Sony STR-DB900 User Manual 2

4-255-065-11(2)

FM Stereo FM/AM Receiver

Operating Instructions

STR-DB900

WARNING

To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or mo ist u r e.

To prevent fire, do not cover the ventil at ion of the apparatus with news papers, table-cloths, curtains, etc. And don’t place lighted candle s on the apparatus.

To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not place obje c ts filled with liquids, such as vases , on the ap pa ratus.

Do not install the appliance in a confined space, such as a bookcase or built-in cabi ne t.

About this manual

The instructions in this manual desc r ibe using the controls on the supplied remote. Yo u can also use the controls on the receiver if they are of the same or similar name as those on the remote .

About area codes

The area code of the receiver you purchased is shown on the right portion of the rear panel (see the illustration below).

Don’t throw away batter ie s w ith general house waste; dispose of them correctly as chemical waste.

4-XXX-XXX-XX AA

Area code

FRONT R+–FRONT L

AUDIO OUT

SUB WOOFER

Any differences in op eration, according to t he area code, are clearly ind icated in the text, for example, “Models of area code AA only”.

This receiver incorporates Dolby* Digital and Pro Logic Surround and the DTS** Digital Surro und System.

* Manufactured under license from Dolby

Laboratories. “Dolby”, “Pro Logic” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

**Manufactured under license from Digital Theater

Systems, Inc. “DTS”, “DTS-ES Extended Surround” and “Neo:6” are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.

Table of Contents

Hooking up Components

Required cords................... .... .................4

Connecting analog components..............5

Connecting digital components...............6

Connecting the antennas .........................7

Placing speakers...................................... 8

Connecting speakers...............................9

Before performing the initial setup.......11

Setting up and adjusting t he speakers...12 Adjusting the speaker levels and

balance............................................15

— TEST TONE

Checking the connections.....................16

Basic Operations

Selecting a component..........................17

Enjoying multichannel audio................17

Receiving broadcasts............................18

Using the Radio Data System (RDS)....20

(Models of area code CEK, CEL

only)

Changing information in the displ ay.... .21

About the indications in the display...... 22

Enjoying Surround Sound

Using only the front speakers ...............23

Enjoying higher fidelity sound..............23

Selecting a sound field..........................24

Customizing sound fields......................26

Using the supplied remote

Parts description...................................32

Table of buttons used to co ntrol each

component......................................36

Programming the remote......................38

Selecting the mode of the remote......... 41

Additional Information

Precautions............................................42

Troubleshooting....................................43

Specifications........................................45

List of button locations and reference

pages...............................................47

Index.....................................................49

Other Operations/Settings

Switching the audio input mode for

DVD playback................................ 28

Selecting the digital audio input

decoding priority.............................28

Selecting a bilingual play mode (Dual

Mono) .............................................29

Using the Sleep Timer ..........................29

Selecting a DTS 96/24 decoding

mode ...............................................30

Selecting a surround back decoding

mode ...............................................30

Hooking up Components

Required cords

Before you get started

The hookup diagrams in this chapter assume the use of the following optional connection cords ((a) to (f), not supplied).

(a) Audio/video cord

Yellow (video) White (L/audio) Red (R/audio)

(d) Optical digital cord

(e) Coaxial digital cord

(b) Audio cord

White (L) Red (R)

Yellow

Notes

Turn off the power to all components befor e m aking a ny co nne ct ions.

• Be sure to make connections firml y to avoid humming and noise.

• When connecting an audio/video cord, be sure to match the color-coded pins to th e appr opr ia te ja c k on the

components: yellow (video) to ye llow; white (left, audio) to white; and red (right, audi o) to red.

• When connecting optical digit al cords, insert the cord plugs in straight unti l the y c lick into place.

• Do not bend or tie optical digita l cords.

(f) Monaural audio cord

Black

Tip

The audio cord (b) can be split into two monaural audio cords (f).

Connecting analog components

If you connect your TV t o t he MONITOR jack, you can watch video image s f ro m the selected input source (page 17) . For detail s on the required cords ( (a) to (f)), see page 4.

Hooking up Components

COAXIAL

HDD/MD

DVD player

FRONT

MULTI CH OUT

SURROUND

CENTER

SUB

WOOFER

VIDEO OUT

AUDIO OUT

OUTPUT

VIDEO OUT

AUDIO OUT

OUTPUT

(a)

(b) (f)

(b)

75Ω

OUT

DVDINDVD

TV/SAT

HDD/MD

DIGITAL SPEAKERS IMPEDANCE USE 4-16 Ω

FRONT

MULTI CH IN

COAXIALOPTICAL

(a)

SURROUND CENTER

ANALOGANTENNA

DVD DVDTV/SATVIDEO VIDEO

SUB WOOFER

IN IN

SURROUND BACK+–SURROUND R+–SURROUND L

MONITOR

+–

VIDEO

INININOUT

To the ANALOG VIDEO IN L/R jacks

(a)**

TV monitor

AUDIO OUT

OUTPUT

(c)

MONITOR IN

INPUT

(c)

Satellite tuner*

VIDEO OUT

OUTPUT

VCR

CENTER

+–

–

FRONT R

* Use digital connections for audio signals. Connect the digital output jack of your satellite tuner to this

system’s TV/SAT OPT IN jack (see page 6 ).

**If you have the sound of the DVD player, VCR or satellite tuner going through the TV monitor, connect

the analog audio output jacks of the TV monitor to the ANALOG VIDEO IN L/R jacks. The sound of the DVD player, VCR or satellite tuner will output to the speakers connected to the receiver.

Connecting digital components

Connect the digital output ja cks of your DVD player (etc.) to th is system’s digital input jacks to bring the multichannel surround s ound o f a movie th eater into your home. This receiver allows you to use a speaker system with up to 6.1 channels. To fully enjoy multichannel surround sound, five speakers (two front speakers, two surround speakers, and a center speaker) and a subwoofe r ar e required. You can enjoy high fidelity reproduction of DVD software reco rded in the Dolby Digita l EX or D TSES format if you connect one additional surround back sp eaker (for a total of 6.1 channels). For details on the required cords ((a) to (f)), see page 4.

MD deck, Hard disc

DIGITAL

OPTICAL

OUT

(d) (d)

OUT

ANALOGANTENNA

DVD DVDTV/SATVIDEO VIDEO

SUB WOOFER

IN IN

SURROUND BACK+–SURROUND R+–SURROUND L

DVD player

MONITOR

+–

VIDEO

INININOUT

Satellite tuner

COAXIAL

75Ω

COAXIALOPTICAL

OUT

HDD/MD

DIGITAL

OPTICAL

OUT

DVDINDVD

TV/SATINHDD/MD

DIGITAL SPEAKERS

(d)

DIGITAL

OPTICAL

OUT

SURROUND CENTER

FRONT

MULTI CH IN

(e)

DIGITAL

COAXIAL

OUT

* Connect this cord to either the COAX IN or the OPT IN jack. We recommend making connections to the COAX

IN jack.

Notes

• All of the digital audio jacks are compa tible with 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz sampling frequencies.

• To play back multichannel surround sound through this receiver, you may have to change the digital output setting

on the connected component. For details, refer to the operating instruc tions for the connected component .

Connecting the antennas

Connect the supplied AM loop antenna and FM wire antenna as shown below.

FM wire antenna (supplied)

AM loop antenna (supplied)

Hooking up Components

ANALOGANTENNA

DVD DVDTV/SATVIDEO VIDEO

SUB WOOFER

IN IN

MONITOR

+–

SURROUND BACK+–SURROUND R+–SURROUND L

VIDEO

INININOUT

COAXIAL

HDD/MD

75Ω

OUT

DVDINDVD

TV/SAT

HDD/MD

DIGITAL SPEAKER

FRONT

SURROUND CENTER

MULTI CH IN

COAXIALOPTICAL

Notes

• To prevent noise pickup, keep the AM loop antenna away from the receiver and other components.

• Be sure to fully extend the FM wire an ten n a.

• After connecting the FM wire ante nna, keep it as horizontal as possi ble .

• When you connect the supplied AM loop antenna, connect the black cord (A) to the

U terminal, and the whit e cord

(B) to the other terminal.

Placing speakers

To fully enjoy surround sound, configure your speakers as f ollows.

• Place the front speakers in a location 1 to 7 meters from the listening position (A).

• You can enjoy improved sound effects if you place the center spe aker from a distance eq ual to the

front speaker distance (A) to a distance 1.5 meters closer to your listening position (B).

• You can enjoy impr oved sound effects if yo u place the surround speakers from a dis t ance equal to

front speaker distance (A) to a distance 4.5 meters closer to your listening position (C).

• You can enjoy improved sound effects if you place the surround back speakers from a distance equal

to the front speaker distance (A) to a distance 4.5 meters closer to your listening position (D).

• You can place the surround speakers either behind you or to the si de of your listening posit i on,

depending on the shape of your room (etc.).

• You can place one su rr ound back speaker immediately behind t he listening position.

• Place the subwoofer at the same distance from the listening position as the front speakers (left or

right).

Place the speakers as illustrated below.

A A

Note

Do not place the center speaker and surroun d speakers farther away from the listening pos ition than the front speakers.

Connecting speakers

When connect in g speaker cords, make sure to atta ch the supplied spe aker plugs to the sp eaker cords. For details on how to attach the speaker plugs , see the supplied flysheet.

speaker cords, be sure to turn off the receiver.

Required cords

(a) Speaker cords (not supplied)

( + ) ( – )

(b) Monaural audio cord (not supplied)

Black

Before connecting the

Hooking up Components

Surround back

speaker

(a) (a)

ANALOG

DVD DVDTV/SATVIDEO VIDEO

IN IN

Surround speaker

MONITOR

VIDEO

+–

SURROUND BACK+–SURROUND R+–SURROUND L

(a)

(R)

Center speaker

INININOUT

SPEAKERS

(a)

Surround speaker

(L)

+–

CENTER

IMPEDANCE USE 4-16 Ω

FRONT R

(a)

Front speaker

(R)

Subwoofer

AUDIO

INPUT

(b)

To a wall outlet

(Switch the power (POWER) to off before connecting the power cord.)

AUDIO OUT

+–

FRONT L

+–

SUB WOOFER

(a)

Front speaker

(L)

continued

Note for connecting the speaker cords to the receiver

If the speaker cords ar e no t prop erl y conn e cted , the receiver m ay be fatally damaged. To avoid the possibility of damage, follow the instructions below.

1 Do not hook up the speaker cords while the

receiver power is turned on. Be sure to turn off the power first. After

turning off the power, it is recommend ed tha t you disconnect the power cord for greater safety.

2 Do not al l o w t he stripped end of a spea ker

cord to come into conta ct wi th any part of t he rear panel or the a dj acent speaker term inal.

Before inserting a stripped sp eaker cord in to a speaker terminal, twist the wires tightly together to prevent contact between any single strand from the cord and the rear panel or the adjacent speaker terminal on the

receiver. Remove about 10 mm of insulatio n at the end of the cord, then twist the exposed wires.

Connect the stripped ends of the co rds to the terminals, taki ng care to avoid contact between the cords. Make sure the cords are firmly connected to the speaker and recei ver terminals.

Examples of poor speaker cord connections

Stripped cords are not fully attached and are touching the rear panel of the receiver.

Stripped speaker cord is touching another speaker terminal.

Stripped cords are touching each other due to excessive removal of insulation

10 mm

To avoid short-circuiting the speakers

Short-circuiting of the speake rs may damage the receiver. To prevent this , be sure to follo w these precautions when connecting the speakers. Make sure the bare wire of each sp eaker cord does not touch another speaker terminal or the bare wire of anothe r speaker cord.

Before performing the initial setup

Before performing the initial setup procedure, be sure to perform the following operations.

• When not using the remot e for an exte nde d pe r iod of time, remove the batterie s to a void possible damage from battery leakage and corrosion.

• Turn off the power to all components before making any connections.

• Be sure to make connec tions firmly to avoid humming and noise.

Hooking up Components

Connecting the AC power cord

Connect the AC power cord to a wall outlet.

AC power cord

Before you use your remote

Inserting batteries into the remote

Insert two R6 (size AA) batteries wit h the polarity (+ and –) pr operly oriented in the battery compartment.

To a wall outlet

About the remote operation

• The instructions in this manual are described using the controls on the remote. You may also use the controls on the re ceiver i f they ar e of the same or similar name as those on the remote.

• The initial settings are underlined.

Performing initial setup operations

Before using the receiver for the first time, perform the initialization procedure as follows. This procedure can also be used to re tu rn settings you have m ade to their factory defa ul ts .

Press ?/1 while pressing 2CH. When “CONFIRM” appears, press 2CH again.

The following items are reset or cleared:

• All sound field parameters

• All parameters in the SET UP, LEVEL and TONE menus

• Sound fields memorized for each program source

•Preset stations

Further, the master volume is set to the minimum value.

Tip

Under normal conditions, the batteries should last for about 6 months. When the remote no longer operates the control center, replace both batteries with new ones.

Notes

• Do not leav e th e r e mote in an extremely hot or humid place.

• Do not use a new batter y with an old one.

• Do not expose the remote sensor of the control center to direct sunlight or li ght ing a ppa r at use s. Doing so may cause a malfunction.

Setting up and adjusting the speakers

You can perform setup and adjustme nt of t he speakers connected to the rece iver by foll owing the procedu res below.

1 Select the speaker impedance.

For more information, see “Setting up the speaker impedance” (page 12).

2 Select the speaker size and distance.

For more information, see “Setting up the speaker size and di stance” (page 12) .

3 Adjust the speaker level.

For more information, see “Adjusting the speaker levels an d balance” (page 15) .

4 Check the connections of the

connected component.

For more information, see “Checking the connections” (page 16).

Setting up the speaker impedance

Set up the impedance value in the SET UP menu depending on the speakers you connec te d. The initial setting is 8 ohms.

1 Press ?/1 to turn on the system. 2 Press MAIN MENU repeatedly to select

“<SET UP>”.

3 Press F/f repeatedly to select “SP

IMP”.

4 Use G/g to select “4” or “8” according

to the impedance value of the connected speakers.

Speaker impedance

To enjoy the best possible multi channel surround, connec t speakers with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms or higher to the FRONT, CENTER, SURROUND and SURROUND BACK terminals, and set the speake r impedance to “8” in the SET UP menu. Refer to the operating instructions supplied with your speakers if you are not sure of their impedance.

(This information is often on the back of the speaker.) Alternatively, you may connect speakers with nominal impedances between 4 and 8 ohms to any or all of the speaker terminals. However, be sure to set the speaker impedance to “4” in the SET UP menu, if you connect even one speaker with a nominal impedance between 4 and 8 ohms.

Setting up the speaker size and distance

Use the SET UP menu to set the size and distance of the sp eakers connected to the receiver. You can select “EASY” (automatic) or “NORM.” (manual) for the speaker size and distance settings. The initial setting is “EASY”.

1 Press ?/1 to turn on the system. 2 Press MAIN MENU repeatedly to select

“<SET UP>”.

3 Press F/f repeatedly to select “XXXX

SET”.

4 Use G/g to select “EASY” or “NORM.”.

•EASY Selecting “EASY” allows you to set up yo ur

speakers automatically by selecting a predefined speaker pattern. Check your s peaker pattern and perfor m speaker setup, referring to the supplied “Installation Guide”.

• NORM. Selecting “NORM.” allows you to adjust the settings of each speaker manually. You can

set up the size or the distance of each speaker in the SET UP menu. For more information, see “Speaker setup parameters” below.

Speaker setup parameters

x (SUB WOOFER) (Subwoofer)

•YES

If you connect a subwoofer, select “YE S”.

•NO

If you did not connect a subwoofer, select “NO”. This activates the bass redirecti on circuitry and outputs the LFE (Low Frequency Effect) signals from other speakers.

When “NO” is selected, the front speakers are automatically set to “LARGE”.

x (FRONT) (Front speakers)

• LARGE If you connect large speakers that will effectively

reproduce bass frequencies, select “LARGE”. Normally, select “LARGE”.

•SMALL If sound seems distorted, or you feel a lack of

surround effects when using multichannel surround sound, select “SMALL” to activate the bass redirection circuitry and output the front channel bass frequencies from the subwoofer. When the front speakers are set to “SMALL”, th e cen ter and surround speakers are a lso automatically set to “SMALL” (unless previously set to “NO”).

x (CENTER) (Center speaker)

• LARGE If you connect a large speaker that wil l effectively

reproduce bass frequencies, select “LARGE”. Normally, select “LARGE”. However, if the front speakers are set to “SMALL”, you cannot set the center speaker to “LARGE”.

•SMALL If sound seems distorted, or you feel a lack of surround effects when using multichannel surround sound, select “SMALL” to activate the bass redirection circuitry and output the center channel bass frequencies from the front speakers (if set to “LARGE”) or subwoofer.

•NO If you did not connect a center speaker, select “NO”. The sound of the center channel will be output from the front speakers.

x (SURROUND)

(Surround speakers)

• LARGE If you connect large speakers that will effectively reproduce bass frequencies, select “LARGE”. Normally, select “LARGE”. However, if the front speakers are set to “SMALL”, you cannot set the surround speakers to “LARGE”.

•SMALL If the sound is distorted, or you feel a lack of

surround effects when using multichannel surround sound, select “SMALL” to activate the bass redirection circuitry and output the surround channel bass frequencies from the subwoofer or other “LARGE” speakers.

•NO If you did not connect surround speakers, select “NO”. If the surround speakers are set to “NO”, the surround back speakers are automatically set to “NO”.

x (SURR BACK)

(Surround back speaker)

•YES If you connect a surround back speaker, selec t

“YES”.

•NO If you do not connect a surrou nd back speaker, sel ect

“NO”.

Tip

The “LARGE” and “SMALL” settings for each speaker determine whether or not the inte r na l sound processor will cut the bass signal from that channel. When the bass is cut from a channel, the bass redirection circuitry se nds the co rre sponding bass frequencies to the subwoofer or othe r “LAR GE” speakers. Howeve r, it is best not to cut them, if possible. Therefore, even when using small speakers, you can set speaker settings to “LARGE” if you want to output the bass frequenc ie s f r o m that speaker. On the other hand, if you are using a large speake r , but prefer not to have bass frequencies output from that speaker, set it to “ SMA L L”.

If the overall sound level is lower than you would prefer, set all speakers to “LARGE”. If there is not enough bass, you can use the equalize r to boost the bass levels. To adjust the bass, see pa ge 27.

x DIST. XX m

(Front speaker distance)

Initial setting: 3.0 m Lets you set the distance from your listening position

to the front speakers (A on page 8). You can adjust from 1.0 m to 7.0 m in 0.1 meter steps. If both front speakers are n ot p lac ed an eq ua l d i st an ce from your listening position, set this distance to the closest speaker.

x DIST. XX m

(Center speaker distance)

Initial setting: 3.0 m Lets you set the distance from your listening position to the center speaker. You can adju st from 1.0 m to 7.0 m in 0.1 meter ste ps .

x DIST. XX m

(Surround speaker distance)

Initial setting: 3.0 m

Hooking up Components

continued

Lets you set the distance from your listening position to the surround speakers. You can adjust from 1.0 m to

7.0 m in 0.1 meter steps. If both surround speakers are not placed an equal

distance from your listening position, set this distance to the closest speaker.

x DIST. XX m

(Surround back speaker distance)

Initial setting: 3.0 m Lets you set the distance from your listening position to the surround back speaker. You can adju st from 1.0 m to 7.0 m in 0.1 me ter steps.

x PL.

(Surround speaker placement)

Lets you specify the height of your surround speakers for proper implementati on of sur ro und effects in the Cinema Studio EX modes (page 24).

screen. If you cannot obtain a satisfact or y sur r ound effect because the surround speaker s are too c los e, setting the surround speaker distance closer (shorter) than the actual distance will create a larger sound stage.

Adjusting these parameter while listening to the sound often results in much better surr ound sound. Give it a try!

•LOW Select if the height of your surround speake r s corresponds to section A.

•HIGH Select if the height of your surround speake r s corresponds to section B.

* This se tup item is not available when the surro und

speaker paramet er is set to “NO”.

Tip

The receiver lets you input speake r positions in terms of distance. However, it is not poss ibl e to se t the distance of the center speaker further than the front speakers. Also, the center speaker cannot be set more that 1.5 m closer than the front speakers. Likewise, the surround speakers cannot be set farther away from the listen ing position than the front speakers, and can be no more than 4.5 me te r s cl ose r . This is because incorrect speaker placement is not conducive to the enjoyment of surround sound.

Please note that setting the speaker distance closer than the actual location of the speakers will cause a delay in the output of sound from that speaker. In other words, the speaker will sound like it is farther away.

For example, setting the cent e r speaker distance 1–2 meters closer than the actual speaker position will create a fairly real istic sensation of being “ins ide ” the

Adjusting the speaker levels and balance

— TEST TONE

Use the remote while seated in your listening position to adjust the level of each speaker.

1 Press ?/1 to turn on the receiver. 2 Press TEST TONE.

“T.TONE” appe ars i n the d ispl ay an d a tes t tone is output from each speaker in th e following sequ ence:

Front (left)

Center

Front (right)

Surround (right)

Surround (back)

Surround (left)

Subwoofer

Notes

• The front balance, center level, surround level, surround back level and subwoofer level are shown in the display during adjustme nt.

• To enjoy better sound quality, do not turn up the volume of the subwoofer too high .

Hooking up Components

3 Adjust the LEVEL parameters so that

the level of the test tone from each speaker sounds the same when you are in your main listening position.

To adjust the balance and level of speakers, press MAIN MENU repeatedly to select LEVEL menu, then press F/f to select the parameter you want to adjust (page 26). Next, press G/g to select a setting.

4 Press TEST TONE again to turn off the

test tone.

Tip

You can adjust the level of all speakers at the same time. Press MASTER VOL +/– on the remote or rotate VOLUME on the receiver.

Checking the connections

After connecting all of your components to the receiver, check that the connections were made correctly as follows.

1 Press ?/1 to turn on the receiver. 2 Press the button for the component

(VIDEO, DVD, TV/SAT, HDD/MD, MULTI CH) that you want to check.

Or rotate INPUT SELECTOR on the receiver.

3 Turn on the component and start

playback.

4 Press MASTER VOL +/– to adjust the

volume.

Or rotate VOLUM E o n the receiver. If you do not obtain nor mal sound output af te r performing this procedure, see “Troubleshooting” on page 43 and take the appropriate measures to correct the pr oblem.

+ 36 hidden pages