Pioneer VSX-C502-S Manual

AUDIO/VIDEO MULTI-CHANNEL
RECEIVER

VSX-C502-S

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.

NOTE:

THE NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS COMPARTMENT WARNING IS LOCATED ON THE APPLIANCE BONNET

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.

Thank you for buying this Pioneer product.
Please read through these operating instructions so
you will know how to operate your model properly.
After you have finished reading the instructions, put
them away in a safe place for future reference.
In some countries or regions, the shape of the power
plug may sometimes differ from that shown in the
explanatory drawings. However, the method of con­necting and operating the unit is the same.

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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Operating Environment

Operating environment temperature and humidity:
+5 ºC – +35 ºC (+41 ºF – +95 ºF); less than 85 %RH
(cooling vents not blocked)
Do not install this unit in a poorly ventilated area, or in
locations exposed to high humidity or direct sunlight (or
strong artificial light)

D3-4-2-1-7c_A_En

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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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).

D3-4-2-2-2a_A_En

If the AC plug of this unit does not match the AC
outlet you want to use, the plug must be removed
and appropriate one fitted. Replacement and
mounting of an AC plug on the power supply cord of
this unit should be performed only by qualified
service personnel. If connected to an AC outlet, the
cut-off plug can cause severe electrical shock. Make
sure it is properly disposed of after removal.
The equipment should be disconnected by removing
the mains plug from the wall socket when left
unused for a long period of time (for example, when
on vacation).

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WARNING

Before plugging in for the first time, read the following

section carefully.

The voltage of the available power supply differs
according to country or region. Be sure that the
power supply voltage of the area where this unit
will be used meets the required voltage (e.g., 230V
or 120V) written on the rear panel.

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WARNING

To prevent a fire hazard, do not place any naked
flame sources (such as a lighted candle) on the
equipment.

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VENTILATION CAUTION

When installing this unit, make sure to leave space
around the unit for ventilation to improve heat
radiation (at least 20 cm at top, 50 cm at rear, and
10 cm at each side).

WARNING

Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for
ventilation to ensure reliable operation of the
product, and to protect it from overheating. To
prevent fire hazard, the openings should never be
blocked or covered with items (such as newspapers,
table-cloths, curtains) or by operating the
equipment on thick carpet or a bed.

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Voltage selector

You can find the voltage selector switch on the rear
panel of multi-voltage models.

The factory setting for the voltage selector is
220V–230V. 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.

• For Taiwan, please set to 110V 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

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

240V

D3-4-2-1-5_En

Medium size
screwdriver

220 -230V

110V

120 -127V

110V

Before you start

Before you start

Checking the supplied accessories

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

• Microphone

• Mic stand

• SR+miniplug cable

• AM loop antenna

• FM wire antenna

• Power cable x2

• Dry cell batteries (AA Size / IEC R6P) x2

• Remote control unit

• Operating instructions

• Speaker cable labels

Loading the batteries

The remote control operates on two AA batteries
(supplied).

1

English

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, 50 cm at the rear,
and 10 cm at each side). 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. See
below for exceptions to this.

• Don’t place anything on top of the receiver except for
a Pioneer DV-667A, 466, 366, 266, 566K, 676A, 575K
or 373 DVD player. If you do place one of these pieces
of equipment on top of the receiver be sure to leave
the ventilation space over it as prescribed above.

• If using a rack to hold the receiver make sure the
back of the rack and the left side are open.

• Also, if you’re using a case with doors, leave the
doors open when using the receiver.

• Do not place on a thick carpet, bed, sofa or fabric
having a thick pile. Do not cover the receiver with
fabric or other covering. Anything that blocks
ventilation will cause the internal temperature to rise,
which may lead to breakdown or fire hazard.

2

3

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 of 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 institution’s rules that apply in your country or
area.

• The receiver may become hot while in use, please
take care around it.

Maintenance of external surfaces

• Use a polishing cloth or dry cloth to wipe off dust and
dirt.

• When the surfaces are dirty, wipe with a soft cloth
dipped in some neutral cleanser diluted five or six
times with water, and wrung out well, and then wipe
again with a dry cloth. Do not use furniture wax or
cleansers.

• Never use thinners, benzine, insecticide sprays or
other chemicals on or near this unit, since these will
corrode the surfaces.

3

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Contents

Before you start

Checking the supplied accessories
Loading the batteries
Ventilation
Maintenance of external surfaces

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

01 Quick start guide

Introduction
Easy Setup

Connecting speakers
Connecting your TV and DVD player

Switching on and playing a DVD

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

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

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

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

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

02 Introductory information

Introduction to home theater
Features

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

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

03 Connecting your equipment

Rear panel
Installing the receiver
When making cable connections
Connecting a DVD player
Connecting your TV
Connecting a satellite/cable receiver or other
set-top box
Connecting a VCR or DVD recorder
Connecting other video components
Connecting equipment to the front panel inputs
Installing your speaker system

Connecting the speakers
Placing the speakers

Connecting antennas

AM loop antenna
FM wire antenna

Connecting external antennas
Using this receiver with a Pioneer plasma display
Operating other Pioneer components with this unit’s
sensor
Plugging in the receiver

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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

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

. . . 15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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

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

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

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

. . 18

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

04 Controls and displays

Front panel

Display
Remote control

Operating range of the remote control

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

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

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

. . . . . . . . . . 23

05 Getting started

Automatically calibrating your listening area
(MCACC)

Checking the settings on your DVD (or other)
player
Playing a source

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

MCACC error messages

Other problems when using MCACC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

. . . . . . . . . . . 25

06 Home theater sound

Playing multichannel sources
Playing stereo sources
Listening with headphones
Using the Advanced Surround effects
Using the Sound Modes
Enhancing dialog
Using the surround back channel

Listening with virtual surround back speakers

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

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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

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

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

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

. . . . 29

07 Using the tuner

Setting the channel step
Finding a station

MPX mode

Tuning directly to a station
Memorizing station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Naming station presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Listening to memorized station presets . . . . . . . . . 31

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

08 Using other functions

Selecting the input signal type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the sleep timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Resetting the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Default receiver settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

09 The System Setup menu

Making receiver settings from the System Setup
menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Setup menu options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
SR+ control for Pioneer plasma displays . . . . . . . . 36
Using the SR+ mode with a Pioneer plasma
display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Setting individual channel levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

10 Controlling other equipment

Using the remote control with other components. . . 38

Recalling preset codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Resetting all remote control settings . . . . . . . . . . . 39
VCR / DVD / LD player and DVD recorder
controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Cable TV / satellite TV / digital TV / TV controls . . . . 41

Preset code list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

11 Additional information

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Surround sound formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Dolby Digital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dolby Digital Surround EX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Dolby Pro Logic IIx and Dolby Surround . . . . . . . . . 46
DTS Digital Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
DTS-ES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
DTS Neo:6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
DTS 96/24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

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Quick start guide

01

Chapter 1

Quick start guide

Introduction

This ‘Quick start guide’ shows you how to connect your
speakers, TV and DVD player to this receiver, and also
takes you through switching on and playing a DVD disc.

Easy Setup

This section shows you how to connect your speakers,
subwoofer, DVD player and TV to this receiver so you can
start enjoying home cinema sound right away.

Before you start, make sure everything you’re connecting
is switched off and unplugged.

Connecting speakers

This receiver has speaker terminals for front left and right
speakers (
two surround speakers (
speaker (
the front left/right speakers, but we recommend
connecting all five if possible. Note that surround
speakers should always be connected as a pair; do not
connect just one surround speaker. All the speakers you
use should have a nominal impedance between 6–16

L

and R in the diagram), a center speaker (C),

RS

and LS) and a surround back

SB

). The minimum speaker configuration is just

Ω.

1 Connect your speakers to the receiver, as shown
in the diagram below.

Prepare the speaker cable by stripping about 1 cm of the
plastic shielding from each speaker wire.

Connect the front speakers to the
the center speaker to the
surround speakers to the

CENTER

SURROUND L/R

the surround back speaker to the

FRONT L/R

terminals;

terminals; the

terminals; and

SURROUND BACK

terminals.

Press on a tab to open a terminal; insert the exposed
wire, then release the tab to secure.

For correct sound it’s important that the positive and
negative terminals of the receiver and each speaker are
matched. To help you do this, attach the supplied colored
self-adhesive labels to one half of each speaker cable.

2 Connect a powered subwoofer to the
SUBWOOFER OUT jack, as shown in the diagram
below.

Use a standard audio cable with RCA/phono plugs.

English

See following page for
connection details.

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SURROUND

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

+

–

BACK

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OPT1

OPT2

OUT

OUT

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

(TV/SAT)

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

VIDEO

IN

IN

IN

FRONT

L

R

DVD

OUT

L

L

R

R

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

AUDIO

VIDEO

IN

MONITOR

OUT

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

220 -230V 240V

110V

110V

120 -127V

VSX-C502

LINE LEVEL

INPUT

RLC RSLSSBSW

AC IN

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

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01

Quick start guide

Connecting your TV and DVD player

1 Connect your DVD player to the receiver.

Connect a 3-pin AV cable (not supplied) between the
audio/video outputs of your DVD player and the
jacks of this receiver for the video and analog audio.

For digital audio, connect a coaxial digital audio cable
(not supplied) between your DVD player’s coaxial digital
output and the

DVD(TV/SAT) COAX

jack on this

receiver.

• If your DVD player doesn’t have a coaxial digital out
you can use an optical cable connected between the
optical output jack on your DVD player and the

SAT(DVD) OPT1

VSX-C502

jack on this receiver. However, you

LRL

SURROUND

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

R CENTER

FRONT

DVD IN

TV/

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

+

–

BACK

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OUT

(TV/SAT)

OPT1

OPT2

will have to reassign the input to DVD before using
for the first time. See

Optical input setting

for how to do this.

• If you connect an optical digital cable, be careful
when inserting the plug not to damage the shutter
protecting the optical socket.

2 Connect your TV to the receiver.

Use a standard video cable (not supplied) to connect the

MONITOR OUT

video jack on this receiver to a video

input on your TV.

3 Connect the supplied AC power cable to the AC
IN on this receiver and plug in the other end to a
power outlet.

L

R

IN

FRONT

DVD

VIDEO

IN

L

R

TV/SATINDVR/VCR

AUDIO

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

MONITOR

IN

OUT

OUT

L

220 -230V 240V

120 -127V

110V

110V

R

VIDEO

AC IN

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

OUT

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

on page 36

6

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COAXIAL

OPTICAL

DIGITAL AUDIO OUT

AUDIO

VIDEO

L

R

DVD player

Switching on and playing a DVD

Once you switch the receiver on it will automatically
detect the speakers you have connected. Although there
are a number of more detailed settings you can make to
optimize the surround sound, you should be able to get
acceptable surround sound performance right away.

1 Switch on your TV and powered subwoofer.

Also make sure that your TV is set to the AV input you
connected the receiver to.

2 Press  RECEIVER on the remote or  STANDBY/
ON on the front panel to switch on the receiver.

3 Press DVD on the remote or turn the INPUT
SELECTOR knob on the front panel to select the DVD
input.

4 Switch on your DVD player.

5 Load a DVD and start playback.

VIDEO

TV

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.

Other possibilities (like listening to a CD with
multichannel surround sound) are explained in

theater sound

on page 27.

Home

6 Use the MASTER VOLUME control (front panel or
remote) to adjust the volume.

• Turn down your TV’s volume so that you only hear
sound from this system.

Introductory information

02

Chapter 2

Introductory information

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. The
true multichannel audio possible using DVD is what
creates a convincing surround sound effect and gives
you the feeling of ‘being there’.

Features

Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, including Dolby
Digital EX, DTS 96/24 and DTS-ES

Dolby Digital and DTS decoding brings theater sound
right into your home with up to six channels of surround
sound, including a special LFE (Low Frequency Effects)
channel for deep, realistic sound effects.

With the addition of a surround back speaker, you can
take advantage of the built-in Dolby Digital EX and DTS­ES decoders for seven channel surround sound.

Multichannel analog inputs

The addition of multichannel analog inputs means total
compatibility with DVD-Audio and other high-resolution
formats, as well as giving you the option of using an
external decoder for Dolby Digital and DTS sources.

(pages 27, 46, 47)

(page 10)

Surround and Advanced Surround modes

(pages 27, 28)

Used together with the Dolby Digital, DTS or Dolby Pro
Logic IIx modes, the Surround and Advanced Surround
modes are designed to enhance particular types of
program material by, for example, reproducing the
acoustic space of a concert hall for music-based
material.

Dialog Enhancement

Use the Dialog Enhancement feature to accentuate
dialog and vocals in a program source and match the
vertical placement of the center channel with the front
left/right channels.

Sound Modes

The Sound Modes offer useful effects for a number of
situations. For example, Midnight mode is useful when
you need to listen at low volume but still want effective
surround sound.

(page 28)

Easy-to-use remote control

The remote control gives you not only complete control
over every function of this receiver, but also over other
components in your home theater system. Using a
system of preset codes, you can program the remote to
operate a wide range of other equipment.

Easy setup

Setting up for home theater sound is as easy as
connecting your speakers, a DVD player or other source,
and your TV. The MCACC (Multichannel Acoustic
Calibration) system quick but accurate surround sound
setup, while for complete surround sound control you
still have access to the full range of surround sound
settings.

(page 24)

English

(page 28)

Dolby Pro Logic IIx and DTS Neo:6 decoders

(pages 27, 46, 47)

The built-in Dolby Pro Logic IIx and DTS Neo:6 decoders
not only provide full surround sound decoding for Dolby
Surround sources, but will also generate convincing
surround sound for any stereo source.

SR+ operation with Pioneer plasma displays

(page 18)

If you have a Pioneer plasma display you can take
advantage of the SR+ features, such as automatic input
switching with the receiver and on-screen displays for
receiver information.

The Energy-saving Design

This unit is designed to use less than 0.4 W of energy
when the receiver is in standby mode.

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”, “Neo:6” and “DTS 96/
24“ are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.

7

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03

Connecting your equipment

Chapter 3

Connecting your equipment

Rear panel

8

En

1 2

+

–

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SURROUND

BACK

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

VSX-C502

SUB

WOOFER

OUT

5 6

SURROUND

SURROUND

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

+

–

BACK

SUB

WOOFER

OUT

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

(DVD)

OPT1

OPT2

3 4

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

DVD

(DVD)

(TV/SAT)

COAX

OPT1

OPT2

DVD

(TV/SAT)

COAX

7 8

Important

• Before making or changing the connections, switch
off the power and disconnect the power cable from
the power outlet.

1 SPEAKERS terminals
FRONT L/R, CENTER, SURROUND L/R
BACK

speaker terminals.

(page 15)

and

SURROUND

2 Antenna connections

AM LOOP

(page 17)
Connect the supplied AM loop antenna or an outdoor
antenna if reception is bad.

FM UNBAL 75Ω antenna terminal

(page 17)
Connect the supplied FM wire or an outdoor antenna
if reception is bad.

3 CONTROL IN jack / CONTROL OUT jack

Use to link Pioneer components together to enable all
components in the chain to use just one remote control
sensor (page 19).

Also used for special SR+ control of Pioneer plasma
displays (page 18).

4 AC IN

(page 19)

Connect the supplied AC power cable.

5 SUBWOOFER OUT jack

(page 15)

Connect a powered (active) subwoofer.

110V

MONITOR

AC IN

AC IN

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

OUT

220 -230V 240V

110V

120-127V

220 -230V

110V

240V

120 -127V

IN

IN

CONTROL

CONTROL

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

SUB WOOFER

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

CENTER SURROUND

SUB WOOFER

OUT

OUT

OUT

L

R

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

IN

FRONT

DVD

FRONT

L

R

DVD

VIDEO

IN

L

R

TV/SATINDVR/VCR

AUDIO

IN

IN

TV/SATINDVR/VCR

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

MONITOR

IN

OUT

OUT

L

220 -230V 240V

R

110V

VIDEO

120 -127V

VIDEO

IN

OUT

L

L

R

R

VIDEO

AUDIO

6 Digital connections

The three digital audio jacks are all inputs. Connect to the
digital outputs of digital source components such as
DVD and CD players, satellite receivers, etc.

TV/SAT(DVD) OPT1 jack

Optical digital audio jack for the

(page 12)

TV/SAT

(although it is possible to reassign it to the
input).

DVR/VCR OPT2 jack

Optical digital audio jack for the

(page 13)

DVR/VCR

• 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.

DVD(TV/SAT) COAX jack

Coaxial digital audio jack for the
it is possible to reassign it to the

(page 10)

DVD

TV/SAT

input (although

input

DVD

input.

input).

Connecting your equipment

03

7 Audio/Video connections

DVD

(page 12)

(page 2)

(page 10)

input.

TV/SAT

(page 13)

DVR/VCR

DVR/VCR OUT

VIDEO

(page 11)

input.

input.

jacks.

input.

AUDIO IN (5.1CH) jacks

Multichannel analog audio RCA/phono jack
connections for the

TV/SAT IN jacks

RCA/phono jack connections for the

DVR/VCR IN/OUT jacks

RCA/phono jack connections for the
When the receiver is set to any other input, that
signal is output from the

VIDEO IN jacks

RCA/phono jack connections for the

MONITOR OUT video jack

RCA/phono video jack connection for your TV.

8 Voltage Selector

Use to match the voltage coming into the receiver with
the voltage in your country or region.

(page 14)

Installing the receiver

• When installing this unit, make sure to put it on a
secure and level plane that is stable.

• Don’t place 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 a vibration or other
movement
– in places that are very dusty
– in places that have hot fumes or oils (such as a
kitchen)

English

When making cable connections

Be careful not to arrange cables in a manner that bends
the cables over the top of this unit. If the cables are laid
on top of the unit, the magnetic field produced by the
transformers in this unit may cause a humming noise to
come from the speakers.

9

En

03

Connecting your equipment

Connecting a DVD player

Follow the instructions below, referring to the diagram, to
connect a DVD player.

If your DVD player has multichannel analog audio
outputs you can connect them to the
jacks on this receiver. Connecting these can be useful as
some discs do not allow digital output from the player. It
can also be useful if you want to use an external digital
decoder unit.

1 Use a stereo audio cable to connect the
FRONT L / R DVD IN jacks to the stereo or front left/
right audio outputs on your DVD player.

If your DVD player has only stereo analog audio outputs,
the jacks are probably labelled something like

OUT L / R

outputs, use the

. If your DVD player has multichannel analog

FRONT L / R

2 If your DVD player has multichannel analog
outputs, connect these to the SURROUND L / R,
CENTER and SUBWOOFER jacks on this receiver.

These connections are shown in 2 in the illustration
below.

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

AUDIO

jacks.

3 Use a coaxial digital audio cable to connect the
DVD(TV/SAT) COAX jack to a coaxial digital audio
output on your DVD player.

This connection carries stereo and multichannel digital
audio.

If your DVD player doesn’t have a coaxial digital audio out
jack, it is possible to use an optical connection to the

SAT(DVD) OPT1

input is assigned to the
reassign it to the
connecting up everything else see

jack. However, since by default this

TV/SAT

input, you will need to

DVD

input before you can use it. After

Optical input setting

on page 36 for how to do this.

4 Use a video cable to connect the DVD VIDEO IN
jack on this receiver to your DVD players video
output.

This connection is shown in 1 in the illustration below.

Note

• To listen to multichannel analog audio you’ll need to
switch the input signal selector to
(multichannel analog). See

type

on page 32.

DVD 5.1ch

Selecting the input signal

TV/

VSX-C502

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SURROUND

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

+

–

BACK

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OPT1

OPT2

OUT

OUT

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

(TV/SAT)

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

R

L

IN

FRONT

DVD

VIDEO

IN

L

R

TV/SATINDVR/VCR

AUDIO

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

MONITOR

IN

OUT

OUT

L

220 -230V 240V

120 -127V

110V

110V

R

VIDEO

AC IN

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

13 2

VIDEO

COAXIAL

OPTICAL

DIGITAL AUDIO OUT

CENTER

L

R

FRONTSURR.SUB W.

DVD player

.

10

En

Connecting your equipment

03

Connecting your TV

This page shows you how to connect your TV to the
receiver. If your TV has a built-in digital decoder, you can
connect the digital audio output to this receiver to enjoy
Dolby Digital and DTS sound from digital TV broadcasts.

1 Use a video cable to connect the MONITOR OUT
video jack to a video input on your TV.

VSX-C502

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SURROUND

BACK

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

+

–

TV/SAT

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OPT1

OUT

2 Use an optical digital audio cable to connect the
TV/SAT(DVD) OPT1 jack to an optical digital audio
output on your TV.

If your TV doesn’t have an optical digital audio out jack, it
is possible to use a coaxial connection to the

SAT) COAX

assigned to the
the

TV/SAT

up everything else see

jack. However, since by default this input is

DVD

input, you will need to reassign it to

input before you can use it. After connecting

Optical input setting

on page 36 for

how to do this.

VIDEO

FM UNBAL 75

DIGITAL IN

DVR/VCR

Ω

(TV/SAT)

OPT2

OUT

IN

CONTROL

IN

IN

CENTER SURROUND

FRONT

L

SUB WOOFER

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

R

DVD

DVD

COAX

L

R

TV/SATINDVR/VCR

AUDIO

OUT

L

R

VIDEO

IN

MONITOR

OUT

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

220 -230V 240V

110V

120-127V

220 -230V

110V

240V

120 -127V

AC IN

English

DVD(TV/

COAXIAL

OPTICAL

DIGITAL AUDIO OUT

VIDEO

IN

TV

11

En

03

Connecting your equipment

Connecting a satellite/cable receiver or other set-top box

Satellite and cable receivers, and terrestrial digital TV
tuners are all examples of so-called ‘set-top boxes’.

1 Use a 3-pin AV cable to connect the TV/SAT IN
jacks to a set of audio/video outputs on the set-top
box component.

This carries video and analog stereo audio signals from
the set-top box component to this receiver.

2 Use an optical digital audio cable to connect the
TV/SAT(DVD) OPT1 jack to an optical digital audio
output on the set-top box component.

This connection carries stereo and multichannel digital
audio.

+

–

SURROUND

SURROUND

BACK

SUB

WOOFER

OUT

VSX-C502

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

If your set-top box component doesn’t have an optical
digital audio out jack, it is possible to use a coaxial
connection to the

DVD(TV/SAT) COAX

since by default this input is assigned to the
you will need to reassign it to the

TV/SAT

you can use it. After connecting up everything else see

Coaxial input setting

on page 36 for how to do this.

Note

• If your satellite/cable receiver doesn’t have a digital
audio output, omit step

2

above.

• For recording to a DVR/VCR, you must have the set­top box connected to this receiver using the standard
video and analog audio

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR
(DVD)
OPT1

OPT2

OUT

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

(TV/SAT)

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

VIDEO

IN

IN

IN

FRONT

L

R

DVD

OUT

L

R

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

AUDIO

L

R

IN

VIDEO

TV/SAT IN

MONITOR

OUT

220 -230V 240V

110V

120 -127V

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

110V

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

jack. However,

DVD

input,

input before

jacks.

AC IN

12

En

STB

DIGITAL OUT

VIDEO AUDIOL

R

AV OUT

Connecting your equipment

03

Connecting a VCR or DVD recorder

For video recording, connect a VCR or DVD recorder to
the

DVR/VCR IN/OUT

optical digital input means that you can play digital
sound tracks from a DVD (or other digital) recorder.

1 Use two 3-pin AV cables to connect the DVR/VCR
IN/OUT jacks to a set of audio/video input/output
jacks on your VCR, DVD recorder (or other video
component).

This allows playback from and recording to the VCR/DVR
(or other component).

VSX-C502

jacks. The

DVR/VCR OPT2

SURROUND

SURROUND

BACK

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

jack for

+

–

SUB

WOOFER

OUT

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR
(DVD)
OPT1

OPT2

2 Use an optical digital audio cable to connect the
DVR/VCR OPT2 jack to an optical digital audio output
on your DVD recorder (or other video component).

This connection carries stereo and multichannel digital
audio.

Note

• If your video component doesn’t have a digital audio
output, omit step

2

above.

• In order to record, you must connect the analog
audio cables (the digital connection is for playback
only).

OUT

IN

CONTROL

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

(TV/SAT)

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

VIDEO

IN

IN

IN

FRONT

L

R

DVD

OUT

L

L

R

R

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

AUDIO

VIDEO

IN

MONITOR

OUT

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

220 -230V 240V

110V

120-127V

220 -230V

110V

240V

120 -127V

AC IN

English

OPTICAL COA XIAL

DIGITAL OUT

DVR, VCR, etc.

VIDEO AUDIOLR

AV OUT

VIDEO AUDIOLR

AV IN

13

En

03

Connecting your equipment

Connecting other video components

The

VIDEO IN

component, including video players, TV games and so
on. Note that there is no digital audio input for this set of
jacks.

1 Use a 3-pin AV cable to connect the VIDEO IN
jacks to a set of audio/video output jacks on your
VCR or other video component.

This allows playback from the other component.

jacks can be used with any kind of video

VSX-C502

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

SURROUND

SURROUND

+

–

BACK

DIGITAL IN

TV/SAT

DVR/VCR

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OUT

(TV/SAT)

OPT1

OPT2

OPTICAL COA XIAL

DIGITAL OUT

Video player, TV game, etc.

VIDEO

OUT

IN

CONTROL

IN

IN

IN

CENTER SURROUND

FRONT

L

SUB WOOFER

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

R

DVD

VIDEO AUDIOLR

DVD

COAX

OUT

L

L

R

R

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

AUDIO

AV OUT

VIDEO

IN

MONITOR

OUT

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

220 -230V 240V

110V

120-127V

220 -230V

110V

240V

120 -127V

AC IN

14

En

Connecting your equipment

03

Connecting equipment to the front panel inputs

The

FRONT INPUT

video jack (

L/R

) and an optical digital audio input (

jacks include a standard (composite)

VIDEO

), stereo analog audio inputs (

DIGITAL

AUDIO

). You can
use these connections for any kind of audio/video
component, but they are especially convenient for
portable equipment such as camcorders, video games

VSX-C502

2

DIGITALSTANDBY

Portable DVD player, etc.

PHONES/SETUP MIC

STANDBY/ON

FRONT INPUT

DIGITAL IN VIDEO AUDIOLR

VIDEO IN/OUT

AUDIO IN/OUT

and portable audio/video equipment.

• Remove the cover to access the front panel jacks.
(See diagram below)

• The illustration below shows example connections to
a portable DVD player.

PHONES

COLORBRIGHT MONITOR

NEO:6

II

2

ADVANCED

PRO LOGIC

IIX

INPUT SELECTOR

PHONES/SETUP MIC

Push where indicated then

PHONES

HOLDON/OFF

pull off from the other side.

2

PRO LOGIC

DTS

DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL)

Installing your speaker system

To take full advantage of the receiver’s surround sound
capabilities connect front, center, surround and
surround back speakers, as well as a subwoofer.
Although this is ideal, other configurations with fewer
speakers—no subwoofer or no center speaker, or no
surround speakers, or even no surround back speaker—

will work. At the very least, front left and right speakers
only are necessary. Note that surround speakers should
always be connected as a pair; do not connect just one
surround speaker. All the speakers you use should have
a nominal impedance between 6–16

English

MASTER
VOLUME

DOWN

UP

STANDBY/ON

FRONT INPUT

DIGITAL IN

L

VIDEO AUDIO R

P
U

S
H

O

P
E
N

2

DIGITALAV DIRECT

Ω.

See following page for
connection details.

R CENTER

LRL

FRONT

SPEAKERS

SURROUND

SURROUND

ANTENNA

AM LOOP

FM UNBAL 75Ω

IN

CONTROL

DIGITAL IN

DVR/VCR

CENTER SURROUND

DVD

SUB WOOFER

(TV/SAT)

AUDIO IN (5.1CH)

COAX

OPT2

+

–

BACK

TV/SAT

SUB

(DVD)

WOOFER

OPT1

OUT

VIDEO

OUT

IN

IN

IN

FRONT

L

R

DVD

OUT

L

R

DVR/VCR

TV/SAT

AUDIO

TWO VOLTAGE SELECTORS

IN

MONITOR

OUT

L

220 -230V 240V

R

VIDEO

110V

110V

120 -127V

VSX-C502

LINE LEVEL

INPUT

RLC RSLSSBSW

AC IN

120-127V

220 -230V

240V

15

En