display to the corresponding input number Use cursor left right to select the source DVD TV DVR or VDEO then 1 4 cursor up down to select the input number This matches the receiver s input source with a numbered video input on the plasma display For example assign DVD 3 if you have connected the your DVD video output to video input 3 on the plasma display 4 When you re finished press RETURN NS Additional information En Chapter 14 Additional information Troubleshooting Incorrect operations are often mistaken for trouble and malfunctions If you think that there is something wrong with this component check the points below Sometimes the trouble may lie in another component Investigate the other components and electrical appliances being used If the trouble cannot be rectified even after exercising the checks listed below ask your nearest Pioneer authorized independent service company to carry out repair work e f the unit does not operate normally due to external effects such as static electricity disconnect the power plug from the outlet and insert again to return to normal operating conditions Problem Remedy The power does not turn on Connect the power plug to the wall outlet Disconnect the power plug from the outlet and insert again Make sure there are no loose strands of speaker wire touching th
54. d a decoder or a DVD player with multichannel analog outputs to this receiver page 17 you can select them for surround sound playback e Make sure you have set the playback source to the proper output setting For example you might need to set your DVD player to output multichannel analog audio Note IN Listening to your system VSX 515 model DVD 5 1 So e Press DVD 5 1 on the front panel DVD 5 1ch will show in the display and the ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT indicator will light VSX 815 915 model SIGNAL SELECT 1 Press DVD LD 2 Press SIGNAL SELECT to select the multichannel analog inputs DVD 5 1ch will show in the display and the ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT indicator will light 1 If your source is the TV s built in tuner switch to the channel you want to watch otherwise make sure that the TV s video input is set to this receiver For example if you connected this receiver to the VIDEO 1 jacks on your TV make sure that the VIDEO 1 input is selected Turn down the volume of your TV so that all the sound is coming from the speakers connected to this receiver 2 When playback from the multichannel inputs is selected you can t use ACOUSTIC CAL EQ DIALOG E INPUT ATT TONE VSB and MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS as well as any of the listening modes including STEREO DIRECT and the Extended mode When playback from the multichannel inputs is selected only the volume and channel levels can be set You can t listen to your sp
55. d back terminal e VSX 975 only If you selected SB 2ND Z or SB BIAMP in Surround back speaker setting on page 46 you can t adjust the sur round back settings 2 For more on selecting the speaker sizes see Speaker setting above Eh The System Setup menu 3 Confirm your selected setup option The test tones will start after you press ENTER 4 Adjust the level of each channel using the 1 4 cursor up down buttons If you selected T TONE M use cursor left right to switch speakers The T TONE A setup will output test tones in the following order depending on the speaker setting L C R R5 mm SBR SW LS SBL Adjust the level of each speaker as the test tone is emitted 5 When you re finished press RETURN i Tip You can change the channel levels at any time by using EFFECT CH SEL and on the remote control You can set two channel levels one for DVD 5 1 CH and one for the listening modes Note Speaker Distance For good sound depth and separation from your system you need to specify the distance of your speakers from the listening position The receiver can then add the proper delay needed for effective surround sound 1 Select SP DISTN from the SP SETUP menu 2 Use cursor left right to choose the speaker that you want then set the distance Use f 4 amp cursor up down to adjust the distance of each speaker in 0 1 meter increments
56. dicator on the front panel will light to show the surround settings are complete The settings made in the Auto MCACC Setup should give you excellent surround sound from your system but it is also possible to adjust these settings manually using the System Setup menu starting on page 46 Optionally when you see SKIP you can press cursor left right to select one of the following options then cursor up down to check the settings 1 The receiver will automatically exit the current menu after three minutes of inactivity If you cancel the Auto MCACC Setup at any time the receiver automatically exits and no settings will be made 2 If you are planning on bi amping your front speakers or setting up a separate speaker system in another room read through Surround back speaker setting and make sure to connect your speakers as necessary before continuing 3 Depending on the characteristics of your room sometimes identical speakers with cone sizes of around 12cm will end up with different size settings You can correct the setting manually using the Speaker setting on page 51 The subwoofer distance setting may be farther than the actual distance from the listening position This setting should be accurate taking delay and room characteristics into account and generally does not need to be changed En Quick surround sound setup speakers you ve connected see page 51 for more on this CHK DIST Check the distance
57. display eo uj DVD player Satellite receiver etc DVD TV SAT AUDIO IN AUDIO IN This receiver To make the most of the SR features you should connect your source components DVD player etc in a slightly different way to that described in this chapter For each component connect the video output directly to the plasma display and just connect the audio analog and or digital to this receiver Note IN Other connections Using the SR mode with a Pioneer plasma display VSX 815 915 model only When connected using an SR cable a number of features become available to make using this receiver with your Pioneer plasma display even easier These features include e On screen volume display e On screen display of listening mode e Automatic video input switching on the plasma display e Automatic volume muting on the plasma display See also The Input Assign menu on page 75 for more on setting up the receiver SR MULTI CONTROL RECEIVER 1 Make sure that the plasma display and this receiver are switched on and that they are connected with the SR cable See Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display above for more on this 2 To switch SR mode on off press RECEIVER then the SR button The front panel display shows SR ON or OFF 1 The 3 ringed SR cable from Pioneer is commercially available under the part number ADE7095 Contac
58. ditionally interference effects within the wire could be reduced producing better sound Again to do this your speakers must be bi wireable that is they must have separate terminals for the high and low frequencies When bi wiring make sure you ve selected SB NORM or SB 2ND Z in Surround back speaker setting on page 46 e Tobi wire a speaker connect two speaker cords to the speaker terminal on the receiver Oo Caution Make sure you use a parallel not series which are fairly uncommon connection when bi wiring your speakers Dont connect different speakers from the same terminal in this way Other connections Connecting additional amplifiers VSX 815 915 model only This receiver has more than enough power for any home use but it s possible to add additional amplifiers to every channel of your system using the pre outs Make the connections shown below to add amplifiers to power your speakers before making or changing the connections switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC outlet a INPUT x Center channel amplifier ENT ANALOG eo e back A A SURROUND BACK hannel amplifier INPUT E R Surround channel amplifier Front channel amplifier ANALOG a 1 SS zum Q Powered subwoofer To SUB WOOFER PREOUT jack The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 815 are the s
59. e rear panel This could cause the receiver to shut off automatically e f the power shuts off automatically take the unit to your nearest Pioneer authorized service center or your dealer for servicing e The unit may have been switched on using the wrong voltage setting Make sure you switch the VOLTAGE SELECTOR on the rear panel to the right voltage for your country or region then reset the unit page 81 before switching on again No sound is output when a Make sure the component is connected correctly refer to function is selected Connecting up on page 14 Press MUTE on the remote control to turn muting off e VSX 875 975 only Press SPEAKERS to select the proper speaker set VSX 815 see A and B speaker systems on page 23 VSX 915 see Switching the speaker system on page 71 Press SIGNAL SELECT to select the proper input signal see Choosing the input signal on page 40 No image is output when a Make sure the component is connected correctly refer to function is selected Connecting up on page 14 e Select the correct component use the input select buttons e VSX 875 915 only Check Assigning the component video inputs on page 5 to make sure you re assigned the correct input The video input selected on the TV monitor is incorrect Refer to the instruction manual supplied with the TV Additional information cm Problem Remedy Considerable noise in radio Tune in the correct frequency broadca
60. e button has been erased 5 Repeat step 4 to erase other buttons 6 Press the RECEIVER button when you re done Erasing all of the remote control presets This will erase all preset remote control preset codes and VSX 915 model only programmed buttons 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Press the DVD LD MULTI CONTROL button 3 Use cursor left right to select RESET then press and hold ENTER for about two seconds The LCD shows OK to confirm the remote presets have been erased Direct function Default setting ON You can use the direct function feature to control one component using the remote control while at the same time using your receiver to playback a different component This could let you for example use the remote control to set up and listen to a CD on the receiver and then use the remote control to rewind a tape in your VCR while you continue to listen to your CD player Controlling the rest of your system When direct function is on any component you select using the MULTI CONTROL buttons will be selected by both the receiver and the remote control When you turn direct function off you can operate the remote control without affecting the receiver 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want
61. e set individually so no special weighting is given to any one channel F ALG Front Align Adjust balances the overall sound so that all speakers are set in accordance with the front speaker settings no equalization is applied to the front left and right channels You will return to the Acoustic Cal EQ setup menu after the Acoustic Calibration Equalization is set Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings If you want to manually adjust the Acoustic Calibration EQ see Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually below we recommend copying the A CH or the F ALG settings from the EQ A SET setup above or from Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 to one of the custom C1 or C2 settings Instead of just a flat EQ curve this will give you a reference point from which to start 1 Select EQ COPY from the Manual MCACC setup menu 2 Use cursor left right to select C1 or C2 then use the 4 4 cursor up down buttons to select the setting you want to copy You can also copy from one custom setting to another For more on the A CH and F ALG settings see Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically above 3 Use cursor left right to select COPY YES to copy and confirm You can also use f cursor up down to select COPY NO to cancel 07 The System Setup menu Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually Before manually adjusting the Acoustic Calibrat
62. eaker B Second Zone system during playback from the multichannel inputs Listening to your system Using the sleep timer The sleep timer switches the receiver into standby after a specified amount of time so you can fall asleep without worrying about the receiver being left on all night Use the remote control to set the sleep timer RECEIVER CONTROL B RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e Press SLEEP repeatedly to set the sleep time 30 min amp 60 min Off 90 min You can check the remaining sleep time at any time by pressing SLEEP once Pressing repeatedly will cycle through the sleep options again Note 1 You can also switch off the sleep timer simply by switching off the receiver Chapter 7 07 The System Setup menu The System Setup menu Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu The following section shows you how to make detailed settings to specify how you re using the receiver for example if you want to set up two speaker systems in separate rooms and also explains how to fine tune individual speaker system settings to your liking RECEIVER RECEIVER CL MULTI CONTROL Bo sm pw om CO pp Co MULTI CONTROL RECEIVER gt S o 9 A SETUP RETURN e 35 n SETUP RETURN Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right 1 If the receiver is off press RECEIVER to t
63. een DTV ENTER ENTER brings up the DIV menus Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu Cable TV Satellite TV TV screen DIV Controls for other components This remote control can control these components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands see Setting the remote to control other components on page 58 for more on this Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component Button s Function Components SOURCEO Press to switch the component between standby and on CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD lt lt lt lt lt Number buttons Press to return to the start of the current track Repeated presses skips to the start of previous tracks Play the reverse side of the tape on a reversible deck Press to advance to the start of the next track Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks Play the forward side of the tape on a reversible deck Pause playback or recording Start playback Hold down for fast forward playback Hold down for fast reverse playback Stops playback on some models pressing this when the disc is already stopped will cause the disc tray to open Directly access tracks on a program source Use the number buttons to navigate the on screen display DVR player Cassette deck CD MD CD R DVD LD player Cassette deck CD MD CD R DVD LD player Cassette deck CD MD CD R VCR DVD LD DVR player Cassette deck
64. en to your CD player When direct function is on any component you select using the MULTI CONTROL buttons will be selected by both the receiver and the remote control When you turn direct function off you can operate the remote control without affecting the receiver 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 4 button The LED blinks 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want to control The LED lights 3 Use the number buttons to enter either 1 direct on or 2 direct off The LED blinks again 4 Repeat steps 2 through 3 for the other components you want to control 5 When you re done press RECEIVER Note 1 You can t use direct function with the TUNER function settings You can clear all presets and restore the factory default settings e While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 0 button for three seconds The LED blinks three times indicating the settings have been restored to the factory presets Clearing all the remote control 4 En NET Controlling the rest of your system Controls for TVs This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands see Setting the remote to control other components on page 58 for more on this Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component e The TV CONTROL buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to En the TV CONT button
65. er is on this lights to indicate Neo 6 processing 14 ADV SURR Advanced Surround Lights when one of the Advanced Surround modes has been selected 15 WMAQ9 Pro Lights to indicate decoding of a WMAO9 Pro signal 16 MIDNIGHT Lights during Midnight listening page 43 17 D E Lights when Dialog Enhancement DIALOG E is switched on page 43 18 LOUDNESS Lights during Loudness listening page 43 19 EX Lights when a Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded signal is detected 20 Master volume level Shows the overall volume level dB indicates the minimum level and 0 dB indicates the maximum level Depending on your level settings for each channel the maximum volume can range between 10 dB and 0 dB 21 MCACC channel EQ indicators These indicators show the EQ balance for each channel when checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings See Checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings on page 50 for more on this Remote control VSX 815 915 4 RECEIVER PUT SOURCE 11 SLEEP STIC INPUTATT Pioneer RECEIVER 1 RECEIVERO This switches between standby and on for this receiver 2 INPUT SELECT Use to select the input source lt gt Controls and displays En 3 MULTI CONTROL buttons Press to select control of other components see Controlling the rest of your system on page 64 4 Number buttons and other receiver component controls Use the number buttons to directly select a
66. er speaker Surround speakers Surround back speakers L R LS RS SBL SBR C Powered Subwoofer SW CoCo This receiver The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same Oo Caution Make sure that all the bare speaker wire is twisted together and inserted fully into the speaker terminal Use good quality speaker wire to connect the speakers to the receiver Z2 Note g you re not using a subwoofer change the front speaker setting see Speaker setting on page 51 to LARGE 2 VSX 515 815 only If you are using only one surround back speaker connect the positive wire to the right channel termi nal and the negative wire to the left channel terminal e VSX 975 only f you are using only one surround back speaker connect it to the surround back left L terminal En Connecting up Make sure that the speaker cable you re using is properly prepared with about 10mm of insulator stripped from each wire with the exposed wire strands twisted together fig A Unscrew the terminal a few turns until there is enough space to insert the exposed wire fig B Once the wire is in position tighten the terminal until the wire is firmly clamped fig C fig A fig B ium i la i o Caution These speaker terminals are hazardous when live To prevent the risk of electric shock when connecting or disconnecting the speaker cables dis
67. es between the three banks classes of radio station presets page 55 MPX owitches between stereo and mono reception of FM broadcasts If the signal is weak then switching to mono will improve the sound quality page 54 D ACCESS After pressing you can access a radio station directly using the number buttons page 54 8 Number buttons and other component controls Use the number buttons to directly select a radio frequency page 54 or the tracks on a CD DVD etc DISC ENTER can be used to enter commands for TV or DIV and can also be used to select a disc in a multi CD player 9 CHANNEL Use to select channels when using a TV VCR DVR etc 10 Remote control LED Lights when a command is sent from the remote control 11 OSOURCE Press to turn on off other components connected to the receiver see page 64 for more on this 12 RECEIVER owitches the remote to control the receiver used to select the green commands above the number buttons SYSTEM SETUP etc Also use this button to set up surround sound page 10 page 46 13 TV CONTROL buttons These buttons are dedicated to control the TV assigned to the TV CONT button Thus if you only have one TV to hook up to this system assign it to the TV CONT MULTI CONTROL button If you have two TVs assign the main TV to the TV CONT button see page 64 for more on this Use to turn on off the power of the TV INPUT SELECT Use to select the TV i
68. ets after assigning a preset code 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP Note 1 You can t assign the RECEIVER button 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want to control The LCD on the remote displays the component you want to control 3 Use cursor left right to select LEARN then press ENTER PRES KEY shows in the LCD display To exit or cancel press RECEIVER 4 Point the two remote controls towards each other then press the button that will be doing the learning on this receiver s remote control PRES KEY starts flashing to indicate the remote is ready to accept a signal e The remote controls should be 3 5 cm apart 5 Press the corresponding button on the other remote control that is sending teaching the signal to this receiver s remote control For example if you want to learn the playback control signal press and hold gt for a couple of seconds The LCD display will show OK if the operation has been learned If for some reasons the operation hasn t been learned the LCD will display ERROR briefly and then display PRES KEY again If this happens keep pressing the teaching button as you vary the distance between the two remotes until the LCD display shows OK e TV CONTROL buttons TVO TV VOL TV CH and INPUT SELECT can only be learned after sele
69. feel like you re in the middle of the e Remote control action or concert he surround sound you get from a home theater system depends not only on the speakers you have set up in your room Power cords make sure you use the correct cord for your country region but also on the source and the sound settings VSX 515 815 915 K black models of the receiver Round 2 pin type and Australian type DVD Video has become the basic source VSX 515 S silver models material for home theater due to its size Round 2 pin type flat blade 2 pin type and quality and ease of use Depending on the UK 3 pin type Except Australian model DVD you can have up to seven different audio VSX 815 915 S silver model tracks coming from one disc all of them being Round 2 pin type flat blade 2 pin type UK sent to different speakers in your system This 3 pin type and Australian type IS what creates a surround sound effect and Power plug adaptor VSX 515 815 gives you the feeling of being there 915 K only x This receiver will automatically decode Dolby Digital DTS or Dolby Surround DVD Video o discs according to your speaker setup In most These operating instructions cases you won t have to make changes for realistic surround sound but other possibilities like listening to a CD with Loading the batteries multichannel surround sound are explained in Listening to your system on page 36 e J shaped plug x1 Illustration shows the VSX
70. g with performance and or causing malfunctions 20 cm Receiver Slot and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to protect the equipment from overheating To prevent fire hazard do not place anything directly on top of the unit make sure the openings are never blocked or covered with items such as newspapers table cloths and curtains and do not operate the equipment on thick carpet or a bed 5 minute guide Chapter 2 cu 5 minute guide 4 Listening to Surround Sound This receiver was designed with the easiest possible setup in mind so with the following quick setup guide you should have your system hooked up for surround sound in no time at all In most Cases you can simply leave the receiver in the default settings Be sure to complete all connections before connecting this unit to an AC power source 1 Hook up your DVD player For surround sound you ll want to hook up using a digital connection from the DVD player to the receiver You can do this with either a coaxial recommended or an optical connection you don t need to connect both If you hook up using an optical cable you should refer to The nput Assign menu on page 5 to assign the optical input to DVD Use a video cord to connect the video output on your DVD player to the receiver using the jacks shown below 2 Hook up your TV Use a video cord to connect your receiver to the TV using the jacks as shown below Optical cable
71. ghts 3 Use the number buttons to enter the preset code You can find the preset codes on page 63 The LED blinks again after you enter the code If the correct code has been input the power of the component being input will turn on or off The power of the component being input will only turn on or off if that component is able to be turned on directly by remote control You can only input a code for the compo nent type written on each MULTI CONTROL button Even if you don t input a preset code for the TV TV SAT MULTI CONTROL button you will be able to control your TV using the dedicated TV CONTROL on the remote if you have assigned it to the TV CONT button 4 Repeatsteps 2 through 3 to try a different code or to enter a code for another component you want to control 5 When you re done press RECEIVER 1 IV codes for example codes for TV CATV Satellite TV or DIV can only be assigned to the TV SAT or TV CONT button You can t assign the TUNER or RECEIVER buttons En Controlling the rest of your system Direct function Default setting ON You can use the direct function feature to control one component using the remote control while at the same time using your receiver to playback a different component This could let you for example use the remote control to set up and listen to a CD on the receiver and then use the remote control to rewind a tape in your VCR while you continue to list
72. gn the component video inputs to the input source you ve connected This only needs to be done if you didn t connect according to the following defaults e COMP1 DVD COMP2 TV e COMP3 DVR See Assigning the component video inputs on page 75 for more on this 3 Connect the COMPONENT VIDEO MONITOR OUT jacks on this receiver to the component video inputs on your TV or monitor Use a three way component video cable 0 Connecting up Connecting to the front panel video terminal VSX 815 915 model only Front video connections are accessed via the front panel using the VIDEO button There are standard audio video jacks as well as an S video jack and an optical input Hook them up the same way you made the rear panel connections This receiver CD R TAPE MD _ VIDEO INPUT MCACC O DIGITALIN SETUP MIC Pp S VIDEO VIDEO L AUDIO R Video camera etc VIDEO OUTPUT DIGITAL OUT Connecting up Connecting antennas Connect the AM loop antenna and the FM wire antenna as shown below To improve reception and sound quality connect external antennas see Using external antennas below Always make sure that the receiver is switched off and unplugged from the wall outlet before making or changing any connections FM wire antenna FM wire antenna Connect the FM wire antenna and fully extend vertically along a window frame or
73. haracter If no character is input a space is input e The name is stored when ENTER is pressed after choosing the fourth character Q tip e To erase a station name simply repeat steps 1 3 and input four spaces instead of a name e Once you have named a station preset you can press TUNER DISPLAY when listening to a station to switch the display between name and frequency Listening to station presets You will need to have some presets stored to do this See Saving station presets above if you haven t done this already 1 Press TUNER to select the tuner 2 Press CLASS to select the class in which the station is stored Press repeatedly to cycle through classes A B and C INS Using the tuner 3 Press ST to select the station preset you want e You can also use the number buttons on the remote control to recall the station preset Changing the frequency step If you find that you can t tune into stations successfully the frequency step may not be suitable for your country region Here s how to switch the setting VSX 515 model 1 Switch the receiver into standby 2 Onthe front panel press STANDBY ON while you press and hold the CLASS button The channel tuning step alternates between 10K STEP and 9K STEP each time you do this VSX 815 915 model 1 Switch the receiver into standby 2 Onthe front panel press STANDBY ON while you press and hold the BAND button The channel tuning step al
74. hat interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna ncrease the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help D8 10 1 2 En Information to User Alteration or modifications carried out without appropriate authorization may invalidate the user s right to operate the equipment D8 10 2 En CAUTION This product satisfies FCC regulations when shielded cables and connectors are used to connect the unit to other equipment To prevent electromagnetic interference with electric appliances such as radios and televisions use shielded cables and connectors for connections D8 10 3a En WARNING This equipment is not waterproof To prevent a fire or shock hazard do not place any container filed with liquid near this equipment such as a vase or flower pot or expose it to dripping splashing rain or moisture D3 4 2 1 3 A En Voltage selector You can find the voltage selector switch on the rear panel of multi voltage models The factory setting for the voltage select
75. he Auto MCACC Setup on page 13 for notes regarding high background noise levels and other possible interference e f you re using a subwoofer switch it on and turn up the volume to the middle position 1 Select M MCACC from the System Setup menu See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu above if you re not already at this menu 2 Select the setting you want to adjust If you re doing this for the first time you might want to make these settings in order CH LEVEL Make fine adjustments to the overall balance of your speaker system see Fine Channel Level below CH DISTN Make precise delay settings for your speaker system see Fine Channel Distance below The last five settings are specifically for customizing the parameters explained in Acoustic Calibration EQ on page 49 EQ A SET Measure the acoustic characteristics of your room and automatically adjustthe frequency balance of your speaker system see Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically on page 49 EQ COPY Copy Acoustic Calibration EQ settings for manual adjustment see Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings on page 49 C1 ADJ C2 ADJ Make detailed manual adjustments to your custom Acoustic Calibration EQ settings see Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually on page 50 EQ CHECK Check the ALL CH F ALIGN and custom settings see Checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings on page 50
76. imply switch the Extended mode off ass ml Type of source mode Multichannel Stereo sources NK sources DO Pro Logic Il x D0 Pro Logic Ne Dolby Digital EX DIS ES WMA9 Pro encoded multi AUTO e channel source with 6 1 7 1ch surround Dolby Digital DTS ON WMAS9 Pro encoded multichannel source AUTO Dolby Digital WMAQ ON Pro DTS encoded stereo source other AUTO digital stereo source Analog 2 channel ON stereo source AUTO EXTENDED MODE Illustration shows the VSX 815 915 front panel e Press EXTENDED MODE front panel to select a surround back channel option Press repeatedly to select between e EXT ON 6 1 or 7 1 decoding is always used for example a surround back channel will be generated for 5 1 encoded material e EXT AUTO Automatically switches to 6 1 or 7 1 decoding for 6 1 encoded sources for example Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES e EXT OFF Maximum 5 1 playback Sta BERE MEN Advanced Stereosoures sources surround o o o o o o o O o oO o o e o Excluding WMA9 Pro format Note 1 e You must have surround back speakers connected and set to LARGE or SMALL in the Speaker setting on page 51 and VSX 915 only the Surround back speaker setting on page 46 must be set to SB NORM to hear the surround back channel You can t use the surround back channel with headphones or the STEREO DIRECT or AUTO SURR modes You can t hear the surround back channel wi
77. ion EQ we recommend copying the A CH or the F ALG settings from the auto setup above or from Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 to one of the custom settings Instead of just a flat EQ curve this will give you a reference point from which to start see Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings above for how to do this 1 Select C1 ADJ or C2 ADJ from the Manual MCACC setup menu 2 Use cursor left right and ENTER to select which method you want to use to adjust the overall frequency balance It is best to choose whichever one you copied to the custom setting in Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings above A CH ADJ All the speakers can be set independently so no special weighting is given to any one channel When adjusting test tones will sound for each individual channel e F ALG ADJ Speakers are set in accordance with the front speaker settings The sound of the test tone will alternate between the left front reference speaker and the target speaker 3 Use f 4 cursor up down to select the channel you want and adjust to your liking Use the cursor left right buttons to select the frequency and f 4 cursor up down to boost or cut the EQ When you re finished use the cursor left right buttons to select the channel display for example R EQ for the right channel or SBR EQ for the surround back right channel then cursor up down to p
78. isplays En EFFECT CH SEL Press repeatedly to select a channel then use LEVEL to adjust the level see p on page 53 Also adjusts the level of the Advanced Surround effects page 37 as well as Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music page 38 and Neo 6 Music parameters page 38 You can then use the LEVEL buttons to make these adjustments LEVEL Use to adjust the effect and channel levels as well as to change Dolby Pro Logic IIx and Neo 6 Music parameter settings 10 SHIFT Press to access the DVR controls above the component control buttons as well as some RECEIVER controls 11 OSOURCE Press to turn on off other components connected to the receiver see page 64 for more on this 12 Character display LCD This display shows information when transmitting control signals The following commands are shown when you re setting the remote to control other components see Controlling the rest of your system on page 64 SETUP Indicates the setup mode from which you choose the options below PRESET oee Selecting preset codes directly on page 64 LEARN See Programming signals from other remote contro s on page 65 DIRECT F See Direct function on page 66 ERASE See Erasing one of the remote control button settings on page 66 RESET See Erasing all of the remote control presets on page 66 READ ID See Confirming preset codes on page 67 13 RECEIVER owitches the remote to control the receiver u
79. m the front and surround speakers e BACK If you are nearer to the surround speakers than the front speakers 8 Press ENTER to confirm your setup The display shows the speaker setup room size and listening position that you have selected Quick surround sound setup CH Chapter 3 Quick surround sound setup Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC The Auto Multi Channel Acoustic Calibration MCACC setup measures the acoustic characteristics of your listening area taking into account ambient noise speaker size and distance and tests for both channel delay and channel level After you have set up the microphone provided with your system the receiver uses the information from a series of test tones to optimize the speaker settings and equalization for your particular room A Important The Auto MCACC Setup will overwrite any existing speaker settings you ve made e Make sure the headphones are unplugged e VSX 875 915 only For proper calibration make sure you have selected SP A using the SPEAKERS button on the front panel before starting the Auto MCACC Setup Oo Caution e The test tones used in the Auto MCACC Setup are output at high volume Note RECEIVER RECEIVER C MULTI CONTROL mo m oa Wem c0 Qus nmi MULTI CONTROL RECEIVER 9 409 DP SETUP RETURN YSTEM SETUP ED 95 d RETURN Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 91
80. n effect on the sound Place your speakers as select See Listening to yoursystem on page 36 shown below for the best surround sound for more on this effect See Hints on speaker placement on page 23 for more on this Center ront o pio Front epe SW Surround speaker RS Surround back K speaker SBR position Surround speaker LS Surround back speaker SBL 4 Plugin the receiver and switch it on followed by your DVD player your subwoofer and the TV Make sure you ve set the video input on your TV to this receiver Check the manual that came with the TV if you don t know how to do this Z2 Note et also Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu on page 46 for more setup options 2 You may need to set your DVD player to output Dolby Digital DTS and 88 2 96kHz PCM 2 channel audio see your DVD player s manual for more on this 3 Depending on your DVD player or source discs you may only get digital 2 channel stereo and analog sound In this case the listening mode must be set to STANDARD see Listening in surround sound on page 36 if you need to do this if you want multichannel surround sound En Using the Quick Setup You can use the Quick Setup to get your system up and running with just a few button presses The receiver automatically makes the necessary settings after you have selected your speaker setup room size and listening position Use the front panel controls for the steps
81. ncy one step at a time press TUNE High speed tuning Press and hold TUNE for high speed tuning Release the button at the frequency you want Improving FM stereo sound If the TUNED or STEREO indicators dont light when tuning to an FM station because the signal is weak press the MPX button to switch the receiver into mono reception mode This should improve the sound quality and allow you to enjoy the broadcast Tuning directly to a station Sometimes you ll already know the frequency of the station you want to listen to In this case you can simply enter the frequency directly using the number buttons on the remote control Using the tuner 1 Press the TUNER button to select the tuner 2 Use the BAND button to change the band FM or AM if necessary Fach press switches the band between FM and AM Illustrations show the VSX 815 915 front panel 3 Press D ACCESS Direct Access MULTI CONTROL 4 Usethe number buttons to enter the eriam frequency of the radio station um EZa For example to tune to 106 00 FM press 1 0 6 0 0 If you make a mistake halfway through press D ACCESS twice to cancel the frequency and start over Saving station presets Gop If you often listen to a particular radio station i s convenient to have the receiver store the frequency for easy recall whenever you want to DSPLAY CLASS listen to that station This saves the effort of manually tuning in
82. nel 2 is played e CH1 CH2 Both channels are played through the front speakers 3 When you re finished press RETURN LFE Attenuator Setup Default setting ATT 0 dB Some Dolby Digital and DIS audio sources include ultra low bass tones Set the LFE attenuator as necessary to prevent the ultra low bass tones from distorting the sound from the speakers 1 Select LFE ATT from the OTHER setup menu 2 Use f cursor up down to choose the setting that you want LFEAT 0 No limiting recommended setting e LFEAT 10 10dB of limiting e LFEAT No sound from LFE channel 3 When you re finished press RETURN SR Setup for Pioneer plasma displays VSX 815 915 model only Make the following settings if you have connected a Pioneer plasma display to this receiver using an SR cable Note that the number of function settings available will depend on the plasma display you ve connected See also Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display on page 73 and Using the SR mode with a Pioneer plasma display on page 74 1 Select SR from the OTHER setup menu 2 Use f 4 cursor up down and ENTER to select the VOL C setting you want e VOLC OFF The receiver does not control the volume of the plasma display e VOLC ON When the receiver is switched to one of the inputs that use the plasma display DVD LD or another one of functions below the volume on the plasma display is muted so only soun
83. ng up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 are correct 1 Select SP SET from the SP SETUP menu 2 Use 9 cursor left right to choose the speaker s that you want to set then select a speaker size Use cursor up down to select the size and number of each of the following speakers Front F Select LARGE if your front speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively or if you didn t connect a subwoofer Select SMALL to send the bass frequencies to the subwoofer Center C Select LARGE if your center speaker reproduces bass frequencies effectively or select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer If you didn t connect a center speaker choose NO the center channel is sent to the front speakers Surround S Select LARGE if your surround speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively Select SMALL to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer If you didn t connect surround speakers choose NO the sound of the surround channels is sent to the front speakers or a subwoofer Surround Back SB Select the number and size of surround back speakers you have Select LARGE if your surround back speakers reproduce bass frequencies 1 If you select SMALL for the front speakers the subwoofer will automatically be fixed to YES Also the center surround and surround back speakers can t be set to LARGE if the front speakers are set to SMALL In this case all
84. nput signal CHANNEL Use to select channels VOLUME Use to adjust the volume on your IV Operating range of remote control unit The remote control may not work properly if e There are obstacles between the remote control and the receiver s remote sensor Direct sunlight or fluorescent light is shining onto the remote sensor e The receiver is located near a device that is emitting infrared rays he receiver is operated simultaneously with another infrared remote control unit Chapter 6 KO Listening to your system Listening to your system A Important e Certain features explained in this section will not be possible depending on the source for example PCM 88 2 96k Hz DTS 96kHz 24 bit or WMA 9 Pro sources Auto playback There are many ways to listen back to sources using this receiver but for the simplest most direct listening option is the Auto Surround feature With this the receiver automatically detects what kind of source you re playing and selects multichannel or stereo playback as necessary STEREO DIRECT eb RECEIVER CONTROL STEREO RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e While listening to a source press STEREO for auto playback of a source Press repeatedly until AUTO SURR shows briefly in the display it will then show the decoding or playback format Check the digital format indicators in the display to see how the
85. o the TV SAT or TV CONT button f you assign the TUNER function to another component you will have to reassign it to the Pioneer preset code to use this receiver s built in tuner 2 You can t assign the RECEIVER button En Controlling the rest of your system 5 Use f1 4 cursor up down to select the manufacturer s name from the list then press ENTER 6 Use f 4 cursor up down to select the proper code from the list then try using this remote control with your component The code should start with the component type for example DVD 009 If there is more than one start with the first one To try out the remote control switch the component on or off into standby by pressing SOURCE O If it doesn t seem to work select the next code from the list if there is one e VSX 975 only f you can t find or properly enter a preset code you can still teach the remote individual commands from another remote control see Programming signals from other remote controls below 7 If your component is controlled successfully press ENTER to confirm The remote LCD display shows OK Programming signals from other remote controls VSX 915 model only If the preset code for your component is not available or the available preset codes do not operate correctly you can program signals from the remote control of another component his can also be used to program additional operations buttons not covered in the pres
86. of your speakers from the listening position see page 53 for more on this CHK LEVEL Check the overall balance of your speaker system see page 52 for more on this CHK EQ Select either ALL CH or F ALIGN to check the adjustments to the frequency balance of your speaker system based on the acoustic characteristics of your room see page 49 for more on this CHK SP Check the size and number of i 9 When you re finished select SKIP to go back to the System Setup menu e Remember to disconnect the microphone after completing the Auto MCACC Setup Other problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup If the room environment is not optimal for the Auto MCACC Setup too much background noise echo off the walls obstacles blocking the speakers from the microphone the final settings may be incorrect Check tor household appliances air conditioner fridge fan etc that may be affecting the environment and switch them off if necessary If there are any instructions showing in the front panel display please follow them e Some older TVs may interfere with the operation of the microphone If this seems to be happening switch off the TV when doing the Auto MCACC Setup Chapter 4 Connecting up Making cable connections Make sure not to bend the cables over the top of this unit as shown in the illustration If this happens the magnetic field produced by the transformers in this unit may cause a humming noise fr
87. om the speakers A Important e Before making or changing any connections switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the AC outlet Analog audio cables Use stereo RCA phono cables to connect analog audio components These cables are typically red and white and you should connect the red plugs to R right terminals and white plugs to L left terminals Analog audio cables Right d Left white 0 Connecting up Digital audio cables Commercially available coaxial digital audio cables or optical cables should be used to connect digital components to this receiver cs M Optical cable Coaxial digital audio cable e When connecting optical cables be careful when inserting the plug not to damage the shutter protecting the optical socket e When storing optical cable coil loosely The cable may be damaged if bent around sharp corners e You can also use a standard RCA video cable for coaxial digital connections Video cables Standard RCA video cables These cables are the most common type of video connection and should be used to connect to the composite video terminals They have yellow plugs to distinguish them from cables for audio Standard RCA video cable Connecting up S video cables VSX 815 915 model only S video cables give you clearer picture reproduction than standard RCA video cables by sending separate signals for the luminance and color JO Component video
88. omatically Overhead view of speaker setup You can also refer to the 3 D speaker setup illustration on page 9 Front Front left Center right Subwoofer Surround Surround Surround back left Surround back right Single surround back speaker The diagrams below show suggested surround and surround back speaker orientation The first diagram fig A shows orientation with one surround back speaker or none connected The second fig B shows orientation with two surround back speakers connected 90 120 LS l RS Connecting up Operating other Pioneer components VSX 815 915 model only Many Pioneer components have SR CONTROL jacks which can be used to link components together so that you can use just the remote sensor of one component When you use a remote control the control signal is passed along the chain to the appropriate component Note that if you use this feature make sure that you also have at least one set of ana og audio or video jacks connected to another component for grounding purposes Other Pioneer products Remote with CONTROL terminals control unit Connect to CONTROL terminal of other Pioneer products Note 1 If you want to control all your components using this receiver s remote control refer to Controlling the rest of your system on page 58 VSX 515 page 64 VSX 815 915 e f you have c
89. on page 51 to YES or PLUS e Switch the LFE Attenuator Setup on page 77 to LFEAT O or LFEAT 10 Noise during playback of a Move the cassette deck further from your receiver until the noise cassette deck disappears oound is produced from e Set the SIGNAL SELECT to AUTO DIGITAL or ANALOG according other components but not to the type of connections made refer to page 40 from LD or DVD player e Set the digital input settings correctly refer to page 75 Make digital connections refer to page 16 and set the SIGNAL SELECT to DIGITAL refer to page 40 Refer to the instruction manual supplied with the DVD player En ND Additional information Problem Remedy No sound is output or a noise Set the digital volume level of the player to full or to the neutral is output when software with position DTS is played back Make sure the player s settings are correct and or the DIS signal out is on Refer to the instruction manual supplied with the DVD player e Set the input signal type to DIGITAL see Choosing the input signal on page 40 When a search is performed This is not a malfunction but be sure to turn the volume down to by a DIS compatible CD prevent the output of loud noise from your speakers player during playback noise Is output Everything seems to be setup e Check that the positive negative speaker terminals on the receiver correctly but the playback are matched with the corresponding terminals
90. on the front panel to select the input signal corresponding to the source component Press repeatedly to select between e AUTO his automatically switches to DIGITAL if a digital source is detected otherwise it remains on ANALOG ANALOG Selects the analog inputs DIGITAL Selects the digital input When set to DIGITAL or AUTO D0 DIGITAL lights when a Dolby Digital signal is input and DTS lights when a DIS signal is input Z2 Note x This receiver can only play back Dolby Digital PCM 32kHz 96 kHz WMA9 Pro and DTS digital signal formats With other digital signal formats set to ANALOG You may get digital noise when a LD or CD player compatible with DTS is playing an analog signal To prevent noise make the proper digital connections page 14 and set the signal input to DIGITAL e Some DVD players don t output DTS signals For more details referto the instruction manual supplied with your DVD player En Listening to your system Using the surround back channel Extended mode Default setting EXT ON You can have the receiver automatically use 6 1 or 7 1 decoding for 6 1 encoded sources for example Dolby Digital EX or DIS ES or you can choose to always use 6 1 or 7 1 decoding for example with 5 1 encoded material With 5 1 encoded sources a surround back channel will be generated but the material may sound better in the 5 1 format for which it was originally encoded in which case you can s
91. oneer products Additional information Resetting the main unit Use this procedure to reset all the receiver s settings to the factory default Use the front panel controls to do this 1 Switch the receiver into standby 2 While holding down the TONE button press and hold the STANDBY ON button for about three seconds 3 When you see RESET appear in the display press ENTER OK shows in the display 4 Press SYSTEM SETUP to confirm OK appears in the display to indicate that the receiver has been reset to the factory default settings Note Switching the speaker impedance We recommend using speakers of 8Q with this system but it is possible to switch the impedance setting if you plan to use speakers with a 6Q impedance rating e With the receiver in standby press STANDBY ON while holding down the front panel SPEAKER IMPEDENCE SPEAKERS button Each time you do this you switch between the impedance settings SP 6 OHM Use this setting if your speakers are rated at 6Q e SP 8 OHM Use this setting if your speakers are rated at 8Q or more 1 The button name is different for the VSX 515 SPEAKER IMPEDENCE and the VSX 815 915 SPEAKERS models ET NS Additional information Specifications Amplifier section e Continuous power output stereo FOR os ok ex ek 100 W DIN 1kHz THD 1 0 e Continuous power output surround PROM desea 100 W per channel 1kHz 1 0 8 Q Center cee en 10
92. onnected a remote control to the CONTROL IN jack using a mini plug cable you wont be able to control this unit using the remote sensor En En Controls and displays Chapter 5 Controls and displays Front panel Illustration below shows the VSX 815 915 model 1 13 ADVANCED ST DIRECT STANDARD SURR AUTO SURR SELECT Lo T T 1 LISTENING MODE SIGNAL BAND 1 Input select buttons Press to select an input source 2 Character display See Display on page 28 3 MCACC indicator Lights when Acoustic Calibration EQ page 39 is on Acoustic Calibration EQ is automatically set to ALL CH ADJUST after the Auto MCACC Setup page 11 or EQ Auto Setup page 49 is complete En FL DIMMER 14 15 16 INPUT EXTENDED ir us 19 20 21 22 Pit TUNING TUNER QUICK SYSTEM 6 RETURN n 9 23 4 ENTER 5 MULTI JOG dial Use the MULTI JOG dial to select various settings and menu options 6 STANDBY ON Switches the receiver between on and standby 7 PHONES jack Use to connect headphones When connected there is no sound output from the speakers Controls and displays 8 LISTENING MODE buttons STANDARD Press for Standard decoding and to switch between the various Pro Logic IIx and Neo 6 options page 36 ADVANCED SURROUND Use to switch between the various surround modes page 37 STEREO DIRECT AU
93. or is 220 V Please set it to the correct voltage for your country or region e Saudi Arabia operates on 127V and 220V mains voltage Please set to the correct voltage before using CAUTION For Taiwan please set to 110 V before using The STANDBY ON switch on this unit will not completely shut off all power from the AC outlet Before changing the voltage disconnect the AC power Since the power cord serves as the main disconnect cord Use a medium size screwdriver to change the device for the unit you will need to unplug it from voltage selector switch the AC outlet to shut down all power Therefore make sure the unit has been installed so that the power cord can be easily unplugged from the AC outlet in case of an accident To avoid fire hazard the power cord should also be unplugged from the AC outlet when left unused for a long period of time for example when on vacation D3 4 2 2 2a A En TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS 110V 220V 120 127V 240V Medium size screwdriver D3 4 2 1 5_En Contents 01 Before you start Introduction to home theater 5 Checking what s in tthebox 5 Loading the DatTeriesS rsa Gio e RE tisa 5 Installing the receiver x caw wae Ke a we ww oa 6 WET LOM ane ar wane eu aad ae C 8 ave 6 02 5 minute guide Listening to Surround Sound acca wee mm 7 USING tme QUICK SEL us os goa e Sn 10 03 Quick surround sound setup Automatically setting up for surround s
94. ound 4 90 T P e 11 Other problems when using the Auto Queree i P 13 04 Connecting up Making cable connections uacua dew cx xa 14 Analog sudibp CabDl8S us as casey ke dex sen 14 Digital audio cables ua sas icc Ra 14 MIOSO DUDIBS v scs Ed Eod OE AUR QC rsr RC RR E AC S 14 Connecting a DVD player and IV 16 Connecting the multichannel analog esq PT Ir 17 Connecting a satellite receiver or other digital SrO DOS qas M adeart RcRUxC d CROE C Rc RC 17 Connecting other audio components 18 About the WMA9 Pro decoder 18 Connecting other video components 19 Using the component video jacks 20 Connecting to the front panel video US DERNIERE REESE CTTITIRO TIT 20 Connecting antennas aic uca c i d aww oe 21 PIV Wie Seiwa aaa ew ww REOR C RC ER 21 AM INCOD GINCNING uo acacacecs dax ac kc es anaes 21 Using external antennas 21 Connecting the speakers else 22 A and B speaker systems 23 Hints on speaker placement 23 Operating other Pioneer components 25 05 Controls and displays FIMO DENG 1 ita ead dea og ica Roe e dii elc 26 Bg rc 28 Remote control V8X 815 915 29 Remote control VSX 515 wa awe es 33 Operating range of remote control unit 35 06 Listening to your system AOD VOR d a d aeu P ae etra eE 36 Listening in surround sound 36
95. our nearest Pioneer authorized service center or your dealer for a replacement Cleaning the unit Use a polishing cloth or dry cloth to wipe off dust and dirt When the surface is dirty wipe with a soft cloth dipped in some neutral cleanser diluted five or six times with water and wrung out well and then wipe again with a dry cloth Do not use furniture wax or cleansers Never use thinners benzine insecticide sprays or other chemicals on or near this unit since these will corrode the surface Published by Pioneer Corporation Copyright 2005 Pioneer Corporation All rights reserved PIONEER CORPORATION 4 1 Meguro 1 Chome Meguro ku Tokyo 153 8654 Japan PIONEER ELECTRONICS USA INC P O BOX 1540 Long Beach California 90810 1540 U S A TEL 800 421 1404 PIONEER ELECTRONICS OF CANADA INC 300 Allstate Parkway Markham Ontario L3R OP2 Canada TEL 1 877 283 5901 PIONEER EUROPE NV Haven 1087 Keetberglaan 1 B 9120 Melsele Belgium TEL 03 570 05 11 PIONEER ELECTRONICS ASIACENTRE PTE LTD 253 Alexandra Road 704 01 Singapore 159936 TEL 65 6472 7555 PIONEER ELECTRONICS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 178 184 Boundary Road Braeside Victoria 3195 Australia TEL 03 9586 6300 PIONEER ELECTRONICS DE MEXICO S A DE C V Blvd Manuel Avila Camacho 138 10 piso Col Lomas de Chapultepec Mexico D F 11000 TEL 55 9178 4270 05C00001 gt Printed in lt XRB3049 A gt
96. p Connecting the multichannel analog outputs For DVD Audio and SACD playback your DVD player may have 5 1 channel analog outputs In this case you can connect the multichannel analog outputs to the multichannel inputs of this receiver as shown below This receiver udi REM OUTP DVD multi channel decoder with multi channel analog output jacks co CA The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same Connecting a satellite receiver or other digital set top box Satellite and cable receivers and terrestrial digital TV tuners are all examples of so called set top boxes Note 1 Connect a set of audio video outputs on the set top box component to the e AUDIO and VIDEO inputs on this receiver Use a stereo RCA phono cable for the audio connection and a standard RCA video cable for the video connection 2 Connect an optical digital audio output from your set top box component to the DIGITAL OPT 1 TV SAT input on this receiver Use an optical cable for the connection This receiver OPTICAL COAXIAL The illustration shows the VSX 915 but connections for the VSX 515 815 are the same 1 The multichannel input can only be used when DVD 5 1 ch is selected see page 44 2 If you ve already connected your TV to the TV SAT inputs simply choose another input
97. p your digital equipment according to the default settings for the digital inputs see above This setting tells the receiver what digital equipment is hooked up to which terminal so the buttons on the remote correspond to what you have hooked up 1 Select DIG IN from the IN ASSIG menu 2 Select the number of the digital input to which you ve connected your digital component Use the cursor left right buttons to do this e The numbers correspond with the numbers beside the inputs on the back of the receiver 3 Select the component that corresponds with the one you connected to that input Use the f 4 cursor up down buttons to select DVD TV CD CDR DVR or OFF e f you assign a digital input to a certain function for example DVD then any digital inputs previously assigned to that function will automatically be switched off 4 When you re finished press RETURN Assigning the component video inputs VSX 815 915 model only Default settings COMP 1 DVD COMP 2 TV COMP 3 DVR When you select an input source DVD LD TV SAT etc the receiver outputs the component video signal assigned to that source If you didn t make component video connections according to the defaults above you must assign the numbered input to the component you ve connected or else you may see the video signal of a different component For more on this see Using the component video jacks on page 20 1 Select COMP
98. pending on the source and the sound mode you have selected you may not get sound from the surround back speakers in your setup For more on this refer to Using the surround back channel Extended mode on page 41 3 VSX 815 915 only This button is called ADV SURR on the remote control EXPANDED his mode is especially designed to give sound depth to stereo sources and lets you hear two channel stereo signals as simulated multichannel surround sound Use with Dolby Pro Logic for a stereo surround effect You can also use with Dolby Digital sources for a wider stereo field than the Standard modes e 7 STEREO his can be selected to give multichannel sound to a stereo source using all of the speakers in your setup e VIR SURR Creates a virtual surround effect using just the subwoofer and front speakers e PHONES SURROUND When listening through headphones you can still get the effect of overall surround ie Tip e When an Advanced Surround listening mode is selected the effect level can be adjusted in the range of 10 to 90 by pressing EFFECT CH SEL until EFFECT shows in the display The effect level can be set for each Advanced Surround mode by pressing Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music settings When listening to 2 channel sources in Dolby Pro Logic Ilx Music mode there are three further parameters you can adjust Center Width Dimension and Panorama RECEIVER CONTROL RECEIVER CONTROL Above
99. r DVD SHIFT Switches to the DVD controls when using a DVD HDD DVR Player CH recorder En Other connections Chapter 12 Other connections Oo Caution before making or changing the connections switch off the power and disconnect the power cord from the power outlet Plugging in components should be the last connection you make with your system Be careful not to allow any contact between speaker wires from different terminals You can use speakers with a nominal impedance between 6 16 please see Switching the speaker impedance on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 8Q Second Zone speaker B setup VSX 915 model only After selecting SB 2ND Z in Surround back speaker setting on page 46 you can use the speakers connected to the surround back B speaker terminals on the rear panel to listen to stereo playback in another room See Switching the speaker system below for the listening options with this setup 1 Connect a pair of speakers to the surround back speaker terminals on the rear panel Connect them the same way you connected your speakers in Connecting the speakers on page 22 Make sure to review Hints on speaker placement on page 23 when placing the speakers in another room Note 2 Select SB 2ND Z from the SB SYSTEM menu See Surround back speaker setting on page 46 to do this Switching the speaker system If you selected SB 2ND Z in Surround back
100. r these settings will still be effective Listening to your system 1 With Neo 6 MUSIC mode active press EFFECT CH SEL repeatedly to select C IMAGE 2 Use the buttons to adjust the setting Adjust the effect from 0 all center channel sent to front right and left speakers to 10 center channel sent to the center speaker only Listening in stereo When you select STEREO or DIRECT you will hear the source through just the front left and right speakers and possibly your subwoofer depending on your speaker settings Dolby Digital and DIS multichannel sources are downmixed to stereo RECEIVER CONTROL STEREO RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e While listening to a source press STEREO for stereo playback Press repeatedly to switch between e STEREO he audio is heard with your surround settings such as channel level and you can still use digital processing such as the Midnight Loudness and Tone control functions DIRECT Bypass all effects and surround settings so that the audio remains as close to the source audio signal as possible AUTO SURR 5ee Auto playback on page 36 for more on this Note Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ Default setting OFF ALL CH after the Auto MCACC Setup or EQ Auto Setting You can listen to sources using the Acoustic Calibration Equalization set in Automatically setting up for surround sound
101. radio frequency page 54 or the tracks on a CD DVD etc DISC ENTER can be used to enter commands for TV or DIV and can also be used to select a disc in a multi CD player The following are accessed by pressing the RECEIVER button first FL DIMMER Dims or brightens the display SR Switches the SR mode on off page 74 5 Tuner component control buttons SYSTEM SETUP The following button controls except SYSTEM SETUP can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding MULTI CONTROL button TUNER DVD LD TV SAT etc D ACCESS After pressing you can access a radio station directly using the number buttons page 54 TOP MENU Displays the disc top menu of a DVD DTV MENU Displays menus on a digital TV T EDIT Press to memorize and name a station for recall page 55 GUIDE Displays the guides on a digital TV SYSTEM SETUP Press RECEIVER first to access Use to access the System Setup menu see page 46 CLASS owitches between the three banks classes of radio station presets page 55 MENU Displays the disc menu of DVD Video discs It also displays IV and DIV menus BAND owitches between the tuner AM and FM bands page 54 RETURN Press to confirm and exit the current menu also use to return to the previous menu with DVDs or to select closed captioning with DTV 6 f TUNE ST ENTER Use the arrow buttons when setting up your surround sound system see
102. roceed to the next channel e The front speakers can t be adjusted if you selected F ALG ADJ En e he OVER indicator shows in the display if the frequency adjustment is too drastic and might distort If this happens bring the level down until OVER disappears from the display i Tip e Changing the frequency curve of one channel too drastically will affect the overall balance If the speaker balance seems uneven you can raise or lower channel levels using test tones with the trim band TRM shows in the display Use cursor left right to select TRM then use f 4 cursor up down to raise or lower the channel level for the current speaker 4 When you re finished press RETURN Press RETURN once more to go back to the Manual MCACC setup menu Checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings After you have completed an automatic or manual Acoustic Calibration EQ adjustment you can check the ALL CH F ALIGN and CUSTOM1 2 settings in the display 1 Select EQ CHECK from the Manual MCACC setup menu 2 Use f 4 cursor up down and ENTER to select the setting you want to check e t is useful to do this while a source is playing so you can compare the different settings 3 Use f 4 cursor up down to select the channel you want using cursor left right to check the settings The MCACC channel EQ indicators in the front panel display will light accordingly 4 When you re finished press RETURN
103. s are designed to be used with film soundtracks but some modes are also suited for music sources Try different settings with various soundtracks to see which you like Using the Advanced surround effects i ADVANCED d RECEIVER CONTROL ADVSURR RECEIVER CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right e Press ADVANCED SURROUND repeatedly to select a listening mode ADV MOVIE Simulates the relaxed envi ronment of a movie theater and is suitable for watching movies e ADV MUSIC Simulates the acoustic environment of a large concert hall and is suitable for music or musical sources e TV SURR his mode produces surround sound for both mono and stereo IV sources It is useful for older movies recorded with mono soundtracks SPORTS his is designed for sports programs with a lot of action adding to the excitement by bringing background action to the forefront e ADV GAME Useful when playing video games It works especially well with sound moving from left to right in game software 1 During playback of a Dolby Digital multichannel source with the Extended mode switched ON you will only be able to select Dolby Digital EX D0 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE or D0 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC See Using the surround back channel Extended mode on page 41 for more on this 2 f you press ADVANCED SURROUND when the headphones are connected the PHONES SURROUND mode will automat ically be selected De
104. s is detected 2 When the STANDARD mode is on this lights to indicate decoding of a DIS multichannel signal 3 DO DIGITAL When the STANDARD mode of the receiver is on this lights to indicate decoding of a Dolby Digital multichannel signal 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 4 D0 PRO LOGIC IIx When the STANDARD Pro Logic I mode of the receiver is on D0 PRO LOGIC II lights to indicate Pro Logic Il decoding DO PRO LOGIC IIx lights to indicate Pro Logic Ilx decoding see Listening in surround sound on page 36 5 VIR SB Lights during Virtual Surround back processing page 42 6 DIRECT Lights when source direct playback is in use Direct playback bypasses the tone controls and channel levels for the most accurate reproduction of a source 7 AUTO SURR Lights when the Auto Surround feature is switched on see Auto playback on page 936 8 ATT Lights when INPUT ATT is used to attenuate reduce the level of the analog input signal 9 SLEEP Lights when the sleep mode is active page 45 10 Tuner indicators O Lights when the mono mode is set using the MPX button CD Lights when a stereo FM broadcastis being received in auto stereo mode Controls and displays y Lights when a broadcast is being received 11 Speaker indicators Lights to indicate the current speaker system A and or B VSX 815 page 23 VSX 915 page 71 12 Character display 13 Neo 6 When the STANDARD Neo 6 mode of the receiv
105. sed to select the green commands above the number buttons FL DIMMER etc Also use this button to set up surround sound page 10 page 46 14 VOL Use to set the listening volume 15 MUTE Mutes the sound or restores the sound if it has been muted adjusting the volume also restores the sound Controls and displays Remote control VSX 515 OQ INPUT ATT T EDIT GUIDE SUBTITLE 2 X SETUP RETURN RETURN BAND DTV ON OFF DTVINFO DISPLAY CLASS MPX D ACCESS RECEIVER 1 INPUT SELECT Use to select the input source 2 RECEIVERO This switches between standby and on for this receiver see Controlling the rest of your system on page 58 3 MULTI CONTROL buttons Press to select control of other components 4 RECEIVER CONTROL buttons STANDARD Press for Standard decoding and to switch between the various Pro Logic Ilx and Neo 6 options page 36 ADVANCED SURROUND Use to switch between the various surround modes page 37 STEREO DIRECT owitches between direct and stereo playback Direct playback bypasses the tone controls and any other signal processing for the most accurate reproduction of a source page 39 Also selects the Auto Surround mode Auto playback on page 36 MIDNIGHT LOUDNESS Use Midnight when listening to movie soundtracks at low volume Use Loudness to boost the bass and treble at low volume page 43 EFFECT CH SEL Press repeatedly to select a channel then use LEVEL
106. sing the SR mode with a Pioneer plasma Gor dr are ak Sw ee ee 74 13 Other Settings The Input ASSIGN MENU eee eee ee 75 The Other setup MENU eee eee es 76 Dynamic Range Control Setup 76 Dual Mono Setup sax ucmncsm xm Rmo 76 LFE Alenuator SCD xi x ac Rr Rar aat den 77 SR Setup for Pioneer plasma displays 77 14 Additional information rouble NOONG a ac ui o on OR a 8 cat 78 Resetting the main unit lr 81 owitching the speaker impedance 81 wee edP ET TO TITO T o TT 82 P OWDF COMO CAUTION tux 9 EC car EXE EON RC 83 Cleaning the Unit eee eee ees 83 Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories Dolby Pro Logic Surround EX and the double D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories DTS DTS ES Extended Surround and Neo 6 are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems Inc Before you start cu Chapter 1 Before you start 4 Introduction to home theater Checking what s in the box You are probably used to using stereo Please check that you ve received the following equipment to listen to music but may not be supplied accessories used to home theater systems that give you Setup microphone many more options such as surround sound when listening to soundtracks AM loop antenna Home theater refers to the use of multiple FM wire antenna audio tracks to create a surround sound effect Dry cell batteries AA size IEC R6 x2 making you
107. ssigning the proper preset code DVD Manufacturer Code TOSHIBA 001 SONY 002 PANASONIC 003 JVC 004 SAMSUNG 005 SHARP 006 AKAI 007 RCA 009 011 DENON 010 HITACHI 012 PHILIPS 013 ZENITH 014 THOMSON 015 SONY 016 video game MICROSOFT 017 Videogame PIONEER 000 008 020 LD Manufacturer Code SONY 101 PANASONIC 105 106 PHILIPS 104 KENWOOD 103 RCA 107 PIONEER 100 111 TV Manufacturer Code RCA 601 615 616 617 618 ZENITH 603 620 MAGNAVOX 612 629 GE 611 628 GENERAL 666 PHILIPS 607 SONY 604 PANASONIC 608 622 TOSHIBA 605 626 663 SHARP 602 619 627 HITACHI 606 624 625 664 SANYO 621 614 MITSUBISHI 609 GOLDSTAR 610 623 JVC 613 665 FUNAI 658 AIWA 660 NEC 659 GRANDIENTE 630 PIONEER 600 667 STB SATELLITE CATV Manufacturer Code AICHI DENSI 734 DX ANNTENA 722 733 FUJITSU 722 723 724 HITACHI 721 MASPRO 729 NEC 720 PANASONIC 725 726 728 SUMITOMO 730 TOSHIBA 719 JERROLD 701 702 703 304 3d 712 718 714 715 716 SA 705 706 708 709 731 ZENITH 707 717 710 PIONEER 700 718 On digital STB ManufacturerCode RCA 201 203 209 SONY 202 557 ECHOSTAR 205 PRIMESTAR 206 BELL 208 TOSHIBA 555 SHARP 554 AIWA 562 563 564 HITACHI 556 JVC 551 552 553 MASPRO 559 560 561 PANASONIC 558 PIONEER 200 DTV Manufacturer Code PIONEER 229 207 231 232 PANASONIC 226 230 JVC 227 TOSHIBA 228 VCR Manufacturer Code R
108. sts Connect the antenna refer to page 21 Route any loose cables away from the antenna terminals and wires Fully extend the FM wire antenna position for best reception and secure to a wall Connect an outdoor FM antenna refer to page 21 Adjust the direction and position for best reception Connect an additional internal or external AM antenna refer to page 21 Turn off the equipment causing the noise or move it away from the receiver Move antennas farther away from equipment causing the noise Broadcast stations cannot be Connect an outdoor antenna refer to page 21 selected automatically No sound from surround or Connect the speakers properly refer to page 22 center speakers Refer to Speaker setting on page 51 to check the speaker settings Refer to Channel level on page 52 to check the speaker levels No sound from surround Refer to Speaker setting on page 51 to check the surround back back speakers speaker settings Refer to Channel level on page 52 to check the speaker levels Refer to Using the surround back channel Extended mode on page 41 to make sure the Extended mode and the sound mode are set for surround back sound No sound from subwoofer Make sure the subwoofer is switched on e f the subwoofer has a volume knob make sure it s turned up The Dolby Digital or DIS source you are listening to may not have an LFE channel e Switch the subwoofer setting in Speaker setting
109. t the Pioneer Cus tomer Support division for more information on obtaining an SR cable you can also use a commercially available 3 ringed mini phone plug for the connection e f you connect to a Pioneer plasma display using an SR cable you will need to point the remote control at the plasma dis play remote sensor to control the receiver In this case you won t be able to control the receiver using the remote control if you switch the plasma display off 2 The automatic volume muting feature is enabled separately see The Input Assign menu on page 75 Other Settings Chapter 13 Other Settings The Input Assign menu You only need to make settings in the Input Assign menu if you didn t hook up your digital equipment according to the default settings for the digital inputs or if you have connected equipment using component video cables 1 Select IN ASSIG from the System Setup menu See Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu on page 46 for more on this 2 Use cursor left right to select the setting you want to adjust then press ENTER e DIG IN See Assigning the digital inputs below e COMP IN VSX 875 975 model only See Assigning the component video inputs below Assigning the digital inputs e Default settings COAX 1 coaxial DVD COAX 2 coaxial CD OPT 1 optical TV VSX 815 915 model only OPT 2 optical DVR You only need to do this if you didn t hook u
110. ternates between 10K STEP and 9K STEP each time you do this Making recordings Chapter 9 Making recordings Making an audio or a video recording You can make an audio or a video recording from the built in tuner or from an audio or video source connected to the receiver such as a CD player or TV Keep in mind you can t make a digital recording from an analog source or vice versa so make sure the components you are recording to from are hooked up in the same way see Connecting up on page 14 for more on connections If you want to record a video source you also need to usethe same type of connection forthe source as for the recorder INPUT INPUT SELECT DVD LD HEUS DVR VCR i TVCONT MULTI CONTROL Above VSX 515 left and VSX 815 915 right SIGNAL SELECT Note 1 Select the source you want to record Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons or INPUT SELECT 2 Select the input signal if necessary Press SIGNAL SELECT to select the input signal corresponding to the source component see page 40 for more on this 3 Prepare the source you want to record Tune to the radio station load the CD video DVD etc 4 Prepare the recorder Insert a blank tape MD video etc into the recording device and set the recording levels Refer to the instructions that came with the recorder if you are unsure how to do this Most video recorders set the audio recording level automatically check the component s
111. th DTS 96kHz 24 bit sources or PCM 96 88 2kHz sources En KO Listening to your system The table indicates when you will hear the Using the Virtual Surround Back vitua surround back channel mode VirtualSB e Press EXTENDED MODE front panel repeatedly to select a virtual surround back channel option Press repeatedly to select between Selecting this mode allows you to hear a virtual back channel through your surround speakers For example you can choose to listen to sources with no surround back channel e VSB ON Virtual Surround Back is always information for example 5 1 encoded used for example on 5 1 encoded material with emulated 6 1 encoding VSB material ON Sometimes the material may sound e VSB AUTO Virtual Surround Back is better in the 5 1 format for which it was automatically applied to 6 1 encoded originally encoded In this case you can have sources for example Dolby Digital EX or the receiver only apply this effect to 6 1 DTS ES encoded sources like Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES VSB AUTO or you can simply switch it off VSB OFF switched off e VSB OFF Virtual Surround Back mode is O Sanad Type of source EE Sources ner yp bed Multichannel Stereo sources NN surround sources DO Pro Logic II DO Pro Logic ELM Dolby Digital EX Q DTS ES encoded multichannel source AUTO e with 6 1ch surround Dolby Digital DTS ON e Q encoded multichannel source AUTO e Dolby Digital DTS ON
112. the picture when the IV is switched on If you do not have magnetically shielded speakers and notice discoloration of the TV picture move the speakers farther away from the TV e f you re using a center speaker place the front speakers at a wider angle If not place them at a narrower angle Place the center speaker above or below the IV so that the sound of the center channel is localized at the TV screen Also make sure the center speaker does not cross the line formed by the leading edge of the front left and right speakers It is best to angle the speakers towards the listening position The angle depends on the size of the room Use less of an angle for bigger rooms e Surround and surround back speakers should be positioned 60 cm 90 cm higher than your ears and titled slightly downward Make sure the speakers don t face each other 0 Connecting up En To achieve the best possible surround sound install your speakers as shown below Be sure all speakers are installed securely to prevent accidents and improve sound quality o Caution f you choose to install the center speaker on top of the TV be sure to secure it with putty or by other suitable means to reduce the risk of damage or injury resulting from the speaker falling from the TV in the event of external shocks such as earthquakes e Make sure no exposed speaker wire is touching the rear panel this may cause the receiver to turn off aut
113. to control The LCD on the remote displays the component you want to control 3 Use cursor left right to select DIRECT F then press ENTER The LCD on the remote displays the component you want to control 4 Use 1 4 cursor up down to switch direct function ON or OFF then press ENTER The LCD shows OK to confirm the setting Confirming preset codes Use this feature to check which preset code is assigned to a MULTI CONTROL button 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button of the component for which you want to check the preset code 3 Use cursor left right to select READ ID then press ENTER The brand name and preset code appears in the display for three seconds Note 1 You can t use direct function with the TV CONT function END Controlling the rest of your system Controls for TVs This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands see Setting the remote to control other components on page 64 for more on this Use the MULTI CONTROL buttons to select the component e The TV CONTROL buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to the TV CONT button If you have two TVs assign the main TV to the TV CONT button Button s Function Components TVO Switches the DTV on or off DTV Switches the TV or CATV between standby and on
114. to one of the MULTI CONTROL buttons using the component s manufacturer preset code stored in the remote However please note that there are cases where only certain functions may be controllable after assigning the proper preset code or the codes for the manufacturer in the remote control will not work for the model that you are using VSX 915 only If you can t find a preset code that matches the component you want to control you can still teach the remote individual commands from another remote control page 65 Note You can cancel or exit any of the steps by pressing RECEIVER To go back a step press RETURN e After one minute of inactivity the remote automatically exits the operation Note Selecting preset codes directly DVD LD HEUS Russ TVCONT MULTI CONTROL CD R TAPE TUNER RECEIVER lt br d RETURN 1 While pressing the RECEIVER button press and hold the 1 button The remote LCD display shows SETUP 2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the component you want to control The LCD on the remote displays the component you want to control 3 Use cursor left right to select PRESET then press ENTER 4 Use t cursor up down to select the first letter of the brand name of your component then press ENTER This should be the manufacturer s name for example P for Pioneer 1 IV codes for example codes for TV CATV Satellite TV or DIV can only be assigned t
115. to the receiver Z2 Note x If you re not using a subwoofer change the front speaker setting see Speaker setting on page 51 to LARGE e VSX 515 815 only f you are using only one surround back speaker connect the positive wire to the right channel termi nal and the negative wire to the left channel terminal e VSX 975 only f you are using only one surround back speaker connect it to the surround back left L terminal En 5 minute guide Make sure that the speaker cable you re using 5 Press QUICK SETUP on the front panel to is properly prepared with about 10 mm of specify your speaker setup room size and insulator stripped from each wire with the listening position exposed wire strands twisted together fig A Use the MULTI JOG dial to select and ENTER Unscrew the terminal a few turns untilthereis tO confirm your selection See Using the Quick enough space to insert the exposed wire Setup below if you re unsure about the fig B Once the wire is in position tighten the settings terminal until the wire is firmly clamped fig C 6 PlayaDVD and adjust the volume to your likin ig A B x J fig fig fig Make sure that DVD LD is showing in the receiver s display indicating that the DVD input is selected If it isn t press DVD LD on the remote control to set the receiver to the T i DVD input Where you place the speakers will have a big There are several other sound options you ca
116. tup below e LFE ATT Set the attenuator level for the LFE channel see FE Attenuator Setup below e SR VSX 875 915 model only Specify how you want to control your Pioneer plasma display see SR Setup for Pioneer plasma displays below 3 Make the adjustments necessary for each setting pressing RETURN to confirm after each menu Dynamic Range Control Setup Default setting OFF This setting specifies the amount of dynamic range adjustment to Dolby Digital and DIS movie soundtracks You may want to use this when listening to surround sound at low volumes 1 Select DRC from the OTHER setup menu 2 Use f cursor up down to choose the setting that you want e OFF No dynamic range adjustment use when listening at higher volume e MID Mid setting MAX Dynamic range is reduced loud sounds are reduced in volume while quieter sounds are increased 3 When you re finished press RETURN Dual Mono Setup e Default setting CH1 You can specify how dual mono encoded Dolby Digital soundtracks should be played Dual mono is not widely used but is sometimes necessary when two languages need to be sent to separate channels 1 This setting works only with dual mono encoded Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks En Other Settings 1 Select DUAL MONO from the OTHER setup menu 2 Use 1 4 cursor up down to choose the setting that you want e CH1 Only channel 1 is played e CH2 Only chan
117. urn the power on e f headphones are connected to the receiver disconnect them 2 Press RECEIVER on the remote control then press the SYSTEM SETUP button Press SYSTEM SETUP again at any time to exit the System Setup menu 3 Use cursor left right to select the setting you want to adjust then press ENTER Press RETURN to confirm and exit the current menu SB SYSTEM VSX 975 only Specify how you are using your surround back speakers see Surround back speaker setting below A MCACC This is a quick and effective automatic surround setup see Automatically setting up for surround sound MCACC on page 11 M MCACC Fine tune your speaker settings and customize the Acoustic Calibration EQ see Manual MCACC speaker setup below SP SETUP Specify the size number distance and overall balance of the speakers you ve connected see Manual speaker setup on page 51 e IN ASSIG Specify what you ve connected to the digital and component video inputs see he Input Assign menu on page 15 e OTHER Make customized settings to reflect how you are using the receiver see The Other setup menu on page 76 Surround back speaker setting VSX 915 model only Default setting SB NORM There are several ways you can use the surround back speaker channels with this system In addition to a normal home theater setup where they are used for the surround back speakers they can be used for bi amping the front
118. y you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO DVR VCR IN jack If your set top box has a component video output you can connect this too See Using the component video jacks on page 20 for more on this 2 V9X 815 915 only For better quality you can also connect with S video using the S VIDEO DVR VCR OUT jack 3 If your video component doesn t have a digital audio output omit this step If it only has an optical digital output you can con nect it to the optical input on this receiver using an optical cable When you set up the receiver you ll need to tell the receiver which input you connected the component to see The Input Assign menu on page 75 Using the component video jacks VSX 815 915 model only Component video should deliver superior picture quality when compared to composite video A further advantage if your source and TV are both compatible is progressive scan video which delivers a very stable flicker free picture See the manuals that came with your TV and source component to check whether they are compatible with progressive scan video A Important e f you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input you must also have your TV connected to this receivers COMPONENT VIDEO MONITOR OUT jacks 1 Connectthe component video outputs of your source to a set of component video inputs on this receiver Use athree way component video cable for the connection 2 If necessary assi

Pioneer VSX-515 Receiver

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