Pioneer VSX-515-K, VSX-515-S, VSX-815-K, VSX-815-S, VSX-915-K Operating Instruction

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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, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

CAUTION:

TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

NOTE: This 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 that 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. – Increase 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.

Information to User

Alteration or modifications carried out without appropriate authorization may invalidate the user’s right to operate the equipment.

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.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

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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.

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Voltage selector

ou can find the voltage selector switch on the rear

panel of multi-voltage models.

The factory setting for the voltage selector is 220 V. Please set it to the correct voltage for your country or region.

• Saudi Arabia operates on 127V and 220V mains voltage. Please set to the correct voltage before using.

CAUTION

The STANDBY/ON switch on this unit will not completely shut off all power from the AC outlet. Since the power cord serves as the main disconnect device for the unit, you will need to unplug it from 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).

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• For Taiwan, please set to 110 V before using.

Before changing the voltage, disconnect the AC power cord. Use a medium size screwdriver to change the voltage selector switch.

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

110V

120-127V

220V 240V

220V 110V

240V 120– 127V

Medium-size screwdriver

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Contents

01 Before you start

Introduction to home theater Checking what’s in the box Loading the batteries Installing the receiver Ventilation

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

02 5 minute guide

Listening to Surround Sound Using the Quick Setup

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

03 Quick surround sound setup

Automatically setting up for surround sound (MCACC)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Other problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

04 Connecting up

Making cable connections

Analog audio cables Digital audio cables Video cables

Connecting a DVD player and TV

Connecting the multichannel analog

outputs Connecting a satellite receiver or other digital set-top box Connecting other audio components

About the WMA9 Pro decoder Connecting other video components

Using the component video jacks

Connecting to the front panel video

terminal Connecting antennas

FM wire antenna

AM loop antenna

Using external antennas Connecting the speakers

A and B speaker systems

Hints on speaker placement Operating other Pioneer components

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . 18

. . . . . . . . . . 18

. . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . 20

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

. . . . . . . . . . . . 23

. . . . . . 25

06 Listening to your system

Auto playback Listening in surround sound

Using the Advanced surround effects Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music settings

Neo:6 Music settings Listening in stereo Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ Choosing the input signal Using the surround back channel (Extended mode) Using the Virtual Surround Back mode

(VirtualSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Using Loudness and Midnight listening. . . . . 43

Enhancing dialog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the tone controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Playing other sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Selecting the multichannel analog inputs . . . 44

Using the sleep timer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . 37

. . . . . . . . 38

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

. . . . . 39

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

07 The System Setup menu

Making receiver settings from the System

Setup menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Surround back speaker setting . . . . . . . . . . .46

Manual MCACC speaker setup . . . . . . . . . . .47

Fine Channel Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Fine Channel Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Acoustic Calibration EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Manual speaker setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Speaker setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Crossover network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Channel level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Speaker Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

08 Using the tuner

Listening to the radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Improving FM stereo sound. . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Tuning directly to a station . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Saving station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Naming station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Listening to station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Changing the frequency step . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

English Italiano Français

Nederlands

EspañolDeutsch

05 Controls and displays

Front panel Display Remote control (VSX-815/915) Remote control (VSX-515) Operating range of remote control unit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

. . . . . . . . . . . . 29

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

09 Making recordings

Making an audio or a video recording . . . . . .57

. . . . . 35

10 Controlling the rest of your system

Setting the remote to control other

components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Selecting preset codes directly . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Direct function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Clearing all the remote control settings . . . . 59

Controls for TVs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Controls for other components . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Preset Code List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

(VSX-515)

11 Controlling the rest of your system

Setting the remote to control other

components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Selecting preset codes directly . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Programming signals from other remote

controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Erasing one of the remote control button

settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Erasing all of the remote control presets. . . . 66

Direct function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Confirming preset codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Controls for TVs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Controls for other components . . . . . . . . . . . 69

(VSX-815/915)

12 Other connections

Second Zone speaker B setup. . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Switching the speaker system . . . . . . . . . . 71

Bi-amping your front speakers . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Bi-wiring your speakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Connecting additional amplifiers . . . . . . . . . 73

Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma

display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Using the SR+ mode with a Pioneer plasma

display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

13 Other Settings

The Input Assign menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Other setup menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Dynamic Range Control Setup . . . . . . . . . . 76

Dual Mono Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

LFE Attenuator Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma displays . . . 77

14 Additional information

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Resetting the main unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Switching the speaker impedance. . . . . . . . . 81

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Power cord caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Cleaning the unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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

Chapter 1:

Before you start

Introduction to home theater

You are probably used to using stereo equipment to listen to music, but may not be used to home theater systems that give you many more options (such as surround sound) when listening to soundtracks.

Home theater refers to the use of multiple audio tracks to create a surround sound effect, making you feel like you're in the middle of the action or concert. The surround sound you get from a home theater system depends not only on the speakers you have set up in your room, but also on the source and the sound settings of the receiver.

DVD-Video has become the basic source material for home theater due to its size, quality, and ease of use. Depending on the DVD, you can have up to seven different audio tracks coming from one disc, all of them being sent to different speakers in your system. This is what creates a surround sound effect and gives you the feeling of ‘being there’.

This receiver will automatically decode Dolby Digital, DTS, or Dolby Surround DVD-Video discs, according to your speaker setup. In most cases, you won’t have to make changes for realistic surround sound, but other possibilities (like listening to a CD with multichannel surround sound) are explained in

Listening to your system

on page 36.

Checking what’s in the box

Please check that you've received the following supplied accessories:

• Setup microphone

• AM loop antenna

• FM wire antenna

• Dry cell batteries (AA size IEC R6) x2

• Remote control

• Power cords (make sure you use the

• Power plug adaptor (

• J-shaped plug x1

• These operating instructions

Loading the batteries

correct cord for your country/region):

VSX-515/815/915-K (black models)

Round 2-pin type and Australian type

VSX-515-S (silver models)

Round 2-pin type, flat blade 2-pin type and UK 3-pin type (Except Australian model)

VSX-815/915-S (silver model)

Round 2-pin type, flat blade 2-pin type, UK 3-pin type and Australian type

915-K only)

VSX-515/815/

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Illustration shows the VSX-515 model

Before you start01

Illustration shows the VSX-815/915 model

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.

• 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.

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, interfering with performance and/or causing malfunctions.

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.

20 cm

Installing the

• 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) – near a 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)

receiver

5 minute guide

0 0

Chapter 2:

5 minute guide

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

on page 75 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

DIGITAL OUT

STANDBY/ON

DVD player

Coaxial

cable

DVD PLAYER

¡¢41

VIDEO OUT

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

COAX

OPT

(CD)

(DVD /LD)

DIGITAL OUT

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

COAX

OPT

(CD)

(DVD /LD)

/ TAPE

OUT

DVD / LD

FRONT

REC

CD-R

/ MD

AUDIO

INPUT

D V D

5.1CH

VIDEO IN

CEN-

SUB

TER

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

LOOP

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

OUT

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

S-VIDEO

WOOFER

SURROUND

DVD 5.1CH INPUT

A B

S P E A K

E R S

AUX

FM UNBAL

Ω

DVR/ VCR

VIDEO

IN TV/ SAT

IN DVD /LD

FRONT

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

REC

IN CD-R

/ TAPE / MD

PLAY

The Input Assign

Video cord

This receiver*

COMPONENT VIDEO

(

)

(

)

DVR/ VCR

ASSIGNABLE

DVD/ LD

FRONT

SURROUND

BPRYPBPR

(

MONITOR OUT

FRONT

CENTER SURROUND

SURROUND BACK

VIDEO

RL R L

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

SURROUND BACK

LLL

)

TV / SAT

CENTER

RRR

TWO VOLTA

110 V

120 - 127 V

PREOUT

22 24

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Video cord

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

5 minute guide02

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.

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

Ω (please see Switching the

speaker impedance on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 8

The receiver

Ω).

Front speakers

Center speaker

LR C LSRS

CEN-

SUB

TER

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPT

DVR/

OUT

VCR

OPT

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

COAX

REC

(CD)

CD-R

OUT

/ TAPE

COAX

/ MD

(DVD

PLAY

/LD)

AUDIO

AUX

This receiver*

FM UNBAL

Ω

LOOP

OUT

CONTROL

VIDEO

OUT

MONITOR OUT

D V D

5.1CH

SUB

INPUT

WOOFER

PREOUT

WOOFER

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

SURROUND

DVD 5.1CH INPUT

OUT

DVR/ VCR

A B

TV/

SAT

DVD

/LD

S-VIDEO

R S

Powered

COMPONENT VIDEO

(

DVR/ VCR

MONITOR OUT

FRONT

RL R L

Surround speakers

)

(

)

ASSIGNABLE

DVD/ LD

BPR

CENTERSURROUND

FRONT

YPBP

LLL

(

)

TV / SAT

RRR

SURROUND BACK

Surround back speakers

SBL SBR

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

110 V

220 V

120 - 127 V

CENTER

240 V

220 V

PREOUT

240 V

110 V

120 127 V

AC IN

SURROUND

SURROUND BACK

subwoofer

INPUT

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

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.

Note

1• If you’re not using a subwoofer, change the front speaker setting (see Speaker setting on page 51) to LARGE.

• 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.

• VSX-915 only – If you are using only one surround back speaker, connect it to the surround back left (L) terminal.

5 minute guide

Make sure that the speaker cable you’re using is properly prepared with about 10 mm 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 fig. C

10mm

Where you place the speakers will have a big effect on the sound. Place your speakers as shown below for the best surround sound effect. See

Hints on speaker placement

page 23 for more on this.

Front speaker (R)

Subwoofer (SW)

Surround back speaker (SBL)

Surround speaker (RS)

Surround back speaker (SBR)

Front

speaker

(L)

Listening position

Center speaker (C)

Surround speaker (LS)

5 Press QUICK SETUP on the front panel to specify your speaker setup, room size and listening position.

Use the to confirm your selection. See

Setup

settings.

6 Play a DVD, and adjust the volume to your

MULTI JOG

dial to select and

Using the Quick

below if you’re unsure about the

liking.

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

the remote control to set the receiver to the DVD input.

There are several other sound options you can select. See

for more on this.

Listening to your system

on page 36

ENTER

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

4 Plug in 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.

Note

1 See also 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 multichannel surround sound.

Making receiver settings from the System Setup menu

STANDARD

(see

Listening in surround sound

on page 46 for more setup options.

on page 36 if you need to do this) if you want

5 minute guide02

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 below.

• If you want a more complete setup option, refer to

Automatically setting up for

surround sound (MCACC)

you choose to do so, you can skip the Quick Setup.

1 If the receiver is off, press



STANDBY/ON

2 Press

SW DET

receiver checks your setup for a subwoofer.

SW YES

check, then the display prompts you to select your speaker setup.

3 Use the speaker setup.

When a subwoofer was detected in step 2, you can cycle between the following choices:

flashes in the display while the

to turn the power on.

QUICK SETUP

SW NO

confirms the subwoofer

MULTI JOG

2.1ch 3.1ch

7.1ch

6.1ch 5.1ch

If a subwoofer wasn’t detected in step 2, you can cycle between the following choices:

2.0ch 3.0ch

7.0ch

6.0ch 5.0ch

on page 11. If

dial to choose your

4.1ch

4.0ch

• Check the table below to find the speaker setup that corresponds with your system.

4 Press

5 Use the room size.

Depending on the distance of your speakers from the listening position, choose between small, medium, or large ( average-sized room.

6 Press ENTER.

7 Use the listening position.

You can cycle between the following choices:

•

8 Press

The display shows the speaker setup, room size and listening position that you have selected.

ENTER

MULTI JOG

FWD

– If you are nearer to the front

speakers than the surround speakers

MID

– If you are equal distance from the

front and surround speakers

BACK

– If you are nearer to the surround

speakers than the front speakers

ENTER

dial to choose your

S, M

or L), M being an

dial to choose your

to confirm your setup.

Quick surround sound setup

Chapter 3:

Quick surround sound setup

INPUT

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.

Important

• The Auto MCACC Setup will overwrite any existing speaker settings you’ve made.

• Make sure the headphones are unplugged.

•

VSX-815/915 only

make sure you have selected the

SPEAKERS

– For proper calibration,

SPA

button on the front panel

before starting the Auto MCACC Setup.

Caution

• The test tones used in the Auto MCACC Setup are output at high volume.

using

RECEIVER

SELECT

RECEIVER

INPUT SELECT

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

TOP MENU MENU

DTV MENU

AUDIO

SYSTEM SETUP

MULTI CONTROL

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TV/SAT

TUNER

CD-R/TAPE

STEREO/

ADVANCED

DIRECT

SURROUND

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

BAND DTV ON/OFFRETURN

SOURCE

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

DIMMER

RETURN

RECEIVER

SLEEP

INPUT ATT

T.EDIT

GUIDE

SUBTITLE

DTV INFO

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

CD-R/TAPE

D.ACCESS TOP MENU

ST ST

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

SYSTEM

SETUP

GUIDE

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

1 Connect the microphone to the MCACC

SETUP MIC

jack on the front panel.

Make sure there are no obstacles between the speakers and the microphone.

AUX

TUNER

MCACC

SETUP MIC

DIGITAL IN

MASTER VOLUME

UPDOWN

MULTI CONTROL

TUNER RECEIVER

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

TV CONTROL

SOURCE

ENTER

CLASS MENU

BAND

RETURN

DISC

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Note

VSX-915 only –

read through

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.

If you are planning on bi-amping your front speakers, or setting up a separate speaker system in another room,

Surround back speaker setting

on page 46 and make sure to connect your speakers as necessary before continuing.

Quick surround sound setup03

2 If the receiver is off, press



RECEIVER

turn the power on.

If you have a subwoofer, turn it on.

4 Press then press the

RECEIVER

on the remote control,

SYSTEM SETUP

• Press

SYSTEM SETUP

exit the System Setup menu.

button.

again at any time to

5 Select ‘A. MCACC’ from the System Setup menu then press

•

VSX-915 only

selected then press

ENTER

– Make sure

ENTER

SB NORM.

again.

Try to be as quiet as possible after pressing

ENTER

. The 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?

• Do not adjust the volume during the test tones. This 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 or the speaker connections. Turn off the power, and check the problem indicated by the

ERR

message (see

below), then try the auto surround setup again.

•

ERR MIC

– Check the microphone connec-

tion.

•

ERR Fch

– Check the front speaker connec-

tions.

•

ERR Sch

– Check the surround speaker

connections.

Note

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

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.

and make sure to connect your speakers as necessary before continuing.

•

ERR SBch

– Check the surround back

speaker connections.

•

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

/

speaker in turn.

(cursor up/down) to check each

YES

or NO should reflect the actual speakers connected. If the speaker configuration displayed isn’t correct, use



(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.

• If the subwoofer output level is too high/ low,

SW.VOL.DWN/SW.VOL.UP

the display for five seconds. To exit and check your subwoofer output level, press

SYSTEM SETUP

when you’re prompted to

or simply press

RETRY?

8 The Auto MCACC Setup has finished!

The MCACC indicator 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

/

(cursor left/right) to select one of the

following options then

SKIP?

/

you can press

(cursor up/down)

to check the settings:

/

blinks in

ENTER

Quick surround sound setup

•

CHK SP

– Check the size and number of speakers you’ve connected (see page 51 for more on this)

•

CHK DIST.

speakers from the listening position (see page 53 for more on this)

•

CHK LEVEL

your speaker system (see page 52 for more on this)

•

CHK EQ

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)

9 When you’re finished, select back to the System Setup menu.

• 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 for 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.

• 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.

– Check the distance of your

– Check the overall balance of

– Select either

ALL CH

‘SKIP?’

F ALIGN

to go

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Connecting up04

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 from the speakers.

Important

• 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.

Digital audio cables

Commercially available coaxial digital audio cables or optical cables should be used to connect digital components to this receiver.

Coaxial digital audio cable Optical cable

• When connecting optical cables, be careful when inserting the plug not to damage the shutter protecting the optical socket.

• When storing optical cable, coil loosely. The cable may be damaged if bent around sharp corners.

• 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.

Analog audio cables

tandard RCA video cable

Right (red)

Left (white)

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.

S Video

Component video cables

VSX-815/915 model only

Use component video cables to get the best possible color reproduction of your video source. The color signal of the TV is divided into the luminance (

PR) signals and then output. In this way,

interference between the signals is avoided.

) signal and the color (

Component video cables

Green (Y)

Blue (P

)

Red (P

PB and

)

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Connecting up04

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

DVD player to the DVD/LD inputs on this receiver.

Use a standard RCA video cable3 and a stereo RCA phono cable for the connection.

• If your DVD player has multichannel

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.

• If your TV has a built-in digital decoder, you

4 Connect the MONITOR OUT video jack on this receiver to a video input on your TV.

Use a standard RCA video cable to connect to the composite video jack.

on your

analog outputs, see

multichannel analog outputs

Connecting the

below for how

to connect it.

can also connect an optical digital audio output from your TV to the

(TV/SAT)

input on this receiver. Use an

DIGITAL OPT 1

optical cable for the connection.

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

DIGITAL

AUDIO OUT

OPTICAL

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

This receiver*

COAXIAL

DIGITAL OUT

DVD player

COAX

OPT

(CD)

(DVD /LD)

OUT

ANALOG AUDIO OUT

AUX

DVR/ VCR

TV / SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

REC

CD-R

/ TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

AUDIO

ANALOG OUT

FM UNBAL

Ω

OUT

CONTROL

VIDEO

OUT

MONITOR

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

AUDIORL

LOOP

VIDEO IN

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

VIDEO OUT

OUT

S-VIDEO

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

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

on page 75). 2 This connection will allow you to make analog recordings from your DVD player. 3

VSX-815/915 only –

has a component video output, you can connect this too. See

VSX-815/915 only –

the component video jacks

For better quality, you can also connect with S-video using the

on page 20 if you want to use the component video outputs to connect this receiver to your TV.

Using the component video jacks

S-VIDEO DVD/LD

S-VIDEO MONITOR OUT

jack. If your player also

on page 20 for more on this.

The Input Assign

jack. See

Using

Connecting up

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.

his receiver*

AUX

DIGITAL OUT

OPT

OUT

(DVR/VCR)

OPT

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

COAX

DIGITAL IN

(CD)

OUT

COAX

(DVD

/LD)

RL RL

FRONT

OUTPUT

FM UNBAL

Ω

DVR/ VCR

VIDEO

IN TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

REC

CD-R / TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

AUDIO

CENTER

OUTPUT

DVD/multi-channel decoder with multi-channel analog output jacks

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

LOOP

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

SURROUND

OUTPUT

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

OUT

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

S-VIDEO

WOOFER

OUTPUT

CENTER

SURROUND

DVD 5.1CH INPUT

S P

E A K

E R

SUB

SUB WOOFER

COMPONENT VIDEO

(

)

DVR/ VCR

BPR

MONITOR OUT

FRONT

CENT

VIDEO

OUTPUT

1 Connect a set of audio/video outputs on the set-top box component to the TV/SAT

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*

AUX

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPT

COAX

(CD)

COAX

(DVD /LD)

OUT

AUDIO

FM UNBAL

Ω

LOOP

VIDEO

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

S-

DVR/ VCR

TV / SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

REC

CD-R

/ TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

2 1

DIGITAL OUT

OPTICAL COAXIAL

VIDEOAUDIOR

AV OUT

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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 The multichannel input can only be used when 2 If you've already connected your TV to the need to press the input select button for the input you connected the set-top box to. 3

VSX-815/915 only –

also has a component video output, you can connect this too. See 4 If 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

For better quality, you can also connect with S-video using the

STB

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

DVD 5.1 ch

TV/SAT

is selected (see page 44).

inputs, simply choose another input. However, to receive a signal, you'll

Using the component video jacks

S-VIDEO TV/SAT

The Input Assign menu

jack. If your set-top box

on page 20 for more on this.

on page 75).

Connecting up04

Connecting other audio components

The number and kind of connections depends on the kind of component you’re connecting.

Follow the steps below to connect a CD-R, MD, DAT, tape recorder or other audio component.

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

digital input jack using a coaxial digital

audio cable.

2 If necessary, connect the analog audio outputs of the component to a set of spare audio inputs on this receiver.

You’ll need to make 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.

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.

VSX-815/915 only:

If your recorder has a digital input, connect it to the digital output on the receiver as shown.

Use an optical cable to make this connection.

This receiver*

AUX

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPTICAL COAXIAL

DIGITAL OUT

COAX

(DVD /LD)

OPT

(CD)

OUT

AUDIO

2 3

FM UNBAL

Ω

VIDEO

LOOP

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

DVR/ VCR

TV / SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

REC

CD-R

/ TAPE

PLAY

R L

/ MD

OUT

PLAY

AUDIO OUT

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

CD-R, MD, DAT,

R L

REC

AUDIO IN

ANTENNA

MONITOR OU

Tape recorder, etc.

OPTICAL

DIGITAL IN

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

S-V

About the WMA9 Pro decoder

This unit has an on-board Windows Media® Audio 9 Professional (WMA9 Pro) decoder, so it is possible to playback WMA9 Pro-encoded

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.

audio using a coaxial or optical digital connection when connected to a WMA9 Pro-

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 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, DVDrecorders and HDD recorders.

1 Connect a 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.

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)

This receiver*

AUX

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPTICAL COAXIAL

DIGITAL OUT

COAX

OPT

(CD)

(DVD /LD)

DVR/

OUT

VCR

TV / SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

REC

CD-R

OUT

/ TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

AUDIO

1 2

OUT

R L

PLAY

AUDIO OUT

OPTICAL

DIGITAL IN

FM UNBAL

Ω

VIDEO

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

VIDEO OUT

VCR, DVR, LD player, etc.

input.

LOOP

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

R L

REC

AUDIO IN

ANTENNA

MONITOR OU

S-

VIDEO IN

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

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Nederlands

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Note

VSX-815/915 only –

box has a component video output, you can connect this too. See 2

VSX-815/915 only –

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 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 component to (see

For better quality, you can also connect with S-video using the

Using the component video jacks

The Input Assign menu

S-VIDEO DVR/VCR IN

S-VIDEO DVR/VCR OUT

on page 75).

jack. If your set-top

on page 20 for more on this.

jack.

Connecting up04

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.

Important

• If you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input, you must also have your TV connected to this receiver's

VIDEO MONITOR OUT

1 Connect the component video outputs of your source to a set of component video inputs on this receiver.

Use a three-way component video cable for the connection.

2 If necessary, assign 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:

•

COMP 1

•

COMP 2

•

COMP 3

See

Assigning the component video inputs

–

DVD TV DVR

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.

COMPONENT

jacks.

Connecting to the front panel video terminal

VSX-815/915 model only

Front video connections are accessed via the front panel using the standard audio/video jacks as well as an Svideo 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

S-VIDEO

VIDEO

LAUDIO R

VIDEO OUTPUT

TUNER

VIDEO

DIGITAL IN

DIGITAL OUT

button. There are

AUX

MCACC

SETUP MIC

Video

camera

(etc.)

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

make sure that the receiver is switched off and unplugged from the wall outlet before making or changing any connections.

FM wire antenna

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPT

DVR/

OUT

VCR

OPT

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

COAX

REC

(CD)

CD-R

OUT

/ TAPE

COAX

/ MD

(DVD

PLAY

/LD)

AUDIO

AUX

FM wire antenna

Connect the FM wire antenna and fully extend vertically along a window frame or 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.

FM UNBAL

Ω

VIDEO

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

below). Always

AM loop antenna

LOOP

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

DVR/ VCR

OUT

TV/

MONITOR

SAT

OUT

DVD

SUB

/LD

WOOFER

PREOUT

S-VIDEO

Antenna snap connectors

Twist the exposed wire strands together and insert into the hole, then snap the connector shut.

10mm

Using external antennas

To improve FM reception

Connect an external FM antenna as shown below.

75Ω coaxial cable

J-shaped plug

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 antenna

FM UNBAL

Ω

5–6 meters

Indoor antenna (vinyl-coated wire)

LOOP

ANTENNA

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FM UNBAL

Ω

LOOP

ANTENNA

Connecting up04

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.

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 ( You can use speakers with a nominal impedance between 6–16

speaker impedance

on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 8Ω).

Front speakers

LR C LSRS

AUX

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

OPT

OUT

OPT

COAX

(CD)

OUT

COAX

(DVD

/LD)

FM UNBAL

Ω

LOOP

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

FRONT

REC

CD-R / TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

AUDIO

ANTENNA

OUT

CONTROL

VIDEO

OUT

MONITOR OUT

D V D

5.1CH

SUB

INPUT

WOOFER

PREOUT

+/–

) terminals on the receiver match those on the speakers.2

Center speaker

CEN-

SUB

TER

WOOFER

COMPONENT VIDEO

(

)

DVR/ VCR

ASSIGNABLE

BPR

MONITOR OUT

SURROUND

DVD 5.1CH INPUT

OUT

S-VIDEO

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

MONITOR OUT

FRONT

CENTERSURROUND

RL R L

A B

S P E A K E R S

Surround speakers

(

)

DVD/ LD

FRONT

SURROUND

)

LLL

RRR

SURROUND BACK

CENTER

YPBP

(

TV / SAT

SURROUND BACK

Ω

(please see

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

110 V

120 - 127 V

PREOUT

Surround back speakers

SBL SBR

220 V 240 V

220 V

240 V

110 V

120 127 V

AC IN

The receiver

Switching the

This receiver*

Powered subwoofer

INPUT

* The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-515/815 are the same.

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.

Note

1 If you’re not using a subwoofer, change the front speaker setting (see 2•

VSX-515/815 only –

nal, and the negative wire to the left channel (

• VSX-915 only –

If you are using only one surround back speaker, connect the positive wire to the right channel (+) termi-

If you are using only one surround back speaker, connect it to the surround back left (L) terminal.

–

) terminal.

Speaker setting

on page 51) to

LARGE

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 (

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. A fig. B fig. C

10mm

Caution

• These speaker terminals are hazardous when live. To prevent the risk of electric shock when connecting or disconnecting the speaker cables, disconnect the power cord.

fig. A

fig. C

A and B speaker systems

VSX-815 model only

The receiver 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.

• Press the SPEAKERS button on the front panel to switch between speaker systems (A, B or both).

Hints on speaker placement

Speakers 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 the picture when the TV 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.

• If 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 TV 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.

• 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.

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Connecting up04

• 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.

Caution

• If 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.

• Make sure no exposed speaker wire is touching the rear panel, this may cause the receiver to turn off automatically.

Overhead view of speaker setup

You can also refer to the 3-D speaker setup illustration on page 9.

Surround

left

Front

left

Front rightCenter

Subwoofer

Surround

right

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

SBR

fig. A

3-D view of

7.1 channel

speaker setup

SBL

fig. B

0~60

SBL

Listening position

Surround back Surround back

left right

Single surround back speaker

Connecting up

Operating other Pioneer components

VSX-815/915 model only

Many Pioneer components have SR 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,

you also have at least one set of analog audio or video jacks connected

to another component

for grounding purposes.

CONTROL

make sure that

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OUT

CONTROL

Receiver

Other Pioneer products

Remote control unit

Note

1• If you want to control all your components using this receiver’s remote control, refer to on page 58 (VSX-515) /page 64 (VSX-815/915).

• If you have connected a remote control to the

unit using the remote sensor.

with CONTROL terminals

CONTROL

OUT

Connect to CONTROL terminal of other Pioneer products

CONTROL IN

jack (using a mini-plug cable), you won't be able to control this

Controlling the rest of your system

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Controls and displays05

Chapter 5:

Controls and displays

Front panel

Illustration below shows the VSX-815/915 model

ADVANCED

ST/DIRECT

STANDARD

LISTENING MODE

STANDBY/ON

SIGNAL

SURR

/AUTO SURR

SELECT

PHONES

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR VIDEO

INPUT

EXTENDED

SPEAKERS

ACOUSTIC

MODE

TUNER

QUICK

SYSTEM

TONE

EDIT

SETUP

MULTI JOG

FL DIMMER

ATT

TUNING

BAND

/STATION

RETURN

SETUP

STANDARD

ADVANCED

SURR

LISTENING MODE

ST/DIRECT

/AUTO SURR

SIGNAL SELECT

FL DIMMER SPEAKERS

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).

2 3

CD-R/TAPE/MD

VIDEO

VIDEO INPUT

LAUDIO R

TUNER

DIGITAL IN

S-VIDEO

4 5

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

ENTER

AUX

MCACC

SETUP MIC

121110

16 1713 14 15

INPUT

ATT

EXTENDED

MODE

ACOUSTIC

21 2218 19 20 23

TUNING

BAND

/STATION

ENTER

MULTI JOG

Use the

TUNER

EDIT

MULTI JOG

QUICK

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

TONE

MULTI JOG

dial

dial to select various

RETURN

settings and menu options.



STANDBY/ON

Switches the receiver between on and standby.

PHONES

jack

Use to connect headphones. When connected, there is no sound output from the speakers.

MULTI JOG

MASTER VOLUME

UPDOWN

Controls and displays

LISTENING MODE

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

STEREO/DIRECT (AUTO SURR)

Switches 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 (

playback

SIGNAL SELECT

Use to select an input signal (page 40).

VIDEO INPUT

See

Connecting to the front panel video terminal

on page 20.

11 MCACC SETUP MIC jack

Use to connect the supplied microphone.

MASTER VOLUME

13 FL DIMMER

Dims or brightens the display.

14 INPUT ATT

Attenuates (lowers) the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion.

SPEAKERS

VSX-815/915 model

Use to change the speaker system ( – page 23, change the impedance setting (page 81).

SPEAKER IMPEDANCE

VSX-515 model

Use to change the impedance setting (page 81).

on page 36).

buttons

(page 37).

VSX-915

– page 71) and to

Auto

dial

VSX-815

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).

BAND

VSX-815/915 model

Switches between the tuner AM and FM bands (page 54).

CLASS

VSX-515 model

Switches between the three banks (classes) of station presets

TUNING / STATION

Selects the frequency (page 54) and station presets (page 55) when using the tuner.

TUNER EDIT

Press to memorize and name a station for recall

(page 55).

TONE

Press this button to access the bass and treble controls, which you can then adjust with the

MULTI JOG

See

23 System Setup menu controls

dial (page 43).

QUICK SETUP

Using the Quick Setup

SYSTEM SETUP

Use with the System Setup menu (page 10, page 46, page 75).

RETURN

Press to confirm and exit the current menu.

MULTI JOG

(page 55).

buttons

on page 10.

dial to access the

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Controls and displays05

Display

1234567118910

[]

[ ]

[]

125

250 4K

13K

SIGNAL SELECT

indicators

Lights to indicate the type of input signal:

AUTO

Lights when

AUTO

signal select is on.

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.

DIGITAL

Lights when a Dolby Digital encoded signal is detected.

ANALOG

Lights when an analog signal is detected.

DTS

Lights when a source with DTS encoded audio signals is detected.

When the

STANDARD

mode is on, this lights to indicate decoding of a DTS multichannel signal.

DIGITAL

When the

STANDARD

mode of the receiver is on, this lights to indicate decoding of a Dolby Digital multichannel signal.

1615 17 1813 14 19 20 21

PRO LOGIC II

When the (

STANDARD

the receiver is on, indicate Pro Logic II decoding.

lights to indicate Pro Logic IIx decoding (see

Listening in surround sound

) Pro Logic II mode of

PRO LOGIC II

on page 36).

lights to

PRO LOGIC

5 VIR.SB

Lights during Virtual surround back processing (page 42).

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

ATT

Lights when

Auto playback

INPUT ATT

on page 36).

is used to attenuate

(reduce) the level of the analog input signal.

9 SLEEP

Lights when the sleep mode is active (page 45).

Tuner

indicators

Lights when the mono mode is set using the

MPX

button.

Lights when a stereo FM broadcast is being received in auto stereo mode.

Controls and displays

Lights when a broadcast is being received.

11 Speaker indicators

Lights to indicate the current speaker system,

and/or B (VSX-815 – page 23, VSX-915–

page 71).

12 Character display

Neo:6

When the (

STANDARD

) Neo:6 mode of the receiver is on, this lights to indicate Neo:6 processing.

ADV.SURR.

(Advanced Surround)

Lights when one of the Advanced Surround modes has been selected.

15 WMA9 Pro

Lights to indicate decoding of a WMA9 Pro signal.

MIDNIGHT

Lights during Midnight listening (page 43).

17 D.E.

Lights when Dialog Enhancement (

DIALOG E

is switched on (page 43).

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. the minimum level, and

- 0 dB

---dB

indicates

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

Acoustic Calibration EQ settings

Checking your

on page 50 for

more on this.

Remote control (VSX-815/915)

INPUT

RECEIVER

SELECT

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

D.ACCESS TOP MENU

5 6

)

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

SYSTEM SETUP

GUIDE

TV VOL

DTV ON/OFF

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

AUDIO

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SHIFT

ST ST

TV CONTROL

INPUT

SELECT

CH RETURN

SUBTITLE

RECEIVER CONTROL

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT /CH SEL

RECEIVER

1 RECEIVER

This switches between standby and on for this receiver.

2 INPUT SELECT

Use to select the input source.

TUNER RECEIVER

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

TV CH

DTV INFOREC MUT E

REC STOP

HDD

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

LEVEL

SOURCE

ENTER

CLASS MENU

BAND

RETURN

VOL

DVD CH

SLEEP

DISC

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Controls and displays05

3 MULTI CONTROL buttons

Press to select control of other components (see

Controlling the rest of your system

page 64).

4 Number buttons and other receiver/ component controls

Use the number buttons to directly select a radio frequency (page 54) or the tracks on a CD, DVD, etc.

DISC (ENTER)

for TV or DTV, and can also be used to select a disc in a multi-CD player.

The following are accessed by pressing the

RECEIVER

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

SETUP

selected the corresponding button (

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

can be used to enter commands

button first:

) can be accessed after you have

MULTI CONTROL

TUNER, DVD/LD, TV/SAT

RECEIVER

first to access)

SYSTEM

, etc.)

Use to access the System Setup menu (see page 46).

CLASS

Switches between the three banks (classes) of radio station presets (page 55).

Displays the disc menu of DVD-Video discs. It also displays TV and DTV menus.

BAND

Switches 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).



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 +/–

and use (page 55).

7 TV CONTROL buttons

These buttons are dedicated to control the TV assigned to the only have one TV to hook up to this system assign it to the button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the on this).

TV

Use to turn on/off the power of the TV.

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.

(TUNE/ST +/–) /ENTER

buttons to find radio frequencies

ST +/–

to find preset stations

TV CONT

TV CONT MULTI CONTROL

button (see page 64 for more

button. Thus if you

Controls and displays

8 Component control buttons

The main buttons (, , etc.) are used to control a component after you have selected it using the

The controls above these buttons can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding example connected to a DTV)).

The following DVR controls can be accessed by pressing

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD, DVR/VCR

DTV ON/OFF

Switches a digital TV on/off.

DTV INFO

Use to bring up information screens on a digital TV.

TUNER DISPLAY

Switches between named station presets and radio frequencies (page 56).

MPX

Switches 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.

CH RETURN

Returns to the last channel selected with DTV, SAT and some TVs.

SUBTITLE

Displays/changes the subtitles included in multilingual DVD-Video discs.

CH +/–

Use to select channels when using a TV, VCR, DVR, etc.

SHIFT



REC

Starts recording.

REC STOP

Stops recording.

buttons.

button (for

TV/SAT

(when

HDD/DVD

These buttons switch between the hard disk and DVD controls for DVD/HDD recorders.

9 RECEIVER CONTROL buttons

STANDARD

Press for Standard decoding and to switch between the various Pro Logic IIx and Neo:6 options (page 36).

ADV. SURR

Use to switch between the various surround modes

STEREO

playback

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.

(page 37).

on page 36).

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Auto

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Controls and displays05

EFFECT/CH SEL

Press repeatedly to select a channel, then use

LEVEL +/–

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 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

11SOURCE

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

system

controls.

on page 64):

SETUP

Indicates the setup mode, from which you choose the options below.

PRESET

See

Selecting preset codes directly

page 64.

LEARN

See

Programming signals from other

remote controls

DIRECT F

See

Direct function

to adjust the level (see

LEVEL +/–

Controlling the rest of your

on page 65.

on page 66.

Tip

buttons to

ERASE

See

Erasing one of the remote control

button settings

RESET

See

Erasing all of the remote control presets

on page 66.

READ ID

See

Confirming preset codes

13 RECEIVER

Switches the remote to control the receiver (used to select the green commands above the number buttons ( 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).

on page 66.

FL DIMMER

on page 67.

, etc). Also use

Controls and displays

Remote control (VSX-515)

RECEIVER

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

TOP MENU MENU

DTV MENU

AUDIO

DISPLAY CLASS MPX D.ACCESS

TV/ SAT

CD-R/TAPE

ADVANCED SURROUND

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

SYSTEM SETUP

BAND DTV ON/OFFRETURN

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TUNER

STEREO/

DIRECT

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

RETURN

TV CONTROL

PUT

LECT

RECEIVER

CHANNEL VOLUME

CHANNEL

1 INPUT SELECT

Use to select the input source.

2 RECEIVER

This switches between standby and on for this receiver.

SOURCE

RECEIVER

SLEEP

DIMMER

INPUT ATT

T.ED IT

GUIDE

SUBTITLE

DTV INFO

DISC

ENTER

3 MULTI CONTROL buttons

Press to select control of other components (see

Controlling the rest of your system

page 58).

4 RECEIVER CONTROL 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

playback

on page 36).

Auto

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 +/–

to adjust the level (see

Tip

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).

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Controls and displays05

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.

SYSTEM SETUP

buttons

The following button controls can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding

MULTI CONTROL 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

Use to access the System Setup menu (see page 46).

Displays the disc menu of DVD-Video discs. It also displays TV and DTV menus.

INPUT ATT

Attenuates (lowers) the level of an analog input signal to prevent distortion.

and Component control

button (

DVD/LD, TV/SAT

first to access)

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).



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 +/–

and use (page 55).

7 Component control buttons

The main buttons (, , etc.) are used to control a component after you have selected it using the

The controls above these buttons can be accessed after you have selected the corresponding example connected to a DTV)).

RETURN

Returns to the last channel selected with DTV, 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.

(TUNE/ST +/–) /ENTER

buttons to find radio frequencies

ST +/–

to find preset stations

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD, DVR/VCR

buttons.

button (for

TV/SAT

(when

Controls and displays

DISPLAY

Switches between named station presets and radio frequencies (page 56).

CLASS

Switches between the three banks (classes) of radio station presets (page 55).

MPX

Switches 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 DTV, and can also be used to select a disc in a multi-CD player.

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SOURCE

Press to turn on/off other components connected to the receiver (see page 64 for more on this).

12 RECEIVER

Switches 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 input signal.

CHANNEL +/–

Use to select channels.

VOLUME +/–

Use to adjust the volume on your TV.

Operating range of remote control unit

The remote control may not work properly if:

• There are obstacles between the remote control and the receiver's remote sensor.

• Direct sunlight or fluorescent light is shining onto the remote sensor.

• The receiver is located near a device that is emitting infrared rays.

• The receiver is operated simultaneously with another infrared remote control unit.

STA

N D A

D D V

A N C E

D R R

S T / D

/AU

R E

N G

E L

C T

ST AN

D B Y

D / L

V/ SAT

O N

I N

P U

V R

T T

C R

PEA M E

K R E

/ VI

R X S TE

D E

N D

I D

D A

I-

I N

G / S T

A T

I O

I F

IER

R E D

I T

S X-

D-

T ON

T A

I C

S E

I JO

R E

T UR

V I D E

O V

I D

M A S TE V O

R L U M

D O

W N

U P

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Listening to your system06

CH CH

Chapter 6:

Listening to your system

Important

• Certain features explained in this section will not be possible depending on the source (for example, PCM 88.2 / 96kHz, DTS 96kHz (24 bit) or WMA 9 Pro sources).

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

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.

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• While listening to a source, press STEREO

Press repeatedly until 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 source is being processed.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

MUTE

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

for auto playback of a source.

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

AUTO SURR.

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

LEVEL

shows

SLEEP

Using the surround back channel

(Extended mode)

on page 41.

The following modes provide basic surround sound for stereo and multichannel sources.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

MUTE

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUM E

RECEIVER CONTROL

SLEEP

DIMMER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• While listening to a source, press STANDARD.

If necessary, press repeatedly to select a listening mode.

• If the 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

Pro Logic IIx MOVIE

• channel sound, especially suited to movie sources

Note

1• Stereo surround (matrix) formats are decoded accordingly using

in surround sound

• The Auto Surround feature is canceled if you connect headphones or select the multichannel analog inputs. 2 This button is called 3 If the Extended mode (page 41) is switched to automatically if the

Pro Logic II

4 If the Extended mode (page 41) is switched to becomes

above for more on these decoding formats).

ST/DIRECT/AUTO SURR

Surround back speaker setting

(5.1 channel sound).

2 Pro Logic II

(5.1 channel sound).

on the front panel and (

OFF

, or the surround back speakers are set to NO (

on page 46 is set to anything but

OFF

, or the surround back speakers are set to NO (page 46), 2

Neo:6 CINEMA

or 2

Pro Logic IIx MOVIE

VSX-515 only) STEREO/DIRECT

SB NORM.

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SHIFT

SLEEP

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT /CH SEL

LEVEL

, you can select from:

– Up to 7.1

(see

on the remote control.

VSX-915 only –

), 2

Pro Logic IIx

this happens

becomes 2

Pro Logic IIx

Listening

Listening to your system

CH CH

•2 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC

– Up to 7.1 channel sound, especially suited to music sources

•

Pro Logic IIx GAME

– Up to 7.1 channel sound, especially suited for video games

•

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 ON1, you can select

(according to format):

•

2 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE

– See above (only available when you’re using two surround back speakers)

•

2 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC

•

Dolby Digital EX

– See above

– Creates surround back channel sound for 5.1 channel sources and provides pure decoding for 6.1 channel sources (like Dolby Digital Surround EX)

•

DTS-ES

– Allows you to hear 6.1 channel

playback with DTS encoded sources

Using the Advanced surround effects

The Advanced surround effects can be used for a variety of additional surround sound effects. Most Advanced Surround modes 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.

ADVANCED

STANDARD

SURROUND

EFFECT /CH SEL

DIALOG E

MUTE

RECEIVER CONTROL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• Press

ADVANCED SURROUND

repeatedly to select a listening mode.

•

ADV. MOVIE

ronment of a movie theater, and is suitable for watching movies.

•

ADV. MUSIC

environment of a large concert hall and is suitable for music or musical sources.

•

TV SURR.

sound for both mono and stereo TV sources. It is useful for older movies recorded with mono soundtracks.

•

SPORTS

programs with a lot of action, adding to the excitement by bringing background action to the forefront.

•

ADV. GAME

games. It works especially well with sound moving from left to right in game software.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

DIRECT

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

MASTER VOLUME

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

DIMMER

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

LEVEL

SLEEP

– Simulates the relaxed envi-

– Simulates the acoustic

– This mode produces surround

– This is designed for sports

– Useful when playing video

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Note

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, 2 Pro Logic IIx MOVIE

on page 41 for more on this. 2• If you press ically be selected.

•

Depending 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 3

VSX-815/915 only –

ADVANCED SURROUND

This button is called

or 2 Pro Logic IIx MUSIC

when the headphones are connected, the

Using the surround back channel (Extended mode)

ADV.SURR

on the remote control.

. See

Using the surround back channel (Extended mode)

PHONES SURROUND

mode will automat-

on page 41.

Listening to your system06

CH CH

•

EXPANDED

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.

•

7-STEREO – This can be selected to give

multichannel sound to a stereo source, using all of the speakers in your setup.

•

VIR. SURR – Creates a virtual surround

effect using just the subwoofer and front speakers.

•

PHONES SURROUND

through headphones, you can still get the effect of overall surround.

Tip

• When an Advanced Surround listening mode is selected, the effect level can be adjusted in the range of pressing shows in the display). The effect level can be set for each Advanced Surround mode by pressing

– This mode is especially

– When listening

to 90 by

EFFECT/CH SEL

+/–

(until

EFFECT

1 With ‘2 active, press select ‘

•

C WIDTH

Pro Logic IIx MUSIC’

EFFECT/CH SEL

C WIDTH’

, ‘

DIMEN.’

– 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 (default : 3); Dimension between –3 and (default : 0); Panorama is On or

Off

3 Press

EFFECT/CH SEL

other settings.

mode

repeatedly to

or ‘

PNRM’

Off

(default :

again to adjust

Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music settings

When listening to 2-channel sources in Dolby Pro Logic IIx Music mode, there are three further parameters you can adjust: Center

Width, Dimension, and Panorama.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

MUTE

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

SLEEP

DIMMER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Note

1 If the Extended mode is switched off, 2 will still be effective.

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

Pro Logic IIx

LEVEL

SLEEP

Neo:6 Music settings

• Default setting:

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.

ADVANCED

STANDARD

SURROUND

EFFECT /CH SEL

DIALOG E

MUTE

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

becomes 2

Pro Logic II (5.1 channel sound), however these settings

LEVEL

STEREO/

DIRECT

ACOUSTIC

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SLEEP

DIMMER

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SHIFT

RECEIVER CONTROL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT /CH SEL

LEVEL

SLEEP

Listening to your system

CH CH

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

(center channel sent to the center speaker only).

Listening with Acoustic Calibration EQ

• Default setting: Auto MCACC Setup or EQ Auto Setting)

You can listen to sources using the Acoustic Calibration Equalization set in

setting up for surround sound (MCACC)

page 11 or

Acoustic Calibration EQ

OFF / ALL CH

Refer to these pages for more on Acoustic

Listening in stereo

When you select hear the source through just the front left and right speakers (and possibly your subwoofer depending on your speaker settings). Dolby Digital and DTS multichannel sources are downmixed to stereo.

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• While listening to a source, press

STEREO

Press repeatedly to switch between:

STEREO

• surround settings (such as channel level) and you can still use digital processing (such as the Midnight, Loudness, and Tone control functions).

•

DIRECT

settings so that the audio remains as close to the source audio signal as possible.

•

AUTO SURR. – See

page 36 for more on this.

Note

1 This button is called 2 If you switch on Midnight listening, Loudness, Dialog Enhancement, or the Tone controls when er automatically switches to 3• You can’t use Acoustic Calibration EQ when

• If you switch on Acoustic Calibration EQ when

STEREO/

ADVANCED

DIRECT

SURROUND

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

STEREO

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

DIMMER

DIRECT

, you will

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

SHIFT

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT /CH SEL

LEVEL

SLEEP

for stereo playback.

– The audio is heard with your

– Bypass all effects and surround

Auto playback

ST/DIRECT/AUTO SURR

STEREO

on the front panel and (

DVD 5.1ch

DIRECT

Calibration Equalization.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

MUTE

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

SLEEP

DIMMER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

INPUT

FL DIMMER

SPEAKERS

ATT

TUNING

TUNER

/STATION

BAND

EDIT

Illustration shows the VSX-815/915 front panel

• 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

•

EQ OFF

EQ off.

– Custom settings

– Switches Acoustic Calibration

The MCACC indicator on the front panel lights when Acoustic Calibration EQ is active.

VSX-515 only) STEREO/DIRECT

is on, and it has no effect when headphones are connected.

is selected, the receiver automatically switches to

Automatically

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

EXTENDED

ACOUSTIC

MODE

QUICK

SYSTEM

TONE

SETUP

MULTI JOG

on the remote control.

DIRECT

is selected, the receiv-

(after the

on page 49.

SLEEP

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

LEVEL

RETURN

SETUP

STEREO

English

Deutsch

Français

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Nederlands

Español

Listening to your system06

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.

ADVANCED

ST/DIRECT

STANDARD

SURR

LISTENING MODE

/AUTO SURR

SIGNAL SELECT

1 Press

SIGNAL SELECT

on the front panel to select the input signal corresponding to the source component.

Press repeatedly to select between:

AUTO

•

When set to

– This automatically switches to

DIGITAL

otherwise it remains on

ANALOG DIGITAL

if a digital source is detected,

ANALOG

– Selects the analog inputs.

– Selects the digital input.

DIGITAL

AUTO, 2 DIGITAL

lights when a Dolby Digital signal is input, and

DTS

lights when a DTS signal is input.

Note

1• 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

• 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

• Some DVD players don’t output DTS signals. For more details, refer to the instruction manual supplied with your DVD player.

ANALOG

DIGITAL

Listening to your system

Using the surround back channel (Extended mode)

• Default setting:

You can have the receiver automatically use 6.1 or 7.1 decoding for 6.1 encoded sources (for example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-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

simply switch the Extended mode off).

Type of source

Dolby Digital EX/ DTS-ES/WMA9 Pro encoded multichannel source with

6.1/7.1ch surround

Dolby Digital/DTS/ WMA9 Pro encoded multichannel source

Dolby Digital/WMA9 Pro/DTS encoded stereo source; other digital stereo source

Analog 2-channel (stereo) source

* Excluding WMA9 Pro format

EXT. ON

Extended

mode

AUTO

Illustration shows the VSX-815/915 front panel

• Press select a surround back channel option.

Press repeatedly to select between:

•

Standard

Multichannel

sources

2 Pro Logic







INPUT

EXTENDED

TUNER

ACOUSTIC

MODE

QUICK

SYSTEM

SETUP

RETURN

EDIT

TONE

MULTI JOG

(front panel) to

FL DIMMER

ATT

TUNING

/STATION

BAND

EXTENDED MODE

EXT. ON

– 6.1 or 7.1 decoding is always

SPEAKERS

used (for example, a surround back channel will be generated for 5.1 encoded material)

EXT. AUTO

– Automatically switches to 6.1 or 7.1 decoding for 6.1 encoded sources (for example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES)

EXT. OFF

II x

– Maximum 5.1 playback

Stereo sources

2 Pro Logic

Neo:6

Advanced

surround



English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Note

1• You must have surround back speakers connected (and set to 915 only) the

• You can’t use the surround back channel with headphones, or the

• You can’t hear the surround back channel with DTS 96kHz/24 bit sources or PCM 96/88.2kHz sources.

Surround back speaker setting

on page 46 must be set to

LARGE

SMALL

SB NORM.

STEREO

in the

Speaker setting

to hear the surround back channel.

DIRECT

AUTO SURR.

on page 51) and (VSX-

modes.

Listening to your system06

The table indicates when you will hear the

Using the Virtual Surround Back mode (VirtualSB)

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 information (for example, 5.1 encoded material) with emulated 6.1 encoding (

). Sometimes the material may sound better in the 5.1 format for which it was originally encoded. In this case you can have the receiver only apply this effect to 6.1 encoded sources like Dolby Digital EX or DTSES (

VSB AUTO

VSB OFF

(

Type of source

Dolby Digital EX/ DTS-ES encoded multichannel source with 6.1ch surround

Dolby Digital/DTS encoded multichannel source

Dolby Digital/DTS encoded stereo source; other digital stereo source

Analog 2-channel (stereo) source

), or you can simply switch it off

VSB

mode

AUTO

VSB

Multichannel

sources



virtual surround back channel.

• Press repeatedly to select a virtual surround back channel option.

Press repeatedly to select between:

•

Standard

2 Pro Logic

 

EXTENDED MODE

VSB ON

– Virtual Surround Back is always

(front panel)

used (for example, on 5.1 encoded material)

VSB AUTO

– Virtual Surround Back is automatically applied to 6.1 encoded sources (for example, Dolby Digital EX or DTS-ES)

VSB OFF

– Virtual Surround Back mode is

switched off

Stereo sources

2 Pro Logic

Neo:6

Advanced

surround





Note

1• You can’t use the Virtual Surround Back mode with headphones or the

• You can only use the Virtual Surround Back mode if the surround speakers are on and the

the

Speaker setting

• The 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.

on page 51.

STEREO

DIRECT

mode.

Surr Back

setting is set to NO in

Listening to your system

CH CH

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.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

SURROUND

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

SLEEP

DIMMER

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

SLEEP

LEVEL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

1 Press MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS to switch between MIDNIGHT, LOUDNESS, and OFF.

Enhancing dialog

• Default setting:

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.

ADVANCED

STANDARD

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

DIALOG E

MUTE

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• Press

DIALOG E

enhancement on or off.

OFF

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

to switch dialog

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

SLEEP

LEVEL

Using the tone controls

Depending on what you are listening to, you may want to adjust the bass or treble using the

front panel tone control.

CD-R/TAPE/MD

VIDEO

FL DIMMER

BAND

VIDEO INPUT LAUDIO

INPUT

TUNING

/STATION

TUNER

ATT

S-VIDEO

Illustrations show the VSX-815/915 front panel

1 Press TONE to select the frequency you want to adjust.

Press to switch between

2 Use the

MULTI JOG

amount of bass or treble as necessary.

The bass and treble can be adjusted from –6 to

(dB).

• Wait about five seconds for your changes to be input automatically.

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

ENTER

AUX

MCACC

SETUP MIC

DIGITAL IN

EXTENDED

TUNER

ACOUSTIC

MODE

TONE

MULTI JOG

SETUP

QUICK

EDIT

SPEAKERS

BASS

dial to change the

SYSTEM

SETUP

and

MULTI JOG

MASTER VOLUME

UPDOWN

RETURN

TREBLE

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Note

1• You can’t use

• If you switch on Loudness or Midnight listening when 2 You can only use the tone controls when are used.

MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS

when

DVD 5.1ch

STEREO/DIRECT

has been selected.

DIRECT

is selected, the receiver automatically switches to

is selected.

DIRECT

will switch to

STEREO

when the tone controls

STEREO

Listening to your system06

Playing other sources

INPUT

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

TV/SAT

CD-R/TAPE

ADVANCED SURROUND

LEVEL

DIALOG E

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TUNER

STEREO/ DIRECT

LOUDNESS

ACOUSTIC

SOURCE

RECEIVER

MIDNIGHT/

SLEEP

DIMMER

RECEIVER

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

1 Turn on the power of the playback component.

2 Turn on the power of the receiver.

3 Select the source you want to playback.

Use the

SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

buttons (or

4 Start playback of the component you selected in step 1.

SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

SOURCE

TUNER RECEIVER

INPUT

VSX-515 model:

DVD/LD TV/SAT

FL DIMMER

• Press

DVD 5.1ch

DVD 5.1

will show in the display and the

ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT

DVD 5.1

INPUT

EXTENDED

SPEAKER

ATT

MODE

IMPEDANCE

on the front panel.

indicator will light.

VSX-815/915 model:

ADVANCED

SURR

ST/DIRECT

/AUTO SURR

STANDARD

LISTENING MODE

1 Press DVD/LD.

2 Press

SIGNAL SELECT

to select the

multichannel analog inputs.

DVD 5.1ch ANALOG SIGNAL SELECT

will show in the display and the

indicator will light.

ACOUSTIC

SIGNAL SELECT

Selecting the multichannel analog inputs

If you have connected a decoder or a DVD player with multichannel analog outputs to this receiver (page 17), you can select them for

surround sound playback.

• 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

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 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

VSB

and

MIDNIGHT/LOUDNESS

• When playback from the multichannel inputs is selected, only the volume and channel levels can be set.

• You can’t listen to your speaker B (Second Zone) system during playback from the multichannel inputs.

VIDEO 1

jacks on your TV, make sure that the

, as well as any of the listening modes (including

ACOUSTIC CAL EQ, DIALOG E, INPUT ATT, TONE

STEREO/DIRECT

and the Extended mode).

VIDEO 1

Listening to your system

CH CH

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.

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

MUTE

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

SLEEP

DIMMER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

• Press

SLEEP

repeatedly to set the sleep

time.

30 min 60 min

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT

SHIFT

/CH SEL

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

SLEEP

LEVEL

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

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.

Nederlands

Español

The System Setup menu07

Chapter 7:

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.

INPUT

RECEIVER

SELECT

RECEIVER

INPUT SELECT

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

TOP MENU MENU

DTV MENU

AUDIO

SYSTEM SETUP

MULTI CONTROL

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TV/SAT

TUNER

CD-R/TAPE

STEREO/

ADVANCED

DIRECT

SURROUND

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

BAND DTV ON/OFFRETURN

SOURCE

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

RETURN

RECEIVER

SLEEP

DIMMER

INPUT ATT

T.ED IT

GUIDE

SUBTITLE

DTV INFO

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

CD-R/TAPE

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

ST ST

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

SYSTEM

SETUP

GUIDE

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

1 If the receiver is off, press



RECEIVER

to turn the power on.

• If 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.

MULTI CONTROL

TUNER RECEIVER

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

TV CONTROL

SOURCE

ENTER

CLASS MENU

BAND

RETURN

DISC

3 Use setting you want to adjust then press

Press

/

(cursor left/right) to select the

RETURN

to confirm and exit the current

ENTER

menu.

•

SB. SYSTEM (VSX-915 only)

– Specify how you are using your surround back speakers (see

Surround back speaker setting

•

A. MCACC

– This is a quick and effective

below).

automatic surround setup (see

Automatically setting up for surround sound (MCACC)

M. MCACC

•

on page 11).

– Fine tune your speaker settings and customize the Acoustic Calibration EQ (see

speaker setup

•

SP SETUP

– Specify the size, number,

Manual MCACC

below).

distance and overall balance of the speakers you’ve connected (see

speaker setup

IN ASSIG.

•

on page 51).

– Specify what you’ve connected

Manual

to the digital and component video inputs (see

The Input Assign menu

•

OTHER

– Make customized settings to

on page 75).

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:

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 speakers or as a separate speaker system in another room.

SB NORM.

The System Setup menu

1 Select ‘ Setup menu.

See

Setup menu

2 Select the surround back speaker setting.

•

3 When you’re finished, press

You will return to the System Setup menu.

SB. SYSTEM’

Making receiver settings from the System

above.

SB NORM.

theater use with surround back speakers in your main (speaker system A) setup.

SB 2ND Z

back) B speaker terminals to listen to stereo playback in another room (see

Second Zone speaker B setup

SB BIAMP

amping your front speakers (see

your front speakers

– Select for normal home

– Select to use the (surround

– Select this setting if you’re bi-

from the System

on page 71).

Bi-amping

on page 72).

RETURN

Manual MCACC speaker setup

You can use the 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

surround sound (MCACC)

You only need to make these settings once (unless you change the placement of your current speaker system or add new speakers).

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)

unsure how to do this. Also see

problems when using the Auto MCACC Setup

on page 13 for notes regarding high background noise levels and other possible interference.

Automatically setting up for

on page 11.

on page 11 if you’re

Other

• If 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

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.

•

The last five settings are specifically for customizing the parameters explained in

Acoustic Calibration EQ

•

above if you’re not already at this

CH LEVEL

overall balance of your speaker system (see

Fine Channel Level

CH DISTN.

for your speaker system (see

Distance

EQ A. SET

characteristics of your room and automatically adjust the frequency balance of your speaker system (see

Acoustic Calibration EQ automatically

page 49).

EQ COPY

settings for manual adjustment (see

Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings

C1 ADJ/C2 ADJ

adjustments to your custom Acoustic Calibration EQ settings (see

Acoustic Calibration EQ manually

page 50).

EQ CHECK

and custom settings (see

Acoustic Calibration EQ settings

page 50).

– Make fine adjustments to the

below).

– Make precise delay settings

Fine Channel

below).

on page 49:

– Measure the acoustic

Setting the

– Copy Acoustic Calibration EQ

on page 49).

– Make detailed manual

Setting the

– Check the

ALL CH, F. ALIGN

Checking your

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Deutsch

Français

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

The System Setup menu07

Fine Channel Level

• Default setting:

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

setup

on page 11.

1 Select ‘ 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.

• The test tones used in the System Setup

2 Use channel in turn and adjust the levels

10dB

Use volume of the selected speaker to match the reference speaker. When it sounds like both tones are the same volume, press left) to continue to the next channel.

• For comparison purposes, the reference

• If you want to go back and adjust a

3 When you're finished, press RETURN.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup menu.

CH LEVEL’

Caution

are output at high volume (the volume increases to

/

)

as necessary.

/

(cursor up/down) to adjust the

speaker will change depending on which speaker you select.

channel, simply use right) to select it.

0dB

(all channels)

Quick surround sound

from the Manual

-18dB

automatically).

(cursor left/right) to select each

(

+/–



(cursor

/

(cursor left/

Fine Channel Distance

• Default setting:

For proper sound depth and separation with your system, it is necessary to add a slight bit of delay to some 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 page 11.

1 Select ‘CH DISTN.’ from the Manual MCACC setup menu.

2 Use distance of the left channel from the listening position then press

3 Use channel in turn and adjust the distance as necessary.

Use of the selected speaker to match the reference speaker. The delay is measured in terms of speaker distance from

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.

When it sounds like the delay settings are matched up, press and continue to the next channel.

• For comparison purposes, the reference

Quick surround sound setup

/

/

/

(cursor up/down) to adjust the delay

speaker will change depending on which speaker you select.

3.0 m

(all channels)

(cursor up/down) to adjust the

ENTER

(cursor left/right) to select each

0.1

9.0

meters.



(cursor right) to confirm

The System Setup menu

• If you want to go back and adjust a channel, simply use right) to select it.

4 When you're finished, press RETURN.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup menu.

/

(cursor left/

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

setting up for surround sound (MCACC)

page 11, 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 ‘ MCACC setup menu.

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 ADJ

EQ A. SET

• Make sure the microphone is connected.

• If 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

regarding high background noise levels and other possible interference.

and

’ from the Manual

on page 13 for notes

Automatically

F.ALG ADJ

(below)

•

A. CH – All Channel Adjust

where all the speakers are set individually so no special weighting is given to any one channel.

•

F.ALG – Front Align Adjust

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.

is a ‘flat’ setting

balances the

Copying your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings

If you want to manually adjust the Acoustic Calibration EQ (see

Calibration EQ manually

recommend copying the settings from the from

Automatically setting up for surround

sound (MCACC)

custom ( 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 or C2 then use the buttons to select the setting you want to copy.

3 Use ‘COPY? YES’ to copy and confirm.

You can also use select

or C2) settings. Instead of just a flat

/

• You can also copy from one custom setting to another. For more on the

F.ALG

settings, see

Calibration EQ automatically

/

COPY? NO

Setting the Acoustic

below), we

A. CH

or the

F.ALG

EQ A. SET

on page 11) to one of the

(cursor left/right) to select C1

/

(cursor left/right) to select

/

to cancel.

setup above (or

(cursor up/down)

A. CH

and

Setting the Acoustic

above.

(cursor up/down) to

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Español

The System Setup menu07

Setting the Acoustic Calibration EQ manually

Before manually adjusting the Acoustic Calibration EQ, we recommend copying the

or the

F.ALG

above (or from

surround sound (MCACC)

the custom settings. Instead of just a flat EQ curve, this will give you a reference point from which to start (see

Calibration EQ settings

this).

1 Select ‘ Manual MCACC setup menu.

2 Use

/

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

Calibration EQ settings

•

A. CH ADJ

independently so no special weighting is given to any one channel. When adjusting, test tones will sound for each individual channel.

•

F.ALG ADJ

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 channel you want and adjust to your liking.

Use the select the frequency and down) to boost or cut the EQ. When you’re finished, use the buttons to select the channel display (for example for the surround back right channel) then (cursor up/down) to proceed to the next channel.

/

/

• The front speakers can’t be adjusted if you selected

settings from the auto setup

Automatically setting up for

on page 11) to one of

Copying your Acoustic

above for how to do

C1 ADJ

’ or ‘

C2 ADJ

’ from the

(cursor left/right) and

Copying your Acoustic

above.

– All the speakers can be set

– Speakers are set in

(cursor up/down) to select the

(cursor left/right) buttons to

/

(cursor up/

/

(cursor left/right)

R EQ

for the right channel or

F.ALG ADJ

ENTER

SBR EQ

/

OVER!!

• The if the frequency adjustment is too drastic and might distort. If this happens, bring the level down until the display.

Tip

• 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 ( Use then use lower the channel level for the current speaker.

4 When you're finished, press

Press

RETURN once more to go back to the

Manual MCACC setup menu.

indicator shows in the display

OVER!!

disappears from

TRM

shows in the display).

/

(cursor left/right) to select

/

(cursor up/down) to raise or

RETURN

Checking your Acoustic Calibration EQ settings

After you have completed an automatic or manual Acoustic Calibration EQ adjustment, you can check the

CUSTOM1/2

1 Select ‘EQ CHECK’ from the Manual MCACC setup menu.

2 Use select the setting you want to check.

3 Use channel you want, using 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.

You will return to the Manual MCACC setup menu.

/

• It is useful to do this while a source is playing so you can compare the different settings.

/

ALL CH, F.ALIGN

settings in the display.

(cursor up/down) and

(cursor up/down) to select the

/

and

ENTER

(cursor left/

TRM

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

sound (MCACC)

to make all of these settings.

1 Select ‘SP SETUP’ from the System Setup menu then press

See

Setup menu

2 Use setting you want to adjust then press

If you are doing this for the first time, you may want to adjust these settings in order:

Automatically setting up for surround

on page 11, it isn’t necessary

ENTER

Making receiver settings from the System

above.

/

(cursor left/right) to select the

•

SP SET

– Specify the size and number of

speakers you’ve connected (see

setting

below).

X.OVER

• sent to the subwoofer (see

network

•

CH LEVEL

your speaker system (see page 52).

•

SP DISTN.

speakers from the listening position (see

Speaker Distance

– Specify which frequencies will be

on page 52).

– Adjust the overall balance of

– Specify the distance of your

on page 53).

Speaker

Crossover

Channel level

ENTER

Speaker setting

Use this setting to specify your speaker configuration (size, number of speakers). It is a good idea to make sure that the settings made in

Automatically setting up for surround sound

(MCACC)

1 Select

2 Use speaker(s) that you want to set then select a speaker size.

Use (and number) of each of the following speakers:

on page 11 are correct.

SP SET

from the SP SETUP menu.

/

(cursor left/right) to choose the

/

(cursor up/down) to select the size

•

Front (F

) – Select speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively, or if you didn’t connect a subwoofer. Select

frequencies to the subwoofer.

•

Center (C

speaker reproduces bass frequencies effectively, or select frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer. If you didn’t connect a center speaker, choose sent to the front speakers).

•

Surround (S

surround speakers reproduce bass frequencies effectively. Select send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer. If you didn’t connect surround speakers choose (the sound of the surround channels is sent to the front speakers or a subwoofer).

•

Surround Back (SB

and size of surround back speakers you have. Select speakers reproduce bass frequencies

) – Select

LARGE

if your front

SMALL

to send the bass

LARGE

SMALL

(the center channel is

) – Select

LARGE

) – Select the number

if your surround back

if your center

to send bass

if your

SMALL

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Note

1 If you select surround back speakers can’t be set to to the subwoofer.

SMALL

for the front speakers the subwoofer will automatically be fixed to

YES

LARGE if the front speakers are set to SMALL. In this case, all bass frequencies are sent

. Also, the center, surround, and

The System Setup menu07

effectively. Select

SMALL

to send bass frequencies to the other speakers or subwoofer. If you didn’t connect surround

back speakers choose

•

Subwoofer (SW

) – LFE signals and bass frequencies of channels set to output from the subwoofer when

SMALL

YES

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

(the bass frequencies are output from other speakers).

3 When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Tip

• If you have a subwoofer and like lots of bass, it may seem logical to select for your front speakers and

PLUS

LARGE

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 front speakers set to

PLUS

LARGE

and

YES

SMALL

or the

alternatively and let your ears judge which

are

sounds best. If you’re having problems, the easiest option is to route all the bass sounds to the subwoofer by selecting

SMALL

for the front speakers.

Crossover network

• Default setting:

This setting decides the cutoff between bass sounds playing back from the speakers selected as

LARGE

sounds playing back from those selected as

SMALL

.2 It also decides where the cutoff will

be for bass sounds in the LFE channel.

1 Select ‘

2 Use

X.OVER’

/

frequency cutoff point.

Frequencies below the cutoff point will be sent to the subwoofer (or

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

2 Use

CH LEVEL

/

setup option.

•

T. TONE M.

from speaker to speaker and adjust individual channel levels.

•

T. TONE A.

test tone moves from speaker to speaker automatically.

100Hz

, or the subwoofer, and bass

from the SP SETUP menu.

(cursor up/down) to choose the

LARGE

speakers).

from the SP SETUP menu.

(cursor up/down) to select a

– Move the test tone manually

– Adjust channel levels as the

Note

1• If the surround speakers are set to NO, the surround back speakers will automatically be set to NO.

•

VSX-515/815 only –

nal, and the negative wire to the left channel (

•

VSX-915 only –

terminal.

•

VSX-915 only –

round back settings. 2 For more on selecting the speaker sizes, see

If you are using only one surround back speaker, connect the positive wire to the right channel (+) termi-

If you select one surround back speaker only, make sure that speaker is hooked up to the left surround back

If you selected

SB 2ND Z

–

) terminal.

SB BIAMP

Speaker setting

(in

Surround back speaker setting

above.

on page 46) you can’t adjust the sur-

The System Setup menu

3 Confirm your selected setup option.

The test tones will start after you press

4 Adjust the level of each channel using the

/

(cursor up/down) buttons.

If you selected left/right) to switch speakers.

The

T. TONE A.

the following order (depending on the speaker setting):

T. TONE M.

setup will output test tones in

, use

/

ENTER

(cursor

SBR

SW SBL

Adjust the level of each speaker as the test tone is emitted.

5 When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Tip

• You can change the channel levels at any time by using the remote control. You can set two channel levels: one for one for the listening modes.

EFFECT/CH SEL

and

DVD 5.1 CH

+/–

and

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 speaker that you want then set the distance.

Use

/

distance of each speaker (in 0.1 meter increments).

3 When you’re finished, press RETURN.

(cursor left/right) to choose the

(cursor up/down) to adjust the

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Nederlands

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Note

1• 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.

Using the tuner08

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

station

below. Once you are tuned to a station you can memorize the frequency for recall later—see

Saving station presets

page for more on how to do this.

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

TOP MENU MENU

DTV MENU

AUDIO

SYSTEM SETUP

DISPLAY CLASS MPX D.ACCESS

CHANNEL

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

TV/SAT

CD-R/TAPE

ADVANCED SURROUND

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

BAND DTV ON/OFFRETURN

INPUT

SELECT

RECEIVER

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TUNER

STEREO/ DIRECT

LEVEL

ACOUSTIC

RETURN

TV CONTROL

CHANNEL VOLUME

SOURCE

RECEIVER

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SLEEP

DIMMER

INPUT ATT

SUBTITLE

DTV INFO

ENTER

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Tuning directly to a

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR T V CONT

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

T.ED IT

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

GUIDE

TV VOL

DTV ON/OFF

DISC

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

AUDIO

STANDARD ADV.SURR

MIDNIGHT/ LOUDNESS

SHIFT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ST ST

ENTER

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

TV CONTROL

INPUT

SELECT

CH RETURN

SUBTITLE

RECEIVER CONTROL

DIALOG E INPUT ATT

EFFECT /CH SEL

RECEIVER

on the next

TUNER RECEIVER

DISC

ENTER

CLASS MENU

BAND

RETURN

TV CH

VOL

DTV INFOREC MUTE

REC STOP

DVD

HDD

SLEEP

STEREO

ACOUSTIC

LEVEL

1 Press

TUNER

to select the tuner.

2 Use the BAND button to change the band (FM or AM), if necessary.

Each 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 frequency 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

STEREO

indicators don't 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.

2 Use the BAND button to change the band (FM or AM), if necessary.

Each press switches the band between FM and AM.

3 Press D.ACCESS (Direct Access).

4 Use the number buttons to enter the frequency of the radio station.

For example, to tune to

6, 0, 0

If you make a mistake halfway through, press

D.ACCESS

start over.

Saving station presets

If you often listen to a particular radio station, it's convenient to have the receiver store the frequency for easy recall whenever you want to listen to that station. This saves the effort of manually tuning in each time. This unit can memorize up to 30 stations, stored in three banks, or classes, (A, B and C) of 10 stations each. When saving an FM frequency, the

setting (see previous page) is also stored.

TUNER

button to select the

106.00

(FM), press 1, 0,

twice to cancel the frequency and

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL RECEIVER

ENTER

AUX

TUNER

CD-R/TAPE/MD

VIDEO INPUT

S-VIDEO

VIDEO

LAUDIO

MCACC

SETUP MIC

DIGITAL IN

MULTI JOG

UPDOWN

MASTER VOLUME

MPX

INPUT

EXTENDED

TUNER

ACOUSTIC

MODE

TONE

MULTI JOG

SETUP

QUICK

EDIT

FL DIMMER

BAND

TUNING

/STATION

SPEAKERS

ATT

Illustrations show the VSX-815/915 front panel

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

STANDARD

EFFECT /CH SEL

MUTE

TOP MENU MENU

DTV MENU

AUDIO

SYSTEM SETUP

DISPLAY CLASS MPX D.ACCESS

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

TV/SAT

CD-R/TAPE

ADVANCED

SURROUND

LEVEL

DIALOG E

MASTER VOLUME

RECEIVER CONTROL

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

BAND DTV ON/OFFRETURN

SOURCE

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TUNER

RECEIVER

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

ACOUSTIC

DIMMER

INPUT ATT

SUBTITLE

RETURN

DTV INFO

DISC

ENTER

T.ED IT

GUIDE

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR T V CONT

INPUT ATT FL DIMMER SR

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

SYSTEM

SETUP

GUIDE

TV VOL

DTV ON/OFF

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

AUDIO

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

1 Tune to a station you want to memorize.

See

Listening to the radio

on the previous page

for more on this.

2 Press T.EDIT (TUNER EDIT).

The display shows

ST. MEMORY

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.

SYSTEM

SETUP

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER RECEIVER

TUNE

ST ST

ENTER

TUNE

TV CONTROL

INPUT

TV CH

SELECT

DTV INFOREC MUTE

REC STOP

CH RETURN

HDD

SUBTITLE

, then a

RETURN

ENTER

RETURN

VOL

DVD

CLASS

BAND

English

Deutsch

Français

DISC

Italiano

Nederlands

Español

Using the tuner08

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

to do this.

2 Press T.EDIT (TUNER EDIT).

The display shows cursor at the first character position.

3 Input the name you want.

Choose a name up to four characters long.

• Use the

ST +/–

buttons (remote) to select

characters.

• Press

• The name is stored when

• To erase a station name, simply repeat

• Once you have named a station preset, you

ENTER

character is input, a space is input.

after choosing the fourth character.

Tip

steps 1-3 and input four spaces instead of a name.

can press ( listening to a station to switch the display between name and frequency.

ST. NAME

MULTI JOG

to confirm a character. If no

TUNER) DISPLAY

below for how

, then a blinking

dial (front panel) or the

ENTER

is pressed

when

3 Press ST +/– to select the station preset you want.

• 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 On the front panel, press

while you press and hold the

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 On the front panel, press

while you press and hold the

button.

The channel tuning step alternates between

10K STEP

and

9K STEP

each time you do this.

STANDBY/

CLASS



STANDBY/

BAND

Listening to station presets

You will need to have some presets stored to do this. See haven’t done this already.

1 Press

2 Press CLASS to select the class in which the station is stored.

Press repeatedly to cycle through classes A, B and C.

Saving station presets

TUNER

to select the tuner.

above if you

Making recordings

Chapter 9:

Making recordings

1 Select the source you want to record.

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 connections).

If you want to record a video source, you also need to use the same type of connection for the

source as for the recorder.

Above: VSX-515 (left) and VSX-815/915 (right)

Connecting up

RECEIVER

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

DVD/LD

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TV/SAT

TUNER

CD-R/TAPE

STEREO/

ADVANCED

STANDARD

DIRECT

SURROUND

EFFECT

LEVEL

/CH SEL

ACOUSTIC

DIALOG E

MUTE

on page 14 for more on

INPUT

RECEIVER

SOURCE

RECEIVER

MIDNIGHT/

LOUDNESS

SLEEP

DIMMER

SELECT

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR T V CONT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

SOURCE

TUNER RECEIVER

Use the

SELECT

2 Select the input signal (if necessary).

Press 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 instruction manual if you’re unsure.

5 Start recording, then start playback of the source component.

MULTI CONTROL

SIGNAL SELECT

buttons (or

to select the input

INPUT

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Deutsch

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Nederlands

Español

ADVANCED

ST/DIRECT

STANDARD

SURR

LISTENING MODE

/AUTO SURR

SIGNAL SELECT

Note

VSX-815/915 only

composite video outputs (see page 19 for more on video connections). 2• The receiver's volume, balance, tone (bass, treble, loudness), and surround effects have no effect on the recorded signal.

• Some digital sources are copy-protected, and can only be recorded in analog.

• Some video sources are copy-protected. These cannot be recorded.

– For example, you can’t record a component hooked up to S-video jacks with a recorder hooked up to the

Controlling the rest of your system10

Chapter 10:

Controlling the rest of your system

VSX-515 model only

2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button for the

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

• After one minute of inactivity, the remote automatically exits the operation.

Selecting preset codes directly

DISPLAY CLASS MPX D.ACCESS

RECEIVER

DVD/LD

STANDARD

INPUT SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

TV/SAT

CD-R/TAPE

ADVANCED

SURROUND

SOURCE

DVR/VCR TV CONT

TUNER

RECEIVER

STEREO/

MIDNIGHT/

DIRECT

LOUDNESS

TV CONTROL

ENTER

DISC

component you want to control.

The LED lights.

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 component type written on each

CONTROL

button.

MULTI

• 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 you have assigned it to the

TV CONTROL

on the remote if

TV CONT

button.

4 Repeat steps 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 While pressing the RECEIVER button, press and hold the 1 button.

The LED blinks.

Note

1• TV codes (for example, codes for TV, CATV, Satellite TV or DTV) can only be assigned to the

• You can’t assign the

TUNER

RECEIVER

buttons.

TV/SAT

TV CONT

button.

Controlling the rest of your system

Direct function

• Default setting:

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.

When direct function is on, any component you select (using the 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.

MULTI CONTROL

Clearing all the remote control settings

You can clear all presets and restore the factory default settings.

• 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.

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Deutsch

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Note

1 You can’t use direct function with the

TUNER

function.

Controlling the rest of your system10

Controls for TVs

This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see on this). Use the

TV CONTROL

• The the

TV CONT

Button(s)



INPUT SELECT

CHANNEL +/–

VOLUME +/–

TOP MENU

AUDIO

GUIDE















Number Buttons

+10

button Use to add a decimal point when selecting a speciﬁc TV

MULTI CONTROL

button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the

Function Components

Switches the DTV on or off. DTV

Switches the TV or CATV between standby and on. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

Switches the TV input. (Not possible with all models.) TV

Selects channels. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Adjust the TV volume. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Use as the

Select different menus from the DTV functions. DTV

Select the menu screen. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

Use as the

Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the RED commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Press to get information on DTV programs. DTV

Switches DTV on or off. DTV

Use to select closed captioning with DTV. DTV

Use to select a speciﬁc TV channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

channel.

Setting the remote to control other components

on page 58 for more

buttons to select the component.

buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to

TV CONT

DTV

TEXT ON

AUDIO

GUIDE

TEXT OFF

button. TV

button. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

button for navigating. Cable TV/Satellite TV/DTV

button. TV

DTV

button.

Controlling the rest of your system

Button(s)

ENTER/ DISC



ENTER

Function Components

Use to enter a channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

Select or adjust and navigate items on the menu screen.

ENTER

brings up the DTV menus.

Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu screen.

DTV

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 on this). Use the

Button (s)

SOURCEPress to switch the component between standby and on. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/















Number buttons

MULTI CONTROL

Function Components

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. Cassette 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. Cassette deck

Pause playback or recording. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Start playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Hold down for fast forward playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Hold down for fast reverse playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

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. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

Use the number buttons to navigate the on-screen display.

Setting the remote to control other components

buttons to select the component.

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD player

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/ DVR player/Cassette deck

player

DVD/DVR player

on page 58 for more

English

Deutsch

Français

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Nederlands

Español

Controlling the rest of your system10

Button (s)

+10

button Selects tracks higher than 10. (For example, press

ENTER/ DISC

TOP MENU





ENTER

/



ENTER

GUIDE

CHANNEL +/–

AUDIO

Function Components

then 3 to select track 13.)

Changes the search mode. DVD

Chooses the disc. Multiple CD player

Use as the

Displays the setup screen for DVR players. DVR player

Changes sides of the LD. LD player

Displays the disc ‘top’ menu of a DVD. DVD/DVR player

Displays menus concerning the current DVD or DVR you

are using.

Pauses the tape. Cassette deck

Stops the tape. Cassette deck

Starts playback. Cassette deck

Fast rewinds/fast forwards the tape. Cassette deck

Navigates DVD menu/options. DVD/DVR player

Displays/changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs. DVD/DVR player

Selects channels. VCR/DVR player

Changes the audio language or channel. DVD/DVR player

ENTER

button. VCR

+10

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD player

DVD/DVR player

Controlling the rest of your system

Preset Code List

You should have no problem controlling a component if you find the manufacturer in this list, but 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 assigning the proper preset code.

DVD

Manufacturer

TOSHIBA

001

SONY

002

PANASONIC JVC SAMSUNG SHARP AKAI RCA DENON HITACHI PHILIPS ZENITH THOMSON SONY MICROSOFT

017(Videogame)

PIONEER

003

004

005

006

007

009, 011

010

012

013

014

015

016 (video game)

000, 008, 020

Manufacturer

SONY

101

PANASONIC PHILIPS KENWOOD RCA PIONEER

107

TV/SAT

105, 106

104

103

100, 111

TV CONT

Manufacturer

RCA

601, 615, 616, 617, 618

ZENITH

603, 620

MAGNAVOX GE

611, 628

GENERAL PHILIPS SONY PANASONIC TOSHIBA SHARP HITACHI SANYO MITSUBISHI

612, 629

666

607

604

608, 622

605, 626, 663

602, 619, 627

606, 624, 625, 664

621, 614

609

Code

GOLDSTAR JVC FUNAI AIWA NEC GRANDIENTE PIONEER

STB (SATELLITE/ CATV)

Manufacturer

AICHI DENSI DX ANNTENA FUJITSU HITACHI 721 MASPRO 729 NEC 720 PANASONIC 725, 726, 728 SUMITOMO 730 TOSHIBA 719 JERROLD 701, 702, 703,

SA 705, 706, 708, 709, 731 ZENITH 707, 717, 710 PIONEER 700, 718

On digital STB

TV/SAT

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

610, 623

613, 665

658

660

659

600, 667

TV CONT

TV/SAT

630

Code

734

732, 733

722, 723, 724

704, 711, 712, 713 , 714, 715, 716

TV CONT

TV/SAT

DTV

Manufacturer Code

PIONEER 229, 207, 231, 232 PANASONIC 226, 230 JVC 227 TOSHIBA

228

VCR

Manufacturer Code

RCA 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, 470

SANYO 410, 425, 435, 468 SHARP 402, 418, 419, 469,

471

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

PANASONIC 803 KENWOOD 804, 807 ONKYO 808, 809 SONY 801, 806 TEAC 805 YAMAHA 811, 812 PIONEER 800

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

Manufacturer Code

SONY 901 KENWOOD 903 SHARP 902 TEAC 904 ONKYO 905 DENON 906 PIONEER 900

DAT

Manufacturer Code

PIONEER 907

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Controlling the rest of your system11

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 to one of the

MULTI CONTROL

component’s manufacturer preset code stored in the remote.

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 press

RECEIVER

RETURN

• After one minute of inactivity, the remote automatically exits the operation.

buttons using the

. To go back a step,

Selecting preset codes directly

INPUT

RECEIVER

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

1 While pressing the RECEIVER button, press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows

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

/

PRESET then press ENTER.

4 Use

/

first letter of the brand name of your component then press ENTER.

This should be the manufacturer’s name (for example,

SOURCE

SELECT

FL DIMMER SR

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER RECEIVER

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

GUIDE

TUNE

ST ST

TUNE

SYSTEM

SETUP

TV CONTROL

INPUT

ENTER

TV CH

SETUP

(cursor left/right) to select

(cursor up/down) to select the

for Pioneer).

ENTER

CLASS MENU

BAND

RETURN

DISC

Note

1• TV codes (for example, codes for TV, CATV, Satellite TV or DTV) can only be assigned to the

• If you assign the

receiver’s built-in tuner. 2 You can’t assign the

TUNER

function to another component, you will have to reassign it to the Pioneer preset code to use this

RECEIVER

button.

TV/SAT

TV CONT

button.

Controlling the rest of your system

5 Use manufacturer’s name from the list then press ENTER.

6 Use proper code from the list, then try using this remote control with your component.

The code should start with the component type (for example, one, start with the first one.

To try out the remote control, switch the component on or off (into standby) by pressing

SOURCE . If it doesn’t seem to work, select

the next code from the list (if there is one).

/

(cursor up/down) to select the

/

(cursor up/down) to select the

•

VSX-915 only

DVD 009

). If there is more than

– If you can’t find or properly enter a preset code, you can still teach the remote individual commands from another remote control (see

from other remote controls

Programming signals

below).

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

LEARN PRES KEY

• To exit or cancel press

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

remote is ready to accept a signal.

• The remote controls should be 3–5 cm

7 If your component is controlled successfully, press ENTER to confirm.

The remote LCD display shows OK.

5 Press the corresponding button on the other remote control that is sending (teaching) the signal to this receiver’s remote

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. This can also be used to program additional operations (buttons not covered in the presets) after assigning a preset code.

control.

For example, if you want to learn the playback control signal, press and hold seconds. The LCD display will show operation has been learned.

If for some reasons the operation hasn’t been learned the LCD will display then display keep pressing the (teaching) button as you vary the distance between the two remotes, until

the LCD display shows

1 While pressing the RECEIVER button, press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows

SETUP

/

(cursor left/right) to select

then press

ENTER

shows in the LCD display.

starts flashing to indicate the

apart.

3 – 5 cm

PRES KEY

again. If this happens,

RECEIVER

SOURCE

TUNER RECEIVER

INPUT

SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

RECEIVER



for a couple of

ERROR

DISC

SETUP

MCACC

BAND

CLASS

RETURN

VOL

DVD

ENTER

HDD

LEVEL EFFECT

TV CH

DTV INFOREC MUTE

REC STOP

SETUP

ENTER

TUNE

TV CONTROL

INPUT

SELECT

TEST TONE

CH SELECT

SUBTITLE

ADV. SURR STEREO SLEEP

CH RETURN

RECEIVER CONTROL

ST ST

MPX

SHIFT

TV VOL

TUNER

AUDIO

DISPLAY

LOUDNESS MIDNIGHT/

STANDRAD

INPUT ATTFL DIMMER SR

T.EDIT

DTV ON/OFF

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

GUIDE

DTV MENU

if the

briefly and

English

Deutsch

Français

Italiano

RECEIVER

Nederlands

Español

Note

1• You can’t assign the

•

TV CONTROL

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.

• If the remote LCD shows

below to erase a programmed button you’re not using to free up more memory.

RECEIVER

buttons (TV, TV VOL +/–, TV CH +/–

button.

ERROR

, it may also mean the memory is full. See

and

INPUT SELECT

) can only be learned after selecting

TV CONT

Erasing one of the remote control button settings

Controlling the rest of your system11

RETURN

GUIDE

Certain buttons represent operations that cannot be learned from other remote controls. The buttons available are shown below:

INPUT

RECEIVER

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

ST ST

DTV MENU

T.EDIT

SYSTEM

SETUP

GUIDE

SELECT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ENTER

TUNE

SOURCE

TUNER RECEIVER

ENTER

CLASS

BAND

RETURN

TV VOL

DTV ON/OFF

TUNER

DISPLAY

MPX

AUDIO

THX

AUTO SURR

DISC

SHIFT

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

2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button corresponding to the button setting to be erased.

The LCD on the remote displays the component.

TV CONTROL

INPUT

TV CH

SELECT

DTV INFOREC MUTE

REC STOP

CH RETURN

HDD

SUBTITLE

CH CH

RECEIVER CONTROL

STANDARD ADV.SURR STEREO

MIDNIGHT/

SIGNAL

ACOUSTIC

LOUDNESS

SELECT

EFFECT

SLEEP DIALOG E

/CH SEL

RECEIVER

SETUP

3 Use

ERASE

The LCD display flashes

/

(cursor left/right) to select

then press

ENTER

PRES KEY

4 Press and hold the button to be erased for two seconds.

The LCD display shows OK or

NO CODE

confirm the button has been erased.

VOL

5 Repeat step 4 to erase other buttons.

6 Press the RECEIVER button when you’re done.

DVD

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

RESET two seconds

/

(cursor left/right) to select

then press and hold

ENTER for about

The LCD shows OK to confirm the remote presets have been erased.

Direct function

• Default setting:

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 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

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

DIRECT F

The LCD on the remote displays the component you want to control.

4 Use direct function ON or OFF then press ENTER.

The LCD shows OK to confirm the setting.

/

then press

/

MULTI CONTROL

(cursor left/right) to select

ENTER

(cursor up/down) to switch

SETUP

Confirming preset codes

Use this feature to check which preset code is assigned to a

1 While pressing the RECEIVER button, press and hold the 1 button.

The remote LCD display shows

2 Press the MULTI CONTROL button of the component for which you want to check the preset code.

3 Use READ ID then press ENTER.

The brand name and preset code appears in the display for three seconds.

MULTI CONTROL

/

(cursor left/right) to select

button.

SETUP

English

Deutsch

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Nederlands

Español

Note

1 You can’t use direct function with the

TV CONT

function.

Controlling the rest of your system11

Controls for TVs

This remote control can control components after entering the proper codes or teaching the receiver the commands (see on this). Use the

• The

TV CONTROL

the

TV CONT

Button(s)



INPUT SELECT

TV CH +/–

TV VOL +/–

SOURCEPress to switch the component assigned to the













AUDIO

CH RETURN

DTV MENU

GUIDE

RETURN

Number Buttons

MULTI CONTROL

button. If you have two TVs, assign the main TV to the

Function Components

Switches the DTV on or off. DTV

Switches the TV or CATV between standby and on. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

Switches the TV input. (Not possible with all models.) TV

Selects channels. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Adjust the TV volume. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

button on or off.

Switches the DTV on or off. DTV

Press to get information on DTV programs. DTV

Use to choose the BLUE commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the YELLOW commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the GREEN commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to choose the RED commands on a DTV menu. DTV

Use to switch DTV audio tracks. DTV

Use to return to the previously selected channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Press to display the DTV menu. DTV

Use as the

Use to select closed captioning with DTV. DTV

Use to select a speciﬁc TV channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Setting the remote to control other components

on page 64 for more

buttons to select the component

buttons on the remote control are dedicated to control the TV assigned to

TV CONT

DTV

TV CONT

GUIDE

button for navigating. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/ DTV

DTV

button.

Controlling the rest of your system

Button(s)

+10

button Use to add a decimal points when selecting TV channels. DTV

ENTER/ DISC



ENTER

Function Components

Use to enter a channel. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV/

DTV

Select different menus from the DTV functions. DTV

Select the menu screen. Cable TV/Satellite TV/TV

Press to select or adjust and navigate items on the menu screen.

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

on this). Use the

Button (s)

SOURCEPress to switch the component between standby and on. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

















REC

(

SHIFT+)

MULTI CONTROL

Function Components

Press to return to the start of the current track. Repeated presses skips to the start of previous tracks.

Go back channels (channel –). DVR/VCR

Press to advance to the start of the next track. Repeated presses skips to the start of following tracks.

Go forward channels (channel +). VCR

Pause playback or recording. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Start playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Hold down for fast forward playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

Hold down for fast reverse playback. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/

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.

Setting the remote to control other components

buttons to select the component.

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/DVD/LD player

DVR player/Cassette deck

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/DVD/LD/ DVR player/Cassette deck

MD/CD-R/VCR/ DVR player/ Cassette deck

on page 64 for more

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Controlling the rest of your system11

Button (s)

REC STOP

(

SHIFT+)

Number buttons

+10

button Selects tracks higher than 10. (For example, press

ENTER/ DISC

TOP MENU





ENTER

/



ENTER

GUIDE

CH +/–

AUDIO

SUBTITLE

HDD

+ CH–)

DVD

+ CH+)

Function Components

Stops recording. DVR player

Directly access tracks on a program source. CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

player

Use the number buttons to navigate the on-screen display. DVD/DVR player

+10

CD/MD/CD-R/VCR/LD

then 3 to select track 13.)

Chooses the disc. Multiple CD player

Ejects the disc. MD player

Use as the

Displays the setup screen for DVR players. DVR player

Changes sides of the LD. LD player

Displays the disc ‘top’ menu of a DVD player. DVD/DVR player

Displays menus for the current DVD or DVR you are using. DVD/DVR player

Pauses the tape. Cassette deck

Stops the tape. Cassette deck

Starts playback. Cassette deck

Fast rewinds/fast forwards the tape. Cassette deck

Navigates DVD menu/options. DVD/DVR Player

Press to access the DVD player setup screen. DVD/DVR Player

Selects channels. VCR/DVD/DVR Player

Selects tracks. CD/MD/CD-R/

Changes the audio language or channel. DVD/DVR Player

Displays/changes the subtitles on multilingual DVDs. DVD/DVR Player

(SHIFT

Switches to the hard disk controls when using a DVD/

ENTER

button. VCR

CLEAR

button. DVD

player

DVR Player

HDD recorder.

(SHIFT

Switches to the DVD controls when using a DVD/HDD

DVR Player

recorder.

Cassette deck

Other connections

Chapter 12:

Other connections

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

Switching the speaker impedance

Ω

(please see

on page 81 if you plan to use speakers with an impedance of less than 8

Ω

Second Zone speaker B setup

VSX-915 model only

After selecting

speaker setting

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

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 page 22. Make sure to review

placement

speakers in another room.

SB 2ND Z

Surround back

on page 46, you can use the

below for the

Connecting the speakers

Hints on speaker

on page 23 when placing the

2 Select menu.

See

Surround back speaker setting

to do this.

Switching the speaker system

If you selected

speaker setting

system settings are possible using the

SPEAKERS

SB BIAMP

SPA

or SPAB (respectively). The options

below are for the

• Use the SPEAKERS button on the front panel to select a speaker system setting.

FL DIMMER

Press repeatedly to choose a speaker system option:

•

SPA

connected to the A speaker terminals (multichannel playback is possible).

•

SPB

speakers connected to speaker system B (only stereo playback is possible).

SB 2ND Z

from the ‘

SB. SYSTEM’

on page 46

SB 2ND Z

Surround back

on page 46, three speaker

button. If you selected

SB NORM.

, the speaker system is fixed as

RETURN

BAND

SB 2ND Z

INPUT

SPEAKERS

ATT

TUNING

TUNER

/STATION

setting only.

EXTENDED

ACOUSTIC

MODE

QUICK

TONE

MULTI JOG

SETUP

SYSTEM

SETUP

EDIT

– Sound is output from the speakers

– Sound is output from the two

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Note

1• The subwoofer output depends on the settings you made in no sound is heard from the subwoofer (the LFE channel is not downmixed).

• Depending on the

• All speaker systems (except

Surround back speaker setting

SB 2ND Z

connections) are switched off when headphones are connected.

on page 46 output from the surround back pre-out terminals may change.

Speaker setting

on page 51. However, if SPB is selected above,

Other connections12

•SP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 speakers 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

CENTER SURROUND

SURROUND BACK

R L

Front left

speaker

R L RL

A B

S P E A K E R S

2 Select the

SYSTEM’

See

Surround back speaker setting

SB BIAMP

menu.

setting from the ‘

on page 46

SB.

to specify how you’re using the surround back speaker terminals.

Caution

• Most speakers with both Hi and

Low

terminals have two metal plates that connect the

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 additionally, 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

Surround back speaker setting

• To bi-wire a speaker, connect two speaker cords to the speaker terminal on the receiver.

SB NORM.

SB 2ND Z

on page 46.

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 (

Low

speaker.

• Make sure that the

/ – connections are

properly inserted.

) of the

Caution

• Make sure you use a parallel (not series, which are fairly uncommon) connection when bi-wiring your speakers.

• Don't 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.

S-VIDEO

FRONT

SURROUND

LLL

RRR

BACK

SURROUND

 To SUB WOOFER PREOUT jack

The illustration shows the VSX-915, but connections for the VSX-815 are the same.

SURROUND BACK

CENTER

ANALOG

INPUT

Center channel amplifier (mono)

ANALOG

INPUT

PREOUT

L R

Surround back channel amplifier

ANALOG

INPUT

L R

Surround channel amplifier

ANALOG

INPUT

L R

Front channel amplifier

ANALOG

INPUT

Powered subwoofer

Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display

VSX-815/915 model only

If you have a Pioneer plasma display2, 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

OUT

DIGITAL OUT

(DVR/VCR)

(TV/SAT)

ASSIGNABLE

DIGITAL IN

Pioneer plasma

AUX

OPT

OUT

OPT

COAX

(CD)

OUT

COAX

(DVD

/LD)

AUDIO

FM UNBAL

Ω

DVR/ VCR

VIDEO

IN TV / SAT

IN DVD /LD

FRONT

D V D

5.1CH INPUT

REC

CD-R

/ TAPE

/ MD

PLAY

LOOP

OUT

CONTROL

OUT

MONITOR OUT

SUB WOOFER

PREOUT

ANTENNA

MONITOR OUT

display

OUT

DVR/ VCR

TV/ SAT

DVD /LD

S-VIDEO

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Note

1• To hear sound only from the pre-outs, simply disconnect any speakers that are connected directly to the receiver.

• If you’re not using a subwoofer, change the front speaker setting (see

•

VSX-815 only

•

VSX-915 only –

this case plug the amplifier into the left (

•

VSX-915 only –

page 46. 2 This receiver is compatible with all Pioneer plasma displays from 2003 onward.

– Note that there is only one surround back channel pre-out terminal.

You can use the additional amplifier on the surround back channel pre-outs for a single speaker as well. In

The sound you hear from the surround back terminals depends on the

L (Single)

) terminal only.

Speaker setting

on page 51) to

LARGE

Surround back speaker setting

Other connections12

• Use a 3-ringed miniplug SR+ cable1 to connect the with the display.

Before you can use the extra SR+ features, you need to make a few settings in the receiver. See

The Input Assign menu

instructions.

DVD player

CONTROL IN

CONTROL OUT

VIDEO

INPUT 1

jack of this receiver

of your plasma

on page 75 for detailed

Pioneer plasma

display

Satellite receiver, etc

VIDEO

INPUT 2

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:

• On-screen volume display.

• On-screen display of listening mode.

• Automatic video input switching on the plasma display.

• Automatic volume muting on the plasma

See also more on setting up the receiver.

display.

The Input Assign menu

INPUT

RECEIVER

SELECT

SOURCE

on page 75 for

DVD

AUDIO IN

ADVANCED

ST/DIRECT

SIGNAL

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR VIDEO

STANDARD

SURR

/AUTO SURR

SELECT

LISTENING MODE

INPUT

FL DIMMER

ATT

STANDBY/ON

PHONES

TUNING

BAND

/STATION

EXTENDED

SPEAKERS

TUNER

EDIT

CD-R/TAPE/MD

ACOUSTIC

MODE

QUICK

TONE

SETUP

MULTI JOG

VIDEO INPUT

S-VIDEO

VIDEO

LAUDIO

SYSTEM

RETURN

SETUP

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

TV/SAT

AUDIO IN

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNELRECEIVER

MULTI JOG

ENTER

AUX

TUNER

DIGITAL IN

MASTER VOLUME

MCACC

SETUP MIC

UPDOWN

DVD/LD TV/SAT DVR/VCR TV CONT

MULTI CONTROL

CD-R/TAPE

TUNER RECEIVER

1 Make sure that the plasma display and

D.ACCESS

TOP MENU

DTV MENU

FL DIMMER SR

TUNE

ST ST

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

The front panel display shows

, then the SR+ button.

SR+ ON

audio (analog and/or digital) to this receiver.

Note

1• The 3-ringed SR+ cable from Pioneer is commercially available under the part number ADE7095. Contact the Pioneer Customer 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).

• If you connect to a Pioneer plasma display using an SR+ cable, you will need to point the remote control at the plasma display 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.

ENTER

CLASS MENU

DISC

OFF

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

2 Use setting you want to adjust then press

•

DIG. IN

below.

•

COMP. IN (VSX-815/915 model only)

Assigning the component video inputs

below.

Assigning the digital inputs

• Default settings:

COAX 1 COAX 2 OPT 1

VSX-815/915 model only –

OPT 2

You only need to do this if you didn’t hook up 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.

on page 46 for more on this.

/

(cursor left/right) to select the

– See

Assigning the digital inputs

(coaxial) – (coaxial) –

(optical) –

DVD CD

DVR

ENTER

– See

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 this.

3 Select the component that corresponds with the one you connected to that input.

Use the select

4 When you're finished, press RETURN.

/

(cursor left/right) buttons to do

• The numbers correspond with the numbers beside the inputs on the back of the receiver.

/

(cursor up/down) buttons to

DVD, TV, CD, CDR, DVR

• If you assign a digital input to a certain function (for example, digital inputs previously assigned to that function will automatically be switched off.

DVD

OFF

) then any

Assigning the component video inputs

VSX-815/915 model only

• Default settings:

COMP 1 COMP 2 COMP 3

When you select an input source (

TV/SAT

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

video jacks

1 Select COMP. IN from the IN ASSIG. menu.

–

DVD

–

DVR

DVD/LD

, etc.), the receiver outputs the

Using the component

on page 20.

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Other Settings13

2 Select the number of the component video input to which you’ve connected your video component.

Use

/

(cursor left/right) to do this.

• 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 select between

4 When you're finished, press RETURN.

/

(cursor up/down) buttons to

DVD, TV, DVR

• Make sure you have connected the audio from the component to the corresponding inputs on the rear of the receiver.

• If you connect any source component to the receiver using a component video input, you should also have your TV connected to this receiver's

VIDEO MONITOR OUT

OFF

COMPONENT

jacks.

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

2 Use setting you want to adjust then press

If you are doing this for the first time, you may want to adjust these settings in order:

•

DRC

range adjustment to Dolby Digital soundtracks (see

Setup

on page 46 for more on this.

/

(cursor left/right) to select the

– Specify the amount of dynamic

Dynamic Range Control

below).

ENTER

•

DUALMONO

listening to discs with dual mono encoding (see

Dual Mono Setup

LFE ATT

• LFE channel (see below).

•

SR+ (VSX-815/915 model only)

you want to control your Pioneer plasma display (see

displays

3 Make the adjustments necessary for each setting, pressing RETURN to confirm after each menu.

– Isolate one channel when

below).

– Set the attenuator level for the

LFE Attenuator Setup

– Specify how

SR+ Setup for Pioneer plasma

below)

Dynamic Range Control Setup

• Default setting:

This setting specifies the amount of dynamic range adjustment to Dolby Digital and DTS 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 setting that you want.

3 When you're finished, press

/

•

OFF

– No dynamic range adjustment (use

when listening at higher volume).

•

MID

– Mid setting.

MAX

– Dynamic range is reduced (loud

• sounds are reduced in volume while quieter sounds are increased).

OFF

(cursor up/down) to choose the

RETURN

Dual Mono Setup

• Default setting:

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.

CH1

Note

1 This setting works only with dual mono encoded Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks.

Other Settings

1 Select DUAL MONO from the OTHER setup menu.

2 Use setting that you want.

3 When you're finished, press

/

(cursor up/down) to choose the

•

CH1

– Only channel 1 is played

•

CH2

– Only channel 2 is played

CH1 CH2

• through the front speakers

– Both channels are played

RETURN

LFE Attenuator Setup

• Default setting:

Some Dolby Digital and DTS audio sources include ultra-low bass tones. Set the LFE attenuator as necessary to prevent the ultralow bass tones from distorting the sound from the speakers.

1 Select LFE ATT from the OTHER setup menu.

2 Use setting that you want.

3 When you're finished, press

•

LFEAT 0

setting)

•

LFEAT 10

•

LFEAT **

/

ATT 0 dB

(cursor up/down) to choose the

– No limiting (recommended

– 10dB of limiting

– No sound from LFE channel

RETURN

2 Use

/

select the ‘VOL C.’ setting you want.

•

VOL C. OFF

the volume of the plasma display

•

VOL C. ON

to one of the inputs that use the plasma display ( functions below), the volume on the plasma display is muted so only sound from the receiver is heard.

3 Assign any input source connected to the plasma display to the corresponding input number.

Use

/

source ( (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 connected the your DVD video output to video input 3 on the plasma display.

4 When you're finished, press

(cursor up/down) and

– The receiver does not control

– When the receiver is switched

DVD/LD

(cursor left/right) to select the

DVD, TV, DVR

, or another one of

VDEO

DVD:3

if you have

ENTER

), then

RETURN

/

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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.

Pioneer VSX-515-K, VSX-515-S, VSX-815-K, VSX-815-S, VSX-915-K Operating Instruction

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual